Reference: Romans, Epistle To The
Easton
(3.) This epistle was probably written at Corinth. Phoebe (Ro 16:1) of Cenchrea conveyed it to Rome, and Gaius of Corinth entertained the apostle at the time of his writing it (Ro 16:23; 1Co 1:14), and Erastus was chamberlain of the city, i.e., of Corinth (2Ti 4:20).
(4.) The precise time at which it was written is not mentioned in the epistle, but it was obviously written when the apostle was about to "go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints", i.e., at the close of his second visit to Greece, during the winter preceding his last visit to that city (Ro 15:25; comp. Ac 19:21; 20:2-3,16; 1Co 16:1-4), early in A.D. 58.
(5.) It is highly probable that Christianity was planted in Rome by some of those who had been at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Ac 2:10). At this time the Jews were very numerous in Rome, and their synagogues were probably resorted to by Romans also, who in this way became acquainted with the great facts regarding Jesus as these were reported among the Jews. Thus a church composed of both Jews and Gentiles was formed at Rome. Many of the brethren went out to meet Paul on his approach to Rome. There are evidences that Christians were then in Rome in considerable numbers, and had probably more than one place of meeting (Ro 16:14-15).
(6.) The object of the apostle in writing to this church was to explain to them the great doctrines of the gospel. His epistle was a "word in season." Himself deeply impressed with a sense of the value of the doctrines of salvation, he opens up in a clear and connected form the whole system of the gospel in its relation both to Jew and Gentile. This epistle is peculiar in this, that it is a systematic exposition of the gospel of universal application. The subject is here treated argumentatively, and is a plea for Gentiles addressed to Jews. In the Epistle to the Galatians, the same subject is discussed, but there the apostle pleads his own authority, because the church in Galatia had been founded by him.
(7.) After the introduction (1:1-15), the apostle presents in it divers aspects and relations the doctrine of justification by faith (1:16-11:36) on the ground of the imputed righteousness of Christ. He shows that salvation is all of grace, and only of grace. This main section of his letter is followed by various practical exhortations (12:1-15:13), which are followed by a conclusion containing personal explanations and salutations, which contain the names of twenty-four Christians at Rome, a benediction, and a doxology (RO 15:14-ch. 16).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town,
Now when these [things] were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, it is necessary [for] me to see Rome also."
And [after he] had gone through those regions and encouraged them {at length}, he came to Greece and stayed three months. [Because] a plot was made against him by the Jews [as he] was about to set sail for Syria, he came to a decision to return through Macedonia.
For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not be [having] to spend time in Asia. For he was hurrying if it could be possible for him to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
But now I am traveling to Jerusalem, serving the saints.
Now I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a servant of the church in Cenchrea,
Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints [who are] with them.
Gaius, my host and [the host] of the whole church, greets you. Erastus the city treasurer greets you, and Quartus the brother.
in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of sins,
Erastus remained in Corinth, but Trophimus I left behind in Miletus [because he] was sick.
Hastings
ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE
1. Time, occasion, and character.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
"Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.
And as they were staring into the sky [while] he was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood by them who also said, "Men {of Galilee}, why do you stand there looking into the sky? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven like this will come back in the same way you saw him departing into heaven!"
Then it seemed best to the apostles and the elders, together with the whole church, to send men chosen from among them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas--Judas who was called Barsabbas and Silas, men [who were] leaders among the brothers--
So [when] they were sent off, they came down to Antioch, and [after] calling together the community, they delivered the letter.
She followed Paul and us [and] was crying out, saying, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!" And she was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed and turning around, said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came out {immediately}. read more. But [when] her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas [and] dragged [them] into the marketplace before the rulers. And [when they] had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, "These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews,
And [after they] had inflicted many blows on them, they threw [them] into prison, giving orders to the jailer to guard them securely.
And he found a certain Jew {named} Aquila, {a native} of Pontus who had arrived recently from Italy {along with} Priscilla his wife, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to depart from Rome, [and] he went to them.
And [after] spending some time [there], he departed, traveling through one [place] after another [in] the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Now a certain Jew {named} Apollos, {a native} Alexandrian, arrived in Ephesus--an eloquent man who was well-versed in the scriptures. read more. This man had been instructed [in] the way of the Lord, and being enthusiastic in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the [things] about Jesus, [although he] knew only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but [when] Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. And [when] he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged [him] [and] wrote to the disciples to welcome him. [When he] arrived, {he} assisted greatly those who had believed through grace. For he was vigorously refuting the Jews in public, demonstrating through the scriptures [that] the Christ was Jesus.
