The Power of God/Romans 1-3

Mark Dunagan
11/20/16 - Sunday Morning

The Power of God

When Paul writes to the Christians in Rome he immediately informs them that he is serving Jesus, he had not campaigned to become an apostle, rather he was called by God to this work (1:1). He preaches the gospel, which was clearly foretold by the Old Testament prophets (1:2). At the heart of this message is a Person, Jesus, who is the long awaited descendant of David, and who was declared to be the Son of God by His powerful teachings and miracles, leading to the final explanation point, His resurrection from the dead (1:4). At the beginning and at the end of this letter (1:5; 16:26), the Holy Spirit wants to emphasize that the faith that finds favor with God is an obedient faith. Paul is writing to Christians in Rome, he had never been there with the gospel(1:10-13), but had longed to visit them, not only for their benefit, but for his own spiritual edification as well (1:12). Thus, in view of the unmerited favor bestowed upon him and his appointment as an apostle, he is not ashamed of the gospel (1:16), he is eager to preach it (1:15) and he definitely senses the obligation to share such good news to dying and lost sinners.

A Little Late?

Man had been on the earth for centuries before the gospel arrived, so was God late in coming to man's rescue? Had God failed to inform man about His existence and the rules of living? Not at all.  The Holy Spirit affirms that God's existence has been clearly seen by all human beings since the beginning of Creation (1:20). And much more than His bear existence can be seen, one can clearly see that God is incredibly powerful (1:20). Then, the Holy Spirit quickly adds that from the Creation mankind has not only known who the true God is, but equally what He stands for and what is right and wrong in His sight (1:21,25,28; 32). 

It Hasn't Always Been Like This

When one looked out on the world of the First Century, one would see a lot of the darkness that is described in Romans 1:26-32. Yet, the Holy Spirit makes it clear that it wasn't always like this. There was a time, long before the nation of Israel came into being that mankind knew, they knew who God was and what were His expectations. The darkness in these verses is a chosen condition, the natural consequences of making a decision to ignore God, trust human wisdom and live for self rather than living for Him.

Oh,  Another Proof

One view of the beginning of Romans chapter 2 is that God is exposing those who condemn others, but who are doing the same thing, and this behavior is clearly found here (2:1). Yet, there is more here than just a lesson against hypocrisy. One dramatic point being made in these verses is that what was said in 1:32 is true! If I can see sin in someone else, if I am disgusted by it, then this says that (1) I know the truth, I can see God's truth on morality. (2) I am made in the image of God, which image includes a moral capacity and ability to understand His Law and see the difference between right and wrong. (3) I am accountable! I am without excuse then when I disobey God's law.

A Reminder About Accountability

1. God's judgment will be impartial. He has no favorites. (2:11).
2. Condemnation justly falls on those who persist in sin: (2:3)
3. Continuing to sin, after hearing the truth is despising His mercy (2:4), and we are actually storing up more wrath for ourselves (2:5).
4. Every judgment recorded in Scripture, including the last one, has been and be will "just": (2:5).
5. I will be judged on the basis of what I actually did. Good intentions are worth nothing (2:6). 
6. There is something I must do. The faith that saves (1:16), obeys the truth (2:9), perseveres in doing good (2:7), is intent upon what glorifies God (2:8).
7. All the secrets will come out at the judgment (2:16). In fact, some of those secrets are coming out in these early chapters of Romans. One "secret" is that people who lived a long time ago knew about God!

Living Outside the Law of Moses

In the Old Testament not everyone was a member of the nation of Israel, yet this does not mean that non-Israelites were doomed, had no truth from God or were simply on their own. Romans 2:12-15 reveals:

1. God does not hold people accountable to a Law they were never under: 2:12
2. It was never enough to simply hear the Law, obedience was required: 2:13
3. Everyone has the moral capacity to do the right thing, believe in God and serve Him. Here (2:14-15) the Holy Spirit reminds us that even the Law of Moses was incredibility powerful and influential, even far outside of the nation of Israel. Many non-Jewish people over the centuries came into contact with this Law (just as God said they would, Deuteronomy 4:6-8). 
4. A number of non-Jewish people embraced the moral code in the Law of Moses and lived by it!  (2:16) So non-Jewish people in the Old Testament period before the gospel had plenty of access to truth. In the book of Acts we run into many of these people, like Cornelius (Acts 10:1-3). 

Yea, but are you doing it?

In Romans 2:17ff Paul begins talking about how a number of Jewish people took great pride in having the Law of Moses and knowing it. Having the Law was a great privilege (3:1), but there is also a problem here. Many of them did not practice what they preached (2:21-23), and the pagans could see the inconsistency between what God's Law said and how God's professed people were living (2:24).  He then notes that such practices as circumcision had no real value if one was not following God in other areas (2:25). We are then told that a number of non-Jewish people lived so closely to the principles in the Law of Moses that God actually considered them circumcised, and part of His people (2:26). Do not miss this point – the gospel is far more powerful than the Law of Moses, but even in the past the Law of Moses convicted pagans to the point that they started living closely by it, even though they were not part of the nation of Israel! That's powerful, and the gospel is even more powerful!

So What is The Advantage?

Paul in 3:1-8 is answering various objections to what he has just stated:

1. "So if seems you are saying in 2:25-29 that there is no real advantage to being of the Jewish race". Wrong conclusion! There were many advantages. He will list more in Romans 9:1-4, but here is gives one of primary importance. They were given the privilege of being the personal guardians of the word of God (3:2). 
2. "But many Jewish people have rejected the gospel, does this mean that God's plan has failed?" (3:3) Absolutely not. God is always right, even if no one agrees with Him or obeys Him (3:4)
3. "But if my rebellion makes God look better, then why am I not rewarded for my disobedience?" (3:5) Paul understands that he is making a foolish statement here, but sadly, we often in teaching the truth have to answer such foolish arguments. The Jewish person who said this was forgetting that if his sins resulted in glory to God, so did the sins of everyone else! (3:6) This is also half the story. Our sins also bring reproach upon God's cause as well (2:24). Paul then says, if you are going to make this argument, then why not just go all the way and says, "Let us do evil and good may come"? He then says that anyone who camps on such an argument will receive a just condemnation – for one reason they are not being honest or consistent in the least, for we rarely argue that the sins of others are a good thing, unless we are trying somehow to justify our own sins. Paul then concludes this section by the honest assessment that all have sinned and that all need the gospel (3:23), and that the way of escape found in Jesus is the same for all, being predicted by the Law and the Prophets (3:31) .

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net