By Bishop Elijah H.
Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD
LESSON NOTES:
I.
THE
KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE ENTIRE BIBLE. If you understand that the Bible is written to show us how
humanity was created for God, fell into sin, was reconciled through Christ (who
was the product of a family) and God will restore everything through His
sacrifice on the Cross; then you have the message of the entire Bible.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us
to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to
God. 21For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
II.
THE
NEED FOR THE GOSPEL TO BE EXPLAINED.
A.
KEY VERSES IN ROMANS. Paul is writing to the Churches at Rome with the
hope and prayer of traveling there to preach the Gospel.
Romans 1:8-16 8First, I thank my God
through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the
whole world. 9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel
of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
10Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous
journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11For I long to see you, that I
may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both
of you and me. 13Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I
purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit
among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14I am debtor both to the Greeks,
and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15So, as much as in
me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 16For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Romans 15:23-24 23But now that there is no
more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for
many years to visit you, 24I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see
you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after
I have enjoyed your company for a while.
B. THIS LETTER IS DELIVERED
BY PHOEBE. Paul knows that these
churches are quite prominent with some well known members. He doesn’t want this
church to become shipwrecked by a different Gospel, nor to be turned off by all
the negative things that they have heard about him. So he authors this
exhortation to stay with the truth.
Romans 16:1-20
16 I commend to you our sister
Phoebe, a deacon[a][b] of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in
the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need
from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.
3 Greet Priscilla[c] and Aquila, my co-workers in
Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for
me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.
5 Greet also the church that
meets at their house.
Greet my dear friend
Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
6 Greet Mary, who worked very
hard for you.
7 Greet Andronicus and Junia,
my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among[d] the apostles, and they were
in Christ before I was.
8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear
friend in the Lord.
9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker
in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity
to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the
household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet Herodion, my fellow
Jew.
Greet those in the household
of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa,
those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis,
another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the
Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon,
Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia,
Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy
kiss.
All the churches of Christ
send greetings.
17 I urge you, brothers and
sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your
way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not
serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery
they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your
obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is
good, and innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon
crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus
be with you.
C. WHAT IS THE FULL GOSPEL?
I believe in the “Full Gospel.” The Full Gospel
includes: the redeeming power of Jesus Christ for salvation because of Calvary,
and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost for service and holy, victorious living
because of Pentecost. The Church is to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ,
God's Son: as the Savior, Baptizer with the Holy Ghost, Healer and soon coming
King.
D. BUT, IS THERE MORE THAN
ONE GOSPEL?
There is only one Gospel. But, in his day, Paul
warned about counterfeit preaching and counterfeit “Gospels.” In other words
this is preaching that tickles the ears, entertains and inspires; but does not
have any power to save. In regard to this Paul gave many warnings:
Galatians 1:6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him
that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Galatians 1:8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed.
E. WHAT INCENTIVE DOES A
CHRISTIAN HAVE IN REMAINING TRUE TO THE GOSPEL AS EXPLAINED IN THE BOOK OF
ROMANS?
1.
GOD CONFIRMS THE GOSPEL. Considering the passage that we just read; it
is obvious, from the Scriptures, that Jesus desires for every believer to share
their faith and recruit lost souls to the gift of eternal life. It is also our
Lord’s desire that as we obey His Commission to reach the lost; He will confirm
our witness with great displays of His power:
Mark 16:15-20
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the
sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them,
he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every
where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following. Amen.
2.
SHARING
THE GOSPEL PARTNERS US WITH CHRIST’S MINISTRY. Christians are are called to be Christ’s
witnesses. He promised us that there would be great benefits for working with
Him:
John 14:12-13
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than
these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that
will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
1 Corinthians 3:5-9 5What, after all, is Apollos?
And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the LORD
has assigned to each his task. 6I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God
has been making it grow. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8The one who plants and the
one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to
their own labor. 9For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field,
God's building.
Matthew 9:37-38 37Then he said to his
disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the
LORD of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest
field."
