Chapter One
V1. Paul, a bond slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle … that I may be a manifestation of Christ to demonstrate the good news that God has entered into the affairs of human kind
V2. He promised to do this out of necessity because man could not extricate himself from the sin in which he had become involved.
It was absolutely necessary if God was to enter into the affairs of mankind that He did so through His Son, for in some way, God had to become related to the human race — otherwise He could not have extricated them from the power of sin which is resident in human nature.
V3. So He sent His son who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. He was therefore born of a woman and made physically in all points like unto His brethren unto whom He came to save.
V4. But it was obvious by the manner of His life that He was God’s Son, for He did what no other man could do, the holiness and faultlessness of His life proved that He was able to perform that which was beyond human kind, and consequently, there was proof that His origin was from on high. His resurrection from the dead, to eternal life was an endorsement by God that His holy life was achieved by God’s own power, upon which resurrection to God’s own nature was the physical seal.
V5. The apostleship which we have is for the purpose that we might spread this good news to all nations that they might obey God through faith. It is not law that is going to save, but faith in God’s ability to destroy the power of sin as demonstrated in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Because it is not law, it is not restricted to Jews, but is available to all nations and the truth of this are yourselves, you Romans, because you have been called of Jesus Christ, the beloved of God.
V8. Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world, so it is evident in your lives that the power of faith is at work and not the power of law.
V9. You know that God is my witness how that I have served Him in the spirit of His son, in the sense that as He was the manifestation of the Father, I am endeavouring within the limit of my abilities to be the manifestation of Jesus Christ, so demonstrating the principle that I am teaching, namely that God’s power is necessary to change our lives.
V10-13. I have longed to come to you that we might be comforted together and I have determined on more than one occasion to do this, but each time I have been hindered from coming by one circumstance or another.
V14. My desire to come is because I feel obligated both to all Gentiles, i.e. the sophisticated Gentile and the unsophisticated Gentile. I feel obligated to those that the world classes as “wise,” and those that the world classes as “unwise,” because with a full appreciation of God’s power as expressed in the gospel, I am able to disregard human and national distinctions, which disappear in the comparison.
V16. Jam compelled to tell all men that this power is available to all of them, and I am not ashamed of this gospel, for I know of its power unto salvation. I can speak openly of this because I recognise the force that is in this gospel and that this power of God is available to everyone that believeth. However, I must follow the divine procedure — to the Jew first and then to the Greek.
V17. In that gospel there is a righteousness revealed that is not of men but of God. Not a righteousness that can be achieved by the strength of the willpower according to the law, but a righteousness which springs out of faith and grows in faith. It is obvious that man was not to be saved by laws, for the Scripture foreseeing the impossibility of perfect obedience of flesh to law, positively stated “the just shall live by faith.” If a man is going to be justified at all he must be justified by faith, and we know that the law is not of faith. They are two separate things. But brethren, when we look at the Gentile world, it is not surprising that God had spoken before about man’s need of faith in another form of righteousness other than his own. The Gentile world reveals an horrific picture of ungodliness and immorality, and its whole history is full of proof that man unaided by God cannot direct his own steps.
V18-32. In fact, not only can he not direct his own steps, but his disobedience and wilful immorality has brought down upon him the wrath of God, which will continue to be manifested against all ungodliness, and the righteousness of men who hold down the truth. They cannot be excused by claiming ignorance seeing that in creation there is clear evidence of an intelligent creator, clearly manifest in surrounding nature. It is obvious there is an eternal power and a majesty — a genius at work who is far above — beyond the power of flesh. So whatever their understanding of the Bible is, they are entirely without excuse. Such was their disregard for the Creator that they defied His natural law of relationship between man and woman, and degraded themselves in unnatural practices.
It is a terrible and shocking scene that opens to the eyes as we review the history of the Gentile world. All the evils which we list here, only speak of the inherent evil which is in mankind and which inevitably drags him down to the depths of depravity.
Chapter Two
V1. But what of the Jew, who stands in judgment as he looks on the rest of the world — one who thinks he is, by race, above the Gentiles? His attitude may be expressed thus — “Yes, this is true of the Gentile world, but I am thankful that I am not like other men.”He has forgotten that he himself is flesh, that in his practice of the jot and tittles of the law, in his attention to the detail of the Jewish commandments, he has overlooked a very simple principle — that the judgment of God is going to be according to truth, i.e. according to very simple moral principles. God will adjudicate accurately, according to how believers (whether they be Jew or Gentile) measure up to the divine standards of truth which are simply stated in the word of God.