Now when these [things] were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, it is necessary [for] me to see Rome also."
Now when these [things] were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, it is necessary [for] me to see Rome also."
Now when these [things] were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, it is necessary [for] me to see Rome also."
Now when these [things] were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, it is necessary [for] me to see Rome also." So [after] sending two of those who were assisting him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed [some] time in Asia.
So [after] sending two of those who were assisting him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed [some] time in Asia.
So [after] sending two of those who were assisting him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed [some] time in Asia. Now there happened at that time no little disturbance concerning the Way. read more. For someone {named} Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver replicas of the temple of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen. {These} he gathered together, and the workers occupied with such things, [and] said, "Men, you know that from this business {we get our prosperity}, and you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this man Paul has persuaded [and] turned away a large crowd [by] saying that the [gods] made by hands are not gods. So not only is there a danger this line of business of ours [will] come into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis [will] be regarded as nothing--and [she] is about to be brought down even from her grandeur, [she] whom the whole [of] Asia and the [entire] world worship!" And [when they] heard [this] and became full of rage, they began to shout, saying, "Great [is] Artemis of the Ephesians!" And the city was filled with the tumult, and with one purpose they rushed into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians [who were] traveling companions of Paul. But [when] Paul wanted to enter into the popular assembly, the disciples would not let him. And even some of the Asiarchs who were his friends sent [word] to him [and] were urging [him] not to risk himself [by going] into the theater. So some were shouting [one thing] [and] some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority did not know {why} they had assembled. And [some] of the crowd advised Alexander, [when] the Jews put him forward. But Alexander, motioning [with his] hand, was wanting to defend himself to the popular assembly. But [when they] recognized that he was a Jew, they were shouting with one voice from all [of them] for about two hours, "Great [is] Artemis of the Ephesians!" And [when] the city secretary had quieted the crowd, he said, "Ephesian men, for who is there among men who does not know the Ephesian city is honorary temple keeper of the great Artemis and of [her] image fallen from heaven? Therefore [because] these [things] are undeniable, it is necessary [that] you be quiet and do nothing rash! For you have brought these men [here] [who are] neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. If then Demetrius and the craftsmen [who are] with him have a complaint against anyone, the court days are observed and there are proconsuls--let them bring charges against one another! But if you desire anything further, it will be settled in the lawful assembly. For indeed we are in danger of being accused of rioting concerning today, [since there] is no cause in relation to which we will be able to give an account concerning this disorderly gathering!" And [when he] had said these [things], he dismissed the assembly.
and stayed three months. [Because] a plot was made against him by the Jews [as he] was about to set sail for Syria, he came to a decision to return through Macedonia.
and stayed three months. [Because] a plot was made against him by the Jews [as he] was about to set sail for Syria, he came to a decision to return through Macedonia.
and stayed three months. [Because] a plot was made against him by the Jews [as he] was about to set sail for Syria, he came to a decision to return through Macedonia. And Sopater [son] of Pyrrhus from Berea, and Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, and Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia, were accompanying him.
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called [to be] an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, read more. concerning his Son, who was born {a descendant} of David according to the flesh, who was declared Son of God in power according to {the Holy Spirit} by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name, among whom you also are [the] called of Jesus Christ. To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called [to be] saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called [to be] saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world. read more. For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God. For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you, that is, to be encouraged together with you through {our mutual faith}, both yours and mine. Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I intended to come to you, and was prevented until now, in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as also among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. Thus {I am eager} to proclaim the gospel also to you who [are] in Rome.
Thus {I am eager} to proclaim the gospel also to you who [are] in Rome. 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. read more. For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, "But the one who is righteous by faith will live." For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what can be known about God is evident among them, for God made [it] clear to them. For from the creation of the world, his invisible [attributes], both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. For [although they] knew God, they did not honor [him] as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God with the likeness of an image of mortal human beings and birds and quadrupeds and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to immorality, [that] their bodies would be dishonored among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God with a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed for eternity. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error. And just as they did not see fit {to recognize God}, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things [that are] not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greediness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence. [They are] gossipers, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, contrivers of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, faithless, unfeeling, unmerciful, who, [although they] know the requirements of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do they do the same [things], but also they approve of those who do [them].