3.
THERE
IS A BLESSING IN FOLLOWING JESUS’ PATTERN FOR MINISTRY. Of course the next question would be, “what
did Jesus do?” The activities that Jesus did in His ministry (which we are to
pattern after) are found in the following passage. Jesus’ ministry focused on
teaching, preaching and healing. And, He said we would do what He did. Nowhere
in the Scriptures do we find that Jesus has changed this focus. Our focus in
the local church must be what He did: teaching, preaching and healing. This is
what will win lost souls for Christ!
Matthew 4:23
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all
manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
III. THE GOSPEL IS EXPLAINED IN ROMANS.
A. THE PURPOSE OF ROMANS.
1. PAUL WROTE ROMANS AT THE
CITY OF CORINTH. To reiterate, Phoebe,
a woman minister, took it to Rome for Paul (Romans 16:1). Paul didn’t start the
church at Rome. Christianity was planted in Rome by some of those who had been
at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). The church at Rome was very
large and was made up of Jews and Gentiles (or non-Jews). The church was so
large that the Roman Christians had more than one place of meeting (Romans
16:14, 15).
Acts 2:10 10Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome.
Romans 16:14-15 14Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon,
Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them. 15Greet
Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the LORD's people
who are with them.
2.
PAUL WROTE TO EXPLAIN THE GREAT DOCTRINE OF THE
GOSPEL. This letter was a
"word in season," because it opened up in a clear and concise manner
the whole system of the Gospel, in its relation both to Jew and Gentile. Both
groups are justified by faith. There is no Jewish Gospel or Gentile Gospel;
there is one Gospel for everyone.
3.
THE MESSAGE OF ROMANS. The ancient Israelites had a tremendous sin problem, which was
displayed in their constant practice of idolatry. Idolatry was appealing to
them because the big focus of idolatry was sex. There was no way that the Law,
given by Moses, could help the people live better lives. God even just about
destroyed the nation, but all that produced was an outward change; very little
inwardly. It was not until Jesus came and died for our sins that the Israelites
(and now all humanity) has the ability to be free from the desire, practice and
penalty of sin. This is the message of the book of Romans (see Romans 3:23;
6:23 and 10:9-10). There is good news for everyone!
Romans 3:23 23For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:23 23For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our LORD.
Romans 10:8-12 8But what does it say?
"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that
is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9If you declare with your
mouth, "Jesus is LORD," and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe
and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and
are saved. 11As Scripture says, "Anyone who believes in him will never be
put to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the
same LORD is LORD of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
4.
THE GOSPEL REMOVES THE BARRIER! Sin is the barrier that separates us from God.
Jesus took care of the barrier to God’s love by His sacrificial death on the
cross and His resurrection. Now He longs for us to experience His love and
accept this gift.
Not long ago I heard the distressed chirping of
a bird coming from the side of my neighbor’s house. I discovered that a nest of
baby birds was inside a vent covered by a screen, placing a barrier between the
mother bird who was trying to feed her hungry chicks. After I told the
neighbors, they removed the screen and took the nest and chicks to a safe place
to be cared for. Few things are as heartbreaking as a barrier to love. Christ,
the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, experienced a barrier to His love when His
chosen people rejected Him. He used the word picture of a hen and her baby
chicks to describe their unwillingness to receive. (Easton, M. G. Illustrated Bible Dictionary,
Third Edition. Nelson: Grand Rapids, 1897. 6
http://odb.org/2013/10/17/barrier-free-love/. (Accessed, August 23, 2014).
Matthew 23:37 37"Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I
have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings, and you were not willing.
Isaiah 59:2 2But your iniquities have
separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that
he will not hear.
John 3:16 16For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8-17 8But God demonstrates his
own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved
from God's wrath through him! 10For if, while we were God's enemies, we were
reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been
reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we
also boast in God through our LORD Jesus Christ, through whom we have now
received reconciliation. 12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one
man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because
all sinned- 13To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but
sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law.
