This has been a long time coming. Hopefully I’ll be able to be a little more efficient on the next one, although I am thoroughly enjoying diving really deeply into Romans in the quiet time I can scrape together before everyone else wakes up.
Romans 1:8-17
Rom 1:8 First, I (Paul) thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you (Roman Christians), because your (Roman Christians) faith is proclaimed in all the world.
Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I (Paul) serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I (Paul) (make) mention you
Rom 1:10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I (Paul) may now at last succeed in coming to you (Roman Christians).
Rom 1:11 For I (Paul) long to see you(Roman Christians), that I (Paul) may impart to you (Roman Christians) some spiritual gift to strengthen you (Roman Christians)–
Rom 1:12 that is, that we (Paul + Roman Christians) may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours (Roman Christians) and mine (Paul’s).
Rom 1:13 I (Paul) want you (Roman Christians) to know, brothers, that I (Paul) have often intended to come to you (Roman Christians) (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I (Paul) may reap some harvest among you (Roman Christians) as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Rom 1:14 I (Paul) am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
Rom 1:15 So I (Paul) am eager to preach the gospel to you (Roman Churches) also who are in Rome.
Rom 1:16 For I (Paul) am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For in it (the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Observations:
Verbs:
thank – tense: present, voice: active, mood: indicative
is proclaimed – tense: present, voice: passive, mood: indicative
is (v9) – tense: present, mood: indicative
serve – tense: present, voice: active, mood: indicative
make mention – tense: present, voice: middle, mood: indicative
asking – tense: present, voice: middle or passive deponent, mood: participle
may now at last succeed – tense: future, voice: passive, mood: indicative
in coming – tense: second aorist, voice: active, mood: infinitive
long – tense: present, voice: active, mood: indicative
see – tense: second aorist, voice: active, mood: infinitive
may impart – tense: second aorist, voice: active, mood: subjunctive
to strengthen – tense: aorist, voice: passive, mood: infinitive
is (v12) – tense: present, mood: indicative
may be mutually encouraged – tense: aorist, voice: passive, mood: infinitive
want – tense: present, voice: active, mood: indicative
to know – tense: present, voice: active, mood: infinitive
have intended: tense: second aorist, voice: middle, mood: indicative
to come – tense: second aorist, voice: active, mood: infinitive
have been – tense: aorist, voice: passive, mood: indicative
may reap – tense: second aorist, voice: active, mood: subjunctive
am (v14) – tense: present, mood: indicative
to preach the Gospel – tense: aorist, voice: middle, mood: infinitive
ashamed – tense: present, voice: middle or passive deponent, mood: indicative
is (v16) – tense: present, mood: indicative
who believes – tense: present, voice: active, mood: indicative
is revealed – tense: present, voice: passive, mood: indicative
is written – tense: perfect, voice: passive, mood: indicative
Key Word details:
v9: serve, G3000 ???????? latreuo?: Thayer: to 1. serve for hire 2. to serve or minister to, render religious homage
Is serve coming from the first or second definition? Probably the second. I was thinking purchased by the blood of Christ in the first sense. Either case, this is a present, active, indicative verb. Paul is actively serving God.
v9: spirit, G4151 ??????? pneuma : Thayer: 1. Holy Spirit 4) the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one 4a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.
The translation here seems interesting to me. In the KJV, in my (en mou) seems to be present in front of spirit where I can understand it having “in my”. In the NASB, in my seems to be missing. The way I interpret this though in either case, and being consistent with other scripture that Paul has written, is that he would most certainly be attributing his ministry and the source of his ministry to the Holy Spirit. I would think Paul’s intention here would have been something closer to whom I serve through or by the Holy Spirit in the preaching of the gospel. I am surprised the NASB and ESV kept “in my” unless they actually are there in the Greek transcript they came from as well. It very certainly could be my ignorance of Greek also. Either way though, I believe Paul’s intended meaning points to the Holy Spirit and not something coming from his own strength or nature.
