Transcribed by Beluga AI.
Read two verses, Romans 1. I think there’s a little bit of an echo, maybe slightly. Romans 1:16-17. And then we’ll share what the Lord has been saying to us.
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith. For faith, as it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17, ESV)
Okay, let’s pray. Father, we. We need your help.
Send the Holy Spirit to us. Give us, grant us the gift of revelation to understand what is the gospel. Why is it such a big deal? Why is Paul proclaiming and rejoicing, and he is not ashamed to proclaim the truth of this gospel?
And he unpacks it for the next 15 chapters. So, Lord, help us to understand what this is, why it’s such good news. We pray that you be with us in this service. We give you this time. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
I’m not sure if I ever preach systematically through Romans, but I think it’s time. I’ve avoided this book. It’s very difficult. I’ve sat on it for years. And then especially this week, even, even as early as this morning until 4:30. It’s just difficult. But I trust that God will speak to all of us collectively as we, as we bring our minds and our hearts together.
So Romans 1 through 4, any, any inspiration from the Lord, like, what is the gospel? Why is it good news? And, and maybe you can kind of unpack it.
I think there’s a little nuggets in each of these first four chapters. And maybe it can be a little fuller explanation, a sentence or two or three of what is the gospel. Anybody?
And before I forget, if you’re hungry, there is a fundraising for the mission trip to Mexico that Canaan is doing. And so they’re selling teriyaki chicken. So if you don’t like the food that we’re serving, please go down and support missions. Teriyaki chicken from Canaan Church, anybody?
Yes, Sophia. Gospel of Jesus is truth. Yes. Amen. The Jews and Gentiles are speaking similarly.
Yes, yes, yes. There’s a, there’s a debate, and I think Tim has got a good observation that it’s a debate between the Jewish mindset and the Gentile mindset, which I think we can locate even in God’s church today.
There are some of us who are more Jewish, like in our thinking, and there are some of us who are more Gentile, like in our thinking. And that’s something I hope we can discuss.
Yes. I noticed that there’s a verse in chapter two that says where God does not show favor to some. Yes.
So even though there is that difference between the two groups, in the end, the judgment is the same as sinning. But later on you’ll see, like, everyone is a sinner. And also the grace of God is for everyone.
Apostle Paul even was called to preach the Gentiles. He says in Romans 1:14, “But I have the obligation to actually preach to everyone, whether civilized, uncivilized, educated or uneducated.” There is no favoritism, even in his. I think some people.
You can see that sometimes where people feel like, oh, the gospel has to be preached. You know, my assignment is this group. And so they really ignore everything, everyone else. Right. And they almost like just, you know, they don’t even acknowledge that they’re there.
But anyway, so the gospel definition I saw was the good news is about the Son. That was what he did. So it’s just about Jesus. All about Jesus. Yes. The good news is the gospel of His Son. And there’s no favoritism.
Jew and Greek alike are saved, and God, His heart is for all the world to be saved. So that’s an important part. Yes. Anybody else?
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Romans 3:25, ESV)
Romans 3:23, I think, is one of the famous verses. God before them, perfection by Blood to be received by faith. It’s also like very intact. First. Yes.
After you see how everyone, Jews and Gentiles, even the unbelievers, were they. They received gifts such as God’s glory, everything else, that there’s no excuse but protest from believers. But even for believers, we know that without Jesus, there’s really no way. Yes.
But it is a gift because. Amen. It’s a gift of salvation. It is a gift by faith in Jesus. And we’re all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23, ESV)
Even if maybe we think some sinners, some people are bigger sinners than others. We’re all. We’re all actually the same. We’re all sinners in need of a savior. Anybody else?
So I think I love those same lines.
Romans 4:3 stood out for me, which is the gospel is where God justifies the ungodly and imputes righteousness upon the ungodly through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ, who did the work for our people.
I think the gospel is justification by God for the ungodly and imputes righteousness through the faith in His Son, Jesus, who did the Work on our behalf. Amen.
So God did all the work through His Son and we just have to receive that gift. And Jesus’ righteousness is credited to us, imputed to us.