14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even
over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern
of the one to come. 15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many
died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift
that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The
judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many
trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man,
death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's
abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life
through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Romans 8:11 11And if the Spirit of him
who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives
in you.
IV. BREAKING DOWN ROMANS. Again, the purpose of Romans is to explain the
Gospel. If you understand this point, being able to outline the book becomes
very simple:
A.
INTRODUCTION: ROMANS 1:1-15. Paul lists his credentials as an apostle and
validates his message as the fulfillment of the hope of Israel.
Romans 1:1-7 1Paul, a servant of Christ
Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God- 2the gospel
he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding
his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4and who through
the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his
resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our LORD. 5Through him we received
grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from
faith for his name's sake. 6And you also are among those Gentiles who are
called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7To all in Rome who are loved by God and
called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and
from the LORD Jesus Christ.
B. THE GOSPEL EXPLAINED:
ROMANS 1:16-8:39.
1.
THE GENTILES ARE GUILTY OF SIN AND HAVE NO SALVATION
OUTSIDE OF CHRIST.
Romans 1:18-32
18 The wrath of God is being
revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who
suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about
God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the
world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been
clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are
without excuse.
21 For although they knew God,
they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking
became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be
wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of
the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds
and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over
in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of
their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth
about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave
them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual
relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also
abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one
another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves
the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did
not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over
to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with
every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters,
insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey
their parents; 31 they have no understanding,
no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s
righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only
continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
2.
THE JEWS ARE HOPELESSLY LOST WITHOUT CHRIST. You can imagine how offensive this message was
to them.
Romans 2:17-28
17 Now you, if you call yourself
a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and
approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you
are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish,
a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of
knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach
yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people
should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you
rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do
you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name
is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
25 Circumcision has value if you
observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had
not been circumcised. 26 So then, if those who are not
circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though
they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not
circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though
you have the written code and
circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
28 A person is not a Jew who is
one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.
3.
ALL PEOPLE ARE LOST BECAUSE ALL SIN.
Romans 3:9-23
9 What shall we conclude then?
Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that
Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous,
not even one;
11
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks
God.
12
All have turned away,
they have together become
worthless;
there is no one who does
good,
not even one.”
13
“Their throats are open
graves;
their tongues practice
deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on
their lips.”
14
“Their mouths are full of
cursing and bitterness.”
15
“Their feet are swift to shed
blood;
16
ruin and misery mark their
ways,
17
and the way of peace they do
not know.”
18
“There is no fear of God
before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the
law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be
silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be
declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the
law we become conscious of our sin. 21 But now apart from the law
the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets
testify. 22 This righteousness is given
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who
believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God,
a.
ABRAHAM WAS JUSTIFIED BY FAITH.
Romans 4:1-4 1What then shall we say that
Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2If,
in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-but
not before God. 3What does Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it
was credited to him as righteousness." 4Now to the one who works, wages
are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.
b.
WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH.
Romans 5:1-2 1Therefore, since we have
been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus
Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which
we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
c.
WE ARE FREE FROM SIN.
Romans 6:1-7 1What shall we say, then?
Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We are those
who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that
all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We
were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just
as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life. 5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we
will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6For we know
that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be
done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- 7because anyone who
has died has been set free from sin.
d.
GOD HAS DELIVERED US AND THERE’S NO CONDEMNATION.
Romans 7:21-25 21So I find this law at
work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my
inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in me,
waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin at work within me. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this
body that is subject to death? 25Thanks be to God, who delivers me through
Jesus Christ our LORD! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law,
but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Romans 8:1-2 1Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus
the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and
death.
C. THE GOSPEL AND THE
NATION OF ISRAEL: ROMANS 9-11. Gentiles do not need to become arrogant. We were crafted into the
family of God. Israel will eventually be saved.