Therefore you are without excuse, O man, every one [of you] who passes judgment. For in that which you pass judgment on someone else, you condemn yourself, for you who are passing judgment are doing the same [things]. Now we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who do such things. read more. But do you think this, O man who passes judgment on those who do such things, and who does the same [things], that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will reward each one according to his works: to those who, by perseverance in good work, seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life, but to those [who act] from selfish ambition and who disobey the truth, but who obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. [There will be] affliction and distress for every {human being} who does evil, of the Jew first and of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and to the Greek. For [there] is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law [who are] righteous in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous. For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, [although they] do not have the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts [one] after another accusing or even defending them on the day when God judges the secret things of people, according to my gospel, through Christ Jesus. But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve the things that are superior, [because you] are instructed by the law, and are confident [that] you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light of those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Therefore, the one who teaches someone else, do you not teach yourself? The one who preaches not to steal, do you steal? The one who says not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do you rob temples? Who boast in the law, by the transgression of the law you dishonor God!
Therefore, what [is] the advantage of the Jew, or what [is] the use of circumcision? Much in every way. For first, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. read more. {What is the result} if some refused to believe? Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, [will it]? May it never be! But let God be true but every human being a liar, just as it is written, "In order that you may be justified in your words, and may prevail when you are judged." But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God, who inflicts wrath, [is] not unjust, [is he]? (I am speaking according to a human perspective.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? But if by my lying, the truth of God abounded to his glory, why am I also still condemned as a sinner? And [why] not (as we are slandered, and as some affirm that we say), "Let us do evil, in order that good may come [of it]? Their condemnation is just! What then? Do we have an advantage? Not at all. For we have already charged both Jews and Greeks are all under sin, just as it is written, "[There] is no one righteous, not even one; [there] is no one who understands; [there] is no one who seeks God. All have turned aside together; they have become worthless; [There] is no one who practices kindness; [there] is not even one. Their throat [is] an opened grave; they deceive with their tongues; the venom of asps [is] under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet [are] swift to shed blood; destruction and distress [are] in their paths, and they have not known the way of peace. The fear of God is not before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law, in order that every mouth may be closed and the whole world may become accountable to God. For by the works of the law {no person will be declared righteous} before him, for through the law [comes] knowledge of sin. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified about by the law and the prophets-- that is, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For [there] is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God made publicly available as the mercy seat through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, in the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, so that he should be just and the one who justifies the [person] by faith in Jesus. Therefore, where [is] boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we consider a person to be justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or [is God] the God of the Jews only? [Is he] not also [the God] of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles, since God [is] one, who will justify {those who are circumcised} by faith and {those who are uncircumcised} through faith. Therefore, do we nullify the law through faith? May it never be! But we uphold the law.
who was handed over on account of our trespasses, and was raised up in the interest of our justification.
Or do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law is master of a person for as long a time [as] he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to [her] husband while he lives, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law of the husband. read more. Therefore as a result, if she belongs to another man [while] her husband is living, she will be called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress [if she] belongs to another man. So then, my brothers, you also were brought to death with respect to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to the one who was raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For when we were in the flesh, sinful desires were working through the law in our members, to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the law, [because we] have died [to that] by which we were bound, so that we may serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter [of the law]. What then shall we say? [Is] the law sin? May it never be! But I would not have known sin except through the law, for I would not have known covetousness if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all [kinds of] covetousness. For apart from the law, sin [is] dead. And I was alive once, apart from the law, but [when] the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died, and this commandment which [was] to [lead to] life was found with respect to me to [lead to] death. For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed [me]. So then, the law [is] holy, and the commandment [is] holy and righteous and good. Therefore, [did that which is] good become death to me? May it never be! Rather [it was] sin, in order that it might be recognized [as] sin, producing death through [what is] good for me, in order that sin might become sinful to an extraordinary degree through the commandment. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, {sold into slavery to sin}. For what I am doing I do not understand, because what I want [to do], this I do not practice, but what I hate, this I do. But if what I do not want [to do], this I do, I agree with the law that [it is] good. But now I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that lives in me. For I know that good does not live in me, that is, in my flesh. For the willing is present in me, but the doing [of] the good [is] not. For the good that I want [to do], I do not do, but the evil that I do not want [to do], this I do. But if what I do not want [to do], this I am doing, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that lives in me. Consequently, I find the principle with me, the one who wants to do good, that evil is present with me. For I joyfully agree with the law of God in my inner person, but I observe another law in my members, at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that exists in my members. Wretched man [that] I [am]! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks [be] to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself with my mind am enslaved to the law of God, but with my flesh [I am enslaved] to the law of sin.
