The Wrath of God Revealed
Paul began his argument of Romans by proving that the Gentiles are sinners before God. Although God has revealed His truth to them, they have suppressed it, resulting in the darkness of their inner man and rebellion against God to the point of worshipping animals (1:18-23). As a result God gave them over to do the desires of their heart (1:24, 26): idolatry (1:25) and homosexuality (1:26-27). Seeing that they had no desire to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do every sort of evil (1:28-31).
The Jews Condemned
Judgement According to Works
Paul also addressed the Jews specifically warning them that if God judged the Gentiles who suppressed the revelation they had received, the Jews should not believe that they would escape the judgement of God simply because they had received the Law of Moses. These Jews were judging others for things that they did themselves, thinking they would escape punishment because they were Jews (2:1-3). Paul warned that they were storing up God’s wrath against themselves because they would not repent for their sins (2:4-5). God rewards or punishes individuals based on their works, not on their ethnic background or on their knowledge of the Law (2:6-13). Paul argued that the Gentile’s conscience would serve as the basis for their judgement (2:14-16) and the Law would serve as the basis for judgement for the Jew.
Circumcision of the Heart
Paul continued to condemn the Jew for feeling superior to the Gentiles because of their entrustment to the special revelation of the Law, even though the whole time they were being hypocrites by not living by the Law themselves (2:17-22). They were dishonoring God and giving the Gentiles reason to blaspheme God (2:23-24). Some thought that being circumcised justified their actions, but Paul made it clear that the Law only had value to those who lived by it, not to those who simply possessed it (2:25). If the uncircumcised lived by the Law, his actions would make it as though he was circumcised, and he would be able to judge the circumcised who only profess the Law (2:26-27). To be a true Jew is not only a matter of lineage but also a matter of having circumcision of the heart and whose praise comes from God rather than man (2:28-29). Therefo...
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...5:1-6). Instead of rejecting one another over differences of opinion, the Jews and Gentiles were to accept each other, seeing that both groups of people are involved in God's plan (15:7-13).
Reason for Paul’s Delay in Coming to Rome
Salutation's to many people at Rome
Although Paul was convinced of the churches spiritual maturity, he wrote to them to explain his reason for not coming to them sooner, and expressed his future travel plans, which included a trip to Rome (15:17-24). This trip would take place after he delivered the collection he was gathering to the saints at Jerusalem (15:25-29); a trip that Paul asked the Romans to help him with in prayer (15:30-33). Having finished his exhortations and commands, Paul finished his epistle by sending greetings to many individuals at the church in Rome (16:1-16), warning of false-teachers (16:17-20), sending greeting from his fellow-laborers (16:21), and giving glory to the God who was able to strengthen the church, and disclosed the mystery of the church to bring many to faith (16:25-27).
WORKS CITED
Baker, Bruce. Romans, class notes. Fall 2001
King James Study Bible, The. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1988.
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