v9: gospel, G2098 ???????????? euaggelion Literally good news. Thayer:
2a) the glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom. After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God
2b) the glad tidings of salvation through Christ
2c) the proclamation of the grace of God manifest and pledged in Christ
2d) the gospel
2e) as the messianic rank of Jesus was proved by his words, his deeds, and his death, the narrative of the sayings, deeds, and death of Jesus Christ came to be called the gospel or glad tidings
v9: witness, G3144 ??????? martus witness, in a legal sense, such as a witness in a trial.
v10: asking, G1189a ??????? deomai asking, making request. I didn’t think anything remarkable about the word, but, I do think it is remarkable that Paul was constantly praying for the Roman church, who he had not met yet, and constantly seeking to go to Rome, but only if it is within God’s will.
v10: will, G2307 ??????? thele?ma Thayer: of what God wishes to be done by us.
v11: gift, G5486 ???????? charisma Thayer: 1) a favour with which one receives without any merit of his own
v11: strengthen G4741 ???????? ste?rizo?: establish (NASB) Thayer: strengthen, make firm, make stable
v12: mutually encouraged G4837 ????????????? sumparakaleo? synonym: strengthen Believer’s should encourage each other. The Christian life is defined by our mutual dependence upon Christ, and Christ’s action in all of our lives should encourage and strengthen each other. How He has worked in others lives should encourage us about who our God is, and where we have placed our faith.
v13: intended, G4388 ??????????? protithemai Thayer’s: to set before one’s self, propose to one’s self
v13: prevented, G2967 ?????? ko?luo? Thayer’s: 1) to hinder, prevent forbid 2) to withhold a thing from anyone 3) to deny or refuse one a thing
Paul has been desiring to make it to Rome earnestly. So far, he has been prevented. Who has prevented him? We know in hindsight he does make it to Rome. But, at the time this letter was written, I believe there has been a lot God intended for Paul to accomplish in Asia and Greece. I think we need to remember, our plans aren’t always God’s plans.
v13: harvest (ESV) fruit(NASB), G2590 ??????? karpos Thayer: to gather fruit (i.e. a reaped harvest) into life eternal (as into a granary), is used in fig. discourse of those who by their labours have fitted souls to obtain eternal life
v14: Greeks G1672 ??????? Helle?n Thayer: Greek either by nationality, whether a native of the main land or of the Greek islands or colonies
v14: barbarians G915 ????????? barbaros Thayer: used by the Greeks of any foreigner ignorant of the Greek language, whether mental or moral, with the added notion after the Persian war, of rudeness and brutality. The word is used in the N.T. without the idea of reproachfulness.
I believe this contrast would be used to denote everybody. Reinforced also by the next contrast.
V14: wise G4680 ?????? sophos and foolish G453 ????????? anoe?tos
Another contrast that would show everybody is intended.
V15: preach the Gospel G2097 ???????????? euaggelizo? 1b) in the NT used especially of the glad tidings of the coming kingdom of God, and of the salvation to be obtained in it through Christ, and of what relates to this salvation (Thayers)
Paul has been desiring to get to Rome greatly. The great commission is Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Rome was the center of the known world and seen as key to reaching the ends of the earth.
V16: ashamed: G1870 ?????????????? epaischunomai tense: present, voice: middle or passive deponent, mood: indicative
v16: gospel: G2098 ???????????? euaggelion noun form (see G2097 in v15, see also G2098 in v9) (KJV adds of Christ – which is an unnecessary modifier to me since there is only one Gospel – but also because there is only one Gospel does not change meaning either)
v16: power: G1411 ???????? dunamis
Thayer Definition:
1) strength power, ability
1a) inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
Many times when you see this word, which is the root that dynamite comes from, people will equate this power to dynamite. Is that what Paul would have meant? Given that dynamite was unknown at the time the letter was written, definitely no. I think trying to use dynamite as an analogy can be helpful for a modern reader, but is woefully inadequate to what is being talked about here. We are being told of God’s power, of the power unleashed when Christ died on the cross for our sins, and of the power that raised Christ from the dead to eternal life in the resurrection, of the power that will raise believers to eternal life with Christ. All of the dynamite ever created pales compared to the power Paul is telling us about here. I really like the Thayer definition. Power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature. We know some about God’s power. As mentioned, this power was responsible for the resurrection, as well as this power was responsible for creation. That is power!