Consequently, [there is] now no condemnation for those [who are] in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. read more. For what [was] impossible for the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God [did]. [By] sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the law would be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are [living] according to the flesh are intent on the things of the flesh, but those [who are living] according to the Spirit [are intent on] the things of the Spirit. For the mindset of the flesh [is] death, but the mindset of the Spirit [is] life and peace, because the mindset of the flesh [is] enmity toward God, for [it is] not subjected to the law of God, for [it is] not able [to do so], and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person {does not belong to him}. But if Christ [is] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin, but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also make alive your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you. So then, brothers, we are obligated not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
So then, brothers, we are obligated not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. read more. For all those who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery [leading] to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself confirms to our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, also heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer together [with him] so that we may also be glorified together [with him]. For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy [to be compared] with the glory that is about to be revealed to us. For the eagerly expecting creation awaits eagerly the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation has been subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of the one who subjected [it], in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its servility to decay, into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers agony together until now. Not only [this], but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves [while we] await eagerly [our] adoption, the redemption of our body. For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we await [it] eagerly with patient endurance. And likewise also, the Spirit helps [us] in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as one ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes [for us] [with] unexpressed groanings. And the one who searches our hearts knows what the mindset of the Spirit [is], because he intercedes on behalf of the saints according to [the will of] God. And we know that all [things] work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to [his] purpose, because [those] whom he foreknew, he also predestined [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers. And [those] whom he predestined, these [he] also called, and [those] whom he called, these [he] also justified, and [those] whom he justified, these [he] also glorified. What then shall we say about these [things]? If God [is] for us, who [can be] against us?
What then shall we say about these [things]? If God [is] for us, who [can be] against us? Indeed, [he] who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, together with him, freely give us all [things]? read more. Who will bring charges against God's elect? God [is] the one who justifies. Who [is] the one who condemns? Christ [is] the one who died, and more than that, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? [Will] affliction or distress or persecution or hunger or lack of sufficient clothing or danger or the sword? Just as it is written, "On account of you we are being put to death the whole day [long]; we are considered as sheep for slaughter." [No], but in all these [things] we prevail completely through the one who loved us.
I am telling the truth in Christ--[I am] not lying; my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit-- that my grief is great and [there is] constant distress in my heart. read more. For I could wish myself to be accursed from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my fellow countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, [to] whom [belong] the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the [temple] service, and the promises, [to] whom [belong] the patriarchs, and from whom [is] the Christ according to human descent, who is God over all, blessed {forever}! Amen. But [it is] not as if the word of God had failed. For not all those [who are descended] from Israel [are truly] Israel, nor [are they] all children because they are descendants of Abraham, but "In Isaac will your descendants be named." That is, [it is] not the children {by human descent} [who are] children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as descendants. For the statement of the promise [is] this: "At this time I will return and {Sarah will have} a son." And not only [this], but also [when] Rebecca conceived children by one [man], Isaac our father-- for [although they] had not yet been born, or done anything good or evil, in order that the purpose of God according to election might remain, not by works but by the one who calls--it was said to her, "The older will serve the younger," just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? [There is] no injustice with God, [is there]? May it never be! For to Moses he says, "I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion." Consequently therefore, {it does not depend on the} one who wills or on the one who runs, but on God who shows mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very [reason] I have raised you up, so that I may demonstrate my power in you, and so that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." Consequently therefore, he has mercy on whomever he wishes, and he hardens whomever he wishes. Therefore you will say to me, "Why then does he still find fault? For who has resisted his will? On the contrary, O man, who are you who answers back to God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded [it], "Why did you make me like this"? Or does the potter not have authority over the clay, to make from the same lump a vessel that [is] for {honorable use} and [one] that [is] for {ordinary use}?
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness--even the righteousness [that is] by faith.
But about Israel he says, "The whole day [long] I held out my hands to a disobedient and resistant people."
Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, [although you] were a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a sharer of the root of the olive tree's richness, do not boast against the branches. But if you boast against [them], you do not support the root, but the root [supports] you. read more. Then you will say, "Branches were broken off in order that I could be grafted in." Well said! They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand firm because of faith. Do not think arrogant [thoughts], but be afraid. For if God did not spare the {natural} branches, neither will he spare you. See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity upon those who have fallen, but upon you the kindness of God--if you continue in his kindness, for otherwise you also will be cut off. And those also, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are {natural branches} be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you will not be wise {in your own sight}, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved, just as it is written, "The deliverer will come out of Zion; he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And this [is] the covenant from me with them when I take away their sins." With respect to the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sake, but with respect to election, [they are] dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God [are] irrevocable. For just as you formerly were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of the disobedience of these, so also these have now been disobedient for your mercy, in order that they also may now be shown mercy. For God confined them all in disobedience, in order that he could have mercy on them all. Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable [are] his judgments and [how] incomprehensible [are] his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given in advance to him, and it will be paid back to him?" For from him and through him and to him [are] all [things]. To him [be] glory for eternity! Amen.
Now receive the one who is weak in faith, [but] not for quarrels about opinions.
But the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not [do so] from faith, and everything that [is] not from faith is sin.
And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will put their hope." Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. read more. Now I myself also am convinced about you, my brothers, that [you] yourselves also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to instruct one another. But I have written to you more boldly on [some] points, so as to remind you [again] because of the grace that has been given to me by God, with the result that I am a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving the gospel of God as a priest, in order that the offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore I have a reason for boasting in Christ Jesus regarding the things concerning God. For I will not dare to speak about anything except [that] which Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and [traveling] around as far as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. And so, having as my ambition to proclaim the gospel where Christ has not been named, in order that I will not build on the foundation belonging to someone else, but just as it is written, "[Those] to whom [it was] not announced concerning him will see, and [those] who have not heard will understand." For this reason also I was hindered many [times] from coming to you,
For this reason also I was hindered many [times] from coming to you, and now, no longer having a place in these regions, but having a desire for many years to come to you read more. whenever I travel to Spain. For I hope [while I] am passing through to see you and to be sent on my way by you, whenever I have first enjoyed your [company] for a while. But now I am traveling to Jerusalem, serving the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. For they were pleased [to do so], and they are obligated to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual [things], they ought also to serve them in material [things]. Therefore, [after I] have accomplished this and sealed this fruit [for delivery] to them, I will depart by way of you for Spain, and I know that [when I] come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. Now I exhort you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to contend along with me in your prayers on my behalf to God,
Now I exhort you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to contend along with me in your prayers on my behalf to God, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,
that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and my ministry in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that, coming to you with joy by the will of God, I may rest with you. read more. Now [may] the God of peace [be] with all of you. Amen.
also [greet] the church in their house. Greet Epenetus my dear [friend], who is {the first convert} of Asia for Christ.
Morish
This may justly be called the fundamental epistle of Christian doctrine. Its value and importance are seen in that its doctrine lays in the soul a moral foundation by the presentation of God in qualities or attributes which the state of things existing in the world appears to call in question. Thus God is justified in the eyes of the believer, and this being the case, the purposes of His love are made known to him.
In looking at all that is around us in the world, everything appears to be out of order: the presence and domination of sin, a broken law, and the corrupt and violent will in man, all call in question the righteousness of God; while the scattering of God's people Israel raises the question of His faithfulness to His promises.
Now in Christ all this finds its full and complete answer. The Son of God, by whom all were created, has Himself come in the likeness of sinful flesh, and, by offering Himself a sacrifice for sin, has completely vindicated God's righteousness, while revealing His love. At the same time the man, or order of man, that has sinned against God has been judicially removed by His death from before the eye of God, so that God can present Himself to man in grace.
The moral perfection of the offerer of necessity brought in resurrection, in which all the pleasure of God's grace in regard to man is set forth in righteousness; and Christ risen is the deliverer who is to come forth from Zion to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Thus God's faithfulness to His covenant is established in Zion. God is proved to be faithful and righteous: we have here the first elements of the knowledge of God.
But it way be desirable to open up the epistle a little in detail. After the introduction, in which the fact may be noticed that the glad tidings are said to be concerning God's Son, a picture is given us of the moral condition of man in the world, whether heathen, philosopher, or Jew. In the heathen we see the unchecked development of sin (Rom. 1). In the philosopher the fact that light in itself does not control evil (Rom. 2); and in the Jew that law is proved to be powerless to bring about subjection to God, or to secure righteousness for man. The conclusion is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Now after the turmoil had ceased, Paul summoned the disciples, and [after] encouraging [them], he said farewell [and] departed to travel to Macedonia. And [after he] had gone through those regions and encouraged them {at length}, he came to Greece read more. and stayed three months. [Because] a plot was made against him by the Jews [as he] was about to set sail for Syria, he came to a decision to return through Macedonia.
