Romans

1. Romans

2. 2/22 – Romans • 3/1 – 1 Corinthians • 3/8 – 2 Corinthians • 3/15 – Galatians and Ephesians • 3/22 – Test week • 3/29 – Spring break • 4/5 – Philippians and Colossians • 4/12 – 1 and 2 Thessalonians • 4/19 – No Bible study • 4/26 – 1 and 2 Timothy • 5/3 – Titus, Philemon and James

3. Hebrews • 1 and 2 Peter • 1, 2 and 3 John • Jude • Revelation

4. 3/3/2007 – Hebrews • 3/17/2007 – 1 and 2 Peter • 3/31/2007 – 1, 2, and 3 John • 4/14/2007 – Jude and Revelation, part 1 • 4/28/2007 – Revelation, part 2 • 5/5/2007 – Revelation, part 3

5. “Blessed is the one who reads, as well as those who hear the words of this prophecy and pay attention to what is written in it…” (Revelation 1:3 – GN) • “But, my friend, I ask, ‘Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did?’” (Romans 9:20 – CEV)

6. “From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and appointed to spread the Good News of God. God had already promised this Good News through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. This Good News is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In his human nature he was a descendant of David. In his spiritual, holy nature he was declared the Son of God. This was shown in a powerful way when he came back to life.” (Romans 1:1-4 – GN)

7. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” (Romans 1:16,17 – NET) • “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed…” (NIV) • “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed” (NKJV) • “For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.” (Galatians 5:6 - Amplified)

8. “I am not ashamed of the good news about God and his character, methods and principles, because this truth is God’s power that heals everyone who thinks it through and trusts in him …For the good news is a revelation of God’s true righteousness, character, methods and principles that restores trust in God and results in re-creation of a righteous and Christlike character, just as it is written: ‘The Christlike will live by trust.’” (Tim Jennings)

9. God’s anger is revealed from heaven against all the sin and evil of the people whose evil ways prevent the truth from being known. God punishes them, because what can be known about God is plain to them, for God himself made it plain” (Romans 1:18,19 – GN). • “They say they are wise, but they are fools; instead of worshiping the immortal God, they worship images made to look like mortals or birds or animals or reptiles. And so God has given those people over to do the filthy things their hearts desire, and they do shameful things with each other. They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen. Because they do this, God has given them over to shameful passions….Because those people refuse to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do” (Romans 1:22-26,28 – GN).

10. “They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience; they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others.” (Romans 1:29-31 – GN)

11. “Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors.” (Romans 2:1 – The Message)

12. “If you’re brought up Jewish, don’t assume that you can lean back in the arms of your religion and take it easy, feeling smug because you’re an insider to God’s revelation, a connoisseur of the best things of God, informed on the latest doctrines! I have a special word of caution for you who are sure that you have it all together yourselves and, because you know God’s revealed Word inside and out, feel qualified to guide others through their blind alleys and dark nights and confused emotions to God.

13. “While you are guiding others, who is going to guide you? I’m quite serious. While preaching “Don’t steal!” are you going to rob people blind? Who would suspect you? The same with adultery. The same with idolatry. You can get by with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about God and his law. The line from Scripture, “It’s because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God,” shows it’s an old problem that isn’t going to go away.” (Romans 2:17-24 – The Message)

14. “Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is that the Jewish people might be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Instead, they are clinging to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. They won’t go along with God’s way.” (Romans 10:1-3 – NLT)

15. “The Gentiles do not have the Law; but whenever they do by instinct what the Law commands, they are their own law, even though they do not have the Law. Their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written in their hearts. Their consciences also show that this is true, since their thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them. And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all.” (Romans 2:13-16 – GN) • “For he is not a [real] Jew who is only one outwardly and publicly, nor is [true] circumcision something external and physical. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and [true] circumcision is of the heart, a spiritual and not a literal [matter].” (Romans 2:28-29 – Amplified)

16. C.S. Lewis • “But I said, ‘Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash.’ He answered, ‘Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me.’ Then by reason of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, ‘Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one?’ The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, ‘It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him.

17. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child?’ I said, ‘Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), ‘Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days.’ ‘Beloved’, said the Glorious One, ‘unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly.’” (C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle, 149)

18. “Those whom Christ commends in the judgment may have known little of theology, but they have cherished His principles. Through the influence of the divine Spirit they have been a blessing to those about them. Even among the heathen are those who have cherished the spirit of kindness; before the words of life had fallen upon their ears, they have befriended the missionaries, even ministering to them at the peril of their own lives. Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom the light is never brought by human instrumentality, yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of God, they have heard His voice speaking to them in nature, and have done the things that the law required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God.” (E.G. White, DA 638)

19. “The Gentiles do not have the Law; but whenever they do by instinct what the Law commands, they are their own law, even though they do not have the Law. Their conduct shows that what the Law commands is written in their hearts. Their consciences also show that this is true, since their thoughts sometimes accuse them and sometimes defend them. And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all.” (Romans 2:13-16 – GN)

21. “For no one is put right in God’s sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that we have sinned. • But now God's way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it. • God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence. But by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free.” (Romans 3:20-24 – GN)

22. “God offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people’s sins are forgiven through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous.” (Romans 3:20-25 – GN) • “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood…” (KJV)

