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Romans: Bible Study and Commentary

God’s good news is for people from every
nation
A Bible Study in EasyEnglish (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Romans
Keith Simons
EasyEnglish is a system of simple English designed by Wycliffe Associates (UK).
Contents:
 Romans chapter 1  Romans chapter 10
 Romans chapter 8  Romans - a study guide
 Romans chapter 9
Romans chapter 1
About Paul’s letter to Rome’s Christians
(Romans 1:1-2)
Rome was the greatest city in the world at the time of Paul. Often, we use the word ‘Romans’
to mean its powerful rulers, many of whom opposed the first Christians fiercely. However, Paul
wrote the Book of Romans as a letter to the Christians in that city. Probably, most of those
Christians were poor people; many of them lived as foreigners there.
Ancient Rome was a very difficult place for Christians to live in. The inhabitants of Rome
served many false gods; they even gave honour to Caesar, their emperor (most powerful
ruler), as a god. Many of Rome’s inhabitants dealt cruelly towards other people; many of them
behaved in a very greedy manner.
Paul very much wanted to help Rome’s Christians. He believed that God had given him a
message for them. However, God has not yet permitted him to go to Rome. That was why Paul
wrote down this message. Another Christian, who was travelling to Rome, took Paul’s book to
the church leaders there.
At the start of the book, Paul introduces himself to Rome’s Christians in a humble manner. He
compares himself to a servant or a slave; his master is Jesus Christ. The work that Christ had
chosen Paul to do was extremely important. Christ had sent Paul to declare to people God’s
message, which is called the gospel.
That message is not a new message, and Paul was not starting a new religion. It is the message
that appears through the entire Bible. God had promised to provide a way for people to receive
a right relationship with him. As Paul explains in the Book of Romans, God did that by the
death of Christ. So, we must turn from our sins (evil deeds) and we must put our trust in
Christ.
Christ is God the Son
(Romans 1:3-4)
Christians are people who accept Christ as their Lord.
The word for ‘Lord’ has two meanings. It means a master; in other words, Christians should
obey Christ. However, Paul’s word for ‘Lord’ is also the translation of God’s holy name from
the Hebrew language. Therefore, Paul taught that Christ is God.
There are different opinions about the meaning of verse 4, and these differences show in some
Bible translations. However, in the original language (Greek), verses 3 and 4 seem to discuss
the nature of Christ’s body, and of Christ’s spirit. Christ has always been God (John 1:1-4),
but he became a man in order to help us to know God (John 1:9-14).
So, Christ was born into the family of King David (Luke 1:27; Luke 2:4). That was Israel’s
royal family, although they had lost their power several centuries earlier. However, God’s plan
for that family had not ended. So, Isaiah 11:1-5 promises that a truly great king would come
from the family of Jesse, David’s father. Micah 5:2 says that this king would be from
Bethlehem, David’s town. These passages are about Christ.
In our opinion, verse 4 is about the true nature of Christ’s spirit. The spirit is the reality of
who someone is. The reality is that Christ is God the Son. There is one God (Deuteronomy
6:4), who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Many people consider it difficult to believe that Christ is God. However, that fact becomes
clear when we realise the greatness of his power. Christ defeats the power of death (1
Corinthians 15:55-57), the devil (Hebrews 2:14) and evil deeds (Romans 8:1-4). He causes
dead people to live again (Romans 8:11). So, God’s people will always live with him (Romans
8:18-21; Revelation 21:1-5). However, even his enemies will have to recognise who Christ
really is (Philippians 2:9-11).
How to obey God by faith
(Romans 1:5)
We may ask what it means to obey God by faith. Usually, when we obey someone, we do it by
our efforts and by our activities. Christians often refer to those things as our works. However,
faith is belief and trust in God. In Romans 4:1-5, Paul will contrast faith and works.
In Romans 3:9-18, Paul explains that the problem of sin (our wrong and evil thoughts, words
and deeds) affects all people, everywhere. In all nations, people are not obeying God. When
God is our judge, we are all guilty.
You might think that the solution to sin is simply for us to obey God’s law. However, none of us
can obey God’s law completely, so we are still guilty in front of God (James 2:10-11). We
cannot bring ourselves into a right relationship with God by our own efforts (Romans 4:1-8).
However, God has provided a way by which people from every nation can receive a right
relationship with him (John 14:6).
That is why Jesus came to this world (John 3:16). At his death, he suffered the punishment
that we deserve (Romans 5:8). God sends his people to declare this message, called the gospel.
By means of the gospel, we can receive a right relationship with God. We receive that
relationship not by works, but by faith (belief and trust in God) - Romans 1:16-17. By faith, we
receive the benefit of Christ’s death for us.
So, if we trust God, we can receive a right relationship with him (Romans 4:22-25). When
people invite Christ into their lives by faith, God changes their lives completely (John 3:3-
5; 2 Corinthians 5:17). He gives them a genuine desire to obey him (Hebrews 8:10). Then they
can live in the way that pleases God; their works will show their faith (James 1:22-27; James
2:14-26). They still do some wrong things; but they confess their sins to God and he forgives
them (1 John 1:9). He is making them into the kind of people that he wants them to be
(Romans 8:18-19; 1 John 3:2).
A description of Rome’s first Christians

(Romans 1:6)
Paul does not describe Rome’s Christians in the way that other people might describe them.
For example, we could describe them by reference to their jobs or their wealth. Probably, many
of them were slaves, and therefore the poorest people. That was so in the churches at Corinth
(1 Corinthians 7:21) and Ephesus (Ephesians 6:5), for example. It is also likely that some of
Rome’s Christians were traders (James 4:13). It was possible for a trader to make good profits
in Rome (see Revelation 18:11-13). It is unlikely, however, that many Christians there were
truly rich (compare Paul’s words about Corinth’s Christians in 1 Corinthians 1:26).
Rome’s Christians might choose to describe themselves by the nations to which they belonged.
Many of the Christians there were, like Paul and Christ, Jews (that is, they belonged to Israel’s
people). However, it is clear from such passages as Romans 11:13 that many of Rome’s
Christians belonged to other nations.
We see, however that Paul chooses to describe Rome’s Christians by their relationship to
Christ. First, he says that Christ ‘called’ them. In other words, Christ invited them to be God’s
people, and they accepted. That is the most wonderful change in any person’s life (2
Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 2:9-10).
Then, in verse 7, Paul says that God truly loves them. God loved them even when they were his
enemies (Romans 5:8). However, now that they are his people, he loves them as his own
children (Romans 8:14-17; Romans 8:37-39).
Finally, Paul adds that they are holy people. Some translations say ‘saints’. All people who have
accepted Christ’s invitation are holy people. To be holy means to be separate for God. God’s
people are different from other people because they belong to him (Romans 6:22).
It is important to bless people
(Romans 1:7)
In each of Paul’s letters, he always blessed the people to whom he was writing. Clearly, he
considered that to be important (see Numbers 6:22-27).
This is not just a friendly greeting. Here, Paul blesses Rome’s Christians in the name of God the
Father and Jesus Christ. That is, he blesses them on behalf of God and of Christ. Paul knew
that he must not use God’s name in vain (Deuteronomy 5:11). ‘In vain’ means without any
proper purpose. Therefore, clearly, Paul believed that his words to bless people would
achieve their purpose. God really would show this special kindness to those people.
Jesus, too, believed that. That was why he blessed even little children. His disciples (special
students) protested against this; but Jesus insisted that it was important. The children might
be too young to understand it, but God was doing something wonderful in their lives (Mark
10:13-16).
Probably this should not surprise us. Both Jesus and Paul believed strongly that God
answers prayer. When we bless someone, that is a type of prayer. We pray for God to show
his goodness to that person. Here, Paul prays that Rome’s Christians will know God’s grace and
his peace. Grace means the kindness of God. Peace is the calm and content attitude that is the
result of a right relationship with God.
Prayers are powerful (James 5:17-18), but Paul’s words here are more than a prayer. At the
same time, he is making a declaration on God’s behalf. He declares that God really will do
these things for Rome’s Christians. God will give to them his grace and his peace.
Reports about the faith of Rome’s first Christians
(Romans 1:8)
Paul seems to mean that people in many different countries were talking about Rome’s
Christians and their faith (trust in God).
Paul travelled much. He began the year in Ephesus. Then he travelled through the region then
called Asia (now part of Western Turkey), and he sailed to Macedonia. He ended that year in
Corinth in Greece, where he wrote the Book of Romans (Acts 20:1-3). So, he had visited many
churches across three different countries; and everywhere people were speaking about Rome’s
Christians.
It probably excited the Christians in those regions to know that some Christians were
serving God loyally in Rome. Rome was an extremely powerful capital city, and its armies
ruled over many countries. It was also a city where many very wicked things happened. It
would encourage Christians everywhere to know that some Christians were managing to trust
God in such difficult circumstances.
That is especially so when we read about the early history of Rome’s church. Acts 18:2
records how Claudius, Rome’s ruler, ordered all the Jews (people who belonged to Israel) to
leave Rome. That would have included most or all of the leaders of Rome’s Christian church.
(All the first Christians were Jews). At that time, those Christians who were not Jews would
have nobody to teach them about Jesus or about the Bible. It would be hard for them still to
trust God. However, they did continue to trust God, and they served God well.
It was not just Christians who were talking about these things. Three years after Paul wrote
his book, he himself entered Rome. There, some leaders who were not Christians spoke to him.
They told him that people everywhere were speaking against the Christians (Acts 28:22).
Clearly Rome’s Christians had been talking about their beliefs. They wanted everyone,
everywhere, to have faith (trust) in Christ.
Paul’s private prayers
(Romans 1:9)
Paul did not only serve God with his strength, in his public work. It was even more important
for Paul to serve God with his spirit, in his private prayers.
Jesus encouraged people to pray in private, when only God would see them (Matthew 6:6).
We are sure that Paul often prayed with other Christians. However, it is clear that he also
prayed much in private. When he prayed for the church at Rome, nobody else was with him.
So, he tells Rome’s Christians that God was the witness of those prayers.
Paul’s prayers in private were not just occasional short prayers. Paul had responsibility for
many churches, and he cared about all the Christians at those churches (2 Corinthians 11:28-
29). We can be sure that he was praying much for them.
However, Paul still managed to find the time to pray for the church at Rome. In fact, God
knew that he was praying constantly for it.
It surprises us to know that Paul was praying so much for that particular church. Paul had
never even visited Rome; he had no responsibility for its church. So, we believe that God
gave Paul a special task to support that church by his prayers. Perhaps during prayer, Paul had
felt a deep desire to pray for Rome’s Christians. Paul recognised that the Holy Spirit was
guiding him in that way; so, of course, he obeyed. The Holy Spirit, who guided Paul to pray,
could also show Paul what to pray for. Or, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul could pray in
words and languages that even Paul himself could not understand (1 Corinthians 14:14-18).
However, God understood those prayers, and he would answer them.
Paul’s prayer that he could go to Rome
(Romans 1:10)
Paul was praying much for the church at Rome, although he had never visited it. God had
given him a special desire to help that church. However, for a long time it seemed that Paul
could only help Rome’s Christians by his prayers.
Sometimes even Christians think that prayer is a poor way to help someone. Certainly, we
should not only pray when God has given us the power to do something else (compare James
2:14-17). However, God acts powerfully when his people pray (James 5:16). He does not
need us to be present with the people for whom we pray (Matthew 8:5-13).
Paul’s eager desire was to visit the church at Rome, and to declare God’s message, the
gospel, there. He was praying for the opportunity to do that. Of course, Paul could have simply
sailed on the next available boat to Rome. However, Paul was very careful only to do what
God wanted him to do. He believed that God wanted to guide not just his (Paul’s) own life, but
the life of every Christian (Galatians 5:18).
At the present time, Paul believed God was sending him, not west to Rome, but east to
Jerusalem (Romans 15:25). We do not know how God showed that to him. In the past, God
had frequently guided Paul in a very clear manner (Acts 16:6-10). On the present occasion,
God had guided Paul so clearly that he went to Jerusalem against his friends’ advice (Acts
21:1-14).
Paul knew that he would suffer at Jerusalem. However, that was the means by which God
actually sent Paul to Rome. Paul went there as a prisoner, as Acts chapters 21 to 28 explain.
So in the end, God did answer Paul’s prayer, and Paul was able to declare God’s message,
the gospel, in Rome.
Why Paul wanted to be with the Christians
(Romans 1:11-12)
I am a Bible teacher. I teach mostly by these articles on the Internet, and you can learn much
from them.
However, if I ever visited your church to teach, your experience would be very different. I
would be able to teach in a completely different manner; and you would be able to learn so
much more.
Something similar happened in Paul’s life, and he was very aware of it. Although he had never
been to the church at Rome, he could still do many things to help it. He was praying
constantly for the Christians there (verses 9-10). He was able to teach them by his letter. He
could even bless them (verse 7).
However there were some things that Paul had to be present in order to do. He needed to
be there in order to declare God’s message to the inhabitants of Rome (verse 15). He, and
Rome’s Christians, could only encourage each other when they were together (verse 12). Also,
Paul desired to share with Rome’s Christians a gift from the Holy Spirit. Probably, Paul means
one of the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11.
The same thing happened to Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7). Paul placed his hands on the
Christians there as he prayed for them. Then the Holy Spirit came upon them. They spoke in
languages that they had not learned. They also prophesied (in other words, they spoke words
in their own language which the Holy Spirit gave to them, perhaps to praise God).
Of course, God could have given such a gift to the Christians when Paul was absent. However,
then Paul would not have been able to share that gift with them. So, God chose to do it in this
way; he wanted Paul to be there. The purpose of these gifts was to make the Christians
stronger in their relationship with God.
The duty to declare God’s message
(Romans 1:13-15)
Perhaps Rome’s Christians had urged Paul to go there, and this was Paul’s reply. Paul believed
that God wanted him to work in Rome. However, God had not sent him there yet.
Paul could see that his work there would not merely be to speak at meetings of the Christians.
Rather, his most important task would be to declare the gospel (God’s message about
Christ) to people who were not yet Christians. God wanted to change their lives in the most
wonderful manner. Paul compared that to the joy of a farmer as he collects fruit during the
harvest.
However, Paul did not declare God’s message merely because he wanted to see the wonderful
results of it. Since God had first sent Paul to declare it, Paul had felt a sense of duty. People
who do not have a right relationship with God need to hear his message to them. In Ezekiel
3:16-21, God told Ezekiel that he had a duty to declare the messages that God gave him. The
people might choose to accept or to refuse the messages; but Ezekiel as God’s servant must
still declare them.
The Greeks are the people from Greece, a nation with an important history, culture and
language. A ‘Barbarian’ was their word for someone who did not speak their language. In
Paul’s opinion, it did not matter which nation people belonged to. It did not matter whether
Paul was speaking to an intelligent person or not. It did not matter what other people thought
about that person. If God had sent Paul to that person, then Paul must declare God’s
message to that person (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Clearly, therefore, that person is important
to God.
God saves everyone who truly trusts Christ
(Romans 1:16)
The gospel is God’s message about Christ and his death. That message may seem foolish to
many people, but by it, God saves (rescues) his people (1 Corinthians 1:18). He rescues them
from sin (evil deeds), from the devil and from death. Because of Christ’s death on the cross,
people who were formerly God’s enemies can receive a right relationship with God (Romans
5:6-10).
The gospel is a message for people from every nation (Romans 15:8-12) Paul mentions two
nations to show this fact. He contrasts the Jews (people who belong to Israel) with the Greeks
(people who belong to Greece). God has separated the Jews to belong especially to him as his
holy nation. On the other hand, the Greeks did not know the real God. They served many false
gods; and they loved those things that people in this world consider great. However, God’s
message about Christ is for both Jews, and Greeks, and everyone else. God will save
everyone who has faith.
To have faith means the same as to believe. However, Paul is not saying that people need to
convince themselves about certain ideas. Faith means active belief and trust in God. Paul is
saying that, for God to save a person, that person must put their trust in Christ. People
need to realise that they cannot earn a right relationship with God by their own efforts
(Romans 4:1-8). In fact, it is their own wrong deeds that have separated them from God
(Romans 3:9-20). However, Christ died to suffer the punishment that they deserve (Romans
5:8). Nobody can save themselves, therefore, people must trust Christ to save them.
God’s people must live by faith
(Romans 1:17)
This verse repeats some words from Habakkuk 2:4. Those words were important to the first
Christians; they also appear in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38.
There are different opinions about what the Book of Habakkuk means by those words.
However, what the first Christians meant by them is very clear.
The first Christians saw, firstly, that only a person with a right relationship with God could
please him.
They read the descriptions of such a person in the Bible, for example in Psalm 1 and Psalm 15.
It was their eager desire at all times to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9).
They also saw that it is impossible to achieve such a relationship by human effort. Nobody
lives in a truly perfect manner (Romans 3:10). The result of our wrong deeds is death, not life
(Romans 6:23). However, Jesus came to give to people life that never ends (John 3:16).
Therefore, we must come to God by means of trust in Christ, in other words, faith. The first
Christians recognised that their relationship with God, from beginning to end, depended
entirely on faith in Christ.
In Galatians 3:1-5, Paul warned the Christians in Galatia that they had accepted a false idea.
They began their Christian lives when they trusted God in faith. However, now they were
trying to please God by their own efforts. Instead, they should be trusting God to direct their
lives by his Holy Spirit. In other words, they should live by faith (by trust in God).
That was how God’s people had lived in the past (Hebrews 11:13). In fact, it is the only right
way for God’s people to live at any time. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews
11:6).
We have no excuse when we do not obey God
(Romans 1:18-21)
Paul begins here to explain the gospel, God’s message to the world, which we often call ‘the
good news’. However, Paul begins in such a strong manner that our first reaction may be
shock.
So Paul begins his explanation, not with God’s love, but with the anger of God. Certainly, Paul
will write much about the love of God as he continues his explanation. However, first he urges
us to recognise the real state of this world. The people in our world oppose God, and we are
all guilty. God is the good, perfect and holy judge of all people. He has every right to be angry
when people refuse to obey him.
If we knew nothing about God and his greatness then perhaps we could give a reason for our
wrong acts. However, Paul insists that we do know something about him (see Psalm 19:1-6).
We know about the power of the sun; the God who made it must be very great. We have seen
great beauty in the world; only the most wonderful God would create such a world. We have
eaten and our food has satisfied us; the God who provides for us each day is kind. We know
that we all must die; therefore, we must prepare to meet God, our judge (Psalm 104:22-30).
We all know these things, so we should respect God. We should give him honour and we should
be grateful to him. However, so often, we have not done that. Instead, we often desire power,
or greatness, or happiness for ourselves. Like the first people, we choose to follow our own
desires, so we refuse to obey God’s plans for us (Genesis 3:1-12).
The gospel is the message that we must turn back to God. God, in his great love, has provided
a way for us to return to him. That way is the death of Christ.
The respect that the true God deserves
(Romans 1:22-23)
In many religions, people make images which they then pray to as their gods. That was
usual in most of the religions that existed at the time of Paul.
Paul is not saying that those religions are worse than other religions. In fact, the people in
those religions are often sincere people who live moral lives. However, Paul shows that we can
identify an important lesson about human behaviour from those religions.
People across the world, whether they have a religion or not, are behaving in an extraordinary
manner. Of course everyone should respect God greatly, because he made them. However, few
people truly give God the honour that he deserves. Many things seem more important to
them than God does. However, even when people are not living in a very evil manner, they
rarely choose to obey God. Therefore, the true God does not receive the most important place
in their lives, as he deserves (Mark 12:28-31). Instead, people usually give him the least
important place, if they let him have any place whatever in their lives (John 1:11).
Of course an image that people made created nobody. Of course such an image is unable to
save (rescue) the person who prays to it (Isaiah 44:9-20). However, the people who belong to
such religions usually remain loyal to those false gods (Jeremiah 2:11).
So, we should all learn to be loyal to the true God. We should turn from our evil deeds to
invite him into our lives (John 1:12-13). We should give him the place that he deserves in our
lives.
God’s attitude when people follow their own desires
(Romans 1:24-27)
Paul’s next subject is people who carry out certain sex acts. These acts are against God’s law
(Leviticus chapter 18). However, Paul does not say that these people are worse than other
people. In fact, many of them are sincere, honest people. Paul mentions them because
everybody can learn an important lesson from their lives.
It should be clear to everyone that God made people to be male or female (Genesis 1:27; Mark
10:6). Therefore, God has a plan for how he wants men and women to behave. So, people
should have tried to learn what God wants them to do. However, in this and many other
matters, that is not what people usually do. Instead, people usually do whatever pleases
them. They do not even think about how God wants them to live.
God is good and perfect (James 1:17). Therefore he cannot approve of any wrong behaviour.
However, God does not often stop people when they want to do wrong things. Instead, as
Paul says, God gives them up to the desires of their own hearts (Romans 1:24). In other words,
he allows people to do even the wrong things that his judgement is against.
God may allow people to do such things but, of course, these things are still wrong. So, people
must not imagine that they will not suffer because of their wrong acts. The natural result of
our wrong and evil acts is that, one day, we all shall die (Romans 6:23). God wants to forgive
us and to save (rescue) us; and that is possible because of Christ’s death. If we invite
Christ into our lives, God can change us completely (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is interesting that
many of Corinth’s Christians were formerly carrying out wrong sex acts (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
God’s message of good news, called the gospel, is for all people.
The most wicked behaviour
(Romans 1:28-32)
The cruel and evil behaviour of people in this world is the result of the evil thoughts that fill
their minds (Mark 7:20-23). Some people become so evil that they no longer consider their own
acts to be wrong. However, there is an attitude that is even worse than that.
Some people know how God wants people to live. They know that God’s law is right and good.
They realise that God’s judgement is against people who do evil things. However, they choose
on purpose to do what is wicked. They even use their power over other people to
encourage those people to behave in the same manner. That is very wicked.
Few people are so wicked as that, but everybody does wrong and evil things (Romans 3:23).
Most people, even if they do not know God’s law, would consider much of the behaviour in
verses 29 to 31 to be evil. Those verses describe behaviour that is nasty, cruel, ungrateful and
unkind.
We know that God’s judgement is perfect. He is right to declare his judgement against all evil
acts. We too can recognise that the results of evil behaviour in this world are truly terrible.
However, if we are truly against all these evil things then we must examine our own
thoughts, words and actions. There, we will find that we too are guilty. Like everyone else, we
too have offended against God’s law (1 John 1:8)
Therefore, we all need God to save (rescue) us from our evil deeds. That is possible only
because of what Jesus did for us (Romans 6:23).
Romans chapter 2
We should examine ourselves, not accuse other people
(Romans 2:1-3)
Christ once told a story about a man who wanted to help his brother. Unfortunately, that man
had a much more severe problem himself, which he did not even realise. Until that man dealt
with his own problem, he would be completely unable to help his brother (Luke 6:41-42).
Often, it seems easier to recognise other people’s faults than our own. It is not hard to
recognise that the evil acts and attitudes in Paul’s list are wrong (Romans 1:28-31). Perhaps
we can also see that wrong desires cause people to carry out the wrong acts in Romans 1:24-
27. Also, people have failed to give God the honour that he deserves. So, they have made
themselves images of false gods (Romans 1:21-23).
Perhaps we agreed with all that Paul wrote in chapter 1. Perhaps we even felt anger against
the people who do these wrong things. Perhaps in our minds, we were even accusing them as
we read the chapter.
If so, Paul’s words at the start of chapter 2 will give us a shock. He declares that we too are
guilty. We have declared that God’s judgement about these wrong acts is right. Therefore, we
need to realise that God’s judgement is against us, too.
We may not have prayed to the images of false gods. However, we all have failed to give God
the honour that he deserves. We may not have carried out wrong sex acts. However, we all
desire wrong things. When we read a list of people’s evil behaviour, we ought to examine our
own hearts, not to accuse other people.
God wants to forgive us, so that we can have a right relationship with him. However, that is
only possible when we first turn from our evil behaviour to ask God for his help. He can save
(rescue) us from our wrong and evil deeds, so that we can start to have a right relationship
with him.
God urges us to repent
(Romans 2:4-5)
Since Romans 1:18, we have been reading about people’s evil deeds, and God’s judgement
against those evil deeds. Paul has insisted that God’s judgement in these matters is right. Also,
he has shown us that we are all guilty in front of God.
Now, in this very strict and severe passage, Paul says something that may surprise us. In verse
3, he warned us that we would not escape God’s judgement. In verse 4, he continues to warn
us. We are acting as if God’s wonderful kindness and his great patience mean nothing. So, Paul
is emphasising God’s kindness and patience.
That should astonish us. God is not eager to punish us; God does not want us to suffer for our
wrong and evil behaviour. Instead, he urges us to repent (to turn back to God) so that he
can forgive us (Ezekiel 18:30-32). We only deserve death (Romans 6:23); but God has delayed
the punishment, to give us the opportunity to turn to him.
2 Peter 3:9 gives the same reason why Christ has not yet returned to this world. God is still
giving people the opportunity to return to him. In this matter, God is showing great kindness
to the people of this world. He shows the greatest patience towards them because some of
them may yet turn back to him.
However, we must not imagine that we can continue to live in this evil manner. We all must
die; and Christ’s return will certainly happen. So, we definitely cannot escape God’s
judgement. That judgement will certainly be against us, unless we turn back to God.
The nature of God’s judgement
(Romans 2:6-8)
Perhaps we would like to know the nature of God’s judgement. Psalm 96:13 declares that God
will judge the world in righteousness (in other words, rightly). Here, Paul explains more
clearly what that means.
Firstly, God will be the judge of all people. Nobody will escape God’s judgement. God will be
the judge of people from every nation. Whether we consider people to be important or not,
God will still be their judge.
Secondly, God will be the judge of each person. He knows each person; and he knows what
they have done. He will not punish one person for another person’s wrong acts. His judgement
about each person will be right.
Next, God’s judgement will be about the way that people have lived during their lives on
earth. God knows their words, thoughts and deeds; he knows their attitudes and their
behaviour. He will certainly punish evil people; he will certainly reward those people who have
patiently continued to do what is right.
The reward for God’s people is life that never ends. However, evil people will suffer the anger
of God.
Paul describes God’s people in verse 7. They are the people who patiently do good work. They
desire the true greatness, honour, and life that only God can give. However, Paul does not yet
explain how we can join these people to gain this wonderful reward. That is a problem,
because we are all guilty of wrong and evil acts. Therefore, we all deserve God’s punishment.
Paul explains the answer to this important problem in Romans 5:6-9. When Christ died, he
suffered the punishment for us. To join God’s people, therefore, we must confess our evil
deeds to God, and we must invite Christ into our lives.
Nobody has any special advantages when God is their judge
(Romans 2:9-11)
The Jews are God’s special people, who belong to the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God
has chosen their nation, and he shows great kindness to them. God gave them his law; he has
made wonderful promises to them; and Christ came from their families.
The Greeks are the people from Greece. The ancient Greeks were a truly great nation, but their
greatness came from power in this world. They prayed to false gods; the real God was then
unknown to them (Acts 17:22-23). As in Romans 1:16, Paul refers to them on behalf of the
people in every nation who are not Jews.
The Jews have the advantages that come from their nation’s relationship with God. The
ancient Greeks had the advantages that came from their nation’s importance and power in this
world. However, nobody will have any special advantages when God is their judge. The
rewards for good behaviour are alike; the punishments for evil behaviour are alike. God’s
judgements are always right and proper for each and every person.
People sometimes try to impress a judge on earth by means of their importance. Sometimes
they use a gift to try to gain a judge’s support. Nobody can gain God’s support by those
methods. In fact, he declares such gifts to be wrong and evil (Exodus 23:8). Many people try
to use religion to impress God; however, they refuse to do what God wants (Micah 6:6-8).
We must be very careful, therefore, to follow the kind of religion that God approves of (James
1:26-27; Romans 2:13). In particular, we must have an attitude of faith (active belief and
trust in God) - Hebrews 11:6. We must depend not on our own good deeds, but on what Christ
did by his death for us (Romans 4:1-5; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23).
We must obey God’s message, and not merely hear it
(Romans 2:12-13)
There are many people who make this mistake, even today. Perhaps they go to a good church;
perhaps they even read God’s word, the Bible, often. However, they have never really turned
to God; they have never invited Christ into their lives. They do not trust him to save (rescue)
them from their sins (evil deeds). Instead, they have a religion; and they think that their
religion can save them.
They have heard God’s word often - but they have never really listened to it properly. If they
did, they would hear about God’s judgement against their own evil deeds. They would know
that they, like everyone else, have offended against God’s law (Romans 3:23). They would
understand that God can only save them by the death of Christ.
God’s law - his word, with which they are so familiar - declares his judgement against
them. While they continue in their evil deeds, God’s word declares them guilty. They have
refused to trust Christ, and that is a terrible error. God gave them his word so that they could
learn to trust him.
Christ too urged people to do what God’s word says (Matthew 7:24-27). He warned the
people that it is not good enough only to listen to the words. We must allow God’s message
to change our lives.
God judges fairly and rightly even those people who have never heard his law. However, there
is a greater responsibility for the people who know God’s law (Romans 2:23-24). God has been
very kind to us when he allowed us to hear his word. We must be very careful to obey it.
Some people who do not know God’s law, still obey it
(Romans 2:14-16)
Here is some evidence that God’s law really does teach the right way for people to live. By
‘God’s law’, we mean his instructions in the first 5 books of the Bible.
God has made it possible for people everywhere to know some important facts about him.
Therefore, people have no excuse when, on purpose, they act in a wicked manner (Romans
1:18-20). However, not everyone chooses to behave in such an evil manner.
In every nation, there are some sincere people who do not approve of evil acts. They try
hard to do what is good and right in every situation. They are not perfect; but they behave
differently from the people round them. They would prefer to suffer rather than to do
something wrong.
Many of those people know nothing about God’s law. However, they are behaving in the way
that God’s law teaches people to behave. They act in this manner simply because they
recognise it to be right.
Such people are the best people who live in this world. Even before they hear God’s law, it is
already in their hearts. In other words, they already want to obey it.
Few people are truly like that. However, very many people have some of the same attitudes.
They have a conscience, in other words, they make judgements about their own actions. They
are pleased when they do something good. They feel guilty when they do something bad. So
they too approve of God’s law, even if they do not know it.
However, very often our conscience does not guide us in the right way. That is why it is so
important to read and to obey the Bible. The Bible is God’s word; by it, God teaches us (Psalm
119:98-100). Only God is the perfect judge of our words, thoughts and deeds.
People who know God’s law, should teach it to other people
(Romans 2:17-20)
Paul has just been writing about the people in the many nations that did not know God’s law.
Now, he writes about the people in the nation that did know God’s law, the Jews. God did a
wonderful thing for that nation when he gave his law to them. The knowledge of God’s law
gave them the great responsibility to teach it to the people in other nations. So, God’s
special people had this special work to do for God.
Paul describes this responsibility with a series of phrases which were probably very familiar to
the Jews. As Jews, they depended on God’s law and they could speak with confidence about
their nation’s relationship with God. God’s law had given them knowledge about how God
wanted them to live. Therefore, it had taught them the best way to live.
People without God’s law were like blind people, because they needed someone to guide them.
They were like people in darkness (Isaiah 9:2); God’s law was like a light that would direct
their lives (Psalm 119:105). Without God’s law, people make so many wrong and foolish
decisions about their lives; they need someone to correct them. Like little children, they do not
even understand what they should do. So, they need someone to teach them.
Even before Christ came, many Jews were trying to teach people from other nations to
obey God. It was not easy for those Jews, because many of the people from other nations
disliked Jews. However, some people believed, and they began to serve the real God. Probably,
most of those people who believed did not become Jews. One of them was Cornelius (Acts
10:1-2). Those people served God, but not as members of the Jewish religion. Many of them
later became Christians when they heard the gospel (God’s message about Christ).
People who teach God’s word, must obey it
(Romans 2:21-24)
Paul’s words seem very strong here. However, it was perhaps usual for Bible teachers to speak
in this manner. They did not want the people whom they taught to agree with them, and
then to do nothing about it. So they urged those people to examine their own attitudes and
actions very carefully.
We declare God’s word to be the truth, so we must not neglect to obey it. God’s word, the
Bible, should affect every part of our lives. As we teach it to other people, we too must be
careful to learn its lessons.
Paul first refers to the commands in Exodus 20:14-15. It should not be hard for us to know if
we are obeying such commands. However, Jesus taught us that our wrong thoughts, as well as
our wrong actions, offend God (Matthew 5:27-28).
Then Paul asks a more difficult question. The Bible teaches that we must not make an idol (an
image that we pray to) - Exodus 20:4. Paul asks whether we rob temples. The temples were the
houses of false gods, where people kept idols.
The meaning of Paul’s question about the temples is not certain. However, Rome probably had
more temples than any other city, and many of Rome’s Christians were traders. They could
make good profits if they sold valuable objects to the temples (compare Revelation 18:11-13).
They might insist that they hated idols. However, their actions would not match their words.
It is possible for us to become proud about our knowledge of the Bible, but not to obey it. If we
do that, we bring shame upon God’s holy name. We should be teaching other people about
God. However, instead, we may be causing those same people to insult God because of our
wrong behaviour. If those people imitate that wrong behaviour, they could only learn from us
the wrong way to live. We would not have taught them God’s law but, rather, the opposite.
Is circumcision necessary?
