CHAPTER 1

(A.D. 60)

INTRODUCTION

¹Paul (the only Bible writer who discarded his Jewish name [Saul] for his Gentile name [Paul]), a servant (a voluntary Bondslave) of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle (he puts Bondslave ahead of Apostle), separated unto the Gospel of God (means that Paul was separated by God from all mankind for his Apostleship),

²(Which He (God) had promised afore by His Prophets in the Holy Scriptures,) (He promised the Redeemer, Who would be the Lord Jesus Christ.)

³Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord (speaks of Jesus being the Core Message of the Old Testament), which was made (signifies entrance into a new condition) of the Seed of David (through the family of David) according to the flesh (the Incarnation, God becoming man);

⁴And declared to be the Son of God with power (He was the Son of David regarding His Humanity, and the Son of God regarding His Deity), according to the Spirit of Holiness (presents another Name for the Holy Spirit), by the Resurrection from the dead (the Jews Crucified Jesus because He claimed to be the Son of God; God Resurrected Him because He was the Son of God):

⁵By Whom (by God) we have received Grace (unmerited favor) and Apostleship (the Call), for obedience to the Faith (Jesus Christ and Him Crucified) among all nations (one Gospel for the entirety of the world), for His Name (He is the One Who has purchased our Redemption, by and through the Cross of Calvary);

⁶Among whom (all Believers) are you also the called of Jesus Christ (every person who is saved has been called of the Lord from something to something):

⁷To all who be in Rome, Beloved of God, called to be Saints (to be was improperly supplied by the Translators; every person who is saved is a Saint, and made so by Jesus Christ and what He did at the Cross): Grace to you (which comes through the Cross) and Peace (Sanctifying Peace) from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ (presents the Trinity, with the Holy Spirit inspiring these words to be written).

THANKSGIVING

⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world (speaks of the Roman Empire).

⁹For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit (his human spirit) in the Gospel of His Son (Jesus Christ and Him Crucified), that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers (Paul had a strong prayer life);

¹⁰Making request (has to do with seeking the Lord about a certain thing, in this case the privilege of ministering to the Church at Rome), if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the Will of God to come unto you (Acts, Chpts. 27 and 28, record that journey; it was very prosperous spiritually, but not prosperous in other ways).

¹¹For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift (does not mean, as some think, that Paul could impart one or more of the nine Gifts of the Spirit, but rather speaks of explaining to them more perfectly the Word of God), to the end you may be established (spiritual Gifts, as valuable as they are, do not establish anyone; it is the Truth of the Word which establishes, and that alone [Jn. 8:32]);

¹²That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me (carries the idea of a mutual strengthening brought about by his Ministry among them, and their Love shown to him).

¹³Now I would not have you ignorant, Brethren (a phrase often used by Paul), that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) (something hindered) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles (he knew that his teaching concerning the Cross would help them to grow in Grace).

¹⁴I am debtor (true of every Believer) both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise (to all people, whomever they might be, and wherever they might be).

¹⁵So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you who are at Rome also.

THE POWER

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (is said in reference to the Cross): for it is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (through the Cross, and the Cross alone, man is reconciled unto God).

¹⁷For therein (through the Cross) is the Righteousness of God (Right with God) revealed from faith to faith (from Faith relates to God as the Provider and to Faith relates to man as the receiver): as it is written, The just shall live by Faith (proclaims Paul showing that Righteousness by Faith is no new idea, but found in the Prophets [Hab. 2:4]).

GUILT

¹⁸For the Wrath of God (Gods Personal Emotion with regard to sin) is revealed from Heaven (this anger originates with God) against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (God must unalterably be opposed to sin), who hold the truth in unrighteousness (who refuse to recognize Who God is, and what God is);

¹⁹Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them (speaks of the universal objective knowledge of God as the Creator, which is more or less in all men); for God has showed it unto them (means that His Signature is in Creation).

²⁰For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen (explains Verse 19), being understood by the things that are made (Creation demands a Creator), even His Eternal Power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (the Creation tells us of the Eternal Power of God, and is obvious to all):

APOSTASY

²¹Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God (if men do not understand God in the realm of Creation, they will not understand Him in anything else), neither were thankful (refusing to honor Him resulted in a lack of gratitude for His Gifts); but became vain in their imaginations (presents the only direction that fallen man can go, considering he has rejected God), and their foolish heart was darkened (speaks of the rejection of Light).

²²Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (lays waste to all so-called wisdom which is not of God),

²³And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God (presents the sin of the ages, and points not only to the heathen of old, but also much of modern Christendom) into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things (proclaims the degeneration of man, which is the opposite of evolution).

RESULTS OF APOSTASY

²⁴Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts (not merely permissive, but God judicially delivered them over), to dishonour their own bodies between themselves (speaks of every type of immorality):

²⁵Who changed the Truth of God into a lie (refers back to Verse 23, which speaks of spiritual and sexual uncleanness), and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator (this refers to man worshiping the creation of his own hands, which means that he is worshiping something less than himself), Who is blessed forever. Amen (should have been translated Bless-ed [two syllables], because it refers to the One doing the blessing, in this case the Lord).

²⁶For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections (the Lord removed His restraints and, therefore, gave them unimpeded access to their desires): for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature (in short speaks of Lesbianism):

²⁷And likewise also the men (homosexuality), leaving the natural use of the woman (speaks of the sex act which is performed between the man and his wife), burned in their lust one toward another (raging lust); men with men working that which is unseemly (specifies its direction, which is total perversion), and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet (refers to the penalty attached to wrongdoing).

²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge (carries the idea of the human race putting God to the test for the purpose of approving or disapproving Him), God gave them over to a reprobate mind (Light rejected is Light withdrawn), to do those things which are not convenient (which are not fitting);

APOSTATES

²⁹Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

³⁰Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful (these things listed are the end results of forsaking God, which is the reason for all the strife in the world):

³²Who knowing the judgment of God (in essence saying, do Your worst, and it will not stop us), that they which commit such things are worthy of death (Divine Judgment is implied), not only do the same, but have pleasure in them who do them (proclaims the result of the reprobate mind).