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For this reason (because the Lord Jesus Christ is the central figure in the universe) we (believers in Christ) must pay much closer attention to what we have heard (about Him in His Word), so that we do not drift away from it (the Word of God).
Concerning Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you (believers) have become dull of hearing.
For to me (Paul), to live is (occupation with the Person of the Lord Jesus) Christ and to die is gain (profitable as well).
But if I am to live on in the flesh (in my physical body), this will mean fruitful labor for me (hard work that produces the fruit of the Spirit); and I do not know which to choose (physical death or continuing in this life).
But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better…
…yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
TODAY’S STUDY
Romans 1 - The Story Behind the First Fifteen Verses
Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 7
Introduction
This letter is written by me, Paul, a bond-servant and voluntary slave of Christ Jesus, by calling an apostle, and set apart by God the Father for the dissemination of the gospel message of God the Father, as a minister…
…and this is the gospel message that God the Father promised beforehand to the human race through His prophets in the holy Scriptures of the Old Testament…
…a gospel message concerning God the Father’s Son, the Lord, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh as true humanity, whose name is Jesus Christ…
…and Jesus Christ was declared the Son of God with enabling power by means of His resurrection from the dead, accomplished through the enabling power of the God who is the Spirit of holiness…God the Holy Spirit. Now we are talking about this Jesus Christ, our Lord, God the Son…
…through whom I, Paul, have received from God the Father both grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Person…
…among whom you, as believers in Christ, also are the possession of Jesus Christ by calling…
…and this letter is written to all of you who are the divinely loved ones of God the Father…you believers in Christ living in Rome, saints by calling, the set apart ones: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans, Chapter 1,
Verses 8 to 15
Paul’s Prayer for the Purpose of his Ministry
First, I, Paul, thank God the Father in prayer through Jesus Christ’s name for all you believers in Rome, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world, all throughout the Roman Empire.
For God the Father is my witness, whom I, Paul, serve in my human spirit by the preaching of the gospel of God the Father’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as to how unceasingly I make mention of you believers in Rome in intercessory prayer…
…and I always in my prayers keep on making requests, even praying in petition for myself as well, if perhaps now at last by the will of God the Father I may succeed in coming to visit you.
For I, Paul, long to see you believers in Rome so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established…
…that is, that I, Paul may be encouraged together with you while among you, as each of us is encouraged by the other’s faith, both your faith encouraging me and mine encouraging you.
I do not want you to be unaware, believers in Rome, that often I have planned to come to you and have been prevented so far from coming to you…even though I wanted to come so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as I have obtained fruit among the rest of the Gentiles.
I, Paul, as a bond-servant am under obligation both to people who speak Greek and to the barbarians…the people who don’t speak Greek…I am under obligation both to the wise, whom we know are believers in Christ, and to the foolish, whom we know are unbelievers.
So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel as a minster to you believers also who are in Rome.
BREAK
Better Than Life
When I Think About Home
For in it (the gospel message) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith (in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation) to faith (in the Lord Jesus Christ for the Zoe Life); as it is written (in Old Testament Scripture), “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man (the believer in Christ) SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
…for we (believers in Christ) walk (have a lifestyle guided) by faith, not by sight (empiricism)—
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in(dwelling) me; and the (Zoe) life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me (unconditionally) and gave Himself up (as a sacrifice) for me.”
And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea;’ and it would obey you.”
But if (1) any of you lacks wisdom (and many of you do), let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it (wisdom) will be given to him.
But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
For that man (without faith) ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord…
…being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
“He who believes in Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) is not judged (is not condemned); he who does not believe (in the Lord Jesus Christ) has been judged (evaluated) already, because he has not believed in the name (in the Person) of the only begotten (uniquely born) Son of God (the Lord Jesus Christ).”
“This is the judgment (evaluation), that the Light (the Lord Jesus Christ) has come into the world, and men loved the darkness (of unbelief) rather than the Light (the Lord Jesus Christ…requiring faith), for their deeds were evil.”
“For everyone who does evil (unbelievers) hates the Light (the Lord Jesus Christ), and does not come to the Light (the Lord Jesus Christ) for fear that his (evil) deeds will be exposed.”
“But he who practices the truth (believers in Christ) comes to the Light (the Lord Jesus Christ), so that his deeds may be manifested (made clearly visible) as having been wrought in God.”
To me (Paul), the very least of all saints (believers in Christ), this grace was given…
You therefore, beloved (divinely loved believers in Christ), knowing this beforehand (that there are false teachers who distort Scripture), be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness…
…but (keep on) grow(ing) in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (be occupied with Him). To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
In this is (unconditional) love, not that we loved God (unconditionally), but that He loved us (unconditionally) and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.//Beloved (divinely loved ones), if (1) God so loved us (unconditionally, and He did), we also ought to love one another (unconditionally).
But now faith, hope, love, abide (in the sphere of) these three; but the greatest of these is (unconditional) love.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.//Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.//For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Therefore, let us (believers in Christ) fear if (we are to fear anything), (that) while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.//For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they (unbelievers) also (had good news preached to them); but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith (rather it encountered unbelief) in those who heard.
And to whom did He (the Lord Jesus Christ) swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?//So we see that they were not able to enter (His rest) because of unbelief.
CLOSING SONG
Nothing Can Separate You
For I am confident of this very thing, that He (God the Father) who began a (divine) good work in (the creation of) you will (keep on) perfect(ing) it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.//For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard (garrison) your hearts and your minds (for those of you) in (union with) Christ Jesus.
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray…
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Thanks for listening!
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