Smith
Romans, Epistle to the.
1. The date of this epistle is fixed at the time of the visit recorded in Acts 20:3 during the winter and spring following the apostle's long residence at Ephesus A.D. 58. On this visit he remained in Greece three months.
2. The place of writing was Corinth.
3. The occasion which prompted it,,and the circumstances attending its writing, were as follows:--St. Paul had long purposed visiting Rome, and still retained this purpose, wishing also to extend his journey to Spain. Etom. 1:9-13; 15:22-29. For the time, however, he was prevented from carrying out his design, as he was bound for Jerusalem with the alms of the Gentile Christians, and meanwhile he addressed this letter to the Romans, to supply the lack of his personal teaching. Phoebe, a deaconess of the neighboring church of Cenchreae, was on the point of starting for Rome, ch.
and probably conveyed the letter. The body of the epistle was written at the apostle's dictation by Tertius, ch.
but perhaps we may infer, from the abruptness of the final doxology, that it was added by the apostle himself.
4. The origin of the Roman church is involved in obscurity. If it had been founded by St. Peter according to a later tradition, the absence of any allusion to him both in this epistle and in the letters written by St. Paul from Rome would admit of no explanation. It is equally clear that no other apostle was like founder. The statement in the Clementines --that the first tidings of the gospel reached Rome during the lifetime of our Lord is evidently a fiction for the purposes of the romance. On the other hand, it is clear that the foundation of this church dates very far back. It may be that some of these Romans, "both Jews and proselytes," present. On the day of Pentecost
carried back the earliest tidings of the new doctrine; or the gospel may have first reached the imperial city through those who were scattered abroad to escape the persecution which followed on the death of Stephen.
At first we may suppose that the gospel had preached there in a confused and imperfect form, scarcely more than a phase of Judaism, as in the case of Apollos at Corinth,
or the disciples at Ephesus.
As time advanced and better-instructed teachers arrived the clouds would gradually clear away, fill at length the presence of the great apostle himself at Rome dispersed the mists of Judaism which still hung about the Roman church.
5. A question next arises as to the composition of the Roman church at the time when St. Paul wrote. It is more probable that St. Paul addressed a mixed church of Jews and Gentiles, the latter perhaps being the more numerous. These Gentile converts, however, were not for the most part native Romans. Strange as the: paradox appears, nothing is more certain than that the church of Rome was at this time a Greek and not a Latin church. All the literature of the early Roman church was written in the Greek tongue.
6. The heterogeneous composition of this church explains the general character of the Epistle to the Romans. In an assemblage so various we should expect to find, not the exclusive predominance of a single form of error, but the coincidence of different and opposing forms. It was: therefore the business of the Christian teacher to reconcile the opposing difficulties and to hold out a meeting-point in the gospel. This is exactly what St. Paul does in the Epistle to the Romans.
7. In describing the purport of this epistle we may start from St. Paul's own words, which, standing at the beginning of the doctrinal portion, may be taken as giving a summary of the contents. ch.
Accordingly the epistle has been described as comprising "the religious philosophy of the world's history "The atonement of Christ is the centre of religious history. The epistle, from its general character, lends itself more readily to an analysis than is often the case with St. Paul's epistles. While this epistle contains the fullest and most systematic exposition of the apostle's teaching, it is at the same time a very striking expression of his character. Nowhere do his earnest and affectionate nature and his tact and delicacy in handling unwelcome topics appear more strongly than when he is dealing with the rejection of his fellow country men the Jews. Internal evidence is so strongly in favor of the genuineness of the Epistle to the Romans that it has never been seriously questioned.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Now those who had been scattered went about proclaiming the good news [of] the word.
This man had been instructed [in] the way of the Lord, and being enthusiastic in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the [things] about Jesus, [although he] knew only the baptism of John.
And it happened that [while] Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions [and] came to Ephesus and found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit [when you] believed?" And they [said] to him, "But we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!" read more. And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into the baptism of John."
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 the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, "But the one who is righteous by faith will live."
Now I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a servant of the church in Cenchrea, in order that you may welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever task she may have need from you, for she herself also has been a helper of many, even me myself.