Romans 1:4 Themes and Topics

(for all of you who had yourselves baptized into Christ have taken on the character of Christ). There is no room for Jew or Greek, there is no room for slave or freeman, there is no room for male and female; you are all one in Christ Jesus.

John said to him, "Master, we saw a man casting out daemons in your name, but we stopped him because he is not a follower of ours." Jesus said to him, "Do not stop him; he who is not against you is for you."

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out daemons in your name; but he does not follow us, and so we stopped him." Jesus said, "Do not stop him; no one who performs any miracle in my name will be ready to speak evil of me. He who is not against us is for us. read more.
Whoever gives you a cup of water because you belong to Christ, I tell you truly, he shall not miss his reward.

Well then, if God has given them exactly the same gift as he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I ??how could I try to thwart God?" On hearing this they desisted and glorified God, saying, "So God has actually allowed the Gentiles to repent and live!"

But certain individuals came down from Jerusalem and taught the brothers that "unless you get circumcised after the custom of Moses you cannot be saved." As a sharp dispute and controversy sprang up between them and Paul and Barnabas, it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas, along with some others of their number, should go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and presbyters at Jerusalem about this question. The church sped them on their journey, and they passed through both Phoenicia and Syria informing the brothers, to the great joy of all, that the Gentiles were turning to God. read more.
On arriving at Jerusalem they were received by the church, the apostles and the presbyters, and they reported how God had been with them and what he had done. But some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisaic party got up and said, "Gentiles must be circumcised and told to observe the law of Moses." The apostles and the presbyters met to investigate this question, and a keen controversy sprang up; but Peter rose and said to them, "Brothers, you are well aware that from the earliest days God chose that of you all I should be the one by whom the Gentiles were to hear the word of the gospel and believe it. The God who reads the hearts of all attested this by giving them the holy Spirit just as he gave it to us; in cleansing their hearts by faith he made not the slightest distinction between us and them. Well now, why are you trying to impose a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we ourselves could bear? No, it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we believe and are saved, in the same way as they are." So the whole meeting was quieted and listened to Barnabas and Paul recounting the signs and wonders God had performed by them among the Gentiles. When they had finished speaking, James spoke. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. Symeon has explained how it was God's original concern to secure a People from among the Gentiles to bear his Name. This agrees with the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent, its ruins I will rebuild and erect it anew, that the rest of men may seek for the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, saith the Lord, who makes this known from of old. Hence, in my opinion, we ought not to put fresh difficulties in the way of those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but write them injunctions to abstain from whatever is contaminated by idols, from sexual vice, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from tasting blood; for Moses has had his preachers from the earliest ages in every town, where he is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath." Then the apostles and the presbyters, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their number and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. The men selected were Judas (called Bar-Sabbas) and Silas, prominent members of the brotherhood. They conveyed the following letter. "The apostles and the presbyters of the brotherhood to the brothers who belong to the Gentiles throughout Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: greeting. Having learned that some of our number, quite unauthorized by us, have unsettled you with their teaching and upset your souls, we have decided unanimously to select some of our number and send them to you along with our beloved Paul and Barnabas who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We therefore send Judas and Silas with the following message, which they will also give to you orally. The holy Spirit and we have decided not to impose any extra burden on you, apart from these essential requirements: abstain from food that has been offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual vice. Keep clear of all this and you will prosper. Goodbye." When the messengers were despatched, they went down to Antioch and after gathering the whole body they handed them the letter. On reading it the people rejoiced at the encouragement it brought;

PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God (which he promised of old by his prophets in the holy scriptures) concerning his Son, who was born of David's offspring by natural descent read more.
and installed as Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness when he was raised from the dead ??concerning Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom I have received the favour of my commission to promote obedience to the faith for his sake among all the Gentiles, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ: to all in Rome who are beloved by God, called to be saints, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

To Greeks and to barbarians, to wise and to foolish alike, I owe a duty. Hence my eagerness to preach the gospel to you in Rome as well. For I am proud of the gospel; it is God's saving power for everyone who has faith, for the Jew first and for the Greek as well.

for no person will be acquitted in his sight on the score of obedience to law. What the Law imparts is the consciousness of sin. But now we have a righteousness of God disclosed apart from law altogether; it is attested by the Law and the prophets, but it is a righteousness of God which comes by believing in Jesus Christ. And it is meant for all who have faith. No distinctions are drawn. read more.
All have sinned, all come short of the glory of God, but they are justified for nothing by his grace through the ransom provided in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as the means of propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to demonstrate the justice of God in view of the fact that sins previously committed during the time of God's forbearance had been passed over; it was to demonstrate his justice at the present epoch, showing that God is just himself and that he justifies man on the score of faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is ruled out absolutely. On what principle? On the principle of doing deeds? No, on the principle of faith. We hold a man is justified by faith apart from deeds of the Law altogether. Or is God only the God of Jews? Is he not the God of the Gentiles as well? Surely he is. Well then, there is one God, a God who will justify the circumcised as they believe and the uncircumcised on the score of faith. Then 'by this faith' we 'cancel the Law'? Not for one moment! We uphold the Law.

As we are justified by faith, then, let us enjoy the peace we have with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have got access to this grace where we have our standing, and triumph in the hope of God's glory.

For he is our peace, he who has made both of us a unity and destroyed the barrier which kept us apart; in his own flesh he put an end to the feud of the Law with its code of commands, so as to make peace by the creation of a new Man in himself out of both parties, so as himself to give the death-blow to that feud by reconciling them both to God in one Body through the cross; read more.
he came with a gospel of peace for those far away (that is, for you) and for those who were near,

And who does not admit how profound is the divine truth of our religion? ??it is He who was "manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by the angels, preached among the nations, believed on throughout the world, taken up to glory." Verse Concepts

He is the likeness of the unseen God, born first before all the creation ??16 for it was by him that all things were created both in heaven and on earth, both the seen and the unseen, including Thrones, angelic Lords, celestial Powers and Rulers; all things have been created by him and for him; Verse Concepts

So Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Verse Concepts

THE Logos existed in the very beginning, the Logos was with God, the Logos was divine. He was with God in the very beginning:

and installed as Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness when he was raised from the dead ??concerning Jesus Christ our Lord, Verse Concepts

the patriarchs are theirs, and theirs too (so far as natural descent goes) is the Christ. (Blessed for evermore be the God who is over all! Amen.) Verse Concepts

It is in Christ that the entire Fulness of deity has settled bodily, Verse Concepts

Verse Concepts

He, reflecting God's bright glory and stamped with God's own character, sustains the universe with his word of power; when he had secured our purification from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; Verse Concepts

And on his robe, upon his thigh, his name is written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Verse Concepts

the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and great grace was upon them all. Verse Concepts

As for what he did in the land of the Jews and of Jerusalem, we can testify to that. They slew him by hanging him on a gibbet, but God raised him on the third day, and allowed him to be seen not by all the People but by witnesses whom God had previously selected, by us who ate and drank with him after his resurrection from the dead,

and installed as Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness when he was raised from the dead ??concerning Jesus Christ our Lord, Verse Concepts

this Jesus, betrayed in the predestined course of God's deliberate purpose, you got wicked men to nail to the cross and murder; but God raised him by checking the pangs of death. Death could not hold him.

but you repudiated the Holy and Just One; the boon you asked was a murderer, and you killed the pioneer of Life. But God raised him from the dead, as we can bear witness.

and Paul as usual went in; for three sabbaths he argued with them on the scriptures, explaining and quoting passages to prove that the messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that "the Jesus I proclaim to you is the messiah."