Romans 1.1-17: Intro and Purpose

The first session gives us an introduction to the Book of Romans.

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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

Classroom Instructions

Lesson

15:42

Session 1 Video

Romans can and should change us. You should walk away
- knowing Jesus more clearly, understanding the gospel more accurately,
- abandoning sin more thoroughly, feeling grace more deeply,
- and grasping more faithfully the large story of God’s purposes for this world and his faithful achievement of those purposes in spite of evil and sin.
Goal and Approach: Goal: to say enough… (can’t say everything, but that’s okay)
- To spark thought / generate conversation
- To send you back to the text
- Approach: walk through the text… (You will need to have read it for this to make sense!)
  - Zoom in, zoom out… verses that represent larger sections
  - Reflect on a big question (for yourself or your group)
- Today… What do I know and what do I expect to learn?
  - Look at 1.14-17 and see the purpose of Romans; why Paul wrote it
  - (3 of 4; other one is to raise support, which we’ll hit later)
Romans 1.14-17 (Paul’s “thesis statement”) Okay if you feel slightly lost (like a pre-tour video; “alright, let’s go for it…”)
- Clarify the gospel. (Rom 1.14-16a)
  - If you’re going to be a follower of Jesus, a Christian, you’ve got to know what the gospel actually is. If you’re going to be a church, a real faithful one, this is 1.0. Gotta get it, gotta get it right.
  - The words:
    - Gospel – good report
      - Background in Isaiah
      - Foreground in Roman media
    - Salvation – means being healed or put back together; restored to health
    - Faith: For all who believe… faith: trust, confidence, commitment
  - Literally the whole book is about these things, so we don’t need to have it all nailed down up front. But this is Paul’s purpose: clarify the gospel.
  - Practical edge to it…
- Unite the church. (Rom 1.16b)
  - You’ll see this all time: Jews and Gentiles, Gentiles and Jews…
  - Here’s the story:
    - Late 30s – gospel comes to Rome, mainly by and among Jews
    - 49 – Jews expelled
    - 54 – Jews return… to a very Gentile church
    - Paul writes in 56-57 to unite (or maintain unity)
- Prove God’s righteousness. (Rom 1.17)
  - This is a big part of what Paul wants to say about the gospel; and it’s a big part of how he aims to unite the two groups.
  - What does it mean? Righteous means “meets a standard” (waves; behavior);
  - God is his own standard. Two aspects
    - Legal: integrity as judge; to be righteous is to be just
    - Covenant: faithfulness as promise maker; righteous is to be faithful
  - Yes, Jesus was something of a surprise. Yes, Gentiles can now be saved without submitting to the Law of Moses (the OT). But no, this does not mean God changed his mind or came up with a plan B or reneged on his word. On the contrary, a right view of the gospel reveals a God who is faithful and just.

Romans 1.1-17: Intro and Purpose Instructions

Lesson

15:42

Session 1 Video

Romans can and should change us. You should walk away
- knowing Jesus more clearly, understanding the gospel more accurately,
- abandoning sin more thoroughly, feeling grace more deeply,
- and grasping more faithfully the large story of God’s purposes for this world and his faithful achievement of those purposes in spite of evil and sin.
Goal and Approach: Goal: to say enough… (can’t say everything, but that’s okay)
- To spark thought / generate conversation
- To send you back to the text
- Approach: walk through the text… (You will need to have read it for this to make sense!)
  - Zoom in, zoom out… verses that represent larger sections
  - Reflect on a big question (for yourself or your group)
- Today… What do I know and what do I expect to learn?
  - Look at 1.14-17 and see the purpose of Romans; why Paul wrote it
  - (3 of 4; other one is to raise support, which we’ll hit later)
Romans 1.14-17 (Paul’s “thesis statement”) Okay if you feel slightly lost (like a pre-tour video; “alright, let’s go for it…”)
- Clarify the gospel. (Rom 1.14-16a)
  - If you’re going to be a follower of Jesus, a Christian, you’ve got to know what the gospel actually is. If you’re going to be a church, a real faithful one, this is 1.0. Gotta get it, gotta get it right.
  - The words:
    - Gospel – good report
      - Background in Isaiah
      - Foreground in Roman media
    - Salvation – means being healed or put back together; restored to health
    - Faith: For all who believe… faith: trust, confidence, commitment
  - Literally the whole book is about these things, so we don’t need to have it all nailed down up front. But this is Paul’s purpose: clarify the gospel.
  - Practical edge to it…
- Unite the church. (Rom 1.16b)
  - You’ll see this all time: Jews and Gentiles, Gentiles and Jews…
  - Here’s the story:
    - Late 30s – gospel comes to Rome, mainly by and among Jews
    - 49 – Jews expelled
    - 54 – Jews return… to a very Gentile church
    - Paul writes in 56-57 to unite (or maintain unity)
- Prove God’s righteousness. (Rom 1.17)
  - This is a big part of what Paul wants to say about the gospel; and it’s a big part of how he aims to unite the two groups.
  - What does it mean? Righteous means “meets a standard” (waves; behavior);
  - God is his own standard. Two aspects
    - Legal: integrity as judge; to be righteous is to be just
    - Covenant: faithfulness as promise maker; righteous is to be faithful
  - Yes, Jesus was something of a surprise. Yes, Gentiles can now be saved without submitting to the Law of Moses (the OT). But no, this does not mean God changed his mind or came up with a plan B or reneged on his word. On the contrary, a right view of the gospel reveals a God who is faithful and just.