(Romans 2:25-27)
God established a special relationship, called the covenant, with Abraham and the future
members of his family. As evidence of that relationship, God told Abraham that he and the
male members of his family should carry out circumcision (Genesis chapter 17). Circumcision
is the minor operation that cuts a small piece of skin from the male sex part. The Jews are the
people who come from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They still obey that instruction
today, and they are right to do it. It is a mark of their nation’s relationship with God.
However, no mark on a person's body can cause that person to love God or to obey him. No
ceremony can cause a person to do what God really wants; that is, to serve God with a willing
heart (attitude). Therefore, no ceremony and no physical act can give a person a right
relationship with God.
To achieve that, there needs to be a much deeper change in a person’s life. Jesus said that a
person must be born again (John 3:3). Jeremiah said that God would put his law in people’s
minds and hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). If God’s law is in a person’s heart, then that person will
truly desire to obey him. That is the kind of relationship that God wants to have with his
people.
The first Christians were all Jews. Therefore, of course, the first Christian teachers approved
of circumcision. Then many people who were not Jews became Christians. The leaders of the
church discussed this matter. They decided not to ask those Christians to accept circumcision
(Acts 15:1-31; Galatians 2:1-10). Therefore, at the time of the Book of Romans, many people
were obeying God’s law who had not received circumcision. They did not need to worry about
circumcision, because God had accepted them. They had not received circumcision of their
bodies, but they had received a real relationship with God.
Real religion is in the heart
(Romans 2:28-29)
You might convince everyone that you are a Christian. However, God knows the truth about
you. Your actions in front of other people might impress those people, but you cannot impress
God by that means. God sees what other people cannot see. He knows what is in your heart (in
other words, your true attitudes). Therefore, God knows whether you truly have a
relationship with him, or not (Matthew 6:1-18).
Those Christians who were Jews understood that lesson very well. The Jews are the people
who come from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their nation, called Israel, has a
special relationship with God. However, they do not all have a personal relationship with God.
Clearly, a Jew who refuses to obey God does not have a right relationship with God. That is so
even if that Jew chooses to accept all the ceremonies of his religion. Those ceremonies have
not given him a right relationship with God. The ceremonies were correct; the problem is in
the person’s heart, and nobody except God sees that (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4).
We might want other people to approve of our religion. Of course other Christians can and
should encourage us to do the right things. However, real religion is in the heart, and other
people cannot see it. They cannot know whether we truly love God. They do not hear our
private prayers; they do not know the difficult decisions that we make for God in private. They
cannot know that we are trusting Christ in each situation. It is God alone who knows and
approves of these things.
Romans chapter 3
Why God gave the Bible firstly to the Jews
(Romans 3:1-2)
Paul has shown us that people in every nation should respect God. They should learn about
his power and his greatness from the things that he has made (Romans 1:19-20). Also, from
their conscience (their personal judgement about what is right or wrong), they should know
something about how God wants them to live (Romans 2:14-15).
However, people across the world chose not to live as God wanted them to live. They gave
honour to the images of false gods (Romans 1:23); they wanted to please themselves (Romans
1:24-25). In the end, people were carrying out every kind of evil deed (Romans 1:29-31).
God was right to be angry with them (Romans 1:18). However, God is very kind. He decided to
give people a new and clearer way that they could know him. He himself would declare his
word to them, in the Bible (Psalm 19:1-11). From his law, they could learn how to live (Psalm
1:1-3). When people study God’s word, God himself is their teacher (Psalm 119:33-36).
However, wicked people were not ready to receive the precious gift of God’s word (compare
Matthew 7:6). So, God chose one particular man, Abraham, who trusted him (Romans 4:3).
From that one man, God made a great nation, called Israel or the Jews (Hebrews 11:12).
They are a holy nation; ‘holy’ means that God has separated them for himself (Hosea 11:1).
God gave the Bible firstly to their nation. God’s plan is that by means of them, he shows his
kindness to the people in every nation (Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 11:11-12; Romans 15:8-12).
Therefore, the Bible is God’s gift to the whole world (Romans 15:4).
God is right to make his judgement against our evil deeds
(Romans 3:3-6)
God would not give his holy law to an unholy nation. So, he separated one nation, called the
Jews, to be his holy nation. To them he gave his law, by means of Moses.
However, most of the people at the time of Moses refused to trust God (Hebrews 3:7-19). God
had trusted them with his holy law, but they would not trust him. Although God has a
permanent relationship with their nation, those people did not themselves have a right
relationship with him.
Those people were not loyal to God. However, of course, God’s word is still true. Their wrong
actions could not change God’s perfect character. Their evil deeds only proved that God was
right to make his judgement against them (Psalm 95:11).
David recognised that fact in his own experience. Paul repeats his words from Psalm 51:4.
David had been guilty of a series of evil acts; the Psalm was his prayer to ask God to forgive
him. David confessed that God’s judgement against him was right. God’s judgements are
perfect.
Therefore, people’s evil deeds only show more clearly that God is right. It is foolish to say
that God’s anger against our evil deeds is wrong. Instead, we must turn to God, because God is
our judge too.
God does not want to punish us for our evil deeds. He wants to forgive us, as he forgave David
(Romans 4:6-8; Psalm 51:10-17). However, for that to happen, we must first understand that
our evil deeds offend God. Then we must confess to God the guilty state of our lives. Then we
must invite Christ into our lives. God can forgive us because of Christ’s death (Romans 5:6-9).
Can we use evil methods to achieve good results?
(Romans 3:7-8)
The first Christians had many enemies who often spoke cruel or untrue things against them (1
Corinthians 4:11-13). In Romans 3:8, Paul records one of the things that those enemies were
saying.
The enemies lied that Paul and his companions used evil methods in order to achieve good
results. Of course it was not true. Paul believed that God’s people must always be careful not
to carry out evil acts. God wants Christians to live in the right way that pleases him (Galatians
5:22-23). That, of course, is how Christians should still behave today.
It seems likely that those enemies were saying that untrue thing for a particular reason. Paul
has just referred to someone who lies in order to prove the truth of God (verse 7). Perhaps
the enemies were saying that Paul was lying in order to convince people to become
Christians. However, Paul was pleased that he declared God’s message in a very clear manner
(2 Corinthians 4:2). He did not use clever arguments, but instead he spoke simply about Christ,
and about the death of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).
We know, however, that some Christians are not so sincere. Even some Christian leaders do
not explain God’s message in a completely honest manner. Perhaps they want to impress other
people; or perhaps they care more about the results than about their methods. Their enemies
could make such a statement as appears in verse 8 about them; if they did, it would not be a
lie, but the truth. It was a shock for Paul that people were saying such things about him. It is
very unsatisfactory if people could say this truthfully about a Christian today.
Everybody is guilty of sin

(Romans 3:9-12)
Paul has already shown that the problem of sin (people’s evil thoughts, words and actions)
affects all people from every nation. They are all guilty in front of God - but not all for the
same reasons. Some people knew how God wanted them to live; but they chose on purpose not
to obey him. Other people did not know God’s law; they simply followed their own wrong
desires. However, the result is the same: sin separates people from God (Isaiah 59:2). Until
God deals with a person’s sin, it is impossible for that person to have a right relationship
with God.
Paul did not want people to believe that fact simply because he taught it. He believed that the
Bible is God’s word (Romans 1:2; Romans 15:4). So, he wanted to show his readers that God
had already said those things, in the earlier books of the Bible.
For that reason, in verses 10-18, Paul repeats a series of 8 short passages from elsewhere in
the Bible. Those passages come from 3 different books. Most of them are from the Book of
Psalms, but Paul also refers to the Books of Ecclesiastes and Isaiah.
In verses 10-12, Paul begins with words from a Psalm that the Book of Psalms itself repeats:
Psalm 14 or Psalm 53. He also includes some words from Ecclesiastes 7:20. The Psalm is
particularly about people who choose to act wickedly. They behave as if there is no God.
However, the problem of sin does not only affect the most wicked people. God looks down
from heaven and he sees the true state of people’s lives. They have all turned away from him.
The Book of Ecclesiastes agrees. Nobody only does what is completely right. Nobody is good
enough to earn for themselves a right relationship with God.
Evil words are sin
(Romans 3:13-14)
One ancient form of poetry in the Hebrew language mentions several parts of the human body
in turn. The poem says something about each part. There are examples in Proverbs 6:12-14
and Song of Solomon 4:1-5.
Paul uses such a poem here, although he is actually writing in the Greek language. Its words
are not original; it brings together Bible passages from the Book of Psalms and Isaiah. Paul
probably chose to use this form of poetry in order to show that sin (evil thoughts, words and
behaviour) controls every part of people’s lives.
Paul first uses words that David wrote about his enemies, in Psalm 5:9 and Psalm 140:3 and
lastly, Psalm 10:7. These verses contain a series of word-pictures about different parts of a
person’s mouth. People speak with their mouths; therefore these word-pictures are about evil
words. Fierce and dangerous animals kill with their mouths; therefore these word-pictures are
also about cruelty.
David’s enemies used cruel and evil words against him because they wanted to catch him and
to kill him. Paul’s purpose is to show us that God is the judge of our words as well as our
actions (compare James 3:1-12).
We might protest therefore that David was writing about the words of the most cruel and
wicked people. Paul has used these passages to describe everybody’s evil words. However,
Paul has proved that bad words can cause evil things to happen. So, nobody should imagine
that their wrong words do not offend God. When we all stand in front of God as our judge, he
will know about our wrong words (Matthew 12:36-37). Then we will be unable to defend
ourselves; we will be silent as he declares his judgement (Romans 3:19). Of course, God desires
to forgive our wrong words, even as he wants to forgive our evil actions (Exodus 34:6-7). That
is possible only because Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Sin destroys human society
(Romans 3:15-18)
Paul repeats words from Isaiah 59:7-8 to show the effect of sin (evil thoughts, words and
deeds) upon human society. Evil thoughts and words can be truly terrible, of course; but it is
people’s evil deeds that especially destroy human society.
In the passage from Isaiah, wrong behaviour had spread across the nation. Everyone was
acting for their own benefit. Nobody cared about what was right and proper.
That was why there was so much cruelty. People were behaving like the fierce wild animals
that move quickly in order to kill. Important and powerful people were behaving like the worst
thieves, who do not hesitate to murder. People were causing so much pain and trouble.
“Peace” refers to the calm and content attitude that comes from a right relationship with God.
Without God, people did not know how to be calm and content. They did not have a right
relationship either with God, or with anyone else.
Perhaps we do not live in such a bad society as Isaiah did. However, we can all recognise the
troubles that Isaiah describes. We can see many of the same attitudes in our own nations, and
even in our own lives. That is because the effects of sin have not changed. Sin still causes the
same troubles; and it is in everyone’s lives.
Paul ends his list of verses about sin with Psalm 36:1. People do not fear God; in other words,
they do not respect God. If they did, they would give him the proper place in their lives. They
would truly love him (Mark 12:30); they would gladly obey his law. When people do not give
God his proper place in their lives, that is sin - and that is the state of people everywhere.
God’s law shows us that we need God to save us
(Romans 3:19-20)
God wrote his law in order to show people how they should live. He wanted them, from the
law, to understand clearly his standards for their lives. Even without the law, people should
have known such things from their conscience, their personal moral judgement (Romans 2:14-
15). However, God’s law declares clearly what he considers to be wrong. For example, see the
commands in Exodus 20:1-17.
It was a shock for Israel’s people when God declared his commands to them. They thought
that they would die (Exodus 20-18-21). They could see that their lives did not reach God’s
standards.
Paul has just given a series of Bible verses about people’s evil deeds (verses 10-18). Those
verses come from the parts of the Bible that God originally gave to Israel’s people. So, of
course, those verses are mainly about the people who belonged to Israel. However, as Paul
says in verse 9, the message in those verses is for everyone, from every nation. God’s
standards are the same for all people; all people are responsible to God for their evil deeds,
words and thoughts. God is the judge of everyone.
Paul makes an important statement in verse 20, which he will explain further in chapter 4.
Many people try to obey the law and by that, to earn a right relationship with God. However,
they have not understood God’s law, because we cannot earn a right relationship with God
by our own efforts.
From God’s law, we should recognise our own evil deeds. Then we should understand that we
need him to save (rescue) us from our own sin (wrong and evil words, thoughts and deeds).
We cannot save ourselves; we need Christ to save us, by his death. We must confess our sin to
God, and we must come to him in faith (active belief and trust in God). God can forgive us
because of his grace (kindness).
A right relationship with God depends on faith in Christ
(Romans 3:21-22)
God’s law, in the Bible, teaches us his standards for our lives. We are all guilty of wrong and
evil deeds. So, nobody can gain a right relationship with God by their own efforts. Our works
(efforts) to obey God’s law cannot earn us a right relationship with God (verse 20).
However, God’s law does teach us how we can receive a right relationship with God. So do the
books of the prophets (the holy men who recorded their messages from God in the Bible). The
law and the prophets teach that a right relationship with God depends on faith - not on
people’s efforts. (Faith means active belief and trust in God).
In chapter 4, Paul will show that fact from actual passages in the law and the prophets. First,
however, he explains the nature of that faith and its effects. God does not approve of every
kind of belief that people may have. Paul is referring to faith, or trust, in Christ; in
particular, to what Christ achieved by his death. By his death, Christ suffered all that God’s
law demanded (Hebrews 10:8-14). In other words, he suffered the punishment for our evil
deeds in order to give us a right relationship with God.
Our faith (or trust), therefore, must be in what God has done. If we depend on our own
efforts, we are not trusting in God. We need God to rescue us from our own evil deeds, from
the devil and from death. Only God can rescue us from such things; only God can provide us
with true safety (Psalm 62:1; Jonah 2:9). Only God can give us real life (John 10:10), and a
relationship with him that never ends (John 3:16; Romans 8:18-21).
The most serious problem in the world
(Romans 3:23)
The Bible teaches that the most serious problem in the world is sin. Sin means people’s
wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions. We are especially aware of people’s wrong
behaviour because of the trouble that it causes. However, that is not the only reason why the
Bible considers our sin to be so serious. In addition, sin separates people from God (Isaiah
59:2). It completely ruins the relationship that people should have with God.
In Romans 3:23, Paul explains that fact very clearly. Paul disagrees very strongly with the idea
that only a few evil people are responsible for the sin (evil) in the world. God is perfect and his
standards (see Exodus 20:1-17) are perfect. None of us live by his standards and therefore
we are all guilty (see also James 2:10-11 and 1 John 1:8-10).
That is true for people from every nation. That fact mattered very much for Paul, because of
his special task to declare God’s message to people from different nations (Galatians 2:7). If
the problem of sin affects people from every nation, then God’s remedy for sin is for people
from every nation. Therefore, it is now possible for people from every nation to receive a right
relationship with God, because of Jesus.
Jesus is God’s solution to the problem of sin. In other words, when Jesus died, he suffered
the punishment for people’s sin (Romans 5:8). The Bible urges us to turn from our sin (Acts
2:38) and to receive him into our lives (John 1:12). We must come to him by faith; in other
words, we must trust him (Romans 3:22). Then God will forgive us, and our right relationship
with God will begin (Romans 4:1-8).
God can forgive us because of Christ’s death
(Romans 3:24-25)
In verse 23, Paul writes that, in God’s opinion, we are all guilty of wrong and evil acts. So now,
of course, we would expect to read about God’s anger against us. However, Paul astonishes us.
Instead of God’s anger, Paul writes about the greatness of God’s kindness. God does not want
us to suffer his punishment; he wants to show us his kindness. God offers freely to forgive
us; and that is possible because of Christ’s death for us.
Our best efforts to obey God’s law cannot give us a right relationship with God (verse 20).
However, God offers us that relationship freely because of his grace, his great kindness. Paul
describes that offer as the offer of ‘redemption’. Redemption is when someone buys freedom
for a prisoner, or for a slave. In the same way, God can free us from the power of the devil, of
evil deeds, and of death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Hebrews 2:14-15).
We would expect there to be a payment for redemption; however, we cannot pay God to
forgive us. Instead, God himself paid the cost by the death of Christ (verse 25). Here, Paul
uses the language of sacrifice. The sacrifices were the animals that people offered to God
(Leviticus 17:11). In the same way, God can accept us because of Christ’s blood (that is, his
death). Christ died so that God can show us his kindness and not his anger. We must receive
his kindness by faith; that is, we must put our trust in God. Christ suffered our punishment so
that we can have a right relationship with God.
The righteous Lord loves righteousness
(Romans 3:26)
Psalm 11:7 says, ‘the righteous Lord (God) loves righteousness’. To be righteous is to be right
and good; righteousness is goodness. God is completely good (James 1:17); he loves what is
good and right.
It is at the death of Christ that we see God’s goodness most clearly. God is the good and
perfect judge of all people (Genesis 18:25); therefore, he must punish our evil deeds. However,
God is so good that he cares even for evil people (Ezekiel 18:32; Jonah 4:11; Romans 5:6-7). So
he provided a way by which they could receive a right relationship with him.
God’s plan was that he himself would accept the punishment for people’s wrong and evil deeds.
For that reason, Christ, who is God the Son, entered the world (Philippians 2:6-8; Hebrews
1:1-3). He only did what was right and good (1 Peter 2:21-24). However, people dealt cruelly
with him (Isaiah 53:1-7) He suffered cruelty, shame, insults and, in the end, death.
Christ deserved no such punishment; he was guilty of no crime (Luke 23:4). Romans 5:8 gives
the explanation: Christ died for us. That is, he died for those who have faith (trust) in him.
The effect of his death is to justify them, in other words, to make them righteous. They
themselves are not perfect but, because of Christ’s death, God forgives them (1 John 1:8-9).
So now, they start to live in the way that pleases God.
That shows how much God loves righteousness. He has made it possible for people to become
righteous, and he did it by a completely righteous method.
Christians must not be proud
(Romans 3:27-28)
It seems that a lot of people were speaking proudly in the first Christian churches. They were
proud about their family origins (2 Corinthians 11:21-22); or they were proud about what they
had achieved. (2 Corinthians 10:12). Paul did not approve.
A person can only have a right relationship with God because of what Christ has done. Nobody
deserves that, and nobody can earn it. It is God’s free gift to us, because of his great
kindness. So we have no right to be proud; instead, we should have a humble attitude, and we
should be grateful to God.
God saves (rescues) us from our evil deeds, from the devil and from death. He does it when we
have faith (trust) in him. However, we do not even have the right to be proud about our faith.
Our faith is God’s gift to us (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We are all guilty of many wrong and evil acts (Romans 3:23). Our behaviour has made us into
enemies of God (Romans 5:10). If we really could stop all our wrong acts, that might be a
reason to be proud (Romans 4:2). However if we try then we fail (Romans 7:14-21). Even if
someone succeeded, that person would still not have a right relationship with God. That is only
possible because of Christ, because it is a gift of God.
So Christians must not be proud. They are not better than other people are. Their
relationship with God is entirely the result of God’s great kindness.
By faith, people from every nation can know God
(Romans 3:29-30)
In the ancient world, each nation had its own god, or, more usually, several gods. In
conversation, it was usual to refer to the god of a particular nation. People believed that their
nation’s god supported their nation in various ways, for example in agriculture or in war.
Only one nation, called the Jews or Israel, accepted the real God as the God of their
nation. It was God himself who established that relationship with them. He gave them his law,
and he made wonderful promises to their nation (Romans 9:4-5).
God is therefore the God of the Jews (John 4:22), but he is not only the God of their nation. He
is the God who created heaven, and earth and everything (Genesis chapter 1). All people
receive their life from him (Acts 17:24-25). Therefore, all people belong to him, whether they
know him or not. There is no other real God; he is the only true God (Deuteronomy 6:4).
In other religions, people establish a relationship with their god by the things that they do. For
example, they offer gifts to their god, or they carry out certain ceremonies. However, the real
God wants us to receive our relationship with him by faith; that is, by trust in him.
We may ask, therefore, why God gave his law. Romans 3:20 says that our efforts to obey God’s
law cannot give us a right relationship with God. Only by faith in Christ’s death can we receive
such a relationship. The explanation is that God’s law appears in the first 5 books of the Bible.
Those books clearly teach that people must come to God in faith (Romans 4:1-5). Therefore,
our message about faith does not make God’s law weaker. Rather, that message proves the
importance of God’s law.
Do Christians have to obey God’s law?
(Romans 3:31)
In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus spoke about the importance of God’s law. Paul expresses his
agreement here. The first Christians were eager in their support for God’s law (Acts 21:20).
That causes a problem for many Christians today. They read the many rules and commands
that appear in the first 5 books of the Bible. There, they find many commands that are clearly
important to follow for moral reasons (see Exodus 20:1-17). However, they also find many
rules and ceremonies which seem to have no moral purpose. Several of those rules would be
difficult or impossible to follow today. So Christians ask which rules they must follow.
However, Jesus insisted that the whole law remains important.
Perhaps an explanation of the word ‘law’ will help us to understand this better. The word in
the Hebrew language is TORAH. The real meaning of TORAH is lessons or instructions. God
gave his TORAH not to control people by rules, but to teach them how they should live. From
it, they would learn how to live in the manner that pleases him. In particular, they would
learn to have a relationship of faith (trust) in God, because the TORAH teaches that
(Romans 4:1-5).
So God’s law, or the TORAH, means the first 5 books in the Bible, and the lessons that they
teach. Those books, and the rest of the Bible, are the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). So, of
course they do not change, because God does not change his opinions (James 1:17). We obey
the commands that we should obey for moral reasons. However we should study the whole
of God’s law and the whole Bible, as God gives us the opportunity. God wants to teach us from
all of the Bible; its lessons are important for our lives. We can learn important lessons even
from the rules about the ceremonies that we do not carry out today (see for example,
Hebrews chapter 9).
Romans chapter 4
A lesson from the life of Abraham
(Romans 4:1-2)
God brings people into a right relationship with himself when they have faith (trust) in
Christ. Paul has said that the evidence for this is in the law and the prophets (Romans 3:21).
By ‘the law and the prophets’, Paul meant the Old Testament (the books of the Bible that
already existed before the time of the first Christians). The ‘law’ means the first 5 books. The
‘prophets’ means the other books which prophets (holy men of God) wrote.
So now Paul brings us a lesson from the part of the Bible called ‘the law’ (the first 5 books). It
is from Genesis 15:6, which Paul repeats in verse 3. This particular passage does not contain
any rules or commands; but it does give an important principle for our lives. Before Paul
explains that principle, he first reminds us about the importance of Abraham. Abraham is one
of the greatest men in the Bible. From his family came God’s special nation, called Israel or
the Jewish people. God made wonderful promises to Abraham. God even promised to show his
kindness to people of every nation by means of Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3).
The Bible calls Abraham a friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23). It is clear that he
had a right relationship with God. We ask how he received that relationship. We, today, can
only receive a right relationship with God by the same method. Many people would guess that
Abraham had earned it by his good deeds. That idea, however, is wrong. Our good actions may
impress other people (Job 35:5-8), but God’s standards are much higher than ours (Romans
3:23; Isaiah 55:8-9). The truth is that Abraham did not earn his relationship with God; it was
God’s free gift to him. Abraham received it when he believed God; in other words, he trusted
God to carry out his promises.
How Abraham received a right relationship with God
(Romans 4:3)
The life of Abraham interests us greatly. For several centuries, everyone or almost everyone
had served false gods, and many people were very evil. However, then Abraham discovered
how to have a relationship with the real God; and he taught it to other people. Even today,
our beliefs as Christians depend on what Abraham discovered.
Righteousness means goodness. In Romans 3:9-20, Paul has explained that people are not
good; in many ways, everyone offends against God’s law. Now, however, Paul tells us from
Genesis 15:6 that Abraham had righteousness. Abraham certainly did not learn to be good
from the society in which he lived. Clearly, he received that quality in some other way. We
want, of course, to understand how.
God made a series of promises to Abraham; and Abraham obeyed God. We might think that
Abraham was righteous (good) because of that. However, something happened before
Abraham obeyed; he believed God. Abraham obeyed only because he believed. So, God
declared Abraham righteous because Abraham believed.
We do not mean that Abraham merely believed in God. (To believe in God means to believe
that he exists). Of course that is essential in order to receive anything from God (Hebrews
11:6). However, even the devil believes in God (James 2:19). Abraham believed that God
would carry out his promises. He trusted God to do these things even when they seemed
impossible (Romans 4:19-21). That attitude is called faith. That faith was the reason why God
considered Abraham righteous. Therefore Abraham’s righteousness did not come from
Abraham himself, but from God. It was God’s gift to Abraham when Abraham acted in faith.
How to receive God’s kindness
(Romans 4:4)
God’s kindness does not depend on our goodness. That is because kindness is an act of love.
It is not an act of love to pay someone the wages that he has earned. However when God
forgives us, that is an act of love.
Of course we do not deserve for God to forgive us. We need him to forgive us because we have
done wrong things (Romans 3:23) and not right things. What we deserve for our wrong
behaviour is the punishment of death (Romans 6:23).
So when we ask God to forgive us, we are asking him to show great kindness to us. We are not
trying to convince him that we deserve it. Rather, we accept that we do not deserve it. We
are not trying to pay him by some good deed that we have done. Instead, we recognise that
we can never pay him to forgive us. Therefore, we do not ask God to forgive us because of
our goodness, but because of his goodness.
We must not think that we can force God to accept us. That is a very proud attitude. However,
there is something that we can and must do. We must believe God. He has promised to forgive
those people who turn to him (Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 55:6-7). He has promised to help and to give
rest to those people who come to him (Matthew 11:28-29). He has promised to accept
everyone who receives him into their life (John 1:12; Revelation 3:20).
When we believe God’s promises, that is called faith. Faith is God’s gift to us (Ephesians
2:8), so that we can receive the benefit of his promises. So, when we believe God, God forgives
us. He gives us a right relationship with himself.
Whom does God help?
(Romans 4:5)
There is a common idea that only good people deserve God’s help. Some people try to do good
things only because they want God to help them. They think that, by those good deeds, they
can earn a right relationship with God. Perhaps they also believe that evil people can never
receive any kindness from God.
That is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible says that everyone has done wrong and evil
things (Romans 3:23). However, God wants to forgive people (Exodus 34:6-7); he even wants
to forgive the most wicked people (Ezekiel 18:21-23; Ezekiel 18:27).
So, God wants to forgive us, but not as a reward for our good deeds. Rather God forgives
because of his great love. Christ died for us, although we do not deserve his love (Romans 5:6-
8). He suffered the punishment that we deserve because of our evil deeds (Romans 6:23).
God forgives those people who turn to him in faith. They have faith (trust) that Christ died to
give them a right relationship with God. Faith means belief and trust in God. When we trust
God, we are allowing him to change our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). God wants to make us into
his family; we can become his children (John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17).
However, there are some people who will not allow God to make this wonderful change in
their lives. They include both some evil people, and some people who consider themselves
good. There are some people who refuse to turn from their evil deeds (Ezekiel 3:19; Revelation
21:8). Also, there are some people who do not want to be humble in front of God (Luke 18:9-
14). People can become so proud of their good deeds that they do not even want to accept
God’s kindness. They do not want God to forgive them unless they can earn it by their own
efforts; and that, of course, is impossible.
How to be truly happy and content
(Romans 4:6)
People try hard to be truly happy and truly content in their lives. They make every effort to
achieve a sense of satisfaction. However, that seems to be a mere emotion that cannot last. In
this life, people’s hard work cannot bring any permanent reward, because, of course, we all
must die (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).
We can see, therefore, that real happiness and true satisfaction can only come from God. We
can see also that our best efforts cannot achieve these things for us. We can only know real
happiness and true satisfaction if God gives us these things as a free gift.
Wicked people can never be truly content (Isaiah 48:22). Therefore the gift that we need
from God is a right relationship with him. We are all guilty of wrong and evil deeds (Romans
3:23); so we need him to forgive us.
That is the most astonishing change in a person’s life (2 Corinthians 5:17). Jesus described
it as a new birth (John 3:3-7). We receive it by faith (trust) in Jesus, who died for us (Romans
4:24-25).
Long before the life and death of Jesus, God’s people already knew about that. Abraham had
faith (trust) in God; that was how he received his right relationship with God (Romans 4:3 and
Genesis 15:6). Similarly, David described the happy state of those people whom God
forgives (Romans 4:7-8 and Psalm 32:1-2). They both understood that this relationship with
God does not depend on a person’s own efforts. It is a gift of God which we receive by faith
(trust in God).
The wonderful news that God can forgive us
(Romans 4:7-8)
David’s words, from Psalm 32:1-2, surprise us. Of course, a person who has never done any
evil thing should be truly happy. A perfect person should be truly content. We can never
achieve such a standard (Romans 3:23). However, many people still hope that they are good
enough for God to accept them.
Paul is arguing that God does not accept us because of our good works. However, God can
accept us because of his own goodness when we have faith (belief and trust) in him. That is
why Paul reminds us of David’s statement in Psalm 32.
David speaks about people who, like him and like us all, are not perfect. He speaks about
people who are guilty of many wrong and evil deeds. He declares that we can still be truly
content and happy in a right relationship with God. That is not possible because of our own
goodness; but it is possible because God forgives. That was David’s experience (Psalms 32 and
51), and it can be our experience too.
We deserve, of course, that God should declare us guilty. However, Christ accepted our
punishment when he died for us. That is how God can accept us. By our evil deeds, we have
made ourselves God’s enemies. However, God wants to forgive us so that we can become his
friends (Romans 5:8).
God does that when we turn to him in faith. He gives to us his righteousness (goodness) -
Romans 4:22-24. That is the only way that we can know the true happiness of a right
Can people from every nation have a right relationship with God?
(Romans 4:9-10)
The church at Rome included both Jews and people who were not Jews. They needed to
understand clearly whether they all could have a right relationship with God.
This was a problem because, unlike other nations, the Jews have a national relationship with
God. The Jews are the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They have that
relationship because of God’s promises to Abraham. The male members of their families
receive circumcision, as Abraham did. Circumcision is a minor operation that cuts a small piece
of skin from the male sex part.
Abraham had a right relationship with God because of his faith (belief and trust) in God
(Romans 4:3; Genesis 15:6). The question for Rome’s Christians was whether only the Jews
could have that kind of faith, and that kind of relationship. So, they were asking whether
Abraham’s relationship with God depended on his circumcision.
Paul replied that the answer to their question is very clear from the Book of Genesis. In
Genesis chapter 15 we read about Abraham’s faith and his right relationship with God.
However, we do not read about his circumcision until chapter 17.
Therefore, Abraham’s relationship with God did not depend on his circumcision. Circumcision
was simply a mark of what God had already done in his life. God established that relationship
with Abraham when Abraham had not accepted circumcision. So, God will do the same for
people from every nation who have faith in him. They all can know a right relationship with
him; for them, circumcision of the body is not necessary.
Our ‘father’ Abraham
(Romans 4:11-12)
When people described a great man as their ‘father’, they were not simply describing a family
relationship. They wanted everyone else to understand that they respected that man greatly.
They tried to follow his noble attitudes and his honourable behaviour; they tried to imitate and
to learn from that man’s life.
Many people considered Abraham to be their ‘father’ (John 8:39). So, Paul asked whether
they really were like Abraham. If so, they would consider the same things important that
Abraham did.
Nothing was more important for Abraham than his relationship with God. Abraham
received that relationship when he believed God (Romans 4:3; Genesis 15:6). So, people who
consider Abraham to be their ‘father’ should do the same. They should believe and trust God.
The Jews were the people who actually came from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
They accepted circumcision (a minor operation on the male sex part) as a mark of their
nation’s relationship with God. However, that mark does not show whether, like Abraham,
someone has a personal relationship with God. A person can only receive such a relationship
by faith (belief and trust in God), as Abraham did.
Abraham received that relationship by faith even before he accepted circumcision. So
therefore, other people can also receive a relationship with God by faith, even when they have
not accepted circumcision. In their faith, they are behaving like Abraham did. So, although
they are not members of Abraham’s physical family, they are right to call him their ‘father’.
The people who benefit from God’s promises to Abraham
(Romans 4:13-14)
God made a series of promises to Abraham for the benefit of the future members of his
family.
The Jews are the people who come from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We can see
that many of God’s promises to Abraham are about them. God promises to give them their own
country (Genesis 12:7), and that their people would be many (Genesis 15:5).
However, God also intended that the whole world would benefit from his promises to Abraham
(Genesis 12:3). God said that he would make Abraham the father of many nations (Genesis
17:6), and not just one nation. That refers to people from all the different nations, who, like
Abraham, have faith (belief and trust in God) - Romans 4:16-17. Because they too believe
God’s promises, they also can consider Abraham to be their father (Romans 4:11-12).
God promises that the world will be theirs (Matthew 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Revelation
chapters 20 to 22). They do not claim that promise by a legal right, but by faith as Abraham did
(Hebrews 11:8-16). Evil seems so powerful in this world, but they live here as the people of
God. God’s people eagerly wait for Christ’s rule on earth to begin (Matthew 6:10). God gives
them the strength to be strong during their present troubles (Ephesians 6:10-18).
If God’s people had already received everything as their legal right, they would not need faith.
However, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, our
relationship with God depends on faith. It is by faith that we receive the benefit of God’s
promises.
The judgement of the law
(Romans 4:15)
We often speak about a relationship with God. However, it is very important for us to know
what kind of relationship we have with him. There are just two possible answers. Either we
have a relationship of faith with him, or a relationship of law. In other words, if we have any
relationship whatever with him, it depends either on law or on faith.
Faith means active belief and trust in God. In other words, someone with faith believes and
trusts God. When we have faith, God’s promises are for us (Hebrews chapter 11). We receive
the benefit of those promises.
