6. Romans

   

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6. ROMANS

I. OUTLINE-BRIEF

1. God's Righteousness. 1:1-3:20.

2. Justification. 3:21-4:25.

3. Salvation. 5:1-8:39.

4. Righteousness and History. 9:1-11:36.

5. Christian Living. 12:1-15:13.

6. Epilogue. 15:14-16:27.

II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE

1 Introduction. 1:1-17.

2. World Need of Salvation. 1:18-3:20.

3. Justification by Faith. 3:21-4:25.

4. The New Life. 5:1-8:39.

A. Character Qualities. 5:1-5.

B. Reconciliation. 5:6-11.

C. Life in Christ. 5:12-21.

D. Release from Sin. 6:1-7:25.

E. Life in the Spirit. 8:1-27.

F. Assurance. 8:28-39.

5. Jew and Gentile. 9:1-11:36.

A. Regard for Israel. 9:1-5.

B. Jewish Apostasy. 9:6-13.

C. God's Choice. 9:14-29.

D. Choice not Arbitrary. 9:30-10:21.

E. Apostasy not Final. 11:1-32.

F. Conclusion. 11:33-36.

6. Ethical Teaching. 12:1-15:13.

A. Will of God. 12:1,2.

B. Love in the Church. 12:3-13.

C. Love for Men. 12:14-13:10.

D. Coming Crisis. 13:11-14.

E. Conscience. 14:1-23.

F. Conclusion. 15:1-13.

7. Personal Closing Remarks. 15:14-33.

A. Explanation of Letter. 15:14-24.

B. Collection for the Poor 15:25-33.

8. Introduction of Phoebe. 16:1-23.

9. Doxology. 16:25-27.

III. AUTHORSHIP

1. Paul wrote Romans. It is his longest and weightiest letter to the churches.

2. Some think Paul did not write the last two chapters.

3. Romans was written during Paul's longest period of rest and leisure- probably at Corinth in A.D. 58 during his third and last visit.

4. Romans may have been a general letter to all. the churches. The last two chapters might have been added to the Rome copy.

5. The heretic Marcion made the first collection of Paul's letters.

6. Purpose of the letter was to pave the way for his visit to Rome on the way to Spain.

7. Paul was not too sure of being well received at Rome. Jerusalem was the seat of conservative and Jewish Christianity. Rome was the center of the radical and gentile branch of Christendom.

8. We really do not know who founded the church at Rome. Peter has been credited, but we cannot be sure.

9. If Peter had been founder of the Rome church, Paul would undoubtedly have mentioned him.

IV. PAUL'S MESSAGE

1. Paul was not so much a theologian as a preacher and evangelist. But he was the leading theologian of all Christendom.

2. Romans is the most important theological book ever written. It is the only systematic statement of Paul's theology.

3. He preached the doctrine of salvation.

4. Paul All but personalized sin-and he believed in "original sin." As in Adam all died, so in Christ all are made alive.

5. By sin, man is estranged from God; by Christ he becomes reconciled.

6. It seems that Paul recognized three parts of man: body, soul, and spirit.

7. Christ pays a ransom for man's sin-enslaved soul.

8. Much of Romans has to do with LAW-how Christ takes man from being "under the law" and puts him "under grace."

9. The Christian church is a "colony of heaven."

10. Paul's theology is sunned up in: "Justification by faith."

11. Paul's attitude: "I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation." 1:16.

12. Romans shows that Paul is the propounder of the atonement doctrine.

Note: As concerns the great conflict between the flesh and the Spirit-see Urantia Book, (382.1) 34:7.1.

V. SELECTED TEXTS

1. Paul's gospel. "I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith." 1:16.

2. Homosexuality. "The men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men." 1:27.

3. God's kindness. "Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" 2:4.

4. Universal sin. "Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." 3:23.

5. Justification by faith. "We hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law." 3:28.

6. Abraham's faith. "'Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.'" 4:3.

7. Christ's atonement. "Who was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification." 4:25.

8. Peace of justification. "Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 5:1.

9. Mission of suffering. "We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts." 5:3,4.

10. God loves sinners. "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." 5:8.

11. Original sin. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous." 5:19.

12. Presumptuous sin. "Are we to continue in sin that grace may

abound?" 6:1.

13. Being dead to sin. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions." 6:12.

14. The wages of sin. "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 6:23.

15. The mortal conflict. "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me." 7:15-17.

16. Wretched man. "Wretched man that I ami Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Christ our Lord." 7:24,25.

17. Spiritual freedom. "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death." 8:2.

18. The sons of God. "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." 8:14.

19. Assurance of sonship. "It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." 8:16.

20. Reward of suffering. "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us." 8:18.

21. Spirit help in prayer. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words." 8:26.

22. All to the good. "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." 8:28.

23. God for us. "If God is for us, who is against us?" 8:31.

24. Security in Christ. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or peril, or sword?" 8:35.

25. More than conquerors. "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." 8:37.

26. Zeal without knowledge. "They have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened." 10:2.

27. Salvation. "If you confess...that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." 10:9.

28. Call on his name. "'Every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.'" 10:13.

29. Divine infinitude. "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" 11:33.

30. Mental transformation. "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind." 12:2.

31. Genuine love. "Let love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection." 12:9.

32. Fraternity. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." 12:15.

33. Dealing with enemies. "'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." 12:20.

34. Civil obedience. "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." 13:1.

35. Personal opinions. "One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables." 14:2. "One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind." 14:5.

36. Socialization. "None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself." 14:7.

37. Meaning of the kingdom. "The kingdom of God does not mean food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." 14:17.