Schedule

The Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Romans and his exposition of the gospel by giving essential information about the revelation of the gospel in history, the person at the center of the gospel, and the grace and calling given in the gospel. This session will exegete Romans 1:1–6, emphasizing that the gospel is a revealed gospel, that the gospel proclaims the incarnate Christ who suffered humiliation and now enjoys exaltation, and that the grace given through Christ redeems people and sets them apart to proclaim the gospel.

Romans 1:7–8 identifies and commends the audience that originally received the letter of Romans, telling us that they were loved by God, called to be saints, and had a faith known throughout the world. This session will cover Romans 1:7–8, explaining that like the original Romans who read Paul’s letter, we are loved by God in Christ and are called to be saints. It will also look at the Apostolic benediction of grace and peace, detailing its significance, and will exhort us to so fully serve the Lord that our faith will be known in many places.

Paul continues his greeting to the first-century church at Rome in Romans 1:9–12, revealing his prayers for them as well as his longing to see them, encourage them in their faith, and to be encouraged by them in their faith. This session will pay special attention to the centrality of prayer in the lives of the people of God, the necessity of being present with each other in our local churches, and the importance of mutual encouragement in the body of Christ for successful gospel proclamation.

In his opening remarks to the Roman church, Paul makes reference to the sovereignty of God over his ministry. Not only does he confess that he can come to Rome only by God’s will, but he also says that he has been prevented, ultimately by the Lord, from coming to the city (Rom. 1:10, 13). God in His sovereignty also placed the Apostle under an obligation to preach the gospel to all people (vv. 14–15). This session will exegete Romans 1:13–15, focusing especially on the Lord’s sovereign superintendence of Paul’s ministry and our lives, and it will describe the obligation that God’s grace puts on us to share the good news.

In our day, believers often act as if they are ashamed of the gospel, and they are timid in proclaiming it. This was not the case for the Apostle Paul, who was not ashamed of the gospel. Why? Because he understood that God has invested His power in the gospel, that He has made salvation possible only through the message of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection that the world often regards as foolish (Rom. 1:16). This session will examine Romans 1:16, exhorting us not to be ashamed of the gospel. It will explain that we should not be ashamed of the gospel because the gospel is the very power of salvation, and it will warn us against finding God’s power in anything besides the gospel.

Having proclaimed that he is not ashamed of the gospel, Paul turns in Romans 1:17 to summarize in brief what is revealed in the gospel. The gospel reveals the very righteousness of God in punishing sin and in declaring us righteous without compromising His justice, and it announces that God does this by giving us an alien righteousness, a righteousness that belongs properly to Jesus Christ and that we receive by faith alone. This session will consider Romans 1:17 and the announcement of God’s righteousness in the gospel, encouraging us to trust only in Christ for salvation and explaining why only Christ can save us.