Paul's letter to the Romans
A letter of
Romans 1 - ASV
1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Should be a slave of Christ. Servant is too soft and too free a term.
He placed his calling right in the front of his message. It was not by his own choice and selection. He was not the initiator. Freewill is not emphasised here.
Working for/serving God is not a matter of personal initiation. God knew before His creation, before the existence of mankind. God planned ahead.
Paul was set apart. He was made holy for the task/gospel of God.
Santification is also a matter of predestination.
Self-will is not the initiation. Paul acted as a faithful slave. Someone who repay his master with obedience.
It is not a matter of class, sonship, or leadership. It is a matter of obedience and faithfullness.
Count yourselves blessed to be set apart for the gospel of God. The Lord has a beautiful plan for you.
Do not resist His grace that will overflow your cup of sustenance and blessings.
God through initiation shed forth His love and righteousness.
The creatures should not overtake the creator.
2. which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures,
God is just, being faithful to His promises.
God has spoken. Who can? But prophesy?
His scriptures are holy, set apart from all other sources of information.
The prophesies of the word of God are in the holy scriptures, hailed as the standard for revelation. Nobody should turn to any other book for the information (such as promises) of God.
3. concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
God revealed His Son in the holy scriptures. Men did not know, by any other means.
It is a matter of revelation.
Paul is expounding scriptures, without which there is no divine decreed understanding. God has chosen this only way as channel for His truth that mankind should not be confused through multi selection.
The Son is many things according to different views and sources. He is of the seed/decendants of David according to the flesh. This is one criteria/defining requirement for His manhood.
He has an origin according to the flesh. No confusion. But a certainty. Not acertained for the swayful in mind.
4. who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,
Scripture is power. Declaring through scripture is coming with power.
It is the law.
Scriptures are according to the spirit of holiness. God is holy. His spirit is holy. Not just any spirit.
Evil spirits mixed with the world and are not holy.
The holy spirit is set apart/holy, even by title.
We have to be set apart to be in the spirit holy. Examine and adjust yourselves; lest you be united with spirits of filth and darkness.
Christ is the resurrection.
The sign of Christ, just as Jonah reflects, is resurrection from the dead. He can and had come back to life from the domain, realm, confine of the dead.
Darkness cannot hold Him. He could not be chained to death. He is the author of life. Apart from Him there is no life.
He is therefore set apart to be holy.
5. through whom we received grace and apostleship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name's sake;
Grace and apostleship is granted through the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Those who are fighting against God and His Christ are not apostles of God. They are not regarded gracious.
With His grace, we can be obedient and faithful among all the nations. We are His because of His embracing power. We did not come to Him and obey Him through freewill and choice.
We could not escape darkness by ourselves. All have sinned. All have fallen short of His holiness.
All glory be to His name. All glory be for Him. He inherited, received the creation from the Father.
We did not have. Not even babies. He chose to give. We received through Him.
Those in darkness have not yet received. They are deceived.
6. among whom are ye also called to be Jesus Christ's:
You, believers who were in Rome are amongst His inheritance.
We are all called by God through the Son to belong to Jesus Christ.
7. To all that are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
To all that are in Rome, including elders, leaders, and all believers. No bishop. No pope. No exclusive catholic church.
The writing is not addressed to an organisation. It is addressed to all the believers.
God loves His own. God loves His inheritance. God called them out to be set apart[saints].
No organisation truly calls believers to be saints. Roman Catholic sainthood is not Godly; not scriptural.
Roman Catholic doctrines and practices are against scriptural revelation, Pauline teaching, against the calling of God. It does not partake matters of the saints.
Paul blessed those who are called to be saints, beloved of God. This is just the beginning of his letter.
8. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.
First thing came up after 7 verses of introduction.
Thanking God through Jesus Christ. Not through the Virgin or some idol/statues.
It is a joy, worth thanking, to have the faith of Christ proclaimed, especially throughout the whole world. The world was a much small place at that time.
Effort continues even when the known civilized world was evangelised.
The church was not Rome centred even when the whole known world based on Roman Empire was evangelised. Peter and the 11 were not in Rome. There was no catholic church.
The (so called) Bishop of Rome/Clement of Rome was not the Leader.
9. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers
Not the church, but God is his witness.
In his spirit he served God. In his flesh corruption remains.
Paul prayed for all in Rome. Praying for others; not praying through some idol for oneself.
10. making request, if by any means now at length I may be prospered by the will of God to come unto you.