V16: salvation: G4991 ???????? so?te?ria
Thayer Definition:
1)deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation
If you don’t have a good definition of salvation, Paul will expound greatly on what this means throughout the letter. But – my very brief definition is that salvation is the power of God that saves us from the penalty declared in God’s law for our sin – death. By God coming to earth, as a man – with no sin, and taking upon Himself the death penalty for our sin, God’s wrath and law are satisfied. We are saved from the death penalty not by anything that we can do, but only by trusting that God has paid this penalty for us.
V16: believes who believes – tense: present, voice: active, mood: indicative
G4100 ???????? pisteuo?
verbal form, action verb. This verb is stressing the active confidence in something that you know to be true. The active decision to place your faith in something. The object here is looking back to the Gospel (see 1 Cor 15:3-5) as the object of what we should have active confidence in.
v16 Greek (see v14)
v17: righteousness: G1343 ??????????? dikaiosune?
1b) integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting (Thayer)
Since v17 righteousness is talking of God, it is speaking of His moral character, His correctness in judging all people. God was also creator and executor of the gospel, of coming and dying on the cross and becoming our righteousness as being consistent, pure, and correct with God’s character and law.
V17: revealed: G601 ???????????? apokalupto?
2)to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown (Thayer)
v17: from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” from G1537 is a preposition pointing to the origin of something. It is modifying the word faith. Faith’s object here is the Gospel, which reveals God’s righteousness. We are all sinners. We have no righteousness of our own. We are all separated from God because of our sin. Sin is morally repugnant and antithetical to God’s nature and cannot be tolerated by God. God hates sin. God’s law states that the just penalty for sin is death. There are 2 problems here that we cannot solve ourselves. We are sinners and are separated from God by our sin, and because of sin, and the fall, we are spiritually dead. No amount of good works on our part trying to justify or make up for our sin will do. The penalty for sin has to be paid. God did this for us. Jesus, who being fully God, and fully man, came to earth, lived a sinless life, and laid down His life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. This substitutionary sacrifice pays the death penalty for our sin. This solves our sin problem and is part of the good news of the Gospel. When faith is spoken of, believing that Jesus has paid the penalty for your sin is what we are called to do. If Jesus had only paid the penalty for our sin, we would be justified (have a legal standing of not guilty) before God, but still dead before God, and if that was the end of the Gospel Jesus also would still be in the grave. We would still be spiritually dead, and soon our frail, mortal bodies would also be dead. But, Jesus did not stay in the grave and solves the death problem for us also. Jesus rose and conquered death on the third day, as He told us, and was prophesied. Jesus conquered death, rose, and restored us and creation to the state God had intended before the fall. The God of the universe loved us so much that He took our death sentence for us, restoring us into eternal relationship with Him, and rose from the dead, conquering death. Through belief, we get life, we get the Holy Spirit restored to us. Jesus lives and reigns to this day. He has solved our sin problem at the cross, never to be seen again because the penalty for sin has already been paid. Jesus rose and restored eternal life to us, and this cannot be taken away by sin that has already been paid for. Just as death came through one man, Adam, life came through one man, Jesus. All we have to do is believe and accept this mercy, love, and grace God has freely given to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So, this verifiable act in history should bring us to deeper faith “for faith”, seeing what God has done for us and placing our faith in this Gospel and this God.
I believe the for faith, or to faith part of this verse speaks of growth after placing our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not completed works when we first believe. Our salvation is completed, and we are secure in God and our sin is placed behind God’s back never to be looked at again, but this is only the new birth. We will grow, and as we will grow we will see more and more of God’s character, of His love, and this will put us into an ever growing relationship and dependence on Him for everything. (Hebrews 5:12-13; Philippians 1:6) Salvation is a huge gift, but should just be the start of what God is accomplishing in us.
Finally – summing up “the righteous shall live by faith”. This is from Habakkuk 2:4. This is looking to our righteousness, not from anything that we have done but only by the righteousness that is imputed to us because of the cross, because of God’s righteousness in dying for us and paying our sin death penalty, taking all of our sin upon Himself. Only because of Jesus Christ, and our faith in the fact that Christ has born the penalty for our sin, and rose again to life, do we live. We are dead in our sin, but our life comes to us only because of Christ’s resurrection, and only because of the cross.