Very theological and something we should unpack more. Anything, anything else. The power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. And then as it is written, the righteous.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17, ESV)
What is the Gospel? Live by faith in Jesus. Romans 1:16-17.
That’s great. Anybody else? Yes, Ron, I was reading in chapter two. He says a person is not a Jew who is not outwardly and true. Circumcision is not something visible by the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly.
And circumcision is at the heart by the Spirit, not of the letter. A person’s praise is not from people, but from God.
28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:28-29, ESV)
Some of the gospel is earlier. In chapter two, he says, do you spy the riches of his greatness? God grants us repentance, but we need to repent. You know, there’s always that bearing the fruit of repentance.
I think the Gospel is always repentance. You know, we have that opportunity. God gives us our choice. He’s faithful to do his part. He already did it.
Our full confidence in the work of the cross that’s made in Christ. But we have our part as far as repenting and putting our faith in that finished work of the cross. Amen.
Yeah, that’s a great point. God does his part. It’s a finished work on the cross, but we have to do our part, which is not just saying through words that we repent, but proving through a changed life that repentance has come. That’s a great point.
Anybody else? This is helping me because I don’t have a clear message. So thank you.
Thank you for everybody who is sharing. It’s very helpful. Thank you.
We’ll keep reading the book of Romans throughout the next few weeks. We’ll cover it in sections.
Romans 2:1. Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.
Do you suppose, O man, you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself. On the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed, he will render to each one according to his works.
To those who by patience and well-doing seek for glory and honor, immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek. But glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek, for God shows no impartiality.
1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality. (Romans 2:1-11, ESV)
So I think there I covered two Jackie and Ron’s verses, which I think we need to wrestle with.
As I read through Romans, I think two mindsets came out, jumped out at me. First is the Jewish mindset that I am a privileged person. I know theology, I’m favored by God, I’m very religious, I know all the commandments, I’m a teacher of the law, and based on what I do, I am righteous. And everybody else who doesn’t do what I do, they are unrighteous.
And then you have the Gentile mindset.
So the Jewish mindset judges the Gentile mindset because they’re heathen. They don’t know God’s law; they’re not chosen by God.
And then you have the other kind of judgment, which is the Gentile mindset, which says, oh, the Jews, they think they’re better than me. This superiority complex that they have, I want nothing to do with it. I am a free person; I can live however I want. And they are so stiff and so legalistic, and I want nothing to do with that kind of a person.
So I think there’s a judgment going on both ways. And God says enough, there is only one judge, and I am he, and stop judging one another.
I don’t favor the Jews as the Jews may think. Although they were chosen first, they were revealed the plan of salvation first. But in the end, God plays no favorites. Israel has a special place in salvation history. But God’s Word is clear, there are no favorites. We are all equal children of God.
So if you are a non-Jewish person, you are equally valuable and loved by God.
And so that’s something, it’s interesting here. Like if you are on the Jewish side, then you’re all about the rules, and you’re maybe uptight when somebody is breaking the rules. And when you yourself are breaking the rules and you are sinning, you feel very condemned.
That’s one mindset that we need to kind of break down and demolish. The other mindset is it’s all faith. I don’t need to. I don’t need to wrestle with sin. I’m already covered. It’s already done.
But if you look at these verses, God judges not based on what we think we know, but he judges us by how we live, by the works. And so that is a fuller definition of the gospel.
It is by faith. But after faith, aren’t there some works? Because faith without works is dead. And God judges you and me by our works.
And if we have faith, the mistakes that we’ve made along the way, they’re covered and then cleansed. But it is not a license to keep on sinning in a pattern.
Because I think later on in this book, it’s going to expose people who think they’re saved, but they’re not, because the Spirit is not in them, because they cannot overcome this bondage to sin.
And then verse 12 and 13. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. And all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (Romans 2:12-13, ESV)
So God has justified us.
33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. (Romans 8:33, ESV)
He says, you’re innocent. I’m not going to hold your sins against you. But now we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and prove our innocence for the rest of our days.