V3. But Jewish upbringing had caused the Jew to feel that he was beyond the punishment of God and that he was exempt from it. He had reached the point in his life where he felt that because of his national distinction and the blessings promised to his race according to the promise of the fathers, that God’s goodness was such that he could presume upon it.
V4. He felt that whatever he did (up to a limit), God and was almost duty bound to forgive him. He had failed to realise that God’s goodness was not there to allow him the freedom to do whatever he would, but that the goodness of God was there to lead him to repentance.
V5. He had chosen rather to be driven by the law and let God make up for his deficiencies, and as a result, he had a hard heart. In the hardness of his heart and presumption towards God, he treasured up for himself in the day of wrath, a great weight of judgment, from which he, as a Jew, believed he was exempt.
V6. But when the matters of truth are perceived, it is very simple how God will act.
V7. It will be to them who by patient continuance and well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality in the manner God has prescribed — yes, they will receive eternal life.
V8. But if they are going to be contentious about issues of law and trusting in their own ability to do what they think is right, and do not obey the truth, i.e. the gospel of God, that of allowing God to work in their life, they will reap for themselves indignation and wrath.
V9. It will come upon everyone. There will be no distinction in that judgment. It will come upon Jew and
V11. For who is God that He should have respect of men? He does not take notice of human distinctions, nor should He when one considers His majesty and glory as Creator of mankind.
V12. And so it is true that as many as have sinned without the law, shall also perish without the law, and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.
V13. But having spoken of judgment, let us speak of those who will be saved and it is not the hearers of the law, but the doers of the law that shall be justified.
V14. And what is “doing the law?” Not what the Jew thought. But look at the Gentiles. They did not have the law, yet they do spontaneously the things that are contained in the law. These not having the law, show the work of the law in themselves. It is quite evident, therefore, that here are a people who have not a detailed knowledge of the law and yet they find an expression in their lives of the weightier matters of that law. It is quite obvious that they have these principles written in their hearts.
V15. These do not law to tell them what is right and wrong. They perceive by their innermost feelings, according to the dictates of the principles of God’s word, that their conscience is correct and discriminates between good and evil.
V16. When the day comes when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, he will not judge according to the deeds of law or by man’s opinion, but according to God’s truth and how that affects the conscience of them that believe in it.
V17. And so, you Jews, I am taking you to task for criticising the Gentiles. Yes, they are bad, we all agree, but in a sense you are worse — because you have the law and not only so, but you make a boast that you are the people of God.
V18. You claim to know His will and to have the ability to test the things that differ.
V19-21. You are so confident that you think you are a guide to the blind, a light to them that are in darkness, and that you have rare abilities. However, with all your knowledge of detail, you have missed the very impression of the truth and knowledge that is in the law. You do not even understand what the law was teaching anyway. Why then do you criticise others? In sofar as immorality goes, you are no better. As a matter of fact, of all the crimes that we have listed against the Gentiles, you Jews commit the worst of all.
V22. Against every sense of Jewish law and tradition you are prepared to steal from the idol’s temple to enrich yourselves!
V23. The very things which you stand off and abhor, you are prepared to rob for personal gain.
V24. Consequently, God’s name through you is blasphemed among the Gentiles. Throughout the Old Testament scriptures this is testified of your fathers, and your conduct proves you to be their true offspring.
V25. But you say, circumcision is the thing that commends you to God. What is circumcision? As a mere act of law obedience, it is no more than a physical operation. Apart from its symbolism in repudiating fleshly achievement, it is nothing! If you break the law, you are just the same as an uncircumcised person. There is no difference whatsoever.
V26. Again I direct your attention to a believing Gentile who keeps the true righteousness of the law, even though he may be (v27) physically uncircumcised, yet on account of his spirituality, God regards him as a circumcised man. And so, instead of you standing in the judgment box, judging others who are uncircumcised, you will find that those who are the “circumcised” according to God’s estimation will judge you!
V28. Who is a Jew anyway? You make your boast that you are a Jew, but true Jews are those who are Jews inwardly, and their circumcision, the cutting away of that which is filthy in God’s sight, is not necessarily a physical thing. It is a circumcision of the heart — it is a spiritual matter. You boast that you are a Jew — a contraction of the word “Judah.” Judah’s name means “Praise” and we know what the great Law Giver said concerning those who would obey God. “Whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Deuteronomy 10).
The Solution