God gave his law to Moses, and it is good, holy, and right (Romans 7:12). It teaches how a
person must live in order to please God. However, if we try to follow its rules without faith,
then the law will only bring God’s anger against us. That is because, to obey the law truly, we
must obey every command completely (James 2:10-11). When we do not obey any part of it,
we are guilty. None of us can live by God’s standards (Romans 3:23).
In ancient Israel, most of the people did not have a personal relationship of faith in God.
However, their nation had a relationship with him because of the promises that God gave to
Abraham. God separated Israel from the other nations by the laws that God gave to Moses. So,
God’s law taught Israel’s people how they should live in their land (Numbers chapter 34). They
received that land and they lived in it. However, many of them would not obey God’s
commands. They lived like the people in the nations round them. They chose false gods and
they behaved in an evil manner. God warned them many times but in the end he had to act
against them (2 Kings 17:7-20; 2 Kings 21:10-15). In his anger, he permitted their enemies to
force them to leave their land; few of them ever returned. God’s law had not changed and his
promises to their nation had not changed. They suffered when God wanted them to know his
kindness.
However, later members of their families did have faith in God. They believed God’s promise
that they would return to their own land (Jeremiah 29:10-11). You can read about their return
in the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
How to receive the benefit of God’s promises
(Romans 4:16)
If we tried to obtain the benefit of God’s promises by our own efforts, then we could never
succeed. Instead, we would only bring God’s anger against us for our many evil deeds (Romans
4:15; Romans 3:23). God’s law tells us his standards for our lives; but none of us lives by his
standards.
Instead, we must receive the benefit of God’s promises by faith (belief and trust in God). In
other words, we must believe and trust God. God’s kindness is not something that we can earn
by our own efforts. It is God’s free gift to the person who believes and trusts him. Our faith is
necessary because by it we express our agreement with God’s promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).
By faith, we show that we want God to do these wonderful things in our lives. Faith is the gift
of God (Ephesians 2:8); God gives faith to us so that we can trust him.
People from every nation can receive the benefit of God’s promises by faith. That includes
the Jews, the nation to whom God originally gave his law. It also includes the people from
other nations who become Christians. They too have the same kind of faith that Abraham had.
In verse 17, Paul refers to Genesis 17:5. Abraham was formerly called Abram. God gave him
his new name to show that he would be the ‘father’ of many nations. Here ‘father’ means that
they would behave like him. In particular, they (the people from many nations) would have the
same kind of faith that Abraham did. Therefore, they would know a right relationship with
God, as Abraham did.
Abraham’s beliefs
(Romans 4:17)
Paul has written much about the importance of Abraham’s faith (belief and trust in God).
However, Abraham came from a nation where people served false gods. In addition, he
probably never read any part of our Bible. He could only believe those things that God had
taught him directly. It seems important, therefore, for us to ask what Abraham actually
believed.
Paul mentions here two particular beliefs that Abraham had. Hebrews chapter 11 also
contains references to those two beliefs (Hebrews 11:3 and 11:19). They are simple beliefs,
but they have the power to change people’s lives completely. God changed Abraham’s life by
these beliefs, and by that means he changed the future of the world.
(1) Abraham believed that God brings life to dead people. He considered that God had done
that in his own life (Romans 4:19). He continued to believe it when God told him to offer his
son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18); and God did not disappoint his faith (Hebrews 11:17-19).
(2) Abraham also believed that God creates. In other words, God causes to exist those
things that do not exist. God did that when he created the world (Hebrews 11:3). He will do it
again when he creates the new world (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). Abraham understood
about God’s promise to do that, and he eagerly desired it (Hebrews 11:13-16).
So, Abraham believed that God can do impossible things. In other words, God does things
that are impossible for us (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; Luke 1:37). Nothing is too difficult
for God to do. Therefore, Abraham realised that he could trust God’s promises to him. Even
when those promises seemed impossible, God would certainly carry them out.
Abraham’s hope
(Romans 4:18-19)
Abraham had hope even when there seemed to be no reason for hope. God had promised
him a son, and from that son’s family would come a great nation. They would be so many that,
like the stars in the sky, it would be impossible to count them (Genesis 15:4-5). However,
Abraham was an old man, and God had not yet carried out his promise to him.
Even when Abraham was 99 years old, that son had still not been born. His wife, Sarah, was
much too old to have children. She even laughed when God repeated his promise to Abraham
(Genesis 18:10-15).
We can believe our circumstances, or we can believe God. Abraham chose to believe God;
that is called faith. However, Abraham did not pretend something that was not true. He
considered himself so old that he was almost dead. He recognised that Sarah’s body was no
longer able to give birth. However, Abraham did not believe that these circumstances - or
any other circumstances - could make God’s promises impossible. Instead, he believed that
God would use those circumstances for his own (God’s) honour.
So Abraham waited for God to carry out his promise. When Abraham was 100 years old, his
wife Sarah gave birth to their son, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-5). The birth of Isaac brought great joy
to Abraham; but it was just the beginning of God’s promises to him. Most of the things that
God promised to Abraham would not happen during Abraham’s life (Hebrews 11:13).
Abraham was aware of that fact (Genesis 15:13-16), but he still continued to believe and to
trust God.
Abraham remained firm in his trust in God
(Romans 4:20-22)
Paul is still writing about Abraham. However, we think that he has a lesson for us, his readers.
It may not be an easy lesson that we must learn.
So often, we give more attention to our circumstances than to the promises of God. We
allow doubts to enter our mind; and those doubts make our trust in God even weaker. God has
promised something; but we ask whether that thing is likely to happen. God’s word may be
clear; but we ask whether it could have any other possible meaning. We even dare to make
excuses for God; but the simple reality is that we do not believe him.
Abraham too could have chosen not to believe God. Every natural circumstance seemed to
prove that God’s word to him was wrong. However, Abraham knew that God’s promises are
certain. Therefore, Abraham remained firm in his belief and trust in God (Hebrews 10:36-39).
Abraham had firmly decided to trust God in every circumstance, whatever happened.
The result of that decision was that Abraham’s trust in God became even stronger. The
effect of it was to give honour to God. God received honour from Abraham’s life because
Abraham remained constantly loyal to God.
We can see from that how powerful faith (belief and trust in God) is. Sin (wrong and evil
words, thoughts and deeds) separates people from God (Isaiah 59:2); but faith brings them
back to God. When we have faith in God, God can give us a right relationship with himself. He
does it because of the death of Christ (Romans 4:24-25), when we believe and trust in him.
How we can have a right relationship with God
(Romans 4:23-25)
Abraham had faith; in other words, he believed and trusted God. For that reason, God gave
Abraham a right relationship with himself.
In Romans chapter 4, Paul explains that lesson with words from Genesis 15:6, and he repeats
those words several times. Now he adds that he is not simply teaching us about Abraham. If
we want a right relationship with God, we must receive it in the same way. We must believe
and trust God.
Abraham believed that God gives life to dead people (Romans 4:17). In the same way, we
believe that God caused Jesus to live again after his death. So we too recognise the power
of God to do things that we consider impossible.
Because of Jesus’ death, we now know how God can give us a right relationship with himself.
We all are guilty of many wrong and evil deeds (Romans 3:23). However, Jesus suffered our
punishment at his death (Romans 5:6-9) so that God can forgive us (Romans 4:7-8).
Then God raised Jesus from death, and gave him the place of greatest honour in heaven. That
proves that God has accepted Jesus’ death for us. It proves that God really has forgiven the
wrong and evil deeds of his people (Acts 2:32-36; Hebrews 1:3). Jesus’ death gives us a right
relationship with God; the fact that he rose again to life proves it.
God will not accept us in any other way. We cannot earn a right relationship with him; we
cannot make ourselves good. However, God offers to change our lives completely (John 3:3-
6; 2 Corinthians 5:17); and he offers it as a free gift.
Romans chapter 5
Peace with God
(Romans 5:1)
It astonishes us to discover that we can know peace with God. By our wrong and evil deeds,
we have made ourselves God’s enemies (verse 10); and his anger is rightly against us (Romans
1:18).
‘Peace with God’ means a right relationship, or friendship, with him. It begins in this life
when God forgives our evil deeds; and it will never end. We do not deserve it and we cannot
earn it. It is God’s free gift to us when we have faith in him. In other words, we must believe
God and we must trust him.
This free gift, this peace with God, comes to us because of Jesus; in particular, because of
Jesus’ death (Romans 5:6-10). At his death, Jesus suffered the punishment for our evil deeds
so that God can forgive us (Ephesians 2:11-13; 1 Peter 3:18).
This peace with God is the result of God’s action in our lives when we are ‘justified’. To be
justified means to become righteous. A righteous person is a truly good person; to be righteous
is to be truly good. A person can only be truly good if that person has a right relationship with
God. Therefore, to be righteous also means to have (or to receive) a right relationship with
God. So, we cannot make ourselves righteous, but God can make us righteous because of
Christ’s death for us.
When we have faith (trust) in God, he justifies us (in other words, he declares us righteous).
At that moment, he forgives us and we have peace with him. However, we may not immediately
feel any sense of peace, for example a calm and content feeling. That is because our feelings
are not reality. The reality is what God has done for us. So, we do not trust our feelings, but
our faith. In other words, we trust God. He has begun a great work in our lives, and he will
complete it (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:18-21).
The hope of Christians
(Romans 5:2)
Probably, Paul wrote the Book of Romans just a few weeks after he wrote 2 Corinthians. In
that letter, Paul warned strongly against some of the teachers in the church, who were
boasting (2 Corinthians 11:12-21).
To boast means to speak boldly with pride and joy about something. Those teachers were
proud of their own importance and greatness. Paul believed that a Christian should never have
such attitudes. He told Corinth’s Christians that they should only be proud of God’s
greatness (2 Corinthians 10:17).
Here in Romans chapter 5, Paul returns to the same subject. He tells Christians to speak
boldly, and with joy, about their hope (verse 2), about their troubles (verse 3), and about God
(verse 11).
Jesus described himself as the true and living way to God (John 14:6; see also Hebrews 10:19-
20). We can receive all the benefits of God’s kindness only because of Jesus. He died so that
God can forgive us (Romans 5:8). He works in our lives to bring us to a right relationship with
God (Luke 15:3-7; John 10:7-9). If, by our own efforts, we had to remain in a right relationship
with God, we would certainly fail (Romans 7:14-25). Instead, we must depend constantly on
Jesus (Romans 8:2).
In the Bible, the word ‘hope’ usually refers to the things that God promises to his people
in the future. God’s promises are certain and therefore their hope is also certain (Hebrews
6:19). God will free them from their troubles in this world. He will adopt them fully as his
children (Romans 8:18-23). They will always live with him (Revelation 21:3); and they will
share his glory (splendid beauty). In other words, his glory will be their constant experience
(Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Revelation 22:1-5).
How trouble can bring about hope instead of despair
(Romans 5:3-4)
Christians can be joyful even during their troubles. They are not, of course, joyful about their
troubles. They are joyful about what God is doing in their lives during those troubles.
God is perfect (James 1:17) and he does not do any evil thing (James 1:13). He does not cause
trouble for us - but he can use even the worst situations for our benefit (Romans 8:28). So
even our worst troubles cannot separate us from Christ’s love for us (Romans 8:35).
Everyone suffers troubles. For many people, their experience is the exact opposite of what
Paul describes. Their trouble makes them anxious. The result is that they feel doubt; and that
doubt produces despair, not hope.
The experience of God’s people can and should be different. In their troubles, they are patient
- in other words, they stand firm. They are trusting God, so they do not allow their troubles to
disturb them.
That patience produces what some translations call character. The correct translation,
however, is proof. They have stood firm during troubles that would ruin other people’s beliefs.
So, now they have the proof, the experience and the confidence that God really is working in
their lives.
The result is that they have hope. In other words, they expect God to do good things. This is
not some uncertain hope that may disappoint them. Like Abraham (Romans 4:18), they have
the confidence that God will carry out his promises. Their experience during their troubles has
convinced them both of his goodness and of his power.
God does not disappoint his people, because of his love for them
(Romans 5:5)
Because God loves his people so much, even during their troubles they can expect him to do
good things. Their attitude towards him is called hope; his attitude towards them is love.
People hope for many things in this world, but their hope often disappoints them. This world,
and the things in it, cannot really satisfy us (1 John 2:17). However, God’s people put their
hope in the living God (1 Timothy 4:9-10), and he will not disappoint them.
The Bible gives various reasons why God will not disappoint his people. In some places, it
refers to his perfect character: he will not change his mind about them (for example, James
1:17). In other places, it refers to his promises (Hebrews 6:13-19) or his power (Psalm 46).
Here, however, Paul gives a very beautiful reason: God will not disappoint his people because
of his great love for them. That love caused God to send his own Son, Christ, into the world to
die for them (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). That same love shows that he will certainly complete his
work in the lives of his people (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 1:6).
God’s people are not just aware of his love; it fills their hearts (1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:8-11).
That is the work of God’s Holy Spirit, who is working in their lives (1 Corinthians 2:9-12). In 2
Corinthians 1:22, Paul writes that God has given his Holy Spirit as a guarantee, or proof, of
these things.
Christ died for people who did not deserve his kindness
(Romans 5:6)
Because Christ’s death is so important (1 Corinthians 1:18), Paul tried hard to explain it as
clearly as possible. He wanted everyone to understand it (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).
Paul begins here with our weak state. We are all guilty of wrong and evil deeds (Romans
3:23), and the punishment is death (Romans 6:23). God has told us his perfect standards in his
law, but we cannot live by those standards (Romans 7:13-24). So, our situation is truly
desperate. God loves us - but we have made ourselves his enemies (Romans 5:8-10).
God chose the right time to act on our behalf (Galatians 4:4), and then he sent Christ into the
world. Christ lived a perfect life among us - he alone obeyed God completely (2 Corinthians
5:21; Hebrews 4:15). We would not accept him (John 1:9-11) and so men killed him on a cross,
like a criminal.
However, Christ’s death was in God’s plan. Paul declares the great fact, which even this
world’s rulers did not know (1 Corinthians 2:8): Christ died for us. His death was not for holy
people or for people who deserved his kindness. Rather, Christ died for guilty people, for
people who do not deserve his love (Matthew 9:12-13). He died to suffer our punishment
(Isaiah 53:4-6); he died so that God can forgive us.
Paul has already explained what we must do. Like Abraham, we must believe God (Romans
4:20-23). We must not continue to allow our doubts and our evil behaviour to rule our lives.
Now, we must begin to trust God, and we must allow him to change us completely (2
Corinthians 5:17).
The person who dies to save someone else
(Romans 5:7)
Of course, people do sometimes die for other people. In fact, sometimes a person has even
died in order to rescue an evil person.
However, nobody who is reading this page has yet carried out such a noble act. To us, who are
still alive, Paul writes. He causes us to ask ourselves for whom we would be willing to die.
To give our own life seems to us the greatest gift that we could make. We would have to act in
a completely unselfish manner; we would lose everything that we had in this world.
Certainly, we would not want to do that on behalf of someone who was ungrateful. We would
not wish to die on behalf of a wicked person. In fact, it would be hard to make such a decision
in order to save even a good person. However, perhaps we might even dare to die on behalf of
one of the best people.
If this argument only shows the weakness of our character, it also proves the greatness of
God’s love. Christ did not come into this world to die only for good people. He died for us,
although we are guilty of many wrong and evil acts (Romans 3:23). We only deserved God’s
anger (Romans 1:18), but he chose to show us his love (Romans 5:8).
God wants not only to forgive us, but also to do the most wonderful things for us (1
Corinthians 2:9-10). He wants to adopt us, who formerly were his enemies (Romans 5:10), as
his own sons and daughters (Romans 8:15-19). Such love astonishes us. We cannot pay God
for his love, but we can accept it. The Bible urges us to turn from our evil deeds (Acts 3:19)
and to receive Christ into our lives (John 1:12).
Christ died to save sinners

(Romans 5:8)
Paul began his book with God’s anger (Romans 1:18), but now his subject is the love of God.
Paul has not forgotten about our evil deeds. He still describes us as ‘sinners’ - people who do
wrong and evil things. However, God’s love is so great that he even loves sinners. God’s
anger is rightly against their evil deeds; but he loves them so much that he desires to rescue
them from that anger.
Something extraordinary must happen to make that possible. God cannot forgive people who
proudly continue in their evil behaviour. Even people who want to obey God’s law cannot
achieve his standards by their own efforts (Romans 7:19-23). We are God’s enemies, but we
need to become his friends. We cannot rescue ourselves from God’s judgement against our evil
deeds - we need God to rescue us. Only if God takes our punishment upon himself can we
receive a right relationship with him (Isaiah 53:4-6).
That is what really did happen at the death of Christ (Hebrews 9:27-28). His death can
change our lives completely (Romans 6:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Notice how particular Paul is in his choice of words here. He does not say that Christ died ‘for
everyone’ or ‘for Christians’, but ‘for us’. If we want to benefit from his act of love, we need to
accept it for ourselves (John 1:11-12). His death is for us, if we believe and trust in him
(Romans 4:23-25). God offers to give a right relationship with himself, even to us.
We should not pretend that we deserve God’s love (1 Timothy 1:15). God does not save
(rescue) us because of what we have done. He saves us because of what Christ has done.
The blood of Christ gives people a right relationship with God
(Romans 5:9)
Paul says here that we receive a right relationship with God by the ‘blood’ of Christ. Of
course, he means by the death of Christ. However, his use of the word ‘blood’ here interests us.
It shows that he is thinking about the system of sacrifices in the Old Testament (the first part
of the Bible).
The sacrifices were the animals that people killed in order to offer them to God. Leviticus
17:11 says that God provided the blood of sacrifices to make atonement for the lives of his
people. ‘To make atonement’ means to provide a right relationship with God.
In other words, the people were guilty of wrong and evil deeds. They had offended against
God’s holy law. God could not accept their prayers because his judgement was against their
evil deeds. However, God wanted to have a right relationship with them, so he allowed them to
offer a sacrifice. The animal was innocent. It suffered death so that God could accept his
people.
In the same way, Christ accepted death so that people can have a right relationship with
God (Hebrews 9:11-28). The sacrifices themselves could not actually give people a right
relationship with God (Hebrews 10:1-4), Rather, they showed how Christ would do it (Hebrews
10:5-10). People deserve only God’s anger, because of their wrong and evil deeds. However, by
his death, Christ saves (rescues) them. When they believe and trust in Christ, God forgives
them. That is how people can receive a right relationship with God.
God, who forgave us, will complete his work in our lives
(Romans 5:10)
The love that God has shown for his enemies is truly extraordinary. Christ did not just die for
people who consider themselves to be good. He also died for people who know themselves to
be evil. He died for us, although we are guilty of many wrong and evil acts (Romans 3:23).
Because we offended against God’s holy law, we made ourselves God’s enemies. However,
Christ suffered our punishment. The result of his death is that God can forgive us. God has
made it possible for us to have a right relationship with him.
When we invite Christ into our lives, God changes us completely (2 Corinthians 5:17). God
frees us from the power of the devil (Hebrews 2:14), from the power of our sin (evil deeds) and
of death (Romans 8:2). We are no longer God’s enemies, but his friends: God’s own people
(1 Peter 2:9-10).
Christ’s work to save (rescue) us from the devil, from sin, and from death is complete. Christ
has saved us from all these things by his death. However, these things still affect our lives.
The devil continues to oppose God’s people (1 Peter 5:8-9). Sometimes we still do wrong
things, and we must ask God to forgive us (1 John 1:8-10). Unless Christ returns first, we shall
all die (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
However, God will certainly complete the work that he has begun in our lives (Philippians
1:6). If God cares so much about his enemies, he will certainly rescue his own people (Luke
18:7). We wait eagerly for the time when that will happen (Romans 8:18-25). Then God will
destroy completely the power of death (1 Corinthians 15:51-57), the devil (Revelation 20:10),
and every evil thing. His people will live again, and death and the devil will be unable to act
against them again (Revelation 21:3-4).
Christians should speak boldly and with joy about God
(Romans 5:11)
Some Christians are so weak that they seem ashamed of almost everything in their lives.
However, Paul shows that Christians can and should speak boldly about many things.
Christians can speak boldly and with joy about the hope that God has given them (Romans
5:2). They can be sure that God will do good things in their lives. God’s promises are certain;
he will not disappoint them (Hebrews 6:17-19).
They can even be so bold that they speak joyfully about their troubles (Romans 5:3). Of
course, they are not pleased about their troubles. They are pleased about the way that God is
working in their lives during their troubles (Romans 8:28).
However, in the end, a Christian’s joy must not be mainly about himself, but about God. Of
course we are joyful about the wonderful things that God is doing for us (1 Corinthians 2:9).
However, we should be even more joyful that our God is so wonderful. We must not allow our
beliefs as Christians to become an excuse for selfish attitudes (1 Corinthians 4:6-10). Rather,
our attention must be upon God. His character is perfect (Exodus 34:6-7); his love is great
(Romans 5:6-8). He alone deserves that we should praise him (Revelation 22:8-9). All honour
and greatness in heaven and on earth belong to him (Revelation 4:11). If we desire to speak
about truly great and wonderful things, we must speak about him (1 Corinthians 1:31).
Paul compares Adam and Christ
(Romans 5:12-14)
Here, Paul begins to teach another lesson from the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible).
The Book of Genesis tells us that the first man was Adam (Genesis chapter 2 and 3). God
created Adam to be perfect, but Adam did not obey God’s command.
Sin means people’s wrong thoughts, words and actions. Therefore, Adam, the first man, was
guilty of sin. All people come from Adam and all people behave like him: we are all guilty of
sin (Romans 3:23).
God never wanted people to suffer death; in a perfect world, people do not die (Revelation
21:1-4). However, after Adam’s sin, our present world was not perfect. Sin had entered the
world, and the result of sin is death (Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:23).
So, sin, and its effects upon the world, were clear even before God gave his law to Moses. That
law expressed God’s perfect standards. The law allowed people to see clearly what wrong
things they were doing. However, the books of Moses (the first 5 books in the Bible) also
included God’s promises to rescue people from sin and death, by means of Christ.
The first of those promises appears in Genesis 3:15. By his sin, Adam had given power to the
devil. However, God promised that another man, Christ, would come to destroy the devil’s
power. So, Adam is called a type, or pattern, of Christ. The word ‘type’ here means someone
from whose life we can learn lessons about Christ. Adam and Christ were similar because
their lives have an effect on the lives of many people. However, the actual effect of their
acts was opposite to each other. Adam brought sin and death into the world. Christ brings a
right relationship with God, and life that never ends.
The two most important events that have ever happened
(Romans 5:15-17)
The most important event in Adam’s life was when he chose not to obey God (Genesis 3:1-6).
That was how evil deeds and death entered our world.
The most important event in Christ’s life was when he died for us (Romans 5:8), He had chosen
to obey God (Mark 14:36) so that many people can receive a right relationship with God. That
is how people can receive life without end (John 3:16; John 11:25-26),
Those two events are the most important events that have yet happened in our world.
Adam was the first man, so we all naturally belong to his family. Like him, we are all guilty of
wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions (Romans 3:23). Like him, we all must die (Romans
6:23).
However, God is creating a new world (Revelation 21:1), and because of Christ, we can
belong to it (2 Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 21:3). All who receive Christ into their lives
become members of his family (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-21). That is God’s free gift to
them: because of Christ, they receive a right relationship with him (Romans 5:10), By means of
Christ, they receive life that never ends (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Paul contrasts the results of what Adam and Christ did. Adam brought God’s judgement
against the world. He (Adam) allowed death to have power against everyone born after him.
However, Christ made it possible for God to forgive people. By means of Christ, people can
receive a right relationship with God, as God’s free gift to them. That relationship is not
just for their lives in this world - it will never end.
Adam’s family and Christ’s family
(Romans 5:18-19)
Paul is contrasting two men: Adam and Christ. He does not repeat their names here, but refers
to each in turn as ‘one man’.
The ‘one man’ who did not obey God was Adam, the first man. All people belong to his
family and, like him, we all do wrong and evil things (Romans 3:23). Therefore, the judgement
that he suffered (Genesis 3:19) is against us all: all people die (Hebrews 9:27).
The ‘one man’ who obeyed God perfectly was Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:21-22). In
particular, he obeyed God in his death (Mark 14:36; Luke 23:46). At his death, he suffered the
punishment that we all deserve (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 5:6-8). Therefore, all people who
receive him into their lives become members of his family (John 1:12-13). God forgives them
and they receive a right relationship with him. Their bodies may die, but they will always live
with him in heaven and the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-4).
In verse 19, Paul says that the lives of Christ and of Adam affect ‘many’ people; but he says
‘all’ people in verse 18. Paul clearly did not believe that all people will go to heaven (Romans
2:6-12). The word ‘all’ in the Bible does not actually mean absolutely everyone (Luke 6:26;
Acts 22:15). All people die - but Enoch (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11-
18) did not die.
In fact, it seems clear that Paul is describing two different groups of people here. One group
belongs to Adam’s family, and they all suffer death like him. The other group has joined the
family of Christ; like him, they all will live always (John 11:25-26). We all belong to Adam’s
family unless we join the people of God (1 Peter 2:10). God does not want us to suffer even the
punishment that we deserve for our evil deeds (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:32). He urges all
people everywhere to turn to him (Acts 17:30). So we must confess our evil deeds to him; we
must give him the place that he deserves in our lives.
The greatness of grace
(Romans 5:20-21)
Before God gave his law, it was impossible to measure people’s evil deeds (Romans 5:13). Then
God gave his law to show his perfect standards for our lives. However, people could not live by
those standards. So, their evil deeds increased.
In fact, some people’s evil deeds increased even more than if there had been no law (Romans
7:9-11).
Our first reaction to God’s law may be to feel guilty that we are not obeying it (Romans 7:7).
Our next reaction may be an evil desire to do even more of those wrong things (Romans 7:8).
However, our situation is not hopeless. Our wrong and evil deeds are great and terrible, but
God’s grace (kindness) is even greater. When God gave his law to Israel’s people, he also
showed them how to serve him. He permitted them to offer animals to him (Leviticus chapter 1
to 7 and chapter 16). God would accept the deaths of those animals so that his people could
have a relationship with him.
Now God has shown an even better way for people to receive a right relationship with him.
God can forgive people’s wrong and evil deeds because of the death of his Son, Jesus
Christ (Romans 5:8; Hebrews 10:11-17), God is adopting his people as his own sons and
daughters (Romans 8:13-19). We can have a closer relationship with God than ever was
possible before (Hebrews 10:19-22).
Formerly, our evil deeds ruled our lives. The certain result was death, with God’s punishment
afterwards (Romans 6:23). Now, however, God’s grace (kindness) can direct our lives. We can
have a right relationship with God, because of Jesus. We can know the kind of life that never
ends. That life will continue even after the death of our bodies (Romans 8:38-39), and we will
always live with God, in heaven and the New Jerusalem. That is God’s promise to those people
who receive Christ into their lives (Acts 3:19; Revelation 3:20-21).
Romans chapter 6
God does not want Christians to do wrong things
(Romans 6:1-2)
Paul taught that Christ frees Christians from the power of sin (Romans 6:22). Sin means
wrong and evil attitudes and behaviour. Paul meant that such things should no longer control
the lives of Christians. Instead, they are free to serve God in the manner that pleases him.
However, some Christians misunderstood Paul’s words. They wanted to be free to do anything
that they desired. They argued that wrong and evil things could not hurt them. They insisted
that, because of Christ, they had the right to do any of these things.
It was a very foolish and dangerous idea. This idea had become especially popular in Corinth,
from where Paul wrote the Book of Romans. In Corinth, some Christians were carrying out
wrong sex acts (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Other Christians were going into the houses of false
gods to eat (1 Corinthians 8:9-10).
Paul could see that he must teach very carefully about this matter. God does not want
Christians to do wrong and evil things, but to do good things. They must not desire to
please themselves, but to please God.
God’s grace (kindness) was so great because our sin was so serious (Romans 5:20). Of course
we must not continue to do those things that offend God so much. Instead, we must turn
from our sin and we must invite Christ into our lives. If we do that, God forgives us because of
Christ’s death for us (Romans 5:8). It is as if our former lives have ended. God gives a new life
to us (John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17), so that we can start to serve God properly (1 John 1:7-9).
Even then, we will sometimes still do wrong things (1 John 2:1), but in the end God will free us
from all sin (1 John 3:1; Revelation 22:14-15). Nobody in heaven does anything that is wrong
or evil.
Different meanings of baptism in the Bible
(Romans 6:3)
For the first Christians, baptism was the ceremony to show that a person has become a
Christian. They used water to wash that person’s body. As water washes dirt away, so God has
forgiven that person’s sin (evil deeds).
That is the simplest meaning of the ceremony, but in fact baptism has several meanings.
Baptism is actually a very ancient ceremony which existed long before the time of the first
Christians.
One of the earliest forms of it was the instruction for Israel’s people to wash on certain
occasions (for example, Leviticus 8:6; Leviticus 14:8-9). There, the meaning is that sin ruins a
person’s relationship with God. We need God to take away our sin.
That was how John (called the Baptist) understood baptism. However, at the same time, he
was urging the people to make a decision. They must not accept baptism then continue to
carry out their former sins (Matthew 3:1-12), Rather, baptism should show the beginning of
a new life. Now, God’s people should allow God to direct their lives, even as he guided Israel’s
people through the desert (1 Corinthians 10:2).
Jesus compared baptism to death in Mark 10:38-39. As God’s people start their new lives with
him, they must also accept the end of their former lives. They can no longer live for their
selfish ambitions, or to please themselves. They have accepted that Jesus died for them
(Romans 5:8). Therefore it is as if they died with Jesus (Galatians 2:20). They have a new life,
but the purpose of that life is not to please themselves. Instead, they live to please God and to
do his work.
Why the baptism of a new Christian is a joyful occasion
(Romans 6:4)
The baptism of a new Christian is one of the most joyful occasions in the Christian religion. At
baptism, a person declares that he has left his former life to become a Christian.
However, Paul has shown that one important meaning of baptism is death (verse 3). Baptism is
for people to declare that Christ’s death is for them. It is as if they died with Christ. We may
ask how a ceremony with such a serious meaning could ever be joyful.
The answer is that God gives life to dead people (Mark 12:24-27; Hebrews 11:19). He caused
Christ to live again after his death; in the same way, all God’s people will live again (1
Corinthians 15:12-22; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Even as death had no power over Christ (Acts
2:24), so death has no power over them (1 Corinthians 15:51-57). They have received the kind
of life that death cannot destroy (John 11:25-26).
That is a promise for the future, but God’s people already have that new life in their spirits.
When a person receives Christ into his life, that person is born again (John 1:12-13; John 3:3).
In other words, that person has a new life: God has changed that person’s life completely (2
Corinthians 5:17). That person’s body may die, but their spirit will never die. When the
person’s body dies, their spirit will immediately be alive with God in heaven (Luke 23:43).
Because God has made such a great change in their lives, Christians should live in a
completely different manner. Their relationship with God should matter more to them than
anything else. They should love God, and they should show his love to other people (Mark
12:28-31). Their constant desire should be to please him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
That is a very joyful way to live (Luke 15:7; Philippians 4:4). In fact, it is the best way to live
(Psalm 1; John 4:13-14).
God’s wonderful plans for his people
(Romans 6:5)
Christians often speak as if they have merely made a decision to follow their religion for the
rest of their lives. Paul wanted them to realise that something much greater has happened in
their lives. They only made the simple decision to invite Christ into their lives. However, Christ
accepted that invitation (Revelation 3:20), and he is changing them completely (1 John 3:2).
That change began when they accepted a relationship with him. They accepted that Christ died
for them (Romans 5:8). They chose to receive the benefits that Christ gained for them by his
death (Isaiah 53:4-6). Paul says that they were united with him in his death. In other words,
they have the closest possible relationship with Christ at his death. They even accept the
end of their former lives so that they can begin a new life with Christ (Romans 6:3-4; 2
Corinthians 5:17).
Paul does not want anyone to think that this new life is just for the rest of their life on earth.
That period of time is only the beginning of their relationship with Christ. People’s lives in this
world are short, but God’s wonderful plans for his people will never end (Romans 8:17-18; 1
Corinthians 2:9; Revelation 22:3-6).
Christ became alive again after his death. In the same way, even during their present lives on
earth, God’s people have a new kind of life (Romans 6:4). However, God will do much more for
them in the future. Their spirits will never die, but go to be with God in heaven. Of course,
their bodies may die. However, even as Christ’s body became alive again, so God will cause
their bodies to be alive again (1 Corinthians 15:12-21 and 15:35-49). This will happen at the
end of the present age, when Christ’s rule over all things is complete (Romans 8:18-23).
God changes people’s lives
(Romans 6:6-7)
Jesus said that, in order to have a right relationship with God, a person must be ‘born again’
(John 3:3). In Romans 6:4, Paul too spoke about a new life. That is a very beautiful way to
describe the change in a person’s life when that person becomes a Christian.
The problem is that we all have former lives. At that time, we did not do what God wanted us
to do (Romans 3:23). Perhaps we preferred to please ourselves; perhaps we did some very evil
things. We like the idea of a new life; but the end of our former lives may seem a less
attractive subject.
However, there was nothing attractive about our lives without God. In other words there was
nothing attractive about our wrong habits and evil behaviour. Those evil things controlled
our lives as if we were slaves. We are so grateful that Christ died to free us from those things
(Romans 5:6-8). So we are glad to share in the benefits of his death (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans
6:3-5). We are even glad to read about the end of our former lives; our new life with Christ is
so much better.