And we will be judged not by what we know,
13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. (Romans 2:13, ESV)
what we’ve heard, but how we’ve applied what we’ve heard to our lives. The doers of the Word are justified, then.
Romans 3:5, 8. I’m just reading some of the verses that stood out to me. Romans 3:5.
But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? I speak in a human way. By no means. For then how could God judge the world?
But if through my lie, God’s truth abounds to its glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that God may come,
5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Romans 12:5, ESV)
as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come? as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. (Romans 3:5-8, ESV)
And so, there are people in the body of Christ who have this mindset that I can keep on sinning, but it’s okay because I’m forgiven.
But here, clearly, the person who doesn’t understand this gospel that they’ve received, and the Jesus who died for their sins and who keeps on abusing this grace, that person is under condemnation still because they don’t understand the Gospel, because they’re still living as a sinner who justifies that it’s okay to keep on sinning.
And then Romans 3:20, it says, for by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20, ESV)
So now we get into the reason for all of the laws in the Old Testament.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23, ESV)
It is to show us that apart from Christ, there is no righteousness, that we are all sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God and everything in Scripture.
When you see it, you’re supposed to conclude, I cannot live this out on my own. I’m utterly falling short.
Jesus, I need you. Jesus, I need you. Please save me. Please forgive me.
And this is an encouragement for us to keep placing our faith in Christ. It’s not just a one-time I’m saved, but to break this bondage of sin. We need to keep coming to Jesus and say, please help me, Lord Jesus, to overcome this sin that I’m struggling with today.
And then verse 21 to 23 it says, but now the righteousness of God has been manifest apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it.
The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction.
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (Romans 3:21-22, ESV)
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
And so we all fall short, but our righteousness is through our faith in Jesus Christ. Again, this is not a license to keep sinning, as the verses that I’ve shared prior indicate. We need to wrestle to the point of shedding blood.
Jesus shed his Blood so that we can conquer every sin to the best of our ability. God did his part; it is done.
But we do our part by struggling with sin with the expectation that I can overcome sin more and more with the help of Jesus Christ and his Blood.
And then Romans 3:27-31, it says, Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only?
Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also. Since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith, do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means. On the contrary, we uphold the law.
27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:27-31, ESV)
And so now he gets into it is for the Jew and the Gentile. It is by faith. And I think chapter four we can sum up just the early conclusions from this book.
Romans 4:7-13, it says, Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is a man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.
Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it accounted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10 How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. (Romans 4:7-10, ESV)
And then let me read Romans 4:16-25.
That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring, not only to the adherent of the law, but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist in hope.
He believed against hope that he should become the father of many nations. As he had been told, so shall your offspring, so shall your offspring be.
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.
No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God. But he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised.
That is why his faith was counted to him as righteousness. But the words it was counted, counted to him were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him, who raised him from the dead.
Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations” in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:16-25, ESV)
So to wrap up this first segment of the Book of Romans, Paul introduces the figure of Abraham. And Abraham, as you know, he was called by God, the Lord Jesus Christ in his pre incarnate form.
There was a Christophany. Jesus came to Abraham in Genesis 12. And so it’s the same faith that saves us as New Covenant believers.
We just know the fuller revelation we have, the incarnation of Christ that we look back to. But even in the Old Testament, you have Jesus appearing because he is the Word. He was there from the beginning.
He appears to Abraham in Genesis 12, and he calls him to leave all his familiarity and to embark on a faith journey.
And then in chapter 15, sometime later, there’s still no son, there’s still no blessing, there’s still no nations being birthed through him. He doesn’t even have one offspring. And so he must have wondered, when is this going to come to fruition?
And God comes to him a second time. And the greatness of Abraham as he believed, that’s all the greatness of Abraham as he believed. Even though when he looked at his life, he looked at his circumstances, there is nothing which suggests that this word that came in Genesis 12 is on the way.
There’s just no sign of fulfillment of this promise. And yet the greatness of Abraham’s faith is he believed. And because he believed, God credited to him, Abraham, you are righteous in my sight.