Direct request to Christ.
Seing face to face is better than just by writing and message. There is a human touch.
11. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
All for giving.
Spiritual gifts, charismata, are for establishing believers/the assemblies(churches).
12. that is, that I with you may be comforted in you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.
It is comforting to see the establishment and faith of believers.
Mutual edification. Not just some or a few representing the whole.
13. And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles.
Ignorance is not love or strength.
To establish is to bear fruit.
14. I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
To give as if one has not yet given enough. Far from a beginning.
15. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you also that are in Rome.
The centre of the faith was not in Rome, even in the Roman Empire.
The gospel is preached to Rome.
Paul preached. Not some bishop, or pope in Rome to the world. The authority does not rest with Rome.
16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The driving force for preaching to Rome is the same force for preaching; that the preacher is not ashamed of the gospel. He is convinced of its goodness for the world, for strangers, for enemies of God - unto salvation. The message is able to induce salvation because of the power of God.
The importance is the gospel. Not any Orthodox church. In the beginning, there is the gospel.
17. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith.
The righteous shall live by faith. Not by progressive improvement of believes. Not by affiliation to some organisation/church. Not by personal ideas. Not by invention. Not by vote and keeping of vow.
In faith is shown by works. It is still not invention. But the works according to the commandments of God Most High.
Christ said that if you love Him you follow His commandments. Not your own invention. Not your organisation. not your likings.
18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness;
The wrath of God for ungodliness. It is justice.
19. because that which is known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested it unto them.
20. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse:
The world is a creation, reflecting the glory of the creator.
Balance is brought about through intelligence. Things do not just improve themselves. Everything worldly runs into decay.
Decay is a certainty. maintenance is necessary.
21. because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened.
They have a different kind of reasoning. They even believe they think/reason right and christians wrong. There is darkness.
They lack consideration and care.
Christians ought to self-examine and have sensitive heart, caring for the children of God and the unsaved. Love and endure.
22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
The reality is the very opposite to appearance. We must not judge according to appearance only.
The real substance is in Christ.
The fear of jehovah is the beginning of wisdom.
23. and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.
The glory of God is understood by these people. Intangible things are within grasp.
Men wanting God and gods to be like men. Men wanting to comprehend things according to their own format.
The scriptural God is not anthropomorphic. The logic of God is not the logic of men.
He initiates the steps. Men just have to follow. Men did not make the rules.
Non-believers want to make their own rules and fit everything into their tyrany, their format, their confine and excuses.
24. Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves:
God is in control. There is no lost of control, or sliding of hands. His hands did not grow too greasy.
God righteously judge that they deserve uncleanness.
25. for that they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
They do not just fall when there is the lie. They fall for any lie.
26. For this cause God gave them up unto vile passions: for their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature:
Vile passions are transcient.
There is a mixture of strange sexual behaviour. Very confusing, and not approved by the unites. Confusion and pain.
27. and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working unseemliness, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was due.
It is natural for man to lie with woman for procreation.
It hurts to act unnaturally.
28. And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Some actively want to get rid of God in their realm.
Without the restraining salvation of God, sinners have poor mind, doing things which are not fitting for natural goodness.
29. being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
The unrestrained mind is full of all sorts of evil and bad things. Wickedness is just one of them. Deceit hide away some of the evil things. Murder seek to kill off evidence.
They strife to work out bad things. Rather active people.
In quietness, sin is passed on through whispering. There are quiet moments of sin.
30. backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Many unbelievers express that they hate the God of the bible.
Many boast of knowledge and control.
Many are cunning/skillful enough to invent evil things.
Evil people may be springing from nice parents. One kind of evil does not obey another kind of evil. Godless families are not united families.
31. without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful:
There is the spiritual affection for the Lord, and natural affection for the world.
People very often ask - what about the world, our friends, people, living things, our foundation, our roots..?
But, what about God, the Holy Spirit, heaven and the kingdom of God?
Professing with the world, these people do not even have natural affection, but have twisted acts of wickedness.
32. who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practise such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practise them.
It is not impossible for the unregenerated, unsaved to know the ordinance of God which is written in scriptures. Statutes are written and printed, published on the internet as well.
The dying ones are worthy of death. This is justice.
Not all deserve everlasting life. Not all will go to heaven to be with God. Some hate God to the end.
There are conditions for receiving life. There is no unconditional life.
Accept Christ and His gift and live. The rest will naturally die. No body, who have not received Christ is free from sin.
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