Of course, Paul is not describing here the death of our physical body. Rather, he is describing
how completely God changes people’s lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). God does this wonderful
thing whenever people turn from their evil deeds to invite Christ into their lives.
Those are the people that Paul describes as ‘dead people’ in verse 7. He means only that their
former lives, without God, have ended. He explains that their sin (evil thoughts, words and
deeds) no longer controls their life. Instead, God has given them a right relationship with him.
Therefore, they have a new life; they are ‘born again’.
The defeat of sin and death
(Romans 6:8-10)
Let us think about the fact that Christ became alive again after his death. We could consider
that simply to be another extraordinary event in his astonishing life. In fact, we might even
expect it to happen, because Christ is God. We might therefore suppose that this event has no
real effect on our lives. If so, then we have not really understood why Christ became alive
again.
Everyone has done wrong and evil things that are against God’s law (Romans 3:23). We call
such things ‘sin’, therefore, sin has power over everyone’s lives. Sin separates us from God
(Isaiah 59:2), and the result of sin is death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). Therefore, death also
has power over everyone.
So, God can only have a right relationship with people if he destroys the power of sin and
death. That is why Christ died on the cross. By his death, he defeated those enemies (Hebrews
2:14-15; Romans 8:2-3; 1 Corinthians 15:57). The fact that Christ became alive again proves
it: he really did defeat the power of death.
Therefore, although the bodies of God’s people may die, they will always live with him (1
Thessalonians 4:13-17). In fact, it is as if they have already died. Christ died for their sin
(Isaiah 53:3-6) and they have chosen to share the benefits of his death (Romans 6:3-4).
Therefore, their lives when sin controlled them have already ended (Romans 6:11). Instead,
they have already started their new lives with God. Christ lives always, in a perfect
relationship with God his Father (Hebrews 7:25). Even so, they too are beginning to live in a
right relationship with God.
Recognise the effects of Christ’s death upon your life
(Romans 6:11)
Christ died to end the power of sin - the evil attitudes, actions and behaviour that control
people’s lives. Then Christ became alive again, never to die again.
Paul urges Christians to recognise what Christ has done as part of their own experience.
Christ died for their sins (Romans 5:8): that is as real as if they had died for their own sins
(Romans 6:23). So, whenever someone invites Christ into his or her life, that person really is
free from the power of sin.
That fact is clear to the inhabitants of heaven (Luke 15:7; Luke 15:10). It is perhaps less clear
to us while we remain here on earth. It seems easier to believe our feelings, fears and doubts
than to believe God’s promises (for example, Isaiah 55:7; John 3:16; Acts 2:38-39). Then we
allow our own wrong desires and evil thoughts to tempt us to do wrong things.
When we then ask Christ to forgive our sin, we recognise the true situation. If he had not
destroyed the power of sin over our lives, he could not forgive us. However, if we confess our
sins to him, he will forgive us (1 John 1:9).
Christ’s new life makes our new life possible (John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4). He
has freed us from the power of sin, so that we can live for God. We are often slow to change
how we think, speak and behave. However, we must change these things, because we are now
God’s people (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). We probably cannot change these things by our own
efforts, but God does not want us to live by our own efforts. Instead, we must allow his
Holy Spirit to work in our lives (Galatians 5:16). Then the Holy Spirit shows us how to live in
the manner that pleases God (Galatians 5:22-25).
Christians should stand against sin in their lives
(Romans 6:12)
There are some people who hate God’s law. Perhaps they do not believe that God exists.
However, even if he does exist, they still do not want to obey him. They want freedom, they
say. In other words, they want to be able to do whatever pleases them. They do not want
anyone or anything to rule over their lives.
Sadly, those people do not realise that something else is already ruling over their lives.
Their own wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions have control over their lives. We call
these wrong things ‘sin’. Sin has control over the lives of everyone who will not allow God to
rule over their lives.
Christians have invited God to be their king, and they accept his rule over their lives.
Nobody can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24); therefore, sin should have no place in their
lives (1 John 3:8-9). However, in reality, the first reaction of many Christians to a wrong or
evil thought is weakness. They allow their feelings to direct their actions in the same way as
someone who is not mature (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). They seem to forget that God, and not their
strong desires, should rule their lives (James 1:14-15).
Paul clearly did not believe that Christians should accept sin’s control over their lives.
Instead, he taught them to stand against it. Christians should not approve of anything that is
evil. They should not give any attention to the wrong thoughts and ideas that enter their
minds. They should confess their sin to God so that he can forgive them (1 John 1:9). They
should recognise that sin is God’s enemy. It is the opposite of what God wants his people to
do.
Our bodies are weapons in the fight between good and evil
(Romans 6:13)
In this world, there is constant war between what is good and evil. We sometimes see the
effects of it in wars between nations and fights between people.
If we could see the spirit world, we would know the cause of all these troubles. The devil and
his evil forces are fighting against God’s armies of angels (God’s special servants). The
Bible often refers to that war (for example Daniel 10:12-13; Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Peter 5:8-9).
In the end, Christ will completely defeat every evil force (Revelation 19:11 to 20:3; Revelation
20:7-10).
However, at the present time, that war continues. Christians are very aware of how it affects
their own lives. They must constantly choose whether to do what is good and right. Of
course, that is not only a problem for Christians. Anyone with a conscience must make such
decisions constantly (Romans 2:14-15).
We carry out our actions, whether good or evil, with the parts of our bodies (Mark 9:43-47).
Therefore, Paul refers to the parts of our bodies as instruments, in other words, tools. In the
original language (Greek), Paul uses a word that means weapons: tools for war. In this great
battle between all that is good and evil, we too are active. In other words, our good or bad
actions show which side we support. We can work for what is good, or against it. We can
work for God, or against him.
Christians have already decided on which side they belong. Formerly they were God’s enemies;
now they have become his friends (Romans 5:10-11). So now they should use their daily
decisions to support his rule, and to do what is right. God has carried out the most
wonderful change in their lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). Evil behaviour belonged to their former
lives - it should not have any part in their lives now (1 Corinthians 6:9-20).
Sin will no longer control God’s people
(Romans 6:14)
Sin means our wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions. Everyone is guilty (Romans 3:23).
These things control people’s attitudes and behaviour so strongly that we may consider it
impossible ever to be free from them. So, this is truly a wonderful promise: sin will no longer
control God’s people. God frees them from both the punishment and the power of sin.
The reason is that God’s people have received his grace. Grace means God’s kindness. That
particularly refers to the fact that Christ died for them (Romans 5:6-8). When he died, he
took their sin upon himself (1 Peter 2:24). His death made it possible for God to forgive their
sin, and to give them a right relationship with himself.
However, God’s grace towards them did not end with Christ’s death: rather, their relationship
with him depends entirely on God’s grace (1 Corinthians 15:10-11). Their lives are a
continuous experience of God’s grace.
God’s grace, or kindness, is his free gift. It is not something that we can ever earn or deserve.
So therefore it does not depend on our own efforts - not even on our efforts to obey God’s holy
law.
God’s law shows his perfect standards for our lives, and therefore it cannot change (Matthew
5:17-20). The judgement of God’s law is rightly against our wrong and evil acts. However,
when God forgives us, we do not suffer the judgement of his law. Instead, Christ suffered the
punishment of the law (Isaiah 53:4-6) so that we can live by God’s kindness, his grace.
Excuses for evil behaviour
(Romans 6:15)
Paul has now returned to a similar question to the one that he asked in verse 1. However, the
two questions are not exactly the same. In verse 1, a person foolishly does more evil things,
so that God can forgive him more. In verse 15, the person foolishly imagines that God’s
kindness to him permits that person to do evil things.
These might seem strange excuses for evil behaviour. However, people are constantly making
up such excuses for the wrong things that they do. They want to feel as if they are not really
doing anything wrong.
Even many Christians do not want to obey what the Bible says. Perhaps, like the people in
Romans 2:17-24, they think that God’s commands are only for other people to follow.
Christians have a relationship with God because of his grace (his kindness), not because of his
law. So, some Christians argue that they do not have to obey God’s law.
That argument may seem clever, but actually it is foolish and dangerous (1 Corinthians 10:6-
12). It is never right to do something wrong. God’s law teaches us how God wants us to
live. God does not change (Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17). His opinions about how we should live
have not changed (Matthew 5:17-19). Some parts of God’s law are commands that are
necessary for moral reasons. Of course we must obey those commands. Other parts are there
to teach us about God or about ourselves. Of course we should study those passages, and we
should learn those lessons.
The real reason why people do evil things is wrong desires (James 1:13-15). Often, those
desires are for power, happiness or money. However, when we truly allow God’s Holy Spirit to
guide us, we do not desire wrong things (Galatians 5:16-17). What God’s Holy Spirit does in
our lives is never against his law (Galatians 5:22-23).
Who is your master: sin or God?
(Romans 6:16)
Jesus said that nobody can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). He meant, of course, two
masters who oppose each other. He was referring to people who try to combine love for God
with a selfish love of money (1 Timothy 6:10).
In Romans 6:14-23, Paul uses a similar word-picture, but in a more general way. His subject is
not just the love of money, but all sin (wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions). He finds
the word-picture useful, but not perfect. He often has to show us how sin is not actually like a
master. For example, sin is not something that we can obey. Rather we carry out sin when we
do not obey God.
Sin is mainly like a master because it controls our lives. It has become part of our human
nature, and only God can free us from its power. Even when we try to do good and right
things, we often find ourselves unable. However, often we do not even desire to do the right
things, because sin tempts us with wrong behaviour instead.
We imagine that sin, like a good master, offers us many rewards. We think that we will receive
from it profits, or happiness, or power. It is all a lie. Sin gives us nothing that lasts. For
example, we may gain happiness or money, but these benefits soon disappear. In the end, the
only reward that we gain for our sin, is death (Romans 6:23).
We call God our Lord, or our master, because of the honour that he deserves. However, God
is not like a cruel master who tries to control us. Rather, in his great love, he frees us from
the wrong things that formerly controlled our lives. He makes it possible for us to live in a
manner that is right and good.
God does reward his loyal people (Mark 10:29-30). However, his greatest act of kindness to
them is not a reward for their efforts, but a gift. He gives them life that never ends. He does
that because Jesus died for them (Romans 6:23).
The change in people's lives when they become Christians
(Romans 6:17)
One of the most wonderful effects of the gospel (the message about Christ) is how it changes
the lives of many people. Evil and cruel people become kind and gentle. Selfish people
become generous. Thieves learn to do honest work. The gospel’s effects on the lives of people
are entirely good (compare Matthew 7:17-20).
The Bible often refers to this change (for example 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1
Peter 2:9-10). Paul (formerly called Saul) knew it in his own experience (Acts 9:1-19; 1
Timothy 1:12-16).
However, we do not always see such a change when a person becomes a Christian. Many
people are already living in a sincere and right way, even before they hear the gospel (Romans
2:14). They are honest about the wrong things that they have done - so, they are eager for
God to forgive them. When they hear God’s message, they receive it gladly.
We may see little change when such a person becomes a Christian. There may be little that
the person needs to change in his actions, behaviour or attitudes. However, the reality is
that God really has made a great change in that person’s life (John 3:3-8). It is a change in
that person’s spirit; Jesus called it to be ‘born again’.
There is another reason why we may not see such a change in people’s lives. Many churches
do not teach God’s message clearly. Perhaps their leaders are afraid of the power of the
gospel (Romans 1:16), or perhaps they are trying to impress people with clever words
(contrast 2 Corinthians 4:2). The result may be that few people become Christians. However,
perhaps people become Christians, but their trust in God is too weak; so they do not have the
confidence to allow God to make great changes to their lives.
Sin and righteousness are opposites
(Romans 6:18)
Paul could say, as in Hebrews 2:14-15, that God has freed his people from the power of the
devil. Similarly, he could say, as in Romans 6:22, that Christians now serve God. However,
instead, here he chooses to speak about sin and righteousness. It is these two opposite
principles that direct people’s lives. Sin and righteousness are as strongly opposite as God
and the devil are.
By the word ‘sin’ here, Paul now means much more than our evil deeds. It is very terrible that
people should ever choose to do wrong and evil things. By ‘sin’, Paul here means the part of
our human nature that directs us to do those wrong things. Because of its control over our
lives, we were God’s enemies (Romans 5:10). It was impossible that we could ever free
ourselves from its power.
However, Christ died to free us from the power of sin. When we invite Christ into our lives,
instead of sin, righteousness directs our lives. Righteousness means complete goodness. Now,
at last, we can start to live in the manner that pleases God.
We have described sin as ‘part of our nature’. We do not think that we can describe
righteousness in the same way. Even loyal Christians sometimes do wrong things (1 John 1:8-
9). Rather, ‘righteousness’ describes the perfect character of God: only he is perfectly good.
However, God is present in the lives of his people (1 Corinthians 6:19). Because of Christ’s
death, his righteousness is in their lives (2 Corinthians 5:21). As God guides them by his
Spirit, their actions and attitudes are right and good (Galatians 5:16-25).
The two ways that people can behave
(Romans 6:19)
In reality, there are only two ways that people can choose to behave (see also Psalm 1).
They can choose to do those things that are wrong. Paul refers to those things as ‘unclean’
things. He does not mean things that are physically dirty. Rather, he uses the word as a word-
picture for behaviour that is morally wrong. The result of such choices is that people follow
every kind of evil behaviour (Romans 1:28-32). They do not care about God’s law. They only
care about their own emotions, desires and greedy attitudes.
The opposite of unclean is holy. A holy person should do only what is right and good; that
person belongs completely to God. That person does not oppose God’s law by evil acts;
instead, he chooses to live a life of righteousness. Righteousness means behaviour that is
right; it is the result of a right relationship with God.
Some of the people who have become Christians used to live in a wrong and evil manner (1
Corinthians 6:9-11). However, God can change people’s lives completely (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Even such people can become God’s holy people (1 Peter 2:9-10).
It should be clear to everyone how God wants all people (Romans 1:19-20), but especially
Christians, to behave. However, people are often weak; they allow their wrong desires and
foolish emotions to direct their behaviour. For that reason, we must make a clear decision
that we will choose to live in the right way. Then we must make that decision constantly in
our daily life (Romans 12:1-2).
If we are free from righteousness, we are the slaves of sin
(Romans 6:20)
Paul says here that the slaves of sin are free from righteousness. Sin means wrong and evil
behaviour and attitudes; righteousness means right and good behaviour and attitudes. Paul
used the phrase ‘slaves of sin’ previously in verse 17; there he was describing the former state
of the people who had become Christians in Rome.
However, Paul’s words seem strange here. Many people who are not Christians live in a
sincere and good manner (Romans 2:14-15). Also, all people everywhere have a duty to do
what is right (Acts 17:30; Romans 1:19-20). There is no proper excuse for evil behaviour;
God is the judge of all people. So we ask: who is free from the duty to do what is right?
To answer our question, we must examine Paul’s words more carefully. Few people choose on
purpose to allow sin to rule their lives. However, most people allow their own desires,
emotions and ambitions to direct their lives. When they do that, they are not accepting God’s
rule over their lives. In reality, they are pleasing themselves, and that is called sin. It is
therefore not righteousness, but sin that is really controlling their lives. Therefore, Paul
describes them as slaves of sin.
Next, we must ask: in what way are they free from the duty to do what is right? We have seen
that, like everyone else, God orders these people to do the right things. However, that is a
duty to God, and these people are not accepting God’s rule over their lives. Instead, sin rules
their lives. Sin is like a master who never orders his slaves to do anything right. If we accept
the rule of sin over our lives, we cannot follow righteousness. That is why the Bible urges
us so strongly to turn from sin. True freedom is not freedom from righteousness, but freedom
from sin. In other words, we need to be free in order to do what is right. It is a terrible thing
to desire freedom from the duty to do good and right things.
The true value of the best things that we can achieve
(Romans 6:21)
Paul refers to certain things, of which Christians are now ashamed. In other words, now that
they have become Christians, they are ashamed of certain things in their past. It interests
us to know what particularly those things are.
We should all, of course, be ashamed of our evil deeds. However, Paul is referring to things of
which Christians are ‘now’ ashamed. So, formerly they were not ashamed of those things.
Their change of attitude is the result of the fact that they have now become Christians. At the
beginning of the verse, Paul uses the word for ‘fruit’ to describe these things. In other words,
people considered these things to be the best things that they had achieved in their lives.
They were proud of them.
They had no proper reason to be proud. Perhaps they had achieved great things, like Solomon
in Ecclesiastes 2:1-11. However, like him, they achieved nothing that can truly last. A
person can gain the whole world but lose his life (Matthew 16:26). So really, that person has
gained nothing worthwhile.
We often describe ‘sin’ as our wrong and evil thoughts, words and deeds. However, that is
just a simple explanation. Really, ‘sin’ describes any life where God does not have his
proper place (Mark 12:30). That is why we do wrong things (Mark 7:20-23); that is why
people become selfish, or proud, or wicked.
Perhaps for a time we are proud of the results of such a life. Perhaps we consider that we
have achieved truly great things for ourselves, without God in our lives. However, we all know
that we must die. There will be a day of judgement, when we all will see the true value of
these things.
It seems much better to discover the truth about our lives now. That is what Paul described in
Philippians 3:7-11. Paul achieved much in life before he became a Christian. However, he now
considered it nothing, because now he knew Christ. Now, it was his greatest joy and desire
to know Christ better.
God changes people's lives completely
(Romans 6:22)
When people invite Christ into their lives, a wonderful change happens in their lives (John
1:12). That change starts to happen immediately, but we do not always see its effects at once.
God’s work in a person’s life continues for their whole life, and beyond that into the future age.
Especially when God saves someone from a very evil life, the immediate change in their
behaviour and attitudes is great. It is no longer sin (their wrong and evil thoughts, words
and actions) that directs their life. Instead, they have invited God to rule their life. For such a
person, their life has become the complete opposite of what it was before.
In reality, God makes an equally great change in the life of someone who has always tried
to live a good life. Formerly, they struggled to do it, because of the power of sin in their life.
Now, as a Christian, they may still struggle, because the devil opposes them (1 Peter 5:8-9).
However, now God rules their life, and, because of God’s power in their life, they can overcome
(Romans 8:37-39; Revelation 12:11). In Romans 6:20-21, Paul described their lives before
they became Christians. In verse 22, he shows how their lives now are the opposite. Now,
God achieves something wonderful in their lives. He is making them holy, in other words, he is
separating them for himself.
Paul also contrasts the end, or the result, of their lives. Without God, a person lives only to
die. However, God has a much better and more wonderful future for his people. At the end of
their lives on earth, they will have life without end (John 3:16). God has prepared a
wonderful home for them in heaven and the new Jerusalem (John 14:2; Revelation 21:1-7).
Sin's terrible reward and God's wonderful gift
(Romans 6:23)
At the time of the Bible, it was usual to pay workers each evening, for their day’s work
(Matthew 20:1-16). A bad employer might delay the payment (Leviticus 19:13). He would not
care how much the workers suffered.
Sin is like a terrible employer. Sin means our wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions. We
are all guilty (Romans 3:23). Our wrong desires and attitudes affect our lives so powerfully
that they seem to be part of our nature. We cannot free ourselves from the control of these
things.
We often imagine that we are gaining a good reward from such behaviour. We say that our
efforts have earned us happiness, or satisfaction, or money, or importance, or honour.
However, none of these rewards are real because they do not last. They may disappear in a
moment, but we will certainly lose them at death.
Death is a poor reward for the efforts of our whole lives. The Bible teaches that death
separates our spirit from our body (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Our body returns to the earth (Genesis
3:19); our spirit goes to God who is our judge (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
Only God can free us from the power of sin and death (Romans 8:2). This can happen only
because Christ died to suffer the punishment for our sin (Romans 5:6-8). We must invite God
to rule our lives, instead of sin (Romans 6:16-18). Then God will give us life that never ends
(John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:35-40). This is the kind of life that continues even after the
death of our body (John 11:25-26).
We can never earn this wonderful gift. God gives it to us as an act of his grace, his kindness
(Romans 4:1-8). We receive it by faith, in other words, when we believe God (Romans 5:1-2).
Faith means active belief and trust in God. It is the right attitude for someone who wants God
to direct his life. See also Matthew 11:28-30.
Romans chapter 7
Who, or what, has authority over your life?
(Romans 7:1)
Paul is teaching Christians that they should allow God to direct their lives by his Holy Spirit
(Romans 8:2-11). Most Christians are more aware of the feelings of their own bodies than
what God is doing in their spirits. To them, it seems an uncomfortable idea to depend on God.
It is so easy for us to forget that, in fact, the whole world depends completely upon him (Acts
17:24-25; Colossians 1:15-17).
When people will not allow God to rule their lives, they give authority over their lives to
something else. When Christians do not trust God, they allow their own feelings, desires
and opinions to direct their lives. Often, they start to live in a similar manner to people who
do not have a real relationship with God. That is because they are simply following the natural
reactions of their bodies in each situation. They are not allowing God to guide them.
Some people choose to do whatever pleases them. For that reason, they may even do things
that they know to be wrong or evil. The effect is to give sin (their own wrong and evil
behaviour and attitudes) control over their life. Paul has warned about this in chapter 6.
Other people try to control their own behaviour by strict rules. They hope that, by that
means, they can avoid wrong and evil behaviour. Paul will show in chapter 7 why this method
cannot succeed. Really, these people are giving control over their lives to their rules,
instead of to God. When they cannot follow those rules, they too become aware of the power
of sin in their lives.
Our rules may be good - but only God’s Holy Spirit can free us from the power of sin (Romans
8:2).
Christians are the bride of Christ
(Romans 7:2-4)
Paul uses this description of Christians as the bride of Christ in several places. In Ephesians
5:23-30, he emphasises Christ’s love for his people. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, as here, Paul’s
subject is the love that Christians should show to Christ. They should love him so much that
they will not allow anything to spoil their love for him. Christ should receive the first and most
important place in their lives (Mark 12:30).
Before they were Christians, they probably had a different attitude. They loved other things
much more than they loved Christ. The worst people love their sins (their evil thoughts, plans
and actions). Other people may love their customs, habits and traditions, or even the rules of
their religion. Those things may not be evil; some people love the laws that are in the Bible.
Those laws are good and holy (Romans 7:12). However, it is possible to study those laws and
never to understand their real purpose (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). The purpose of God’s law is
to bring us to a right relationship with God (Galatians 3:23-24).
When we become Christians, the death of Christ has an extraordinary effect on our lives.
It is as if we died with Christ (Romans 6:3-4). Before, we may have loved other things more
than we loved Christ. Perhaps those things were good and proper; but it was wrong that we
loved them more than Christ. Now, we have begun new lives, with a right relationship with
Christ. If formerly wrong things controlled our lives, Christ frees us from those things. If
formerly we loved good things, we now understand those things in a new way.
So, now God’s law is in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10); we do not still try to follow its rules while
we neglect our relationship with God. Instead, now God’s law helps us to love God more. The
result is that now our lives can truly please God. We can achieve the good things that God
wants us to achieve in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).
Our wrong desires
(Romans 7:5)
When God placed Adam and Eve in Eden, he permitted them to eat fruit from any of the trees,
except one (Genesis 2:15-17). There was only that one tree from which he commanded them
not to eat. That tree was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Although God had given them only that one law, they chose not to obey it (Genesis 3:1-7).
They made that decision because of their wrong desires. The fruit was good to eat so their
bodies desired it. The fruit looked beautiful to their eyes, so it tempted them. They allowed
themselves to become proud: that fruit belonged to God, but they wanted to be like God
(Genesis 3:5-6).
These same kinds of wrong desires have affected all people since then (1 John 2:16). God
did not give us those kinds of desire; however they have become part of our human nature. The
result for us, as for the first people, is that we must die (Genesis 3:19; Romans 6:23).
Our wrong feelings cause us to do all kind of wrong things (Galatians 5:19-21). Our wrong
ambitions cause us to desire things that God has not given to us. Our wrong pride is the reason
why we refuse to be humble in front of God (Micah 6:8).
Even our reaction to God’s holy law is very strange. God’s law shows us how much we need God
to save (rescue) us from our sin (evil deeds). However, our reaction to it is often not to be
humble, but to be proud. We read its rules; we imagine ourselves able to prove to God that we
really are good people. If we do that, we are behaving like Adam and Eve. We too are acting
proudly; we too are depending on ourselves and not on God. Instead, we should come to God
humbly, and with faith (active belief and trust in him) - Romans 4:1-3.
Who guides your life: God's Spirit or your natural thoughts?
(Romans 7:6)
There are two ways by which we can understand God’s law. Here, as in 2 Corinthians 3:6-8,
Paul calls these two ways the ‘spirit’ and the ‘letter’. One of these ways is right, and the other
is wrong. One gives us a right relationship with God, the other cannot do that.
The natural way to read God’s law is to read the letters and words on the page. We see there a
series of rules and commands that tell us how to live. However, without the work of God’s
Spirit in our lives, we are too weak to follow these laws completely. So, these laws bring God’s
judgement against us (see James 2:10-11). Even if we seem to succeed, we then become proud
of ourselves. God cannot approve of our proud attitudes (Proverbs 16:5); we are taking for
ourselves the honour that is due to God alone. We think that we are strong; but we have only
proved our weakness.
We may ask, therefore, how we can ever please God. The answer is that we must come to
God, not in our own strength, but by the death of Christ (Romans 5:6-10; Hebrews 10:19-
22). That is the new law of God’s Spirit. Christ frees us from the old law that brings us the
judgement of death for our evil deeds (Romans 6:23; Romans 8:2).
God wants us to allow his Holy Spirit to guide our lives (Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16). Paul
contrasts that with the natural way that our human bodies behave (Romans 7:14). It is natural
to allow our feelings, desires and fears to guide our lives. It is natural not to trust God,
especially in difficult circumstances (contrast Romans 4:19-22). So, our natural way to read
God’s law is not right, either. Instead, we must let God’s Holy Spirit show us how we can
truly please God. When we do that, our actions will not offend against any of God’s laws
(Galatians 5:22-23).
God's law declares the truth about our sin
(Romans 7:7-8)
It is only by God’s law that we can truly know our sin. Our sin means the wrong and evil
things in our lives that offend God. Our conscience, or moral judgement, might warn us when
we are doing something wrong. However, our conscience is not accurate enough. Only God’s
law can accurately show us our sin.
For example, the last of the 10 commands in Exodus 20:1-17 is against jealous thoughts. It
seems hard for us to believe that a mere thought can offend God. Without such a clear
command, even Paul might not have known that these jealous and selfish thoughts are wrong.
However, our wrong desires cause very great troubles in the world (1 Timothy 6:10). James
1:14-15 shows how our wrong desires cause our evil acts. To be jealous, is to desire
something that God has not given to us. We can see how so many of the sins in Exodus 20:1-
17 are the direct result of this wrong attitude. For example, we steal when we are jealous of
someone else’s possessions.
We know that God’s law is not the cause of our wrong attitudes and actions. However, when
we are living as God’s enemies (see Romans 5:10), of course we oppose his authority over our
lives. If at that time we know God’s law, our wrong actions are more serious because of that
knowledge (Romans 2:17-24).
If God had made no rule for our lives, we could not of course offend against it. If God had not
made us aware of his greatness and power, we could not know him (Romans 1:20). However,
God has done these things; therefore, we have no proper excuse for our wrong and selfish
behaviour. So, we should confess our evil deeds to him and we should invite him into our lives.
We, who were God’s enemies, can become his friends, because of the death of Christ (Romans
5:6-11).
Choose life, not death
(Romans 7:9-11)
The main difficulty in this passage is what Paul means by life and death here. Clearly, he does
not mean the life and death of the body. However, he also does not mean the life and death of
the spirit in the way that Christians usually describe these things. They mean whether the
person is truly one of God’s people. That is because they are thinking mainly about the future
state of that person, in heaven or hell.
In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Moses urged Israel’s people to ‘choose life’. He was not referring
mainly to the life of their bodies or to the future life of their spirits. Rather, he was urging
them to live for God in the land that God had promised to them. In their daily decisions, they
would either allow God to direct their lives, or they would selfishly live for their own
benefit. If we allow God’s Spirit to guide us, that is called life (see John 7:37-39; Galatians
5:16). However, if we live for our own pleasure, desires and feelings, that is like death (1
Timothy 5:6).
People have a natural desire to live for their own benefit. They want to be in control of their
own lives. People even try to use God’s law for their own benefit. They try to obey God’s law in
order to satisfy him, when they do not really love him (see Mark 12:30-31).
Paul could see that people with such attitudes were not really in control of their own lives.
They were not allowing God’s Spirit to direct their lives. Therefore, they were allowing sin
(their own wrong attitudes and behaviour) to direct their lives. That is not the kind of life
that God wants people to have (John 10:10). In fact, Paul did not even want to describe it as
‘life’ - so he chose the opposite word, ‘death’ to describe it.
God's perfect law
(Romans 7:12)
In Romans chapter 7, Paul is not warning his readers against God’s holy law. Rather, he warns
them against certain wrong attitudes towards God’s law.
Christians often find it hard to trust in God in every circumstance (compare Romans 4:19-21).
It seems easier for them to accept even a difficult set of rules for their lives. Then they
depend on their own efforts, and they do not desire the Holy Spirit to guide them. So Paul
must show why this idea is wrong. Then, in chapter 8, he can teach how Christians should live.
Many people have wrong attitudes towards God’s law. However, God’s law is not wrong. Paul
emphasises this fact very strongly. God’s law is holy; its commands are holy, right and good.
God’s law is not like the laws that rulers and governments on earth make. Sometimes their
laws are good, and sometimes bad. Often, they make laws simply to please those people whose
support they need. Sometimes they try to make a good law, but that law fails to achieve its
purpose.
God’s law is perfect (Psalm 19:7), because it expresses God’s perfect character (Exodus
34:6-7). It does not change (Matthew 5:18) because God does not change (James 1:17). God
does not need the support of any person; his law deals with all people in the manner that is
right and proper (Romans 2:11). Like all God’s words, his law will achieve its purpose (Isaiah
55:11).
It is very foolish if we try to argue against God (Psalm 2:1-6). We should come to him humbly,
and ask him to forgive us our evil deeds (Isaiah 55:6-7). He desires to forgive us; Christ died to
suffer the punishment for our evil deeds (Romans 5:8). However, if we will not allow him to
forgive us, the judgement of his law will be against us (Romans 2:6-10).
The wise and foolish ways to live
(Romans 7:13)
Bible teachers have different opinions about the meaning of Romans chapter 7. One of the
problems is what Paul means by ‘death’ in verses 9-13.
In addition to the death of the body, the Bible speaks about the death of the spirit (Colossians
2:13). That is the true state of a person who, although alive, does not have a real relationship
with God. On the other hand, God’s people have life in their spirits that continues even after
the death of their bodies (John 6:53-54; John 11:25-26).
So, there are two ways to live: a wise way, and a foolish way (Psalm 1; Proverbs chapter 9;
Matthew 7:24-27). The wise way is to trust in Christ, and to allow his Holy Spirit to guide
us. Then we will receive, from the Holy Spirit, God’s gift of life that never ends (Romans 6:23;
Romans 8:11).
The foolish way to live, is to live for our own desires, pleasures and feelings (1 Timothy
5:6). We care about the desires of our own bodies; but we refuse the life that comes from the
Holy Spirit. So, in God’s opinion, our spirits are dead even while we are still alive. That kind
of death is simply the natural result of how we are living (Romans 6:23). God’s law is good
(Romans 7:12), but its judgement is against us. We cannot blame God’s law for that. Instead,
we ourselves are responsible because of our own wrong, evil and selfish attitudes and actions.
Of course Christians should not live in that foolish manner. However, sometimes we give too
much attention to the feelings and desires that come from our bodies. The result is that we do
wrong things (James 1:15). God has given life to our spirits; but we act like someone whose
spirit is dying. We must stop our wrong behaviour and confess our evil deeds to God (1 John
1:9). He very much wants to forgive us. Christians should always desire to live in the way that
pleases God.
God wants to free us from the power of sin
(Romans 7:14)
Here, Paul contrasts the life of our bodies with the life of our spirits. He complains that we
care too much about the lives of these weak bodies: our desires, emotions, fears and
ambitions. Because of that, we allow sin (our own wrong and evil attitudes and actions) to
rule our lives. It is as if we have sold ourselves as slaves. We lose even the freedom to do
what we know to be right and good.
Perhaps we expect God’s law to help us in this situation. When we are trying to do good things,
we do not expect its judgement to be against us. However, while our attention remains on
the life of our bodies, its judgement must be against our evil deeds.
That is because God’s law is not just for our bodies, but also for our spirits. That statement
may surprise us. Our rulers make laws to tell us what we may, or may not do with our bodies.
However, we use God’s law wrongly when we are only trying to control the actions of our
bodies (Colossians 2:20-23). God does not just want to change our lives here on earth. God
wants to change our lives for all time, and in the future world too (Romans 8:14-21).
That is why God wants to free us completely from the power of sin. That is why we must not
live merely for the benefit of our bodies, but for our spirits (Romans 8:12-13). We cannot free
ourselves from the power of sin by mere human efforts to follow rules and commands. We
need God’s Holy Spirit to work in our lives (Romans 8:9-11). God did not give his law in order
to control us by its rules. God gave it so that it could lead us into a right relationship with
himself (Galatians 3:21-24).
