Romans 1:1 – God’s good news is not restrictive, hindering, or hurtful.
2-4 – God’s good news is concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
9 – The gospel in Romans simply stated is about His Son’s accomplishments.
16 – The gospel is the power of God for salvation.
17 – In it the righteousness of God is revealed; therefore, righteousness is a major topic in this book. “Righteous” occurs 6 times, and “righteousness” 35 times. God’s righteousness for man is a legal status that dictates a moral quality and lifestyle.
The word “righteous” simply means in the right, and “wicked” means in the wrong (Exodus 9:27).
Daniel 9:14– God is righteous, and He makes those of faith righteous. He set the standard for righteousness, and ultimately He will ensure that only righteousness prevails.
Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10 – We use the word “righteous” (in the right) when someone conforms to the legal or moral standard of society. To be righteous according to God’s standard is impossible for all men.
17 – “Faith to faith” communicates the way of righteousness based on the principle of faith and presented to men and women for their acceptance by faith. The only way to be in the right is by faith in the promise of God through His Son.
Habakkuk 2:4 The Chaldeans were certain that they were in the right and the Jews and the rest of the world in the wrong.
14 – The Romans were the righteous ones and all others barbarians. The Jews thought themselves the righteous ones and everyone else Gentiles [dogs].
1:18-3:20 – God gives legs to what is stated succinctly in Ephesians 2:1-3 and dispels the deceptions regarding righteousness.
21 – “Futile” is to make vain or foolish, and “speculations” are reasonings.
24 – There is a law in life that we are left to the consequences of our own freely chosen course of action, and unless this tendency is reversed by divine grace, the situation will go from bad to worse. Three times (in 24, 26, and 28) the words of doom − “God gave them over” − recur.
26-28 – Degrading passions, indecent acts, and depraved minds – the point is to state what should be clearly obvious, to expose what happens when people live by their own righteousness. What should be obviously wrong has become morally acceptable and normal.
God is not merely trying to say these things are wrong, but because they are so clearly wrong that apart from God righteousness it is impossible to be in the right. Man’s efforts lead to utter depravity.
31 – The list of vices belongs to a category well-attested in Greek and Roman literature of this period. 1Corinthians 6:9 and 10; Galatians 5:19-21; and Colossians 3:5
2:1-16 To the self-righteous moralist Religious Jews found ample scope for passing adverse moral judgment on their Gentile neighbors; however, in doing so, they were just like them – sinners.
3:9-20 The summary of humanity apart from God
3:21-31 God’s gracious gift of righteousness to those of faith
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