And was this before or after Abraham was circumcised? Before or after? It was before. How do we know this? Because in Genesis 17, this is almost 25 years later, 24 years.
When Abraham is 99 years old, God comes to him and says, a year from now, not too long from now, this word that I gave to you 24 years prior is going to come to fulfillment. you’re going to have a child.
Sarah laughs. Abraham believes, and it was credited to him as righteous.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3, ESV)
And then circumcision as a commandment was introduced for the very first time.
4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. (Genesis 21:4, ESV)
So for the Jewish people who pride themselves in the law, and circumcision is the very first one, eight days old, all males, you must be circumcised.
It is the very first law that is obeyed in the life of a Jewish male. And yet faith preceded the law. Does that mean it’s only faith and we abandon the law? No. There is a verse that I read that we uphold the law, we fulfill the law. We don’t abandon the law, we don’t abandon the commandments. How we live righteously matters. We don’t ignore all of this. But righteousness through faith, Faith comes first. Faith comes first.
Then comes righteousness. Then comes keeping of the law, doing of the law, righteous living, and something that the Lord will unpack as we continue through the Book of Romans.
Is that like in the life of Abraham? Faith was supposed to continue beyond us. you’re supposed to become a loving person who is a blessing to your spouse, who is a blessing to the children, who are a blessing to the neighbors, who are a blessing to the nations to the ends of the earth.
The salvation that comes to us as individuals is supposed to continue to be a blessing to all the nations so that you can become the hands and feet of Jesus.
As we are transformed by this gospel, this blessing that came through Father Abraham, the father of faith, this blessing reached us, the Gentiles, and is now continuing through us and through believers around the world to bring this gospel to the ends of this earth.
And we need to be transformed by this message.
It’s not just for me, not just for my family; it is for the ends of this earth.
And so, please pray for us as we go to Mexico. As Timothy is in the Philippines, Oliver is in Taiwan, and Eli is in North North India, let’s pray for other missionaries who are being sent out across this world.
Let’s pray for God’s Gospel to reach the ends of this earth. And I pray that God uses us not just in Mexico to build a house, but to proclaim this gospel wherever he sends us so that we’re not ashamed.
We will proclaim it boldly as we should, as Apostle Paul did in his life.
Okay, let’s pray.
Father, thank you for starting to unpack just the greatness of this gospel. It started with the Jews, but they became religious. They missed the Messiah, many of them. They became rule keepers and legalistic law-abiding citizens. And that was never the intention.
The message that started with the Jews was supposed to continue to the nations, but they utterly failed in their mission. That’s why Jesus came.
Jesus, you came to bring a new righteousness apart from the law through faith so that we can uphold the law with your help and be transformed.
So that when we go out, we’re not hypocrites, we’re not pretenders, but we’re true sanctified Christ followers who represent you well to the ends of this earth.
We pray that you transform us by this same gospel that saved us and that this gospel that started with one man and became one nation and now has reached us in the year 2025.
We pray that it would continue to go out from us to reach all the world.
Pray for us in Canaan Church in Mexico at the beginning of August. We pray for Timothy in Philippines, pray for Oliver in Taiwan, pray for Eli in North India, and all the rest of the KCM missionaries in six continents. We know others that are on different mission fields with the IMB and other mission organizations.
We pray that you bless and keep all of your missionaries, and we pray that you would transform them. They would be unashamed of this gospel and proclaim it boldly to all the people that you give them, that you bring before them.
We pray that you save every person. your heart is for all the world. There is no partiality. You have no favorites. You want to save the people who are not saved yet. your heart is for them as much as it is for us.
We pray that you change us by this gospel and send us out. We know that the harvest field is plentiful, but the workers are few. you’re waiting on us, Lord, we understand. We’re not there yet, but you’re waiting on us.
But Lord, as soon as we’re ready, send us out. We want to be sent, Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you for Your Body that was broken for us in Your Blood shed. Please meet us and minister to us as we partake in the Lord’s Supper. Thank you Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