A person who wants to obey God's law, but cannot do that
(Romans 7:15-16)
Paul has just told us what kind of person he is describing here (verse 14). This person cares
too much about the desires and emotions of his body. Therefore, he is not allowing the
Holy Spirit to direct his life (Galatians 5:16). Instead, this person’s natural emotions and
desires are causing him to do wrong and evil things that are against God’s law. We call those
wrong things ‘sin’.
In fact, this person is now under the control of his own wrong attitudes and behaviour. He is
not free to do the things that he should do. He cannot obey God’s law properly, although he
wants to do it. This person has become like a slave to his own sin.
Paul does not say clearly whether or not this person is a Christian. Christ has freed
Christians from the control of sin (Romans 6:20-22). So, a Christian cannot really be a slave of
sin. However, Christians can choose to behave as if they are the slaves of sin (Galatians 5:1).
In other words, they can behave as if Christ had not freed them from the power of sin. Then
their experience of sin will be very much like someone whom Christ has never freed.
This person in Paul’s description is trying hard to behave in the right way. However, he is
thinking about God’s law in a very natural, human way. He thinks that by his efforts he can
somehow satisfy God’s demands on his life. He wants God to be pleased with him. However, he
is not yet ready to allow God to rule his life. This person wants to be in control of his own life;
he does not want the Holy Spirit to guide his life.
The weakness of Paul's efforts to obey God's law
(Romans 7:17)
It may seem as if Paul is trying to blame something else for his own evil acts. Of course he is
not really doing that. He has taught very clearly that each person has full responsibility for his
own behaviour (Romans 2:1-11).
Paul describes himself as a person who was trying unsuccessfully to obey God’s law. That is, he
was managing to obey many of its commands. However, God’s law is perfect (Psalm 19:7); and
he was not perfect (see James 2:10). So, his efforts to obey God’s law were not earning for
him a right relationship with God (Romans 3:28).
We ask what was wrong with those efforts. Paul’s answer is that he was not allowing the Holy
Spirit to direct his life (compare Galatians 5:16-17 with Romans 7:14-18). So, without the
work of the Holy Spirit in his life, Paul was unable to achieve the good things that he
wanted. He was trying to please God, but he was not really pleasing God.
Paul did not want to do anything wrong. However, in reality he was doing wrong things. So,
two opposite desires were operating at the same time in his mind (compare James 1:5-8).
There was the belief that God’s law is good (Romans 7:16). Then, there was the natural human
desire to act for his (Paul’s) own benefit. Paul thought that he could satisfy both of these
desires: if he could obey the law, he would benefit from it. He did not yet see that his desire to
benefit himself was selfish and wrong. That desire was itself against God’s law (Mark 12:28-
34).
Paul had never wanted to be selfish, but a selfish desire had taken control of his life (Romans
7:22-23). Only the freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit could free Paul from that wrong
desire (Romans 8:9-11).
'Nothing good lives in me'
(Romans 7:18)
It is interesting to compare Paul’s words here with what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:16. There,
he urged Corinth’s Christians to remember that God’s Spirit was living in them. Here, in
Romans 7:18, he says that nothing good is living in him. In fact, in the previous verse, he said
that sin (evil attitudes and behaviour) was living in him.
The two passages may seem to be opposites; however, Paul has not changed his mind. He
explains his meaning here clearly: it is in his ‘flesh’ that nothing good is living.
In the Greek language, the word for ‘flesh’ is SARX. The word really means the soft parts of
the human body. However, the first Christians often used it as a word-picture. By ‘flesh’, they
meant the natural desires that people have for their own benefit (Galatians 5:16-17). These
desires bring about all kinds of selfish and wrong behaviour (Galatians 5:19-21). We may
consider this to be simply normal human behaviour. However, it is not how God wants people
to live. People should live to please God, and not to please themselves.
Paul does not teach that the human body is evil. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, he describes the bodies
of God’s people as a holy place where God’s Spirit is. In Romans 8:9, he repeats his statement
that God’s Spirit lives in his people. Therefore, they must not allow the wrong desires of the
‘flesh’ to direct their lives.
When people care too much about their desires in this world, they cannot really please God.
They might want to do good things, but their desires for themselves make them too weak to do
that. That is why people need God’s Holy Spirit to guide and to direct their lives.
What causes someone to do wrong things that they do not want to do?
(Romans 7:19)
Many Christians use Paul’s words in verse 19 to describe their own experience. They too feel
unable to do many of the good things that they would wish to do. They too carry out certain
wrong acts that they would never wish to do. Clearly, Paul is describing a common problem
here.
These matters are especially serious because of the relationship that Christians have with
God. Christ died so that God could forgive their evil deeds (Romans 5:8). Previously, their own
evil attitudes and behaviour controlled their lives - but now they should be free from those
things (Romans 6:22). Of course God will still forgive them when they confess their wrong
deeds to him (1 John 1:9). However, it would be much better if they never did these wrong
things (1 John 2:1).
We ask what could cause a Christian to do wrong things. God is living, by his Spirit, in that
person’s life (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19). God does nothing evil - clearly, he does not
cause anyone to do something wrong (James 1:13). Therefore, our wrong acts are the result
of our own wrong desires (James 1:14; Mark 7:20-23). That is, the desires that we have to
benefit ourselves. Those may seem very natural desires, but they are not from God. Instead,
we should desire first to love God, and then to love other people (Mark 12:29-31). We must
trust God to provide what we ourselves may need (Matthew 6:25-33).
When we have those correct attitudes, we are allowing God to guide our lives by his Spirit
(Galatians 5:16). The Holy Spirit gives us the freedom to live our lives in the way that pleases
God (Romans 8:13).
The power and weakness of our desires

(Romans 7:20-21)
By nature, our desires operate in a strange and frightening manner. We know that our desires
are powerful. However, we still cannot achieve whatever we want. So, our desires can spoil
our relationship with God; but, without God’s help, our desires cannot mend that
relationship. Our desires can easily bring about evil things. However, without God’s help, our
desires cannot bring about good things (Psalm 127:1). Nothing truly good happens in the world
unless God does it (James 1:17). The whole world depends entirely upon God’s work
(Colossians 1:16-17).
God did not intend that people’s desires should operate in this wrong manner (Romans 5:12).
However, God never intended people to form their desires separately from him. He created
people to have a relationship with him. Then, they could do his work in this world (Genesis
1:28).
Sin (wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions) is the result of people’s desire to live
separately from God. The things that they desire separately from God, are the result of sin.
That is why people’s own efforts, without God, cannot achieve anything truly good. People
might please themselves by those efforts. They may even become very great in this world.
However, they lack the most important thing: a real relationship with God (Matthew 16:26).
God’s Spirit lives in his people (Romans 8:9). Therefore, the desires of God's people should
achieve what God wants. In the present age, this does not always happen. God's people do
not always permit God’s Holy Spirit to direct their lives (Galatians 3:1-4). Instead, they often
allow their own weak human desires to direct their lives, and the result is sin. However, God is
working in the lives of his people (Philippians 1:6). In Romans 8:29, Paul shows God’s plan for
them in the future age.
The law of God and the law of sin
(Romans 7:22-23)
Paul is discussing two different laws, or principles, that have power over his life. These two
laws are opposites; they oppose each other. We need to understand what these laws are. Then
we should be able to see how they affect our lives.
So, let us see how Paul describes these laws. He has several different names for each one. In
verse 22, he calls the first law: ‘the law of God’. In the next verse, he calls the same law: ‘the
law of my mind’. We can see from verse 25 that these are the same thing. By ‘mind’, Paul
means his intelligent thought. In Paul’s spirit, he truly loves this law. In Romans 8:2, he will
call it: ‘the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’. By the power of the Holy Spirit, this law
brings life to Paul’s own spirit.
In verse 23, Paul calls the second law ‘another law’. It is ‘the law of sin’. In Romans 8:2, Paul
gives its full name: ‘the law of sin and death’. That reminds us of the principle in Romans
6:23. Sin means our wrong attitudes and actions. The Holy Spirit gives freedom and life
(Romans 8:2); sin controls us like prisoners and it causes death. That is, until Christ frees us,
to live in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 7:24-25; Romans 8:1-4).
The reality is that God’s people are free from ‘the law of sin’. They love God’s law in their
hearts, and their minds approve of it. However, the physical parts of their bodies often seem
much weaker. That is, they become too aware of the things that their physical bodies need or
desire. So, they become too weak to trust God in each situation (Matthew 6:25-33). They are
only trying to look after themselves - but in reality, they have allowed sin to have power in
their lives.
A wretched life – but God gives life to dying people
(Romans 7:24)
Paul has described himself as a man in a desperate state. Clearly, his description came from
his own experience. Paul very much wanted his life to please God, but Paul’s own efforts
were too weak to do that. Paul desired only to do good things, but he could not stop his own
wrong thoughts and behaviour. He realised that the result of our evil deeds is death (Romans
6:23). So, he very much needed God’s help.
Paul describes his state as wretched, or miserable. Previously, he used a similar word to
describe the miserable results of people’s lives when they fight against God (Romans 3:16).
Paul has just described his experience as a war that was happening inside him (Romans 7:23).
With his mind, he approved of God’s law - but his own body seemed to fight against it. In other
words, his own desires were so often for himself, and not for God. It is natural for the
human body to behave in this way - but the natural end of the human body is death. So, Paul
was a dying man.
However, Paul has already told us that God gives life to dying people. God does that when
people act in faith. In other words, when they believe him. That is what happened in the life of
Abraham (Romans 4:17-19). That is what God wants to do in our lives, too (Romans 4:23-25).
Because of the death of Christ, his Holy Spirit can live in us (Romans 8:9). Even as the Holy
Spirit caused Christ to become alive again, so he can give life to our dying bodies (Romans
8:11). That is not the natural, human kind of life that will soon end (John 11:25-26). God gives
his people the kind of life that never ends (John 4:13-14; Romans 8:16-18). Their spirits will
never die; but even their bodies will receive the new kind of life that comes from the Holy
Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).
God can rescue us from our wrong attitudes and behaviour
(Romans 7:25)
Paul has just told us about a difficult experience. He desperately wanted to free himself from
the wrong attitudes and behaviour that seemed so powerful in his life. However, even with his
best efforts, he was much too weak to succeed.
Now, at last, Paul expresses his joy and thanks to God. God does those things that we
consider impossible (Luke 1:37; Romans 4:17). Death is the result of our evil deeds; but life is
the result of Christ’s death for us (Romans 6:23). We cannot save (rescue) ourselves, but God
has the power to save us, because of Christ (Romans 1:16).
Then, Paul finishes chapter 7 with an explanation of the experience that he has just
described. People do wrong and evil things because they care too much about their lives in
this world. Their natural desires, feelings, ambitions and fears control their behaviour. That is a
weak way to behave, so Paul calls it the ‘flesh’ (the soft parts of the human body). As the body
with its flesh is certain to die, so death is the result of our evil deeds (Romans 6:23).
When we think intelligently about these things, we can see a better way to live. It would be
much better for us to obey God’s law. However, we are not obeying God’s law when our
natural desires, the desires of the ‘flesh’, rule our lives.
God can rescue us from this problem because of Christ’s death (Romans 8:3-4). He places his
Holy Spirit in the lives of his people (Romans 8:2; Romans 8:9), and the Holy Spirit guides us
how to live (John 16:13; Galatians 5:16).
Romans chapter 8
No condemnation
(Romans 8:1)
Paul has just explained that, even with our best efforts, we are too weak to obey God’s laws.
The problem is that our natural desires and feelings so often cause us to do wrong things.
Therefore, Paul says, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. In other words, they
are not just free from the power of sin (their wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions).
They are also free from the judgement against sin, and its punishment.
We ask how that statement follows from the subjects in chapter 7. Paul has just confessed the
power that sin has over his own ‘flesh’. He is using the word ‘flesh’ as a word-picture for the
weakness of the desires and feelings of his own body. We know that for the rest of our lives on
earth, we will have those desires and feelings. So we ask how we can be free from sin in this
life.
The answer is that Christ’s people should not be under the control of the ‘flesh’ (Romans
8:7-9). They may still feel the same desires and feelings, but now the Holy Spirit directs their
lives (Romans 8:4-6; Galatians 5:16).
So, to avoid sin, Christians must constantly ask themselves what God wants them to do.
They should understand that they cannot simply follow their natural desires and feelings.
When they do wrong things, they must confess their sin to God (1 John 1:9). God wants both
to forgive them, and to change their behaviour completely (Galatians 5:16-25). That complete
change is only possible when a Christian allows the Holy Spirit to guide and to direct his life
(Romans 8:2).
God's law, which makes us free
(Romans 8:2)
Many people consider the Bible in general, and God’s law in particular, to be extremely severe.
They can only see its message of God’s judgement against our sins (wrong and evil deeds). So,
they could easily describe God’s law as a ‘law of sin and death’ (see Genesis 2:17; Deuteronomy
27:9-26; Ezekiel 18:20). Really, however, it is their own sin that brings death against them
(Romans 6:23).
However, there are other people who truly love God’s law (Psalm 1:2; Psalm 119:97). That is
not because they have a different opinion of God’s law as a set of rules. It is because they have
a real relationship with God. They love God's law because they truly love God (Deuteronomy
6:4-9; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Mark 12:28-34).
Our natural state is not to love God, but to be his enemies (Romans 3:9-18; Romans 5:10). In
the same way, our natural desires and feelings do not generally cause us to obey God’s
law, but rather to oppose it (Romans 8:5-8; Galatians 5:16-21). Therefore, we cannot obtain
a right relationship with God by our own efforts (Romans 4:1-8). We can only receive such a
relationship through the work of God’s Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 3:1-3).
That relationship is the result of what Christ did by his death (Romans 5:6-10; Romans 8:3).
Christ’s death changes our lives completely (2 Corinthians 5:14-17), when we trust in him
(Romans 4:23-25). Instead of death, we have his certain promise of life that never ends (John
3:16; John 10:10; Romans 6:23). The law of God that seemed so severe, now gives us hope
and life (2 Corinthians 3:6; 2 Corinthians 3:14-18). God’s Spirit, who formerly warned us of
our sin (John 16:7-11), now leads us into life (Romans 8:11) and truth (John 16:13).
God sent Christ to die for us
(Romans 8:3)
God’s law is good and holy; but we are weak and by nature, we often choose to do evil things
(Romans 7:12-14). That is why God’s law, by itself, cannot bring us into a right relationship
with God. We may try to obey the rules - but only the most wonderful act of God himself could
ever give us a right relationship with him.
That wonderful act was an act of judgement. God sent his own Son, Christ into the world
(John 3:16). Christ became a man who was like us in every way (Hebrews 2:14-18). However,
he never carried out any evil act against God’s law; he alone was perfect (Hebrews 4:15; 1
Peter 2:22-23).
That was why Christ could suffer the punishment for our evil deeds (Romans 5:6-9). He
accepted the judgement that was rightly against us (Isaiah 53:4-9). His own physical body
took the responsibility for our wrong and evil acts (1 Peter 2:24). Because of Christ’s death,
God can forgive those people who turn from their evil deeds, to believe and trust in him
(Romans 4:23-25).
As Paul explains this, he emphasises the word ‘flesh’. He uses it as a word-picture for the
weakness of our bodies, and especially our natural desires and feelings. We are weak because
those desires and feelings often cause us to do wrong things against God’s law. Christ, as a
man, accepted that weakness although he never offended against God’s law. He died in the
weakness of the human body (2 Corinthians 13:4). However, he lives because of the power of
God’s Spirit (Romans 8:11). That same power can be in our lives too (Romans 8:9-11); the Holy
Spirit can give us the kind of life that will never end (John 11:25-26; Romans 8:13).
Does God's law matter to Christians?
(Romans 8:4)
Sometimes Christians try to argue that, because of Christ’s death, God’s law does not matter
to them. They are wrong, because God’s commands are holy, right and good (Romans 7:12).
God’s people should love his law (Psalm 119:97); in fact, they should love everything that God
considers to be right and good.
The reality is that God’s law is of great importance to Christians (Romans 3:31). However, we
must understand it correctly (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). God’s law is not merely a set of rules for
what we may do with our bodies. Rather, God has given his law for the benefit of our spirits
(Romans 7:14). In other words, the law teaches us how we can have a right relationship
with God in our spirits. We ourselves are too weak to live in the manner that pleases God
(Romans 3:23; Romans 8:13). We need to receive the kind of life that comes from God’s Holy
Spirit (Romans 8:11), in order to obey his law.
Christ died in order to satisfy the judgement of God’s law, which was rightly against us. When
we put our trust in Christ, his Holy Spirit enters our lives (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy Spirit
then directs us and guides us to live in the way that pleases God (John 16:13). That way to
live is not, of course, against God’s law (Galatians 5:22-23). Rather, it is how God’s law
teaches people to live (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Micah 6:8).
This is the perfect relationship between God’s people and his law that Jeremiah 31:33-34
describes (see Hebrews 8:6-12). The proper place for God’s law is deep inside his people; in
their hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3). Therefore, they gladly choose to obey him. They have
accepted God’s law into their hearts, and it has a permanent place there (compare Psalm 40:6-
8).
What are you thinking?
(Romans 8:5)
Our actions are the result of our inner thoughts (Mark 7:18-23). Therefore, God’s people
should think in a different way from other people (see Philippians 4:8). That is not
something that we can just do naturally. By nature, our thoughts are often for our own selfish
benefit. We must learn to think in the way that God approves of (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). We
must allow God’s Holy Spirit to be our teacher (John 16:13).
Children must learn to think in the way that an adult thinks (1 Corinthians 13:11). As children,
they find it so difficult to make sensible plans for their future. Their attention is too strongly
on the things near them: what they can see, or feel, or touch. So we all, by nature, care too
much about the things that belong in this world. We give all our attention to our natural
feelings and desires. We neglect the things that our spirits need. That, is we neglect our
relationship with God. In Mark 8:33, Jesus complained that Peter was thinking only about
human things, and not about the things of God. Paul urged Christians to think about the
things that are above (Colossians 3:2). They need to think much about God and about heaven.
Only with a correct attitude towards God can we live in the right way here on earth
(Proverbs 3:5-6).
The opposite of selfish thought is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives (Galatians 5:16-
17). That is not to neglect our lives on earth, but rather to live as God directs us. That is the
way that God always intended people to live. Jesus described it as the most wonderful kind of
life (John 7:38-39; John 10:10).
The forces that bring us life or death are working inside us
(Romans 8:6)
In our article on Romans 7:9-11, we discussed what Paul means by ‘life’ and ‘death’ in such
passages. Real life is to live in the way that God wants us to live (John 10:10). Therefore,
‘death’ means to live only for our own natural and selfish desires (1 Timothy 5:6).
That may seem an unusual way to use these words. However, what we usually call life and
death (the life and death of our body) are the result of this choice (Genesis 3:17-19). So are
the life and death of the spirit; in other words, whether we go to heaven or hell (1 Corinthians
6:9-10).
No person’s body can be dead and alive at the same time. No person’s spirit can go both to
heaven and hell. However, the forces that bring about life and death are constantly working
in us during our lives on earth. The only force that truly gives us life is the power of God’s
Holy Spirit. Both by our nature and because of our evil deeds, the forces that bring death are
working in us.
God has made the most wonderful change in the lives of his people (2 Corinthians 5:17). He
gives them life that never ends (John 6:40). That promise is not just for the future. Already,
God’s Holy Spirit can direct their lives (Galatians 5:16). When they allow the Holy Spirit to do
that, they are receiving life from him (Romans 8:13). They also receive his peace: the calm
and confident attitude that comes from a right relationship with God.
However, some Christians care too much about their own feelings and desires. They are
thinking in the way that brings death into people’s lives. God will still save those Christians,
if their relationship with him is genuine. However, they must lose much that they considered
precious (compare 1 Corinthians 3:11-15). They are missing many of the benefits that God
wants to bring into their lives by his Holy Spirit (James 1:6-7).
When our natural, human thoughts oppose God
(Romans 8:7)
In Romans 7:22-23, Paul spoke about his love for God’s law. He even called it ‘the law of my
mind’. Now, however, Paul discusses a completely different attitude of the human mind
towards God’s law. With this wrong attitude, a person’s mind does not accept the authority of
God’s law. This person is therefore opposing God’s rule; he is fighting against God.
We might imagine that Paul is describing a very evil person. In fact, he is just describing the
normal attitudes that people have. Paul has just shown that he himself knew such thoughts
(Romans 7:7-25). It is not unusual even for Christians to refuse to accept God’s authority over
much of their lives. Few people trust God enough to let him rule over every part of their lives.
Therefore, it is the natural state of people to oppose God’s rule. It is natural - but, of course,
it is not how we should behave.
When Christians have these wrong attitudes, they are making a wrong choice. God has given
his Holy Spirit to guide and to direct his people’s lives. When their attention is upon God, they
are not trying to please themselves (Romans 8:5). However, by nature people place their
attention upon their own desires, ambitions and feelings. It is not that these things are
themselves wrong. They become wrong when we use them for ourselves and not for God.
For example, it is good and right that we should desire to know God (Acts 17:27). However, it
is wrong and evil to have a selfish desire for wealth (1 Timothy 6:9-10). We should have an
ambition to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). However, our own personal ambitions can make us
proud and foolish (James 4:13-16).
Can people please God in this life?
(Romans 8:8)
‘Those who are in the flesh cannot please God’ (Romans 8:8). In 2 Corinthians 5:9, we might
think that Paul says the opposite. He says there that, whether in the body (on earth), or at
home (in heaven), our aim should be to please God. However, Paul is not urging us to do
something that is impossible in this life.
The explanation is in how Paul and the first Christians used the word ‘flesh’. Its simplest
meaning is the soft parts of the human body. However, the first Christians used it as a word-
picture for how weak people are without God. By nature, people care too much about the
feelings of their bodies, whether pleasure or pain, personal ambition or fear. Often, people
only think about their own benefit; so they do not think properly about God or about other
people. That is what Paul means by people ‘in the flesh’. With that kind of attitudes, people
cannot please God.
It is, however, possible for people to please God even in this life. That is possible for those
people in whom God’s Spirit lives. As Paul explains, all of God’s people have received his
Spirit (Romans 8:9). In other words, all people who have received Christ into their lives have
also received his Spirit (John 1:12; Mark 1:8; John 14:16-17). However, they do not always
allow his Holy Spirit to direct their lives (Galatians 5:16-17).
So, the human body is not itself evil. In fact it can be very holy, because God’s Spirit can live
there (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Christ’s body was just like our bodies, but he pleased God (Mark
1:11). We too will please God if we allow his Holy Spirit to direct our lives (Romans 8:13-14).
The Holy Spirit is present in the lives of God's people
(Romans 8:9)
It interests us to see those verses, like Matthew 28:19 and Mark 1:10-11, which refer to God
as Father, Son and Spirit. There are only a few such verses, but here is one of them.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul taught that the Holy Spirit is present in the lives of his people. He
explained there that the Holy Spirit lives in them. Here in Romans 8:9, Paul is again teaching
the same lesson. He wants God’s people to know that their natural feelings do not have to
control their lives. The Holy Spirit is always present with them, so he is able to direct and to
guide them constantly (Galatians 5:16-18).
Paul calls the Holy Spirit by two different names: the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of Christ.
However, he is referring to the same Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-13). The Spirit is the gift to
God’s people from both the Father and the Son (John 14:26). The Spirit is also of the same
nature as God the Father and Christ: Like the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit is God.
However, there are not three Gods, but one God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit
(Deuteronomy 6:4).
The Holy Spirit does not act separately from the Father and the Son. When a person
becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit enters that person’s life. The Holy Spirit is living in that
person - and so are the Father and the Son, Christ (John 14:23; Colossians 1:27).
That means that the most extraordinary power is working in a Christian’s life (Romans 8:11).
In fact, God himself is actively working in that person. He has taken someone whom he
considered dead because of their evil deeds (Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1). He is making that
person into one of his children. He will give that person life without end, and the most splendid
honour (Romans 8:15-18; Philippians 1:6).
Live for God, because sin brings death
(Romans 8:10)
If our bodies are dead, we might consider ourselves totally without hope. However, God
causes dead people to live again (Romans 4:16-19). He does that when people believe him
(Hebrews 11:8-19). If we are in Christ, then we too believe him (Romans 4:23-25). Therefore,
we do have hope - and it is a certain hope (Hebrews 6:19). God has even given us his Spirit as
proof (2 Corinthians 1:22; Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit, who alone gives life, has given life to
our spirits.
Paul is not of course writing for people who are physically dead. He writes to living people,
but he calls their bodies ‘dead’. They are called dead because of sin (our wrong and evil
thoughts, words and actions). Death is the only possible result of the sin in our lives (Romans
6:23). That has been the state of everyone ever since the first people chose not to obey God
(Romans 5:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22). Now, it even seems part of human nature to desire and to
do wrong things (Romans 7:24).
We might, still, not expect Paul to describe Christians in that same manner. Because of
Christ’s death, God has forgiven their sins and he has given them a new life (John 3:3-6;
Romans 5:8). However, that new life does not allow Christians to continue in their former sins
and wrong attitudes. In other words, Christians cannot use the natural feelings and desires
of their dying bodies as an excuse for sin. Their bodies will die - in fact, it is as if they have
already died with Christ (Romans 6:1-11). They have new life that never ends because of
Christ’s righteousness (goodness) - Romans 5:17-21. At the present time, only their spirits
have received that new life. However they have the wonderful promise that, in the future, God
will give that new life to their bodies too, (Romans 8:11-23; 1 Corinthians 15:12-57).
The power of God's Spirit to give life
(Romans 8:11)
In this world, nothing seems to us so final as death is. New living people, plants and animals
can only come from those that are already alive. That natural process of new life has
continued since God first created those things - but death ends that process. Nothing in this
world can cause anything that is dead to live again.
God’s people believe that God can make dead people live again (Romans 4:17). We ask how
he can do that. For us, it is not just a matter of interest. We know that we too must die. In
fact, the natural processes that cause death are already working in our bodies.
It is not just physical death that affects us. Our desires, feelings and actions are so often
wrong. We know that God’s judgement is therefore against us (Romans 2:1-11). What we
consider the natural behaviour of our bodies (Mark 7:20-22) is bringing death to our
spirits (Romans 6:23).
Clearly, we need God to act powerfully to save (rescue) us. He acted with the most astonishing
power when, by his Spirit, he caused the dead body of Jesus to live again. It is the special
work of God’s Holy Spirit to give life. We very much need the kind of life that comes from the
Holy Spirit.
It is impossible to be a Christian without the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). When we invite Christ
into our lives, his Spirit also enters our lives (1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 12:3). His
Spirit shows us how to live in the way that God approves of. So instead of death in us, we are
already starting to receive the life that the Holy Spirit gives. That is just the beginning of
the wonderful things that God is doing in our lives (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). What God has
begun, he will complete (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:14-18).
Our greatest duty is to live as the Holy Spirit directs us
(Romans 8:12-13)
Paul is finishing his discussion of the power of sin (our wrong and evil behaviour and attitudes)
in our lives. So here he briefly explains the subjects that he has discussed.
In verse 12, Paul uses a debt as a word-picture, to mean our duties. In this life, Christians,
like everyone else, have many different duties, and many debts to pay (Romans 13:6-7). Christ
used those debts as a word-picture for the much greater duty that we have towards God
(Matthew 18:21-35).
So, our natural desires and feelings may seem to have a very strong claim on our lives.
However, when those desires and feelings are wrong, we must not allow them to direct our
lives. Instead we must remember our greater duty to God to live as his Spirit directs us.
Real life is not to live in the way that pleases us. In other words, the purpose of life is not to
satisfy our own desires and feelings. Christ promises his people life that never ends (John
3:16; John 10:10; John 11:25-26). Our own desires and feelings cannot give us that kind of life
(John 4:13-14). That kind of life can only come from God’s Spirit (John 7:37-39).
The children of God are the people who have accepted Christ into their lives (John 1:12-
13). God’s Spirit lives in them (Romans 8:9), and he guides and directs them (Romans
8:14). They must not depend upon themselves and upon their own efforts (Romans 4:1-6).
Instead, they must believe and trust God (Hebrews 11:6). In that way, they allow his Holy
Spirit to work in their lives.
God directs his people by his Holy Spirit
(Romans 8:14)
A good father teaches his children (Proverbs 4:1-9). He knows that, without his wise
instructions and advice, they would make many foolish mistakes. So, he considers it his duty to
teach them how they should live (Proverbs 22:6).
God has chosen to adopt his people as his own children (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:23). That
is a very great honour for them (Romans 8:17-18); we cannot even imagine how wonderful it
will be (1 Corinthians 2:9; Revelation 21:1-4). However, while they remain in this world, they
have many enemies, and many difficulties to overcome (Romans 8:35-39). Of course God has
not left his people alone in this situation, like children without a father (John 14:16-18).
He has sent his Holy Spirit to guide and to direct their lives.
The Holy Spirit does that in many different ways. He teaches people through the Bible (1
Peter 1:11-12); he reminds them of the things that Jesus taught (John 14:26). He shows
people how to live in the manner that pleases God (Galatians 5:22-23). He can use the
circumstances of people’s lives to warn them (John 16:7-8) or to correct them (Hebrews 12:5-
11). He can give them a special message from God for their particular situation (Acts 16:6-10).
Good children recognise the wisdom in their father’s advice. From it, they learn to live in a
good and useful way (Proverbs 23:24). They consider this wisdom to be more precious than
anything else that their father may give them (Proverbs 8:10-11). So of course God’s people
should allow his Holy Spirit to guide them. They should not depend upon themselves and
upon their own plans (James 4:13-15). Instead they should trust God, and he will direct their
lives (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Abba, Father!
(Romans 8:15)
It is very wonderful that God’s people know him as their Father (Matthew 6:7-15). They
respect him, but not with the relationship of fear that slaves have towards their master.
Instead, they truly love him (Mark 12:30; 1 John 5:1-2), with the love that children have
towards a good and kind father.
To emphasise that lesson, Paul uses the word ABBA (Galatians 4:6). That is the familiar word
which children in Israel use even today to call their father.
If people do not have a real relationship with God, they have no right to call him Father.
However, the Bible teaches that people can become God’s children (John 1:12; 1 Peter
2:10). That happens when they turn from their evil deeds to believe in Christ. God is adopting
them to be children in his family (Galatians 4:5).
Formerly, the people who are now God’s people were the slaves of sin (their own wrong and
evil behaviour and attitudes) - Romans 6:20. At that time, the devil controlled them by fear
(Hebrews 2:15). However, by the death of Christ, God saved (rescued) them, both from sin and
from the devil’s power (Romans 5:6-10; Hebrews 2:14).
It astonished Paul, therefore, to discover that many Christians were choosing to behave like
slaves again (Galatians 4:9-11). Some teachers were emphasising certain rules from God’s law
so much that they were changing God’s message (Galatians 5:1; 2 Corinthians 11:4). In reality,
they were replacing love for God with a series of strict rules. They thought about God as a
strict master, and not as a loving Father.
God gave his law to show people how they could have a right relationship with him. They do
not become his children because of their efforts to obey his law, but because they believe his
promise (Romans chapter 4; Galatians 4:28-31).
Knowledge that comes from the Holy Spirit
(Romans 8:16)
We have just two main methods by which we gain knowledge of our world. Either we learn
information from someone else, or we use our senses to discover a fact. All this knowledge
enters our mind, but our mind does not always use it in the same way. For example, we can
learn something as a fact although we still do not believe it.
It is very hard for our natural minds to understand about God and about heaven (1
Corinthians 2:9). There are some things that we simply cannot understand (Philippians 4:7; 1
Corinthians 2:14). So God has provided another method by which his people may know such
things (1 Corinthians 2:9-16). He has given them his Holy Spirit, who lives in them (Romans
8:9). The Holy Spirit shows these things, not firstly to their minds, but to their own spirits.
New Christians often worry whether they are truly born again as children of God (John 3:3-8).
They cannot yet see, from their senses, that God has made this wonderful change in their lives.
The problem is that they are depending upon their own feelings. Their feelings change
constantly, and so does their confidence. Even in matters of this world, our feelings are a
very poor way to discover anything.
The true test of whether someone is a Christian, is the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.
For example, the Holy Spirit teaches God’s people those things that Christ taught (John
14:26). So, the Holy Spirit shows them that God’s promises truly are for them (see Matthew
11:28-30; John 1:12; Revelation 3:20). Such knowledge may not satisfy a person’s natural
mind but, by it, God can bring life and peace to a person’s spirit (Romans 8:6).
What it means to be one of God's children
(Romans 8:17)
The Bible calls God’s people ‘the children of God’ (John 1:12). We must not imagine that this
is simply a title or an honour, without any real meaning. Its full meaning and importance are
for the future age (Romans 8:18); therefore, we cannot understand these things completely
yet (1 John 3:1-2). However, we can see that, in God’s great plan for the future age, this is
a matter of the greatest importance (1 Corinthians 2:6-10).
The children of a father have future rights to his property (Galatians 4:1-7). That distinguishes
them from a servant who may be living in the same house. In fact, everything that the father
has, he possesses for the future benefit of his children (compare 1 Corinthians 3:21-23). In
the same way, the future world, with all its beauty and wealth, is for God’s people
(Revelation chapter 21 and 22). They will not possess it in a selfish or greedy manner, like
many rulers in this world (Mark 10:35-45). Instead, as children of God their Father, they
will behave like him - in a kind, generous and gentle manner (compare Matthew 5:45).