23. “God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God’s approval is given through faith in Christ’s blood.” (GOD’S WORD) • “God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness…” (NET) • “God presented Jesus as the way and means of restoration, through trust established by the evidence of God’s character revealed when Christ died. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness and goodness…” (Tim Jennings)

24. “In the past he was patient and overlooked people's sins; but in the present time he deals with their sins, in order to demonstrate his righteousness. In this way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who believes in Jesus. What, then, can we boast about? Nothing! And what is the reason for this? Is it that we obey the Law? No, but that we believe. For we conclude that a person is put right with God only through faith, and not by doing what the Law commands. Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles also? Of course he is. God is one, and he will put the Jews right with himself on the basis of their faith, and will put the Gentiles right through their faith. Does this mean that by this faith we do away with the Law? No, not at all; instead, we uphold the Law.” (Romans 3:20-31)

25. “What shall we say, then, of Abraham, the father of our race? What was his experience? If he was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about---but not in God’s sight. The scripture says, ‘Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.’” (Romans 4:1-3 – GN)

26. “For we have quoted the scripture, ‘Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.’ When did this take place? Was it before or after Abraham was circumcised? It was before, not after. He was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.” (Romans 4:9-11) • “…the real Jew is the person who is a Jew on the inside, that is, whose heart has been circumcised.” (Romans 2:29 – GN)

27. “Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) • “We were God's enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son…. we rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has now made us God's friends.” (Romans 5:10,11 – GN)

28. “It is certain that death ruled because of one person’s failure. It’s even more certain that those who receive God’s overflowing kindness and the gift of his approval will rule in life because of one person, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17 – GODS WORD)

29. “What shall we say then? Is the law evil and selfish because it increases the amount of evil and selfishness we see? Absolutely not! For I would not have known what evil and selfishness looks like if it wasn’t for the diagnostic efficacy of the law. I would not have realized that coveting was evil and selfish if the law didn’t say, “Don’t covet.” But selfishness, taking advantage of the fact that the law is only a diagnostic instrument and not a remedy, multiplied every covetous desire within me. For apart from the diagnostic ability of the law, sin is unrecognizable.

30. Once I thought I was healthy and free from the infection of fear and selfishness, but then the commandment examined me, exposed how utterly infected I was and diagnosed me as terminal. I discovered that the very commandment given only to diagnose my condition, I had unwittingly attempted to use as a cure and thus my condition only worsened. For selfishness, taking advantage of the fact that the commandment could only diagnose and not cure, deceived me into thinking I could be cured by working to keep the commandment, but instead my terminal state only worsened. So understand this, the law diagnoses perfectly, and the commandment is the standard of what is right and good, set apart by God, to reveal what is evil and destructive.” (Romans 7:7-12 – Tim Jennings)

31. “What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death? Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ! This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God’s law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin. There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 7:24-25; 8:1-2)

32. “…God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us.” (Romans 5:5 – GN) • “So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family —calling him ‘Father, dear Father.’ For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:15,16 – NLT)

33. “In face of all this, what is there left to say? If God is for us, who can be against us? He that did not hesitate to spare his own Son but gave him up for us all - can we not trust such a God to give us, with him, everything else that we can need? Who would dare to accuse us, whom God has chosen? The judge himself has declared us free from sin. Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us! Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, pain or persecution? Can lack of clothes and food, danger to life and limb, the threat of force of arms?...No, in all these things we win an overwhelming victory through him who has proved his love for us. I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth, neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow, neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God’s whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 8:31-39 – JB Phillips)

34. “I am speaking the truth; I belong to Christ and I do not lie. My conscience, ruled by the Holy Spirit, also assures me that I am not lying when I say how great is my sorrow, how endless the pain in my heart for my people, my own flesh and blood! For their sake I could wish that I myself were under God's curse and separated from Christ. They are God's people; he made them his children and revealed his glory to them; he made his covenants with them and gave them the Law; they have the true worship; they have received God's promises; they are descended from the famous Hebrew ancestors; and Christ, as a human being, belongs to their race. May God, who rules over all, be praised forever! Amen.” (Romans 9:1-5 – GN)

35. “…it is not by being children through physical descent that people become children of God; it is the children of the promise that are counted as the heirs.” (Romans 9:8 – NJB)

36. “…even before they were born or had done anything good or bad…it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,” just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then, it does not depend on human desire or exertion, but on God who shows mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh: “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then, God has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden. You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” But who indeed are you—a mere human being—to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?” (Romans 9:12-21) • Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? (The Message)

37. “So we say that the Gentiles, who were not trying to put themselves right with God, were put right with him through faith; while God’s people, who were seeking a law that would put them right with God, did not find it. And why not? Because they did not depend on faith but on what they did. And so they stumbled over the stumbling stone…” (Romans 9:30-32)

38. “My friends, how I wish with all my heart that my own people might be saved! How I pray to God for them! I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to God; but their devotion is not based on true knowledge. They have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God’s way of putting people right. For Christ has brought the Law to an end, so that everyone who believes is put right with God.” (Romans 10:1-4 – GN) • “For Christ means the end of the struggle for righteouness-by-the-Law for everyone who believes in him.” (JB Phillips)

39. “Many of the Jews are now enemies of the Good News. But this has been to your benefit, for God has given his gifts to you Gentiles. Yet the Jews are still his chosen people because of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Romans 11:28 – NLT) • “And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all.” (Romans 2:16 – GN)