Romans 10:1-3 1Brothers and sisters, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
2For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is
not based on knowledge. 3Since they did not know the righteousness of God and
sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
Romans 11:11-24
11 So I ask: When the Jews fell,
did that fall destroy them? No! But their mistake brought salvation to those
who are not Jews. The purpose of this was to make the Jews jealous. 12 Their
mistake brought rich blessings to the world. And what they lost brought rich
blessings to the non-Jewish people. So surely the world will get much richer
blessings when enough Jews become the kind of people God wants.
13 Now I am speaking to you
people who are not Jews. I am an apostle to the non-Jewish people. So while I
have that work, I will do the best I can. 14 I hope I can make my
own people jealous. That way, maybe I can help some of them to be saved. 15 God
turned away from the Jews. When that happened, he became friends with the other
people in the world. So when he accepts the Jews, it will be like bringing
people to life after death. 16 If the first piece of bread is
offered to God, then the whole loaf is made holy. If the roots of a tree are
holy, the tree’s branches are holy too.
17 It is as if some of the
branches from an olive tree have been broken off, and the branch of a wild
olive tree has been joined to that first tree. If you are not a Jew, you are
the same as that wild branch, and you now share the strength and life of the
first tree. 18 But don’t act as if you are better than those
branches that were broken off. You have no reason to be proud of yourself,
because you don’t give life to the root. The root gives life to you. 19 You
might say, “Branches were broken off so that I could be joined to their tree.” 20 That
is true. But those branches were broken off because they did not believe. And
you continue to be part of the tree only because you believe. Don’t be proud,
but be afraid. 21 If God did not let the natural branches of that
tree stay, he will not let you stay if you stop believing.
22 So you see that God is kind,
but he can also be very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But
he is kind to you, if you continue trusting in his kindness. If you don’t
continue depending on him, you will be cut off from the tree. 23 And
if the Jews will believe in God again, he will accept them back. He is able to
put them back where they were. 24 It is not natural for a wild
branch to become part of a good tree. But you non-Jewish people are like a
branch cut from a wild olive tree. And you were joined to a good olive tree.
But those Jews are like a branch that grew from the good tree. So surely they
can be joined to their own tree again.
Romans 11:25-26 25I do not want you to be
ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be
conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of
the Gentiles has come in, 26and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is
written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away
from Jacob.
D. LIVING THE CHRISTIAN
LIFE, BECAUSE OF THE GOSPEL: ROMANS 12-15:13. Paul’s conclusion is that being justified by
faith is not a license to sin. We should submit ourselves to God and live out
our faith as an ambassador for God.
Romans 12
12 Therefore, I urge you,
brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern
of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect
will.
3 For by the grace given me I
say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought,
but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith
God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has
one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same
function, 5 so in Christ we, though many,
form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts,
according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then
prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve;
if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then
give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do
it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
9 Love must be sincere. Hate
what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in
love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but
keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people
who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute
you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who
rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one
another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low
position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for
evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as
it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear
friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to
avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry,
feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
Romans 13:11-14 11And do this, understanding
the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your
slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over;
the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on
the armor of light. 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing
and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and
jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves
with the LORD Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires
of the flesh.
Romans 14:1-5 1Accept the one whose faith
is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2One person's faith allows
them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The one who eats everything
must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat
everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to judge
someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they
will stand, for the LORD is able to make them stand. 5One person considers one
day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them
should be fully convinced in their own mind.
Romans 15:1-4 1We who are strong ought to
bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please
our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3For even Christ did not
please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you
have fallen on me." 4For everything that was written in the past
was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures
and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
E. CLOSING: ROMANS 16 (see above).
IX.
PRAYER
FOR SALVATION. As we close, if you
have not received this Jesus pray this simple prayer:
"Father, I know that I have sinned against You. Please
forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust in Jesus, Your Son. I believe
that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself when He died on the cross. I
believe that He was raised from the dead. I surrender my life to Jesus today.
"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of forgiveness and eternal
life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name, Amen."
No comments:
Post a Comment