They will not receive this property alone, but with their brothers and sisters, that is, the rest
of God’s people. The first and greatest of their brothers is, of course, Christ himself
(Hebrews 2:11-13).
As Christ is their brother, his life is like their lives in this world. Many people in this world
oppose them in their relationship with Christ. As he suffered troubles, so they too must expect
to suffer troubles (John 16:33; 1 Peter 4:12-13). They do not suffer those troubles alone,
because God has sent his Spirit to help them and to make them strong (John 14:16-17; Romans
8:9). God uses their troubles in this world to prepare them for the honour that they will
receive with Christ in the next world (Romans 8:18-19).
God's people will share his glory
(Romans 8:18)
Many Christians suffer much in this world because of their relationship with Christ (Hebrews
13:13-14). Paul knew that from his own experience. His troubles had been especially severe in
the year before he wrote the Book of Romans (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). However, his attention
was not upon his troubles, but on the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The glory of a king means his honour and wealth. The glory of a nation means its richest and
best products. The glory of the sun is the power of its light and heat; the glory of the moon and
stars is their delicate beauty. In all of these, we see the idea of true greatness that affects
everything round about.
The glory of God, of course, is much greater than any of these. People have sometimes seen
his glory (Exodus 33:18 to 34:7; 1 Kings 8:11; Mark 9:2-9). That is the greatest and most
wonderful experience that a person may have in this world (Isaiah chapter 6; Ezekiel chapter
1). However, God’s plan for the future is not just that his people will see his glory. God
actually intends to share his glory with his people. That is possible because God has chosen
to adopt his people as his own children. In the future world, they will have the great honour to
be God’s own children.
Therefore, Paul declared that his own troubles, however severe, did not really matter.
Actually, Paul would still serve God even if he (Paul) gained nothing from it (Romans 9:1-3).
However, God’s people gain the most wonderful and splendid life when they serve God. When
people care only to please themselves, their lives achieve nothing worthwhile (Romans 6:21-
23).
The new age when God fully adopts his children
(Romans 8:19)
God does nothing that is in vain or without a proper purpose. However, in our natural world
which he created, things constantly happen without any worthwhile purpose (Ecclesiastes 1:2-
8). Our constant experience of death, disease and trouble is not how God created the
world to be (see Genesis chapter 1).
The Bible teaches that the wrong actions of people cause our world to be like this (Genesis
chapter 3). The first people chose not to obey God, and everything in this world suffers as a
result. Death is the result of people’s evil deeds - but every plant and animal suffers death, and
not just people.
It is not God’s plan that this sad situation will continue always (Isaiah 11:6-9; Revelation
chapters 20 to 22). The future world will be free from all the effects of people’s evil
behaviour. Then the world, and every living thing, will not exist without purpose. Instead,
they will act together to carry out God’s plans and purposes.
It was people’s selfish and evil behaviour that caused the present state of our world. So,
God’s work in people’s lives will bring about the new age, and bring freedom to the whole
world. That work has begun (2 Corinthians 5:17), but it is not yet complete (Philippians 1:6).
God will complete it at the time when he establishes Christ’s perfect rule over all things.
When he, called ‘the son of man’, rules all things, then God will declare his people to be
fully ‘sons of God’ (compare Hebrews 2:5-13 and Romans 8:17). At that time, the process to
adopt them as God’s children will at last be complete (Romans 8:23). God will do that, not
merely for their own benefit, but for the benefit of all that he created.
God's plan for the plants and animals
(Romans 8:20-21)
When people first chose not to obey God, the strangest and most extraordinary period of the
world’s history began (Genesis chapter 3). We have never known anything else, but it is not
normal or natural for people to oppose God, their maker (Isaiah 29:16). In the beginning,
people had a right relationship with God (Genesis 1:26-31). In the future, that will be true, too
(Revelation 21:1-4). However, in the present period of human history, people’s wrong deeds
have separated them from God (Romans 3:9-18; Isaiah 59:2).
This has had a very sad effect on the plants and animals of our world. God has given people
authority over the whole world (Genesis 1:28-30). Therefore, God’s judgement against
people’s evil deeds was also a judgement against the natural world (Genesis 3:17-19). God
could have killed and destroyed all the people at once. However, he chose not to. Instead he
permitted innocent animals to die, in order to cover the people’s shame (Genesis 3:21). In that
act, he showed how in the future, he would forgive people’s evil deeds by the death of Christ
(John 1:29).
God permits this extraordinary period of history so that people have the opportunity to
turn to him (2 Peter 3:3-10). Before the return of Christ, the plants and animals must suffer
even more in the judgements against people’s evil deeds (for example, Revelation 8:6-13).
However, the world’s plants and animals know what so many people refuse to believe
(Isaiah 1:3). They do not blame God for their troubles, but they wait eagerly for God to
rescue them (Romans 8:19). When Christ returns, God will rescue both his people, and the
natural world. In that day, the plants and the animals will share in the joy of God’s people
(Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 55:12-13). That joy will never end (Revelation 21:3-4).
Can animals pray?
(Romans 8:22)
In the original language (Greek), the word for groan means to feel something so deeply that
you cannot express it. In Romans 8:23-26 and 2 Corinthians 5:2-4, Paul uses the Greek word
to describe a state of desperate prayer.
We know how much every living thing in this world suffers. Perhaps therefore it should not
surprise us to read that birds and animals cry out to God for their food (Job 38:41; Psalm
104:21). Unlike many people, the birds and animals accept God’s rule: they know how
much they depend on him (Psalm 104:27-30).
If, therefore, animals pray, we might expect their prayers to be simple cries for help. However,
Paul insists that their desire is for something much greater. He compares their pain to the
pain of a mother who is giving birth.
Sometimes prayer can be so desperate that it causes pain (Romans 9:1-3; compare Luke 22:44
with Hebrews 5:7).
However, although a mother suffers great pain at the birth of her child, her hope is even
greater. In fact, nothing in this world seems to offer more hope than the birth of a child
(compare Genesis 3:15-16 and Isaiah 7:14-16). When he becomes a man, that child may
achieve wonderful things (Psalm 127:3-5). Therefore, the Book of Isaiah often links the birth
of children to the idea of freedom for God’s people (for example, compare Isaiah 7:16 with
8:3-4; Isaiah 66:7-10).
Freedom for God’s people will bring freedom and peace to the whole world (Isaiah 65:25).
That will happen after Christ’s return, when his rule over all things is complete.
So, the desperate prayers of all that God created are not in vain. God will answer those
prayers. It will happen when he adopts fully his people, with the full rights of sons in his family
(Romans 8:19; Romans 8:23).
God's people pray for God to complete his work
(Romans 8:23)
There is an evil power by which the devil still has some authority over every living thing in this
world (Ephesians 2:2). By that evil power, the devil causes disease, pain and death.
God did not intend the world to suffer like that. These troubles exist in our world because of
people’s evil deeds (Genesis chapter 3), but they affect everything in the world.
So in their troubles, all that God created offers a kind of desperate, silent prayer to God
(Romans 8:22). Their desperate desire is for the day when people will again have a perfect
relationship with God (Revelation 21:1-7).
In other words, on that day God will adopt his people, with the full rights of sons in his
family (Romans 8:15-19; Revelation 21:7).
At the present time, we can see how God is preparing for that new age to begin. Because of
Christ’s death, God offers people from every nation the opportunity to begin a right
relationship with him (Romans 1:16; Romans 5:6-10). God’s Spirit enters their lives, as the
first evidence of what God will do for them (Romans 8:9-11).
In their spirits, God’s people can know the closest possible relationship with God
(Hebrews 10:19-22). However, they still very much need God to save (rescue) their bodies.
The weakness of the natural desires of their bodies constantly tempts them to do wrong
things. In addition, their bodies may suffer pain and illness. Their bodies will certainly die
(John 11:25-26).
However, God has promised them life that never ends (John 3:16). He will destroy every evil
power that opposes them. His final act to save them will be to destroy the power of death (1
Corinthians 15:26 and 15:51-57). Their bodies will live again, with the kind of life than can
never end (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).
Hope and patience
(Romans 8:24-25)
Paul returns here to a subject that he mentioned earlier (Romans 5:3-5). Hope is the result of
patience.
God’s people need to be patient. God has made very many wonderful promises to them (2
Corinthians 1:20). However, the greatest of these promises cannot happen during their lives
on earth (Hebrews 11:13-16). That promise is that they will become alive again, to live always
with God as his children (1 Corinthians 15:42-57; Revelation 21:1-7).
In the Bible, to have hope means to expect that God will do something good. When our hope
is in God’s promises, he will not disappoint us (Hebrews 6:19).
Therefore, the promise that God will adopt his people as his own children is a wonderful
reason for hope. It is for that purpose that God has saved (rescued) his people. It was with
that hope that they invited Christ into their lives.
God saves us by the faith (trust in God) that he gives us (Romans 5:1). However, we can see
that faith and hope must work together through our whole Christian lives. Both qualities
are very important for us as we wait for God to carry out his promises.
To have hope, we need the kind of patience that gives us the strength to stand for God during
our troubles. So, hope is the result of patience, but patience is itself the result of hope. In
other words, our hope causes that kind of patience to develop in our lives. Then that
patience makes our hope stronger. Christians need constantly to develop in faith, hope and
patience during their lives on earth.
The Holy Spirit prays through us
(Romans 8:26)
Prayer is so important for us as Christians, but we do not really understand prayer. We
speak to God, but we do not see him. We do not know how he appoints his special servants, the
angels, to assist us (Matthew 18:10; Hebrews 1:14). We are hardly even aware of the battles
that they fight on our behalf in the spirit world (Daniel 10:12-14; Revelation 12:7-9).
We pray our prayers in the best human language that we know. In that, we are like Solomon,
who built a great house, called the temple, for God. However, Solomon was wise enough to
know that even the highest heaven could not contain God (2 Chronicles 6:18); his temple
certainly could not do it. In the same way, we are foolish to imagine that even the finest words
can express the true prayer of our hearts. Of course we can and should pray in our own
languages. However, we must also ask God to send his Holy Spirit to help us in our prayers
(Luke 11:9-13).
Paul was especially aware of the help of the Holy Spirit as he prayed (1 Corinthians 14:15 and
14:18). He had the gift of tongues. In other words, he sometimes prayed, by the power of the
Holy Spirit, in languages that he (Paul) did not understand. Paul probably did not know
whether he was then speaking human languages, or the languages of heaven. However, he
believed that the Holy Spirit was giving him words to speak in prayer. By that means, Paul
prayed prayers that his human mind, in its weakness, was unable to express. So, his
experience was that the Holy Spirit was praying through him.
The Holy Spirit's prayers for God's people

(Romans 8:27)
We desire that our friends should pray intelligently for us. For that reason, we tell them our
requests (for example, Romans 15:30-32). When they pray with us, we listen to their prayers.
Then we express our agreement with the word ‘Amen’, which means, ‘It is true’.
Jesus taught us that we should pray intelligently. He warned us not to use words that have
no real meaning in our prayers (Matthew 6:7). In many wrong religions, people try not to use
their mind in their prayers, as a kind of magic. They repeat certain words and phrases; they
may allow spirits to control them.
Paul emphasises that the prayers of God’s Holy Spirit are different from the prayers of wrong
religions. We may not understand the prayers of the Holy Spirit with our human mind (1
Corinthians 14:13-19), but those prayers are still intelligent prayers.
Of course the thoughts of God’s Spirit are intelligent thoughts. The Holy Spirit alone knows
fully what is in the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). We must pray for the things that God
wants (Matthew 6:10; 1 John 5:14-15). We may not always know what God wants us to pray;
but the Holy Spirit always knows.
Often, we do not even know our own hearts, that is, our true attitudes (Jeremiah 17:9). We do
not know what we truly need. We depend too much upon the appearance of things (1 Samuel
16:7). However, God, who examines the heart, knows us completely (Jeremiah 17:10). His
Spirit knows what we truly need. Therefore, the Holy Spirit always prays what is right for
us.
God works for good in the lives of his people
(Romans 8:28)
We know that God is absolutely good, and perfect in every way (Psalm 145; James 1:17). We
also know that God’s people suffer much in this world. They may suffer from the cruelty of
their enemies, from the evil work of the devil, or simply from their circumstances. God’s
people do not usually escape from the troubles that are common to everyone (Ecclesiastes
9:2; 1 Corinthians 10:13).
However, God is still working in a very special and wonderful way in the lives of his people. He
uses the troubles in their lives to develop and to improve their relationship with him
(James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6-7). So, troubles that would usually make people weak, in fact make
them into stronger and better people (Romans 5:3-5).
That is because God’s people see their own weakness as a reason to trust God more (2
Corinthians 12:9-10). They recognise that in the worst situations their confidence can only be
in God (Job 19:23-27). They do not depend on their circumstances because, often, their
circumstances offer no hope whatever. Instead, they learn to depend upon the goodness of
God. This world may offer nothing to them; but still, they are sure that God will reward their
patient trust in him (Job 23:10-12; Hebrews 11:6; James 5:7-11).
Of course, it is not in everyone’s life that all things work for good. The promise is for God’s
people, who truly love him. Once, these same people were God’s enemies (Romans 5:10), who
offended against his law in so many ways. However, because of Christ’s death, God forgave
them (Romans 5:8). He called (or appointed) them to be his own people (1 Peter 2:9-10). He
works in their lives to make them into the kind of people that he wants them to be (Romans
8:18-19; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 John 3:1-2).
God's plan for his people
(Romans 8:29)
God’s plan for his people was not something that he developed quickly, as a reaction to
changing circumstances. In his wisdom, he decided upon it long in advance - in fact, before he
even created the world (1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:4). So, even before people first chose
not to obey God, God had already decided upon the remedy.
For many ages in the world’s history, people did not know God’s plan (Colossians 1:25-27).
However, God began to show his plan to the prophets (holy men) who wrote the Bible (1 Peter
1:10-12). Today, that plan is clear to God’s people (1 Corinthians 2:6-10), although even they
cannot understand it fully yet (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2).
God’s people know that God will carry out all his promises. So, they know that he has the most
wonderful plans for the future (Revelation 21:1-5). His plan is that his people will live always
with him, with the full rights of sons in his family (Romans 8:18-23).
In that family, Christ has the first and most important place (Mark 1:7-11). He has always
been the Son of God (John 1:1-4; John 1:14). God’s wonderful plan is that, in God’s family,
Christ will have many brothers (Hebrews 2:11-13). They are the people from every nation
who have placed their trust in him. Formerly, they were not members of God’s family (1 Peter
2:9-10). In fact, by their evil deeds, they had made themselves God’s enemies. However, God
forgave them because of Christ’s death for them, when they received Christ into their lives
(Romans 5:6-10; John 1:12). He has accepted them as his people; and when Christ
establishes his rule over all things, God will adopt them fully into his family (Romans 8:23).
How God prepares people to receive great honour
(Romans 8:30)
When a king wishes to give someone a great honour, that does not happen simply by chance.
There is a proper process that the king and his officials will follow.
Firstly, it is necessary for the king to choose the person who will receive the honour. Then he
invites that person to accept the honour. Finally, before he gives the actual honour, it is
necessary to prepare the person to receive it.
In the Bible’s history books, we can find examples of this process. So, in Esther chapter 6,
Haman could not receive the honour because the king had not chosen him to receive it. In 2
Samuel 19:31-37, King David invited Barzillai to receive an honour, but Barzillai refused it.
God has chosen to give the most wonderful honour to people who were formerly his enemies
(2 Corinthians 4:17; Romans 5:6-10; 1 Peter 2:9-10). They could not do anything to give
themselves a right relationship with God so he has done everything for them (Psalm 40:1-3;
Psalm 62:1-8).
He chose them (Ephesians 1:11); and he invited them (Isaiah 55:1-7; Matthew 11:28-30; Luke
14:15-24). By the death of Christ, he forgave their evil deeds, and he continues to work
powerfully in their lives (Romans 5:18-19; Philippians 1:6). His purpose is to make them like
Christ in their character and attitudes, their desires and hopes (Romans 8:29; Philippians 2:5;
1 John 3:2). Only then will they be ready to receive the honour that God will adopt them fully
as his children (Romans 8:23). That will happen at the end of the present age. It will bring
about the beginning of the new, perfect age, when God will live with his people (Revelation
21:1-7). At that time, God will make right everything that is wrong in our present world. That
new age will never end.
If God is for us, who can be against us?
(Romans 8:31)
Before David became Israel’s king, his troubles were extremely severe. He had many enemies,
and his life was in constant danger. In that situation, he learned not to depend upon himself,
or his soldiers for safety, but upon God alone (see Psalms 3:1-6; 18:1-6; 27:1-3; 62:6 and
118:6).
It is very wonderful to be able to declare, like David, that God is on our side (Psalms 91 and
124). However, we certainly must not say any such thing in a proud manner (Proverbs 16:5).
We know that we too were formerly enemies of God because of our evil deeds (Romans 3:23;
Romans 5:6-10). We could only become God’s people by his great kindness, and because of
Christ’s death.
Paul does not intend us to think that Christians will have no enemies. Many people opposed
Paul fiercely, and they caused him much pain and difficulty (2 Corinthians 11:23-26). In
addition, the devil and his forces constantly oppose God’s people (1 Peter 5:8). Rather, Paul
means that, in the end, God’s people will certainly overcome (Revelation 12:11; 1
Corinthians 15:57).
They do not overcome in their own strength, but because God fights for them (2
Corinthians 12:9-10; Revelation 19:11-16). This will not just happen at the end of the age -
God is already fighting for them, now. That is how they can live for him in this evil world. That
is how they can do God’s work. That is how they can stand for God even during their worst
troubles. God is defending them; God is on their side. So, no evil power can in reality defeat
them (Romans 8:35-39).
God's perfect love for people
(Romans 8:32)
The first Christians considered Christ’s death to be God’s greatest gift, the perfect
expression of his love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10).
The Bible describes God to us as one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy
6:4; Matthew 28:19). In our present state, we cannot understand God’s nature fully; we can
only know him as he has shown himself to us (1 Corinthians 2:7-12 and 13:12; John 1:18). So,
in the words ‘Father’ and ‘Son’, we should recognise the perfect relationship of love at the
heart of God (Mark 1:11; John 3:35 and 17:24; 1 John 4:8).
God’s love is not selfish, but generous. It is a love for many people (John 17:23), and a
desire for them to be members of his family (Romans 8:29). That is why God the Father sent
Christ, God the Son, into the world. Christ came to do God’s work in the world (John 5:36).
People had separated themselves from God by their evil deeds, and they had made themselves
God’s enemies (Romans 5:10). However, it was Christ’s desire to do what his Father wanted
(John 6:38; John 10:14-18; Mark 14:36). Christ willingly chose to die so that people could
receive a right relationship with God (Romans 5:6-8; Hebrews 9:28; Ephesians 2:13).
God’s plan for his people is not only for them to live good lives or to call themselves Christians.
He wants to give them the full rights of children in his family (Romans 8:14-24). They will
always live with him (Revelation 21:3-7). All things will be theirs (2 Corinthians 6:10; Matthew
25:34). In the future age, they will have great authority (Revelation 22:5; Luke 19:11-17).
They will even be the judges of angels (spirits) - 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.
Who accuses God's people?
(Romans 8:33)
Such passages as Job 1:6-12 and Zechariah 3:1-2 describe heaven as a court of law. In that
court, God is the judge, and the devil is the accuser of God’s people. In fact, the devil’s
name, Satan, actually means ‘the accuser’ in the Hebrew language.
Paul said in Romans 8:1 that no judgement against God’s people can stand. He has now
proved it. They have a right relationship with God, not because of their own goodness, but
because of God’s work in their lives. God has placed his Holy Spirit in their lives (verse 9); he
works through the circumstances of their lives to make them into the kind of people that he
wants them to be (verses 28-29). In the future age, he will adopt them with the full rights of
the children of God (verses 18-25); and the devil will be unable to prevent it.
Job declared that he had a friend, a defender to speak on his behalf in front of God (Job 16:19-
21). In the same manner, Paul declares that the defender of God’s people is Christ himself
(Romans 8:34). Christ died for their evil deeds (Romans 5:6-8): that is the legal reason which
Christ declares in God’s court. Christ rose again and God gave him the most important place in
heaven (Hebrews 1:3-4); that gives him both the opportunity and the legal authority to speak
to God on their behalf.
In the ancient world, a close relative (and not a professional lawyer) had the duty to speak on
a person’s behalf in court. So, Christ’s relationship to us as our friend is important to Paul.
Christ is a friend who is closer than any brother (Proverbs 18:24). In fact God has made him
our brother (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:11). Christ is our brother who truly loves us; and
nothing can separate us from his love (Romans 8:35-39). He is therefore the best person to
speak to God his Father on our behalf.
Who defends God's people?
(Romans 8:34)
The phrase ‘the right hand’, which means ‘the right side’, refers to the places of guests at a
special meal (compare Luke 14:7-11). The right side of the host was the place of greatest
honour.
We can read about such a meal in 1 Samuel 20:24-25. At that meal, we think that the place of
greatest honour belonged to Jonathan, the king’s son. However, the person who actually sat
there was Abner, the commander of King Saul’s army. Probably, Abner requested that place
because he needed to discuss important military matters with the king. It would be impossible
for them to discuss serious and secret matters unless they sat next to each other.
Jesus has received the place of greatest honour in heaven (Philippians 2:9-11). He sits at
the right side of God the Father (Mark 16:19; Acts 7:56; Hebrews 1:3). He has accepted that
place, not for selfish reasons, but because, like Abner, Jesus needs to speak to the King. Jesus
is speaking to God the Father on matters of great importance; in other words, in heaven,
Jesus is praying constantly (Hebrews 7:25).
Jesus’ character has not changed from when he lived on earth (Hebrews 13:8). So, his prayers
in heaven will be like the prayers that he prayed on earth. We can see the nature of his prayers
from the prayer that he prayed in John chapter 17. Especially, he prays for the people who
have put their trust in him. He prays for God to complete his work in their lives. He asks God
to protect them from the devil. He prays that God will bring them into a perfect relationship,
both with God himself, and with each other.
Nothing can separate God's people from the love of Christ
(Romans 8:35)
Paul wrote the Book of Romans in or about the year 58 A.D.. During the next 10 years, Rome’s
Christians would suffer terribly from the cruelty of Rome’s ruler, Nero. These troubles became
most severe after a fire destroyed much of Rome in 64 A.D..
Of course, Paul could not know what would soon happen. However, he knew how Christians
were already suffering in many places. He himself had already suffered much (2 Corinthians
11:23-27). Also, he would know what Jesus had taught about such troubles (Matthew 5:11-12;
Mark 13:9-13).
So, Paul was careful to prepare Rome’s Christians for the troubles that they might have to
suffer. They must not think that, as Christians, their lives would always be comfortable and
pleasant. They might have to suffer because of their relationship with Christ, and they should
be ready.
In that situation, they would be unable to trust in their wealth, their friends, or anything else
in this world. They must trust in Christ alone; they could be sure that his love would not
disappoint them.
We sometimes consider love to be merely an emotion - but true love, even human love, is not
something weak (Song of Solomon 8:6-7). It has the power to direct all our thoughts, actions
and efforts in order to help someone else (1 Corinthians chapter 13). So, the love of Christ
acts on our behalf with the most extraordinary power (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). When
Christ is on our side, nothing can truly defeat us (Romans 8:31). His love has the power to
overcome all our troubles in this world, and to take us to be with him in heaven (Romans 8:37-
39).
When God's people have severe troubles
(Romans 8:36)
Paul describes the most cruel actions of the worst enemies that God’s people have. Those
enemies behave like butchers: they kill people as if they were killing sheep. That description
may sound as if God’s people are in a hopeless and desperate situation; however, they are not.
An enemy may kill their bodies, but their spirits are safe with God. Nothing can separate them
from the love of Christ. So their enemy cannot defeat them. As soon as he kills them, their
spirits are safe with Christ in heaven (Philippians 1:21-23). So their enemy thinks that he has
defeated them; but they overcome. In fact, they more than overcome: they prove that nothing
on earth or in hell can destroy Christ’s love for them.
Paul’s words come from Psalm 44:22. Psalm 44 is about the attitudes of God’s people after
both success and defeat in war.
When God’s people know success in life, that is a reason for them to praise and to thank God.
They do not consider the success to be the result of their own strength, skill or effort (Psalm
44:3; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Instead, they give the honour to God (Psalm 44:8).
When God’s people have great troubles, that is a reason for them to pray urgently to God.
They recognise that they depend wholly upon him, and upon his love for them (Psalm 44:26).
They must be careful not to turn away from him or to doubt his promises (Psalm 44:17-18).
They remember the good things that he has done in the past (Psalm 44:1-3). That gives them
the hope that he will again act on their behalf (Psalm 44:23-24).
More than conquerors
(Romans 8:37)
Paul has just given a list of some of the most severe troubles that people suffer in this world
(verse 35). He then adds that God’s people may suffer in a terrible manner because of their
relationship with Christ (verse 36). Paul himself had suffered in many of these ways (2
Corinthians 1:8-10 and 11:23-27). However, he did not consider that any such experience
could defeat a Christian - in other words, even the worst experiences cannot destroy their
relationship with Christ. Instead, God’s people overcome their troubles as they stand firmly
for Christ (James 1:2-4).
A ‘conqueror’ is someone who overcomes, especially in battle. Paul uses a form of the same
word for ‘overcome’ that appears often in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17,
2:26, 3:5, 3:12 and 3:21). In all these places, a Christian overcomes when he stands firmly
for Christ through his (that Christian’s) troubles. Paul adds to the word for ‘conqueror’
another word, which means ‘over’; the result is to emphasise it. That is why our translations
describe God’s people as ‘more than conquerors’.
God’s people do not overcome their troubles by their own efforts or strength of character (2
Corinthians 12:9-10). They overcome because of Christ, because of his death, which shows
his love for them (Revelation 12:11). Christ’s love for his people will never change (Hebrews
13:8); however, in Romans 8:37, Paul speaks about how Christ ‘loved’ his people. As in
Galatians 2:20, that is a reference to Christ’s death.
The power of Christ's love
(Romans 8:38)
Paul has given himself the task to examine whether anything can separate God’s people from
Christ’s love for them (verse 35). To answer that, Paul must deal with anything and anyone
that has power over our lives. We must be able to see that none of these things can separate
God’s people from the love of Christ.
In many people’s opinion, nothing seems greater than those things that can cause the life or
death of their bodies. That is because death will separate them from everything in this world
(Ecclesiastes 9:6).
Christians should think differently about these matters. They should care deeply about the
lives of other people (Mark 10:43-44); but they should not think selfishly about their own lives
(Mark 10:17-31). Because they are God’s people, they belong to him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
So, if they live, they live for Christ. If they die, they go to be with him in heaven
(Philippians 1:21-23). Therefore, even death cannot destroy Christ’s love for them. Instead,
by the love of Christ, they overcome death.
Of course, we are often in circumstances where we do not have much control over our own
lives. In our natural world, powerful rulers have authority over us, and strong people can use
their power against us. In addition, battles in the spirit world affect our lives (Ephesians
6:12), between angels (God’s servants) and demons (the devil’s servants). Perhaps we worry
about our present troubles; perhaps we worry even more about future troubles.
However, the love of God, which he shows us in Jesus Christ, is stronger than any of these
things (John 3:16; 1 John 4:16). By that love, God makes people who were his enemies, into
his children (Romans 5:8; Romans 8:16-19; 1 John 3:1). As the children of God, God’s people
will live with him always (Revelation 21:7). Nothing will separate them from his love.
Nothing can separate us from God's love
(Romans 8:39)
Of course, some people refuse to accept God’s love by their wicked behaviour and evil
attitudes (Romans 1:18-32). Unless such people turn to God, they will only know his anger,
and not his love (Romans 2:5-11).
However, God’s people are the people who accept his love. Nothing can separate them from
that love. In other words, no enemy, and nothing else, can take away from them the love
that God has for them. God’s love will be with them through their whole lives (Psalm 23:6).
God’s love will bring them to their true home, with Christ in heaven (John 14:2-3).
Paul insists that even the highest and the deepest places cannot separate them from that love.
One idea is that, by those words, Paul means heaven, and hell, and their inhabitants. Even
the most powerful angel (special servant of God) has no power to separate God’s people from
that love. Even the most cruel demon (servant of the devil), or the devil himself, is unable to
take God’s love away from them.
Another idea is that Paul is here using the highest and deepest places as a word-picture for
human experiences. One person may have great honour, wealth and happiness. Another
person is poor and weak, and nobody cares about him. These experiences change through
our lives (Philippians 4:11-13) - but God’s love remains constant, whatever our
circumstances may be.
God created the heavens, the earth, and all that is in them. There is nothing, either in the
natural world or in the spirit world that he did not create (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3). So of
course none of these things is more powerful than the love that he shows by means of Christ
(Romans 5:8-10). Nothing can prevent the operation of his love on behalf of his people,
whom he loves (Romans 8:31-32).
Romans chapter 9
Paul's desperate prayer
(Romans 9:1-2)
Elsewhere, Paul urged Christians to be joyful at all times (Philippians 4:4). Here, however, he
says that he is deeply sad in his heart; he feels like someone in constant pain. Clearly, we
must examine Paul’s words carefully to understand his meaning.
Paul has just referred to a kind of deeply sad attitude, which is in fact a form of prayer
(compare Romans 8:23 and 8:26). In this sense, Christ was deeply sad too (Isaiah 53:3); you
can read a description of his prayers in Hebrews 5:7. God’s people have every reason to be
joyful about what God is doing in their lives (Isaiah 55:12; Luke 15:7). However, at the same
time, they are deeply sad about the troubles in our world; and that causes them to pray
desperately (Psalm 13:1-2; Psalm 74:1-11).
Paul’s prayer here is completely unselfish (Romans 9:3). That fact helps us to recognise that
Paul is not just expressing his personal desires and feelings to God. Rather, Paul is praying as
God’s Holy Spirit has directed him to pray.
That prayer is for the Jewish people, in other words, the people who belong to Israel. Many of
them were not serving God properly; a few of them were even actively opposing the first
Christians.
Paul understood that there is a relationship between God’s plan for Israel, and his plans for
people from every nation (Romans 11:11-12). Therefore, Paul’s subject is still, as in chapter 8,
how God will complete his plans for his people (Romans 8:17-30).
The love that God gave Paul for the Jewish people
(Romans 9:3)
Paul’s prayers were not simply polite words that he spoke to God. Like Christ himself (Hebrews
5:7), Paul often expressed himself in a very desperate manner in front of God (2
Corinthians 11:28-29). In prayer, Paul would show God the true desires of his (Paul’s) heart
(Romans 1:9-11).
Paul was born into a Jewish family (Romans 11:1). The Jewish people are the people who come
from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When Paul became a Christian, some of his
Jewish friends decided to oppose him fiercely (2 Corinthians 11:24). Paul could have been
bitter and angry, but instead God gave Paul the deepest love for them. Paul was ready to do
anything if it would help them to know God better (1 Corinthians 9:19-20).
Paul was not trying to impress anyone; this was the sincere and true attitude of his heart. So
of course Paul's love for the Jewish people expressed itself in his prayers. The way that Paul
described this love in his prayers may give us a shock. However, it is very similar to the prayer
that Moses prayed in Exodus 32:32.
Like Moses, Paul offered to God the most precious thing that he (Paul) possessed: his own
relationship with God (Philippians 3:7-11). Paul would even accept the loss of that, if it would
help the Jewish people to know God better.
Of course Paul knew that such a thing would never bring anyone into a right relationship with
God. However, that prayer was the strongest way that he could possibly express his love for
the Jewish people. Paul suffered much in his work for God. However, Paul would have willingly
suffered much more, as this prayer shows.
God's relationship with Israel
(Romans 9:4)
God promised Abraham that a great nation would come from his family (Genesis 12:2; Genesis
22:16-18). That nation is called Israel, or the Jewish people. However, their nation has hardly
ever been great in the ways that people would normally recognise. It may not be especially
great in its wealth or power. The area of land that God gave it is not particularly large.
The true greatness of Israel, therefore, exists only in its relationship with God. In the
ancient world, every nation chose its own gods (which were all false gods). However, the real
God chose Israel. He chose Israel in the same way that he chooses people from every nation
to be Christians (Romans 8:23): he adopted Israel to be his son (Hosea 11:1).
As a son receives honour because of his father (compare Romans 8:17-19), so Israel shared
the glory (honour and greatness) of God. His glory filled the tabernacle (tent) that stood in the
middle of their camp in the desert (Exodus 40:34-35).
God’s covenant is his promises that establish a relationship between him and people. In
Genesis 9:1-17, God made a covenant with Noah, which is for all the world’s people. However,
his later covenants, with Abraham (Genesis 15:18), Isaac (Genesis 26:24) and Jacob (Genesis
28:13-15) were for Israel’s benefit.
At the time of Moses, God gave his law to Israel’s people, to show them his standards. God
also provided a way by which they could worship (pray and give honour to) him at his temple
(the house of God). He even made wonderful promises to them, if they would obey him
(Deuteronomy 28:1-14).
Holy people in Jewish history
(Romans 9:5)
It may surprise us to realise that so many of the holy people in the Bible belonged to the same
nation. It is very rare to find someone who is truly sincere, humble and holy (Ecclesiastes
7:27-29). However, our Bibles are full of accounts of such people in every part of Israel’s
history. Such people even existed at times when the whole nation seemed to be against God
(compare 1 Kings 19:10 and 19:18).
In many translations, Paul says that the ‘patriarchs’ belong to Israel. However, the word in
the original language (Greek) is a more general word, which means the ‘fathers’. Paul could
mean any of the great men who loyally served God in Israel’s history. The ‘patriarchs’ mean in
particular Abraham (Romans 4:1), Isaac (Romans 9:10) and Jacob. It was from their family
that the nation called Israel, or the Jewish people, came.
Jesus was also Jewish. So were Paul and all of the first Christians. However, Paul does not
want to speak about himself here, but to give honour to Jesus. He refers to Jesus not by his
name, but by his title of honour ‘the Christ’, which means simply ‘the king’. Here was the king
whom God had long promised to Israel (Psalm 110). God himself had come to rescue his
people (Malachi 3:1).
That is a wonderful reason to praise God. In some translations here, Paul declares that Christ
is God; in others, he simply praises God. Both translations are correct, because Paul’s words
can have either meaning. However, Paul and all the first Christians believed that Christ is God
(John 1:1-4; John 1:14). He became a man, to die for us (Romans 8:3), but he has always been
God (Romans 1:3-4; Romans 8:9-10).
Each person must trust God for himself
(Romans 9:6)
Paul cared deeply about the Jewish people - the people who, like Paul himself, come from the
family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God had chosen them to be his holy nation, and he had
made wonderful promises to them (for example, Genesis 22:15-18).
However, the reaction of the Jewish people to Christ was much like the reaction of any
other group of people (John 1:10-12). Some of them accepted Christ, and some of them
opposed him. However, most of them did neither of these things. They simply acted as if God’s
message to them had no effect on their lives. They were behaving as if God’s promises to
their nation had failed.
Paul explained that it is impossible for God’s word to fail. It always achieves God’s purpose
(Isaiah 55:10-11). However, people can and do fail to receive the benefit of God’s promises.
That happens whenever people do not come to God in faith (in other words, with active belief
and trust in him) - Hebrews 11:6. Perhaps they refuse to believe God or his word. Perhaps they
will not accept God’s kindness, but try to earn the benefit of his promises by their own efforts
(Romans 4:1-8). Perhaps they will not come to God by his method, but only in their own way
(Romans 9:32-33). When people do such things, God’s promise has no effect on their lives
(compare Mark 4:15-20).
Nobody can depend on his family relations or the religion of his country to give him a right
relationship with God. That is even true about the Jewish people, to whom God gave such
wonderful promises. Each person needs to trust God for himself; each person must allow God
to work in his life. Only then will they receive the benefit of God’s promises to them.
God chose Isaac's family to receive the benefit of his promises to

Abraham
(Romans 9:7)
Here, Paul continues to teach his lesson about Abraham, which he began in Romans 4:1-22.
God had made promises to Abraham which were for the benefit of the future members of his
family (Genesis 13:14-17). So it was clearly important, for the honour of God, that Abraham
should have children. Otherwise, God’s promises would fail - however, it is not possible for
God’s promises to fail (Romans 9:6).
Abraham cared deeply about the honour of God. However, Abraham’s wife, Sarah, was unable
to have children. Even in this situation, Abraham continued to believe in what God had said
(Genesis 15:1-6).
As Abraham and Sarah became older, Sarah urged Abraham to accept her maid, Hagar, as his
concubine (secondary wife). Hagar gave birth to Abraham’s first son, Ishmael. God made great
and wonderful promises to Abraham about the future of Ishmael’s family. However, Ishmael
was not the son that God had promised to Abraham (Genesis 17:19-21).
God’s promises were for the benefit of Abraham’s second son, Isaac (Genesis 21:12). Isaac
was born to Sarah in extraordinary circumstances, when she was too old to have children.
From Isaac’s family came the nation called Israel or the Jewish people. God chose Israel
to be his special, holy nation. That was why he showed special kindness to them (Romans 9:4-
5). God wanted the whole world to benefit from his kindness to them (Genesis 12:3; Romans
11:12-15).
Abraham also took another wife, Keturah, and by her he had 6 more sons (Genesis 25:1-2).
Abraham provided for those sons, but he sent them to live abroad (Genesis 25:6). They could
not have any share in the promises that God had given to him and to Isaac.
A lesson about how to become God's children
(Romans 9:8)
It would be easy to think that Paul has changed his subjects from those in chapter 8. However,
as Paul explains his lesson about Abraham, he returns again to the same subjects. So, he
writes not about the children of Abraham here, but the children of God as in Romans 8:15-17.
Also, he writes again about the flesh (the soft parts of the body), which Paul uses as a word-
picture for human nature and its weakness (Romans 8:12-13). In particular, we do wrong
things when we allow our natural desires and feelings to control our lives.
The life of Abraham teaches us about these things in a very practical way. God had
promised a son to Abraham, but his wife Sarah was unable to have children. They tried to work
out a solution to their problem. There was a custom at the time for a man to take his wife’s
maid as a second wife. Abraham did that, and Ishmael was born. He had found a natural
answer to his desire to have a son. That solution did not depend upon trust in God; it
depended on natural, human behaviour.
However, we remember Abraham mainly because of his trust in God, in other words, his
faith. Even after Ishmael was born, Abraham believed God’s promise (Romans 4:18-22). So,
although Sarah was much too old, she gave birth to Isaac. He, and not Ishmael, was the son
whom God had promised to Abraham.
So the lesson is that, in order to become children of God, we cannot simply behave in a
natural, human way. We cannot simply allow our natural desires and feelings to control our
lives. Instead, we must trust God, and we must believe his word. We must allow him to
direct our lives by his Holy Spirit. People do not become the children of God by any act of
human effort, but by the power of God’s Spirit (John 1:12-13).
God's people have their relationship with him because of his promises
(Romans 9:9)
The Jewish people are different from other nations because they exist only as the result of
God’s promise to Abraham. The Jewish people are the people who come from the family of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham was the father of Isaac and the grandfather of Jacob - in
Romans 9:6-13, Paul explains the history of this family. Here, Paul refers to the promise in
Genesis 18:10 and to the birth of Isaac.
Paul has already discussed this part of Abraham’s life (Romans 4:16-22). In chapter 4, his
subject was Abraham’s belief (or faith) in God’s promises; here, the subject is the promise
itself. Our reaction to God’s promises can either be faith, or the opposite, which is unbelief
(Romans 11:20). Faith comes from God (Romans 10:17), but unbelief comes from our own
wrong attitudes (Hebrews 3:12-19; 1 Corinthians 10:1-10). Unbelief is when we refuse to
believe God’s promises; with such wrong attitudes, we must not expect to receive anything
from God (James 1:6-8).
God’s people should learn from this history that they must live by faith in the promises of
God. God gives those promises so that they will not depend on themselves - on their feelings,
their efforts or their successes. Instead, they must depend on God himself. It is only God
who can carry out his promises to them.
Verse 8 calls God’s people: ‘the children of the promise’. In other words, their relationship
with God exists because of God’s promise (John 1:12-13). In the life of Abraham, both
Ishmael and Isaac were his sons - but only Isaac was born as a result of God’s promise.
Therefore the Jewish people, God’s special people, came from the family of Isaac and not
Ishmael.
God does not make his decisions by natural, human reasons
(Romans 9:10)
Paul is teaching that God’s decisions are very different from people’s decisions. When people
choose someone for a special purpose, they consider that person’s importance, his character
and his strength. They are trying to choose the person who can succeed by his own efforts.
On the other hand, the matters that God considers are very different. The Jewish people are
God’s special people who come from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We may ask how
God chose Isaac and Jacob. It was the usual custom at that time for the first son in the
family to receive special honour. However, Isaac was Abraham’s second son, and Jacob was
Isaac’s second son.
Paul has just explained why God chose Isaac. It was because of God’s promise to Abraham.
We might think, however, that there was a natural reason to choose Isaac. Isaac’s mother was
Sarah, a free woman - but the mother of Ishmael, Abraham’s first son, was a slave. However,
God does not make his decisions by natural, human reasons. He is not trying to find the
person who will succeed by his (that person’s) own human efforts. Instead, God chooses the
person who will allow God to work in and through him.
To prove this, Paul reminds us that there was no natural, human reason to choose Jacob
instead of his older brother, Esau. They were both born to the same mother; in fact, they
were twins (two babies born at the same time). However, even before they were born, God
chose Jacob and not Esau (Genesis 25:21-23). God’s special nation, called Israel or the Jewish
people, came not from Esau’s family, but from Jacob’s family.
God often chooses those whom other people would not choose
(Romans 9:11-12)
God made promises to Abraham which were for the benefit of his family in future centuries
(Genesis 15:13-21). The benefit of those promises passed to his son, Isaac (Genesis 26:24)
and then to Isaac’s younger son, Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15). After that, they passed to Jacob’s
12 sons, whose families became the nation called Israel or the Jewish people.
We are studying why God chose Jacob, rather than his older brother, Esau. The usual
custom at that time was that the older brother would become the head of the family. Even
Isaac wanted to give the benefit of those promises to Esau (Genesis chapter 27). However,
God had already chosen Jacob (Genesis 25:23).
Paul has taught us that we cannot gain the benefit of God’s kindness by our own efforts
(Romans 4:1-8). Now, Paul teaches that same lesson again from the life of Jacob. God did not
choose Jacob because of something good that Jacob had done. In fact, God chose Jacob,
and not his brother Esau, before either of them were born. In verse 12, Paul repeats the words
that God spoke in Genesis 25:23.
So, we ask why God did that. Paul’s answer is that God was carrying out his plan. God chose
Jacob for his (God’s) own honour. God can use all different kinds of people to do his work. It is
very wonderful when a truly great person uses his many skills to do God’s work. However, if
God chose only the most impressive and powerful people, that would bring little honour to
God. So, God often chooses those people whom other people would not choose (1
Corinthians 1:26-29). Such people know that, by their own efforts, they can achieve little in
life. Therefore, they gladly give honour to God for what he does in their lives. Their humble
attitudes make it possible for God to work powerfully through them (Luke 1:50-52).
'I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau'
(Romans 9:13)
In verse 12, Paul refers to the first words that God spoke about Esau and Jacob (Genesis
25:23). In Romans 9:13, he repeats some of the last words about them in the Old Testament
(the first part of the Bible). These words appear in Malachi 1:2-3.
God gave that message to Malachi more than 1000 years after both Jacob and Esau had died.
Therefore, these words are not really about Jacob and Esau themselves, but about the
nations that came from their families. The nation that came from Esau’s family was called
the Edomites.
By that time, the true character of the Edomites had become very clear. They became very
evil. In fact, they were glad when Jerusalem’s people suffered (Psalm 137:7; Obadiah 10-14).
Because of their great cruelty, God had declared his judgement against them. In the passage in
Malachi, God declared that he would hand over their land to the wild dogs. God was right to
hate those people who had given themselves over to such wicked behaviour.
It is not so easy, however, for us to speak about Israel’s people, who came from Jacob’s
family. God had shown great love to them (Romans 9:4-5). However, only a part of them were
truly loyal to God (Romans 11:5-8); and that remains true even today.
However, we have not yet seen God’s final plan for Israel’s people; and that plan is very
wonderful (Romans 11:25-29). At that time, we shall see that God was right to choose Israel
as his special people. Of course that is so: all God’s judgements are right.
Could God act wrongly?
(Romans 9:14)
Here, Paul asks whether God could have acted wrongly. Of course such a thing could never
happen. Paul has asked the question only to emphasise its answer. God is perfect in all that
he does (Deuteronomy 32:4). As the judge of all people, everything that he does is right and
proper (Genesis 18:25). His judgements are never wrong (Romans 3:4).
People’s decisions seem so weak when we try to compare them with God’s judgements. Often,
people make the wrong decisions because of their selfish and evil attitudes (Romans 3:9-18).
However, even the best decisions of the most sincere people cannot compare with the
wisdom of God (Job 40:1-14; Isaiah 40:12-28).
That is because God has placed limits on people’s knowledge and wisdom. No person can
know everything, no person has perfect wisdom. If people did have perfect knowledge, then
they would always know the truth. If people had perfect wisdom, then they could always make
the best decisions.
It is astonishing, therefore, when people protest against God’s judgements (Romans 9:19-
20). They dare to speak as if their wisdom and knowledge are greater than God’s wisdom and
knowledge.
God sees what we cannot see (Psalm 139:1-6). He has perfect knowledge even of what will
happen in the future (Isaiah 48:3-7).
Paul has been explaining how God chose Jacob’s family, rather than Esau’s family, to be his
special people. Even if that decision seems wrong to us at the present time, it cannot in reality
be wrong. All God’s judgements are perfect. God’s plan for the future will prove his decision
to be right, proper and good.
To whom does God show special kindness?
(Romans 9:15)
We cannot earn God’s kindness - not even by our best efforts (Romans 4:1-8). So we certainly
cannot force him to show kindness to us. It is foolish and evil to imagine that we could demand
his support. That is a very proud way to behave, and God will not accept it (compare 1 Samuel
15:17-23 and Micah 6:7-8).
Instead, God chooses those people to whom he will show special kindness (Romans 8:28-
30). He works powerfully in their lives. He does not just want to help them with their present
difficulties. Rather, he has chosen to adopt them as his own children (John 1:12-13). They will
live with him always in heaven and the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:3-7).
This subject astonished Paul. God had worked powerfully in Paul's life at a time when Paul was
an enemy of the first Christians (1 Corinthians 15:9-10; Galatians 1:13-16; 1 Timothy 1:12-
16). Paul saw that he did not deserve God’s great kindness to him - but Paul was very grateful
to God for that kindness.
Paul’s words in Romans 9:15 come from Exodus 33:19. That verse is part of a very sacred Bible
passage, Exodus 33:12 to 34:14, where God permits Moses to see him. In that passage, God
describes to Moses his (God’s) true character (Exodus 34:6-7). God is kind and patient, and
his love is great. Although, as our judge, he must punish guilty people, his character and his
strongest desires are to forgive people. He can forgive every kind of evil deed; but people must
turn from their evil behaviour and invite him into their lives (Ezekiel 18:27-32). Those people
who do that, will receive a right relationship with God. It is God who made that possible.
Long ago - even before God created the world - he chose those people to be his people
(Ephesians 1:4-5).
God wants to help us, but we cannot control him
(Romans 9:16)
People like to think that they are in control of their own lives. By their actions, or by their own
desires, they hope to achieve whatever they want.
Some people show those same attitudes even during prayer; and that is very wrong. We must
never imagine that we can control God. We certainly cannot force him to do what we want.
However, God does very much want to help us. He is eager to forgive us, although we may
have done many wrong and evil things (Ezekiel 18:31-32). It is his nature to show kindness
(Exodus 34:6-7). It is his desire to save (rescue) even his enemies. That is why Christ died: to
take upon himself the punishment for our evil deeds (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 5:6-10).
God offers his kindness to us as a free gift (Isaiah 55:1-7; Matthew 11:28-30). Therefore, it
is impossible for us to earn God’s kindness by our own efforts (Romans 4:4-6). He offers to
forgive us, although as sinners (people who do wrong things) we do not deserve it (Romans
3:23; Romans 6:23). He offers us a right relationship with him, although we were his enemies
(Romans 5:6-10). He offers us a life without end, although we deserve only death because of
our evil deeds (Romans 6:23). We can earn none of these good things; but we can receive
them all as a free gift, because of Christ’s death.
In Luke 18:9-14, two men went to pray. However, only one man was ready to ask God humbly
to change his life. In John 1:10-13, Christ came to the world that he made. However, only
some of the people were willing to invite him into their lives. When we pray to God, we must
allow him to work in our lives. God does not answer our prayers because of our strong desires,
our hard effort or our good works. He does it because of his great kindness.
God can use even our wrong attitudes for his honour
(Romans 9:17)
This Pharaoh was the king of Egypt at the time of Moses, and he was a very wicked man. At
that time God’s people, called the Israelites, lived as slaves in Egypt. However, it was God’s
plan to make them free, and to bring them to the country that he had promised to Abraham
(Genesis 15:13-21).
So, God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, to ask him to free the Israelites. However, Pharaoh
did not want to obey God’s message to him, so he refused. Then God permitted a series of
judgements to begin against Egypt, to urge Pharaoh to change his mind. However, Pharaoh
would not change his mind.
The Bible calls the kind of attitudes that Pharaoh had: ‘a hard heart’. In Exodus 8:15 and
8:32, we read that Pharaoh made his own heart hard. In Exodus 9:12, however, God made
Pharaoh’s heart hard. In other words, Pharaoh’s wrong attitudes had become so bad that
God allowed those attitudes to take control of Pharaoh’s life.
Paul repeats from Exodus 9:16 the words that God used to explain his decision against
Pharaoh. Of course God could have ended Pharaoh’s rule, or permitted him to die, at once.
However, God knew that it would bring greater honour to him (to God) to act differently on
this occasion. He would let Pharaoh continue in his own wrong attitudes, so that the
judgements against Egypt would also continue. Then people everywhere would hear about
the power of the true and living God. They would hear how he acted against that great and
powerful country and its false gods. So, they would learn to respect the only real God, who
made both heaven and earth. God would use Pharaoh’s wrong attitudes to help people in many
different countries to know him (God).
God's mercy and people's hard hearts
(Romans 9:18)
‘To have mercy’ means to show kindness towards someone, and therefore to help that person.
In the Bible, it refers especially to God’s kindness when he forgives someone. That person had
offended against God’s law, and he deserved only God’s judgement against him. However, God,
in his great love, sent Christ to suffer the punishment for that person’s evil deeds (Romans
5:6-10). In addition, God has placed his Spirit in that person’s life (Romans 8:9); and he is
adopting that person as his child (Romans 8:14-19). That person will always live with God, in
heaven and the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:1-7).
God does all this for a person because, in his great kindness, he desires to do it. He wants to
save (rescue) even wicked people (Ezekiel 18:27-32). However, God cannot save a person who
refuses to repent. To ‘repent’ means to turn from evil deeds and to invite God into your life.
The Bible calls the attitude of someone who is completely unwilling to obey God: ‘a hard
heart’. Usually, a person makes their own heart hard, by their evil thoughts. However,
sometimes God allows such attitudes to take control of a person’s life, as an act of judgement.
It is as if that person has become a slave to their own wrong attitudes. Unless God shows
great mercy to that person, the person will be completely unable to turn to God.
God’s plan in this world is to save his people, to defeat every evil power, and to establish his
rule. It is very sad that, in their efforts to oppose God or his people, some people become
completely wicked. However, their evil schemes cannot defeat God. He can even bring
about good things from such circumstances (Romans 8:28). That was what happened to
Pharaoh (Romans 9:17). God permitted Pharaoh’s heart to become hard so that God could
show his power.
Paul's reply to someone who complains about God's judgements
(Romans 9:19-20)
Here, Paul discusses a conversation with a man who was arguing with him. There are similar
passages in chapters 2 and 3. In each place, the man is complaining about God’s
judgements.
In this passage, the man argues that nobody could oppose God’s decision about him. Therefore,
the man says that God is behaving wrongly. In the man’s opinion, God is causing people to
suffer punishment for a decision that God himself has made.
The man has accused God of very evil behaviour, so Paul answers severely. Paul uses words
from the Bible, but not from a single passage. Instead, in his answer he seems to refer to a few
different passages in the Books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. He reminds the man that God made all
people. Therefore, it is very wrong when people oppose God. When they do that, God is right to
make his judgement against them.
These are the passages that Paul is referring to:
(1) Firstly, Paul refers to Isaiah 29:15-16. That passage is about people who only pretend to
obey God. In their hearts (minds), they make plans against him. However, God, as their maker,
knows their secret thoughts (Psalm 139:4). His judgement is rightly against them.
(2) Isaiah 45:9 describes how God would use a foreign king, Cyrus, to carry out his (God’s)
plan (Isaiah 45:1-13). Cyrus would do this although he did not know the real God (Isaiah 45:4-
5). In fact, God carries out his plans even through the lives of people who oppose him
(Romans 8:28; Romans 9:17-18).
(3) In Jeremiah 18:1-10, God told Jeremiah to watch a man who was making pots. The man
shaped and reshaped his pots in the same way that God works in people’s lives. God explained
the lesson to Jeremiah. When God decides to punish people he often gives those people an
opportunity to turn back to him first. If they do that, he will forgive them. However, if they
suffer that punishment, they should not blame God. He acted rightly but they were evil.
God acts for his own honour, even in the lives of evil people
(Romans 9:21)
We do not consider it strange that a person makes different kinds of pots from the same
material. He needs pots in which to store beautiful things - but he also needs pots to carry
unclean substances away. He designs each pot for its proper purpose.
There does not need to be evil people in the world - there will be none in the future world
(Revelation 22:14-15). However, they are here now, and God must decide what to do with
them.
He could decide to carry out his judgement against them all immediately. However, he has
chosen not to, because his patience is great. 2 Peter 3:9 explains the reason for that
patience. God is giving people the opportunity to turn to him. There are not just a few evil
people in the world. We all are guilty of many wrong and evil things (Romans 3:23). However,
if we turn from our evil deeds to invite Christ into our lives, God will forgive us.
However, some people become so evil that they are completely unwilling to let God change
their lives. They ruin their own lives, but they cannot destroy God’s plan to save (rescue)
his people (Romans 8:35-39). Instead, God can work through the life of an evil person to carry
out his (God's) own plans (Romans 8:28). So, our wrong deeds bring God’s judgement against
ourselves - but they give God an opportunity to act for his own honour (Romans 3:5-7).
Because Pharaoh opposed God’s people so cruelly, that gave God the opportunity to rescue
them in great power (Romans 9:17). God carries out his work in the lives of both good and evil
people - but always, he acts to save his people, and to bring honour to himself.
God's patience with the people who oppose his plans
(Romans 9:22-23)
In Romans 9:14-24, Paul is teaching the same lesson that he taught in Romans 8:28. The
lesson is that God is working in this world, to save (rescue) his people, and to bring all
things under his rule. Some people, including many powerful people, oppose him; but they
cannot defeat his plan. The weakness of their efforts only shows more clearly the greatness of
God’s power (Psalm 2). The result is that God receives honour (Romans 9:17).
In this passage, Paul is teaching that lesson from events in the life of Moses. Pharaoh tried to
prevent God’s plan to free God’s people from Egypt. However, God was working in that
situation; he even told Pharaoh what he (God) was doing (Exodus 9:16; Romans 9:17).
When Pharaoh refused to obey God, God used that wrong attitude to show his power more
clearly. He did not cause Pharaoh to die at once, but dealt with him in a patient manner
(Romans 9:22). He caused Pharaoh’s heart to become hard (Exodus 10:1) - in other words, God
permitted Pharaoh’s wrong attitudes to control his life. Pharaoh became unwilling to change
his mind as God showed his power.
God’s purpose then was to free his people, who were slaves in Egypt. Now, God’s purpose is
to bring his people into their full rights as children of God (Romans 8:18-23). When that
happens fully, that will free the whole world from its present state of pain and trouble
(Romans 8:21). To bring that about, God is working in our world - even in the lives of people
who oppose his plans.
People from other nations benefit from God's kindness to the Jews
(Romans 9:24)
When God rescues his people, some people from other nations have always benefited. God’s
special people are the Jews (also called the Israelites) (Romans 9:3-5), but God wants to help
the people from every nation (Genesis 12:3). So when people from other nations join with
the Jews, those people benefit from God’s kindness to the Jews (see Romans 11:17).
For example, when Israel’s people left Egypt, many people from other nations left with them
(Exodus 12:38). Those people received their freedom because God had freed the Jews.
Several centuries later, when David established peace in Israel, many of his most loyal soldiers
came from other nations (2 Samuel 15:18-22, also, the soldiers called Ammonites, Hittites and
Moabites in 1 Chronicles 11:39-46).
In the same way, God sent Jesus to Israel’s people - but people from other nations
benefited too (Mark 7:24-30). All the first Christians were Jews - but soon Gentiles (people
from other nations) started to become Christians too (Acts chapter 10; Acts 15:1-29). Paul
was ‘the apostle (a church leader whom God sent) to the Gentiles’ (Romans 11:13) - but in
every place, he began his work among the Jews (Acts 13:42-48; Romans 1:16).
God unites his people, both Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-16). When Gentiles trust in
Christ, they join God’s holy nation - they even become his royal priests (1 Peter 2:9), with the
right to have the closest possible relationship with God (Hebrews 10:19-22).
God's love for the nation that lost his love
(Romans 9:25)
Paul has been teaching us lessons from Israel’s history. First, from the lives of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, he taught us how God chose that nation to be his special people (Romans 9:6-
13). Then, from the life of Moses, he showed how God saved them. God rescued his people
when they were slaves in Egypt (Romans 9:14-24)
Now Paul discusses a time, centuries later, when few of Israel’s people were loyal to God.
In fact, several of their kings hated the true God so much that they tried to destroy his
religion. By their evil behaviour, those kings brought about the ruin of their country - but they
could not destroy God’s plans for his people.
From that period of history, Paul selects two passages from Hosea, and two from Isaiah, that
show God’s plan for Israel.
This first passage comes from Hosea 2:23. That chapter uses the wrong behaviour of Hosea’s
wife as a word-picture for Israel’s wrong behaviour. She had not been loyal to Hosea, her
husband, even as Israel’s people had not been loyal to God (Hosea 2:2-5). So, God would
punish Israel (Hosea 2:9-13). However, his intention was not to destroy Israel, but to bring
Israel back into a right relationship with him.
So, God declared that he would again, in the future, show his love to Israel (Hosea 2:14-20).
This nation, that had lost his love, would know his love again. Israel’s people had chosen not
to live as the people of God. However, in the future, Israel’s people would return to God
(Hosea 3:5). Then, they would be truly the people of God (Hosea 2:23), God’s special people.
God brings his people back to himself
(Romans 9:26)
Paul repeats the words of Hosea 1:10. God is able to bring people back into a right
relationship with him. That act shows God’s honour, his kindness and his greatness in a very
special way. He is working in the lives of people who very clearly do not deserve his love. He
forgives people who are guilty of many evil deeds (Exodus 34:6-7).
Christ spoke much about how God brings people back to himself (for example, Luke chapter
15). However, Hosea’s subject is not just a few people, but a whole nation (Hosea 1:10-11).
Hosea shows how God will bring Israel’s people back to himself. Paul will return to that subject
in Romans 11:11-32.
Hosea’s difficult personal circumstances help us to understand the message that he brought
from God. Hosea’s wife was not loyal to him, and she had children from a relationship with
another man. God told Hosea to give her children unusual names. Those names described
God’s relationship with Israel, which had also not been loyal to him (to God).
So Hosea called his wife’s second son Lo-Ammi, which means ‘not my people’. As that child
was not Hosea’s son, so Israel’s people could no longer consider themselves the people of God
(Romans 9:6). However, it was God’s honour to bring them back to himself.
God’s love astonishes us as we read his promises to Israel in Hosea 1:10-11. God repeats his
promise in Genesis 22:17, to show that he will carry out his former promises to them. Then
(as in Jeremiah 31:31-37 or Zechariah 14:9-21) God promises them a better future than
anything that they have known in the past.
The people in Israel who are loyal to God
(Romans 9:27-28)
Isaiah chapter 10 is an exciting chapter to read. It describes a fierce attack against Israel by
the powerful army of Assyria. They have defeated the northern part of Israel; now they enter
the southern part, called Judah. They confidently expect to destroy Jerusalem. However, God
himself will soon act in anger against them, because of their great pride.
In the middle of this chapter (Isaiah 10:22-23) appear the words that Paul repeats. Israel may
be such a vast nation that it cannot count its people. However, God does not act on their
behalf because of their great numbers (compare 1 Samuel 14:6). Rather, God acts on behalf
of the people in the nation who remain loyal to him. They may be very few, but God cares
very much about them. He would save a whole city if just a few good people remain there
(Genesis 18:23-32). God may permit a terrible judgement against a city or nation - but even in
such situations, he defends his loyal people.
Paul repeated these words long after the nation called Assyria had disappeared. He wanted to
show a principle by which God acts on behalf of his people, called Israel or the Jewish
people. God is making them into a nation where all the people are loyal to him (Romans 11:26).
That will happen at the time of Christ’s return, when the whole world will begin to serve God
(Zechariah 14:9).
At the present time, all of Israel’s people are not loyal to God. However, some people are loyal
to God and because of them, God protects the Jewish people. They are the beginning of
God’s work among the Jewish people (Romans 11:16; Revelation 7:1-8; Revelation 14:1-5).
Because of their sincere belief and trust in God, God will one day act to save (rescue) their
whole nation.
Why Israel did not become like Sodom
(Romans 9:29)
Sodom and Gomorrah were two towns that became especially wicked at the time of Abraham.
In fact, they were so bad that God made an immediate judgement against them. Burning
chemicals poured like rain upon the towns, and killed everyone in them. The only people who
escaped were a good man called Lot, his wife and two daughters. However, Lot’s wife died as
she looked back at Sodom (Genesis 19:1-29).
Centuries later, Isaiah saw that many people in his own country, Israel, had also become very
wicked (Isaiah 1:21-23). They had no more right to expect any help from God than Sodom
and Gomorrah did. It was only by God’s kindness that their nation and their families
continued to exist. God had shown that kindness to Israel because of those people who had
remained loyal to God. However, it was also an act of God’s kindness that such people were
in their nation. In his kindness, God had made it possible for those people to know him and to
trust him.
In Romans 9:29, Paul repeats Isaiah 1:9, but not to warn about God’s judgement. Rather,
Paul’s purpose is to show the place of Israel in God’s plan. In particular, Paul wants to
emphasise God’s plan for those people from Israel who are loyal to God. They may not be many
people, but from them God can and will make Israel into a truly great nation. That is, a nation
where the people love and obey God with their whole hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-36; Mark
12:28-34; Romans 11:23-27).
We can only receive a right relationship with God by faith
(Romans 9:30-31)
Paul is eager to tell us God’s plan for the future of Israel and the nations (Romans 11:11-16;
Romans 11:25-32). However, first he must describe the present situation. It is very strange.
Israel’s people had received God’s perfect law, but they are still not perfect. However, many
people from other nations, who did not know or care about God’s law, have received a right
Paul does not of course mean that none of Israel’s people have a right relationship with God.
He himself belonged to Israel (Romans 11:1). Nor does he mean that all of Israel’s people
cannot ever have a right relationship with God. In fact, in the future, God will save (rescue)
the whole of Israel (Romans 11:25-26).
The people from different nations who have a right relationship with God, are the Christians.
Before they became Christians, many of them did not know God’s law. Some of them were
trying to live in a right and proper manner (Romans 2:14-15); and some were not (1
Corinthians 6:9-11). However, their right relationship with God did not come from any efforts
to obey God’s law (Romans 3:27-30). They received it by faith (trust in God) because of
Christ’s death (Romans 5:6-10).
That is the only way that anyone can receive a right relationship with God. Some of Israel’s
people tried to please God by their efforts to obey his law, but they were not truly trusting
God. Paul himself was in that situation before he became a Christian. Then Christ himself met
with Paul (Acts 9:1-6) and everything in Paul’s life changed. Paul did not still depend on his
own efforts to please God. Instead, he learned to depend on God by faith. Without faith
(trust in God), it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
Why we cannot gain a right relationship with God by our own efforts
(Romans 9:32)
Some people want God to approve of their actions. They are proud of their good works. They
think that God should be grateful to them for those good deeds. For them, faith (trust in God)
may seem a strange idea.
They are not trusting in God, but in their own efforts. They imagine that, by those efforts,
they can earn a right relationship with God.
In the Book of Romans, Paul argues strongly against this idea. We must not complain about
other people’s evil deeds, as if we are completely innocent (Romans 2:1-5). All people have
done wrong and evil things that are against God’s law (Romans 3:9-20). We cannot earn a
right relationship with God; we must depend on God’s kindness (Romans 4:1-8). God showed
that kindness when Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). So, we need to believe and trust in
Christ - and that is faith.
Christ described himself as the true and living way to God the Father (John 14:6). It is by
means of faith (trust) in him that we can know God. We may ask why anyone would ever want
to try to find another way. The answer is that, often, people are not ready to accept God’s rule
over their lives. Perhaps they will accept some kind of religion if they can choose the nature of
that religion. Perhaps they are willing to obey God’s law, but not to love God truly (see Mark
12:29-31). People are desperate to have some kind of control over their own lives.
Paul compares them to people who trip over a rock. The rock is strong; if people depend on it
(for example, as the base of their houses), it would make their lives stronger and better
(Matthew 7:24-25). So, the Bible compares God to a strong rock (Psalm 62:1-2). However, if
we will not trust him, we will only hurt ourselves.
We must trust Christ
(Romans 9:33)
For a builder, the rock is valuable. It can provide the strong base on which his building can
stand. He can depend upon the rock; but he certainly could not depend upon sand as the base
of his building (Matthew 7:24-27). For that reason, the Bible often compares God to a rock (for
example, Psalm 18:2). God provides the strength and security that his people need for their
lives. They can depend on him; in other words, they should trust him.
However, a builder cannot benefit from the strength of the rock if he refuses to depend upon
it. In fact, the rock’s strength can then be a cause of pain and trouble to him. It is so easy to
fall upon the rock, especially in bad weather. That is what Isaiah 8:14 describes. People who
refuse to trust in God are in great danger, especially during severe troubles.
In the same way, a strong, large stone gives strength to a building. The builders of
Jerusalem used magnificent stones (Mark 13:1). In 1 Peter 2:4-8, Peter compares Christ to
such a stone. Like Peter, Paul here repeats some words from Isaiah 28:16.
Many people refuse to trust Christ (Psalm 118:22; John 1:10-11); they consider him only to be
a cause of trouble. However, God has chosen to give Christ the place of greatest honour
(Psalm 110:1; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:2-4). Therefore, all people should trust Christ.
He offers to help them in their troubles (Psalm 91:15) and to give them strength in their
weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). God will not disappoint the person who trusts Christ.
Romans chapter 10
Paul's prayer for the salvation of Israel
(Romans 10:1)
Paul has already told us how desperately he prayed for the Jewish people, also called Israel
(Romans 9:1-3).
Now he tells us what he was praying for them. He was praying for their salvation; in other
words, for God to save them.
Salvation means rescue and safety; to save means to rescue and to provide safety. So, Paul has
not changed his subject since he began his book. Romans 1:16 says that the gospel (God’s
message about Christ) is the power of God to save both Jewish people, and people from
other nations. The Jewish people are the people who come from the family of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob.
Salvation in the Bible means much more than physical safety. In particular, it refers to a right
relationship with God (Romans 10:9-13). Nobody is in reality safe if they do not have a right
relationship with God. It is God alone who makes people and nations safe (Psalm 27:1-3).
Paul’s prayer, therefore, is like the prayer in Psalm 122:6. That Psalm tells us to pray for the
peace of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel; ‘peace’ in the Psalm has the same
meaning as ‘salvation’. We ask God not just to save it from war, but to bring all its people
into a right relationship with himself. Then, at last Israel’s people will know true success
(Psalm 122:9).
Paul was praying for the salvation of the whole of Israel, and not just for some of its people. In
Romans 11:26, he declares that God really will answer this prayer: God will save all of Israel.
Paul is referring there to what will happen at the time of Christ’s return to this world.
Zeal for God
(Romans 10:2)
Zeal for God is the strong desire that God should receive the honour due to him.
Paul and the first Christians often met Jewish people (the people who belong to Israel) with
this attitude. It was not always a pleasant experience. Many Jewish people sincerely believed
that Paul’s message about Christ was wrong. So, because of their zeal for God, they considered
that they had to argue fiercely with him. Sometimes they even joined in attacks against him.
However, people from other nations attacked Paul, too; and sometimes their attacks were
even worse (2 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Usually we can only speak as a witness about things that we ourselves see or hear. We cannot
be a true witness of other people’s attitudes, because we do not know their thoughts.
However, Paul can speak as a true witness here, because these were formerly his
attitudes. As a young man, he too had opposed the Christians with great zeal. He had
approved of the death of Stephen, the first Christian who died because of his belief in Christ
(Acts 8:1). Paul even wanted to arrest the Christians in Damascus (Acts 9:1-2). However, on
the way, Christ met with him, and that changed Paul’s life completely (Acts 9:3-6; 1 Timothy
1:12-16).
So when people were angry with Paul now, he felt only love towards them (Luke 6:27-28;
Romans 11:28). He knew that only the knowledge of Christ separated him from them. That
knowledge had not come to Paul by his own efforts, but by God’s kindness. He prayed eagerly
that those people would know Christ too.
True and false righteousness
(Romans 10:3)
Righteousness means a life that is completely good and right.
God’s righteousness, therefore, means the life that God accepts to be completely good and
right. The only person who has ever lived like that, perfectly, is Christ (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter
1:19). Therefore, the only way that God can accept us is by means of Christ (John 14:6;
Philippians 3:9).
On the other hand, our own righteousness is what we ourselves consider good and right. It
is not therefore true righteousness, because it depends on our opinions. Everyone’s opinion
differs, and we choose our opinions to suit our circumstances. So, we complain about other
people’s behaviour while we make excuses for our own actions (Romans 2:1-11).
The problem is that we are afraid to accept God’s standards for our lives. We know that
God is good and perfect; and we are guilty in front of him (Romans 3:23). We cannot be
perfect; so we try to satisfy ourselves that we are good enough. We choose which of his laws
we are willing to obey. We follow the form of religion that suits us. In other words, we replace
God’s standards with our standards; we follow our idea of righteousness instead of God’s
righteousness.
However, God wants us to accept his righteousness, which we will find in Christ. By means
of Christ’s death (Romans 5:8), God can give us his righteousness as a free gift (Romans 5:17).
We are guilty people, but God can accept us because of Christ (Romans 5:19). When God
forgives us, he accepts us as good, not because of our own deeds, but because of our
relationship with Christ.
The death of Christ and the law of God
(Romans 10:4)
God gave his law in order to bring people into a right relationship with him, by means of Christ
(Galatians 3:24).
God’s law declares his judgement against our evil deeds (Galatians 3:10). We all have done
wrong and evil things; therefore, we are all guilty (Romans 3:23). However, by his death,
Christ suffered the law’s judgement against our evil deeds (Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 4:25). In
other words, Christ accepted the punishment that we deserve.
We cannot, therefore, obtain a right relationship with God by our own efforts. We can only
receive such a relationship when we believe and trust God (Romans 3:27-28; Romans 4:1-8).
That is what the Bible calls ‘faith’.
Christ emphasised that he did not come to destroy God’s law (Matthew 5:17-18). Rather, he
came to carry out, or to achieve the purpose of, the law. Without Christ, God’s law could not
carry out its purpose. It could not, by itself, bring anyone into a right relationship with God
(Galatians 3:21). So instead, God’s law taught people how they must come to God. It prepared
them for the work that Christ would do.
The effect of Christ’s death is to make it possible for people to know God in a new way
(Hebrews 10:19-22). This new relationship of faith in God does not destroy God’s law - it
makes God’s law even stronger (Romans 3:31). The Bible says that God is writing his law on
the hearts of his people (Hebrews 8:10; compare 2 Corinthians 3:3). In other words, they obey
his law not just because of duty, but because they love it (Psalm 119:97).
How to receive the kind of life that God gives
(Romans 10:5)
Before Paul became a Christian, verses like this one (Leviticus 18:5) mattered much to him. At
that time, Paul was working hard to obey God’s law. In that way, Paul believed that he could
obtain a right relationship with God. This verse, Leviticus 18:5, seemed to say that, by those
efforts, Paul would receive life.
Now, however, Paul understood that verse differently. He had seen that his own efforts were
too weak to obey God completely (Romans 7:14-25). So, Paul realised that he must depend not
on his own efforts, but upon God himself. He must believe and trust in God; then God, by his
Spirit, would give Paul the strength to serve God properly (Romans 8:1-14). The result
would be the kind of life, in Paul’s own spirit, that can never end (John 11:25-26; 1 Corinthians
15:51-54).
That fact changed how Paul understood the Bible. Now he could see that, long before him,
Abraham and David had already discovered these things (Romans 4:1-8). They too did not
depend on their own efforts, but on God’s kindness. They too had accepted God’s promises by
faith (belief and trust in God).
Paul could even see that Moses himself was teaching these things. In the next few verses,
Paul will discuss some of Moses’ final words to Israel’s people, from Deuteronomy 30:11-14.
In that passage, Moses insists that God’s commands were not too difficult for his people to
follow. God was not giving them rules that they could never obey. Rather, God was placing his
word into their hearts and mouths. They simply needed to accept it; and then God would
work in their lives. In other words, he would make them into the kind of people that he wanted
them to be.
God is not asking people to do impossible things
(Romans 10:6-7)
It is impossible for people to earn for themselves a right relationship with God. It is impossible
to live a life of perfect goodness. However, God is not asking people to do impossible things.
Instead, God urges us to invite him into our lives (Revelation 3:20) and to accept his
kindness (Isaiah 55:1-7). Then he will change our lives in the most wonderful way. Although
we were formerly his enemies (Romans 5:10), he makes us into his children (Romans 8:14-17).
Paul was referring here to the lesson that Moses taught in Deuteronomy 30:11-14. However,
Paul does not repeat Moses’ words exactly. Moses said that it was not impossible for the
people to obey God. He gave two examples of impossible things: to rise into heaven, and to
cross the sea. For Israel’s people both of these were impossible. They had no boats; and they
did not then have the skills to make or to use them. However, Paul was writing to Christians in
Rome, which had a great navy and many ships. So, his two examples of impossible things are to
rise into heaven, and to return from death.
To make these matters even clearer, Paul explains his meaning. For God to give us a right
relationship with himself, two things had to happen. Christ, God the Son, had to come down
from heaven to live among us. Then, he had to die for us, and become alive again. If we
could cause Christ to repeat those actions, then we could earn for ourselves a right
However, it is not necessary, because Christ himself has already done these things.
Therefore, we do not depend on our own efforts, but on God’s goodness. So, we believe and
trust in Christ.
God's message is simple to accept
(Romans 10:8)
‘God has a message for you.’ However, maybe that statement surprises you. Perhaps you
thought that you must go to heaven to hear God’s voice. Perhaps you believed that you must
pass through death first (Romans 10:6-7).
Most people would think that you must carry out some extraordinary effort to hear from God.
However, both Moses (Deuteronomy 30:14) and Paul insist that people are wrong to think
that. Both Moses and Paul teach that God has made it very easy for you to receive his
(God’s) message. It is ‘in your mouth’, so you only have to speak it. It is ‘in your heart’, and
you only need to believe it. Clearly, God wants very much for us to accept his message.
This message from God is so clear that you already know it. However, sometimes we might
need a little help in order to recognise it. For Moses, the message was that we must obey God
with glad and willing hearts (Deuteronomy 30:10). For Paul, the message was the ‘word of
faith’. Faith means belief and trust in God. So, Paul’s message was that we must believe and
trust God. Of course, the result of both these messages is the same. The person who believes
and trusts God, is glad to obey him. The person who obeys God, must believe and trust him.
We accept God’s message by the attitude of our heart, and the words of our mouth
(Romans 10:9-10). Even as the devil constantly urges us not to trust God, God constantly
invites us to believe and trust him (God).
What a Christian must declare and believe
(Romans 10:9)
The main subject in the Book of Romans is how God saves (rescues) a person from sin (evil
deeds), the devil and death (Romans 1:16). For that to happen the person must declare that
Jesus is Lord. ‘Lord’ here means God - Paul is using the word that translates God’s most holy
name into the Greek language. Also, the person must truly believe that God raised Jesus from
death.
Often, people turn to Romans 10:9 in order to help someone who wants to become a Christian.
The verse is simple and clear, but not everyone can follow its advice. A person can only
declare that Jesus is Lord by the power of God’s Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). We can
only believe these things when God shows them to us.
Jesus patiently helped people who had sincere questions and honest doubts (John 3:1-15;
John 4:7-26). He encouraged people to think carefully (Luke 14:28) and to examine what the
Bible says (John 5:39). God has promised to act in the lives of those people who sincerely ask
him to do that (Isaiah 55:6-7; Revelation 3:20). His Holy Spirit has the power to show us
things that we could never know without his help (1 Corinthians 2:9-11).
It is interesting to see the relationship between this verse and the previous verses. Christ
came down from heaven (Romans 10:6). We declare that fact by our statement that Jesus is
Lord (in other words, God). Christ rose from death to life (Romans 10:7). We believe that in
our hearts. We could not cause these things, which are necessary for God to save us, to
happen. However, God did these things. We need only to accept what he has done for us.
We do that when we believe and trust in him. We show that inner attitude of trust, when we
declare our belief in him.
The connection between our words and our beliefs
(Romans 10:10)
In the Bible, the ‘heart’ means the part of us from which our inner thoughts come (Mark 7:21-
23). Today, we might refer to it as our ‘mind’. Other people cannot know the thoughts of our
heart, but God knows them perfectly (1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 139:1-6). Even we ourselves
cannot pretend to have perfect knowledge of our own hearts (Jeremiah 17:9-10). However,
God can change our heart (Ezekiel 11:19).
A person’s words are the result of what is in his heart (Luke 6:45). A sincere person or a true
witness speaks what he believes in his heart.
The first Christians truly were witnesses. They spoke about the actual events that they
themselves had seen (Acts 4:20; 1 John 1:1-2). However, later Christians are also witnesses.
They speak about the things that God has done in their own lives. They have not yet seen
Christ; but they declare the truth about what they believe (John 20:29). It is as if they
themselves saw Christ’s death (Galatians 3:1); they have accepted Christ’s death as part
of their own experience (Romans 6:2-6). In other words, they truly believe that Christ died
for them (Romans 5:8).
So, their belief, and the declaration of that belief, gives them a right relationship with God.
Perhaps a person can believe secretly - but the natural result of such a belief is to speak
about it. God has done such a wonderful thing when he saves (rescues) a person (2
Corinthians 5:17). That person may not be able to tell everyone about what God has done in
his life. However, he certainly should pray for an opportunity to speak to other people about
God’s goodness to him.
Nobody who trusts in Christ will be ashamed
(Romans 10:11)
Paul repeats the same words that he used at the end of Romans 9:33. Clearly, he considered
these words very important. Nobody who trusts in Christ will be ashamed. That is, they will
not be ashamed of their belief and trust in Christ. God will not disappoint any of them. God
will save (rescue) them all, from the power of their sin (evil deeds), from the devil and from
death. He will establish the rule of Christ over all things. God cannot fail; he will certainly
carry out all of his promises to his people.
Paul reminds us that these words were already in the Bible. They come from Isaiah 28:16. The
first Christians believed that the whole Bible, including its older books called the Old
Testament, is God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). God provided the Bible for our
benefit (Romans 15:4). He wants us to trust its promises (Hebrews 6:13-19). What God has
said, is certain (2 Corinthians 1:20).
In order to emphasise the meaning, Paul adds a word here that he did not use previously
(Romans 9:33). It is the word that means ‘everyone’. It is not easy to include that word when
we translate the verse into English. We could say ‘Everyone who believes on Christ will not
suffer shame’. Paul will explain in verse 12 why he includes that word. God’s promise is to
everyone, from every nation. People from every nation can put their trust in Christ (Matthew
28:19). God will not disappoint any of them. He, the God of Israel, is the God of the whole
world and the only real God. Therefore, he wants people from every nation to trust him. He
will save everyone who does that (Romans 10:13).
God's kindness is for people from every nation
(Romans 10:12)
Clearly, there are many differences between the Jews (God’s people from the family of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), and the people from other nations. Paul gave a list of differences
between them in Romans 9:4-5. However, in this important matter, there is no difference.
The God of the Jews (in other words, the God of Israel) is the God of the whole world (Isaiah
45:3-6). He cares deeply about the people in every nation (Jonah 4:11). He very much desires
to show kindness to people everywhere. So, people from every nation can put their trust in
God, and God will accept them. He will forgive their evil deeds; he will give them a right
relationship with himself (Acts 10:34-35). In every nation, people need only to turn from their
evil deeds and to invite God into their lives (John 1:12).
That is why the gospel (God’s good news) is a message for the whole world (John 3:16;
Matthew 28:19; Romans 1:16). Christ did not just die for the people from one nation. He died
for the people from every nation (Romans 5:12-19). That includes both Jews and people who
are not Jews (Romans 1:16). From many nations, God is making one new holy nation of
people who truly know and love God (Ephesians 2:11-20; 1 Peter 2:9-10).
God is such a generous giver. However, he will not save (rescue) everyone. He works in the
lives of those people who ‘call upon him’. In other words, they do not proudly try to depend
upon themselves, but humbly they invite him into their lives. They believe him, and so they put
their trust in him. It is those people who become the people of God. God has the most
wonderful plans for their future with him (Romans 8:18-19; 1 Corinthians 2:9).
God will save everyone who calls upon his name
(Romans 10:13)
God will save (rescue) everyone who calls upon his name. That is the wonderful promise
which Paul repeats from Joel 2:32. Paul emphasises that the promise is for all people, from
every nation (Romans 10:12). To call upon God’s name, people must ask him for help, and
they must place their trust in him. When someone does that, God accepts that person as one
of his own children (John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17). That person is no longer an enemy of God,
but has joined the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10).
The subject of the Book of Joel is a terrible future attack against Israel by an enemy army.
However, in this severe situation, Israel’s people return to God (Joel 2:12-17) and God gladly
accepts them (Joel 2:18-27). Then God acts in judgement against the enemies that attacked
them (Joel 3:1-16).
God’s promise to rescue everyone who calls upon his name appears in the middle of the book,
at Joel 2:32. We might think therefore that it is only for Israel’s people. However, in Joel 2:28,
God promises to send his Spirit upon ‘all people’, that is, people from every nation.
This passage from the Book of Joel was of great importance to Peter, who repeated Joel 2:28-
32 in Acts 2:17-21. Peter believed that such passages are about particular future events (2
Peter 3:1-13). However, he believed that many of them are also about the whole of the present
age, from Christ’s death until his return (1 Peter 1:10-12; 1 Peter 1:20; 2 Peter 3:8). During
this whole period, people may call upon God’s name and God will save them (2 Peter 3:9).
However, it is foolish for anyone to delay. Today God is speaking to people (Hebrews 4:7);
today he wants to save (rescue) them (2 Corinthians 6:2). Their opportunity to trust him will
end very suddenly (Hebrews 9:27; 2 Peter 3:10); then the judgement will come.
We must hear and believe the message in order to act on it
(Romans 10:14)
Suppose that the inhabitants of a city are in a desperate situation. A cruel enemy has
surrounded their city with his army, and he intends to destroy it. It seems that they must hand
over their city to him. That was what happened to Jabesh in 1 Samuel 11:1-11.
However Jabesh had a powerful king, King Saul of Israel - although nobody had yet recognised
his importance. Saul made a serious promise that he would gather a vast army to rescue
Jabesh.
Before Saul reached Jabesh with his army, he sent an important message to the city’s
inhabitants. He was coming soon, so they must not hand over their city to the enemy.
In that message, Saul was telling them to depend on him. They should put their trust in him.
He was their king and he would save them. That is also the meaning of Paul’s words when he
urges people to ‘call upon the name’ of Christ (Romans 10:9-13). People should depend upon
Christ because he alone can save people from their sins (evil deeds) (Matthew 1:21); from
the devil (Hebrews 2:14) and from death (John 11:25-26).
Jabesh’s inhabitants were very happy when they received Saul’s message. They saw that they
could have confidence in his power to save them. They depended on him only because they
believed him. They believed only because they heard his message. They heard it only because
some men went back into Jabesh to declare it. Those men only went because Saul sent them
with his message.
So, God’s message about Christ is even more important, and even more wonderful. The task to
declare that message is both a serious duty, and a great honour.
God sends people to declare the news of his salvation
(Romans 10:15)
Only God can give us a right relationship with himself. Other people might tell us his message;
however, the message still comes from God alone. It is God who works in our lives (Matthew
18:11-14). It is God who gives some of his people the special task to declare his message in
public (Ephesians 4:11).
God directs his people in the work that they should do for him. Their work is not all alike; he
gives each of them different tasks to do (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). He places proper limits on the
work that each person should do (2 Corinthians 10:13-16). As servants of God, it is their duty
to obey the instructions that God gives to them.
The honour for their work belongs to God alone. However, God himself gives great honour to
his loyal servants (2 Corinthians 10:17-18). It is a wonderful thing to declare God’s good
news, as Isaiah says (Isaiah 52:7).
This is news of God’s salvation, in other words, news of rescue, safety and freedom for all
who trust God (Romans 1:16). It is the news that, because of Christ’s death, God is ready to
forgive even his enemies (Romans 5:6-10).
That news brings great comfort to us, who have so often offended against God’s holy law
(Romans 3:23). We know that we deserve to suffer God’s anger because of our wicked deeds
(Romans 1:18). We know that the natural result of our evil deeds is death (Romans 6:23).
However, God offers us life that never ends. God wants to adopt us as children in his family
(Romans 8:15-18). That is the wonderful message which God has sent his servants to declare
to us.
We should pray for those people who refuse God's message
(Romans 10:16)
When people hear God’s message about Christ, their reactions to it may be very different.
Some people receive that message with great joy. Their reaction also gives joy to the person
who spoke God’s message to them.
However, some other people will refuse to accept the message - perhaps even in an angry or
nasty manner. Of course, that may greatly upset the person who tried to tell them about
Christ. It may even seem like a personal insult. However, such people are not really opposing
any person - they are opposing God (compare 1 Samuel 8:7).
Of course, a really sincere servant of God cares deeply about the honour of God. It is much
worse to refuse God’s kindness than to insult a person. However, the servant of God must not
think too much about his own emotions. Instead, he brings the matter to God in prayer.
So, Paul refers to Isaiah’s prayer in Isaiah 53:1. (Paul shows that passage to be a prayer
because he begins his translation of it with the word ‘Lord’. That is the word that the first
Christians used to translate God’s most holy name from the Hebrew language.) God had told
Isaiah long before that many people would refuse to accept his message (Isaiah 6:9-10). Paul
too was aware of how often people refused to accept his message (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). He
had often seen and suffered from people’s evil reactions to God’s message (2 Corinthians
11:23-26). However, their reaction against God’s message only caused Paul to pray even
more strongly for them (Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1).
There are many other similar prayers in the Bible. Paul will soon refer to Elijah’s anxious
prayers (Romans 11:2-4). Such troubles must not stop our work for God - but they should
cause us to pray more.
How to receive faith
(Romans 10:17)
God does the most wonderful things when people have faith in him. So, we should believe God’s
promises and we should trust him.
Faith means belief and trust in God. Faith is not merely the belief that God exists (James 2:19).
Rather, it is our trust in God’s word, and especially in his promises, which shows itself in our
actions.
Faith, therefore, does not come from people’s desires, their ideas, their hopes or their
imagination. True faith is not a religion or an attitude of the mind. We cannot obtain or
increase our faith by means of our thoughts. We can only receive it as a gift from God. We
receive faith when we hear God’s word. The Bible is God’s word (2 Peter 1:20-21), and from
it we receive faith.
In other words, God has given us wonderful promises in the Bible. All of God’s promises are
certain (2 Corinthians 1:20). God will do everything that he has promised to do. He has given
us these certain promises so that we can depend on them (Hebrews 6:13-19). So, it is wise
and sensible to trust what God has said (Matthew 7:24-27).
Therefore, we need to hear and to understand what God says in the Bible. That is why God
sends people to explain the Bible to us. God uses his word, and their explanations of it, to
increase our faith. In other words, what we hear helps us to trust God more.
The Bible's message reaches across the world
(Romans 10:18)
Paul’s subject is why so many of Israel’s people had not put their trust in Christ. That question
matters because Israel is God’s special holy nation. God shows great kindness to Israel’s
people (Romans 9:4-5). However, when Christ came, Israel’s people behaved like the people in
other nations. Only some of them placed their trust in him, and many did not.
So, Paul tries to explain the reason. People put their trust in God when they hear his word, the
Bible (Romans 10:17). So Paul next asks himself whether Israel’s people had heard God’s word.
Of course they had heard it. Paul was a witness of that fact. Israel’s people, also called the
Jews, were living in many different countries, often with just small groups in each town. Both
before (Acts 22:19) and after Paul became a Christian, he was travelling constantly between
these places. In each place Paul first visited the synagogue, the building that the Jews erected
for public prayer. In towns without a synagogue, Paul expected to find a place for prayer by
the river (Acts 16:13).
Wherever the Jews went, they had taken the Bible with them. In every synagogue, they
read from the Books of Moses (the first five books in the Bible) each week (Acts 15:21). The
Psalms were their songs and their prayers (Mark 14:26; James 5:13). The words of the
prophets (the holy men who received messages from God) were familiar to them. Many of them
discussed these things constantly.
With a reference to Psalm 19:4, Paul compared this to the way that the skies give constant
evidence of God’s greatness. God had given his perfect word to Israel’s people, so that they
could know him (Psalm 19:7-8; Deuteronomy 30:11-14).
Is it ever right to be jealous?
(Romans 10:19)
I have known many people who became Christians in a truly extraordinary manner. Before
they became Christians, they may have lived in an evil and wicked manner. They knew very
little about God then; perhaps they even hated him.
Now they love God much (Luke 7:47); they are very grateful to him. They are sure that they did
nothing to deserve God’s kindness to them. They insist that God’s goodness is the only
explanation of the wonderful change in their lives.
Other people may find it difficult to accept what God has done for those people (compare
Luke 15:21-30). In their opinion, God should only work in the lives of the best people. They
cannot see why God would help an evil person (Mark 2:15-17).
So their reaction, as Moses says in Deuteronomy 32:21, is to be jealous and angry. In that
passage, God tells Israel’s people that he will work in the lives of people from other nations.
Many of Israel’s people did not expect that, because God has a special relationship with their
nation. However, when they were not obeying God, God chose to make them jealous by his
kindness to people from other nations.
Usually, it is wrong to have jealous attitudes (Deuteronomy 5:21). However, it is right and
good to desire God’s kindness in our lives. Cain’s jealous attitudes caused him to be proud and
angry (Genesis 4:1-9); but Jacob’s jealous attitudes caused him humbly to desire God’s
help and kindness (Genesis 25:24-34 and 28:10-22). So God makes Israel’s people jealous of
his work among the other nations. In other words, they will want him to show them the same
kindness that he has shown to those other people. Then they will humbly ask him to help them,
and they will invite him into their lives (Romans 11:11-16; Romans 11:25-27).
By the gospel, God helps people in an extraordinary manner
(Romans 10:20)
Isaiah 55:6-7 describes how God usually deals with people. If people want God to help and to
forgive them, they should ask him. They should stop their evil behaviour and they should
pray to him. That is what we would always advise people to do.
However, Isaiah 65:1 boldly declares that God can work in a different way. It is not the way
that we would usually expect God to act. However, God can cause people to discover his
kindness, even if they were not praying to him. He can give people who did not care about
him, an opportunity to trust him. He can work powerfully in anyone’s life, even before that
person desires to know him.
God can work in any way that he chooses to act (Isaiah 55:8-9). Of course, his perfect
character never changes (James 1:17) and he will always carry out his promises. However,
God chooses the way in which he will act in people’s lives. Sometimes he acts in the most
extraordinary manner.
God had to act in that way to bring people who were not Jews into a right relationship with
him. The Jews are people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God gave his law to
the Jews, and their nation knew much about him (Romans 9:4-5). However, the people from
other nations had their own gods, and they knew almost nothing about the real God. So
God sent people with his gospel (the message about Christ) to them (Matthew 28:19-20).
He had decided that he would make it possible for them to know him.
Romans 1:16 tells us that the gospel is powerful. By its power, God saves (rescues) people
from every nation. By its power, God makes it possible for people to turn from their evil
behaviour and to trust him. By its power, people receive a right relationship with God.
God's sad words about the people who would not obey him
(Romans 10:21)
In verse 20, Paul repeated some words from Isaiah 65:1. Now, in verse 21, he turns to the
next verse, Isaiah 65:2. These are sad words. They seem to describe a father who wants to
help his child. He calls his child, but the child will not come to him. The child has firmly decided
that he will not obey his father.
Paul tells us that these words are about Israel. However, he will soon explain that they are not
about the whole of Israel (Romans 11:3-5). The Book of Isaiah also emphasises that fact
(Isaiah 65:8-10). Even at the worst times in Israel’s history, some of its people have remained
loyal to God. God has chosen those people to be his people - not because of their good works,
but because of his kindness (Romans 11:5-6).
However, people who do wrong and evil things on purpose can expect no kindness from God. It
is evil to refuse to obey God. It is wrong and foolish to oppose or to argue against him. God
is the judge of all people, and all his judgements are right and proper (Genesis 18:25).
It is particularly sad that some people in Israel were behaving in that wrong and evil way.
Israel is God’s special nation, and God shows great kindness to its people (Romans 9:4-5).
Israel’s people had the opportunity to teach people across the world about God, and some of
them did that. However, many chose instead to behave in the same evil ways that many people
in other nations were doing (Romans 2:17-24).
Romans chapter 11
Are the Jews still God's special people?
(Romans 11:1)
We need to understand whether the Jews still are the people of God. The Jews are Israel’s
people, the nation that came from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God made
promises to those men about the future of their family. That is why we call the Jews ‘God’s
special people’. However, it has always been true that many Jews are not loyal to God. So we
need to understand whether their evil behaviour has destroyed God’s relationship with their
nation. In other words, we need to know whether God will still carry out his promises to
Israel.
In his reply to that question, Paul first refers to his own experience. He himself belongs to
Israel; he therefore claims his own rights in the promises that God gave to Abraham. Paul
came from the tribe (group of families) that came from Benjamin, Jacob’s youngest son.
Clearly, Paul received his original name, Saul, in honour of King Saul, who also came from the
tribe of Benjamin.
At the time of Paul, very many other Jews were also serving God loyally. In fact, all the
first Christians were, like Paul, Jews. However, at the time of Elijah, the situation had been
much worse. Elijah believed himself to be the only person in Israel who was still loyal to God.
Still at that time, God insisted that Israel remained his people. God told Elijah about 7000
men in Israel whom God had chosen to serve him (God) (Romans 11:2-4).
At the present time, the situation continues to be like that (Romans 9:5). Some Jews serve God
loyally, and some do not. God’s relationship with Israel continues by means of those who are
loyal to him.
The people whom God 'knows'
(Romans 11:2)
God knows those people who truly belong to him. In fact, God already knew them, even
before he created the world (Ephesians 1:4).
Of course, God has perfect knowledge of all things. However, we are using a special meaning of
the word ‘know’. We are referring to God’s great plan to adopt his people as his own
children (Romans 8:16-23). From the beginning of time, God chose those people and he loves
them with a special love. That is what it means for God to ‘know’ people (Romans 8:29-30).
God does not end his relationship with the people whom he knows and loves. That is true for
Israel’s people, as for people from the other nations. Israel is God’s special nation, but evil
people cannot claim the benefits of God’s promises to Israel (Romans 9:6). Rather, those
people in Israel whom God ‘knows’, have the benefit of those promises. They may not yet
know God properly, but God already knows them (compare Galatians 1:15-16). God is working
in the circumstances of their lives to bring them into a right relationship with him.
Paul next refers to Elijah’s desperate prayer in 1 Kings 19:14. In Elijah’s opinion, nobody else
in Israel was still loyal to God. However, he did not realise what God was doing in Israel. God
told Elijah that he had chosen 7,000 men in Israel to serve him. Elijah did not know them; but
God knew them all and he was working in their lives.
Baal: a powerful false religion
(Romans 11:3)
Elijah lived at the time when King Ahab and Queen Jezebel ruled the northern part of Israel.
Ahab was one of the most evil kings who ever ruled that nation. Jezebel persuaded him to
carry out many of his crimes and she also introduced the religion of Baal into Israel.
The word ‘Baal’ means a master or a husband. Baal was the false god of an especially evil
religion. That religion emphasised sex. At the house of the false god, men would have sex both
with females and with other males (see 2 Kings 23:7). They would also eat great meals and
they would drink too much wine (Numbers 25:1-3). They would consider this a kind of prayer.
Their religion approved of the fact that they lost control over their own actions. In fact, the
priests even cut their own bodies with knives to achieve that effect (1 Kings 18:28). By these
methods, the people tried to gain control over spirits.
The purpose of this false religion was to have a kind of power in the spirit world. If a
person had power in the spirit world, he would be able to curse people or to bless people. So,
power over the spirit world would give power over the natural world too. That was what
their false religion taught.
With these powerful attitudes, Ahab and Jezebel fiercely opposed anyone and anything that
had a connection to the real God. They destroyed the places where people prayed to God. They
killed people who declared God's message. At the time of Elijah’s prayer, Jezebel had just
made a serious promise to kill Elijah, too (1 Kings 19:2).
When there are such powerful rulers, ideas and religions, God’s faithful (loyal) people can
seem to be in a hopeless situation. However, God is much greater than all of these things,
and he truly loves his people. Nothing can defeat his plans for them (Romans 8:28; Romans
8:31-39).
God deals with Israel as a family
(Romans 11:4)
To have friendly relations with any nation, we must deal with its important people, and
especially its rulers. They have the power to oppose us, and to prevent any connection
between us and that country.
It is, however, different when we are dealing with a family. Our friendly relations with that
family continue while we have any friends whatever in that family. Other family members
can benefit simply from our kindness to that family.
So, in 2 Samuel chapter 9, David showed great kindness to Mephibosheth simply because his
father Jonathan had been David’s friend. In 2 Samuel 19:31-38, David showed kindness to
Kimham because of his (David’s) friendship with Barzillai. However, David failed when he tried
to be friendly with Hanun because of his friendship with Hanun’s father, Nahash. Hanun was
the king of Ammon. He dealt with David not as a family friend but as the ruler of a nation that
he hated (2 Samuel 10:1-4).
We often describe Israel as a nation, but the Bible often describes it as a group of families
(for example, Revelation 7:4-8). Elijah protested against Israel because, at that time, its rulers
and powerful people were opposing God’s servants fiercely (Romans 11:2-3). However, God
chose to deal with Israel in its families. He told Elijah about the men in Israel who were loyal
to him. Each of those men would teach his own family to serve the true God.
God established his relationship with Israel as a family; he made promises to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. The whole of Israel came from Jacob’s family. In fact, even the name Israel
is the name that God gave to Jacob (Genesis 32:28).
Israel's remnant
(Romans 11:5)
A ‘remnant’ means a part that remains. In the Bible a part often has special meaning. The
part stands for (appears on behalf of) the whole. So, we keep one day each week holy
(Deuteronomy 5:12-15) because really our whole week belongs to God. We give gifts to God,
but really everything belongs to him (1 Chronicles 29:11). That is the meaning here too
(Romans 11:16): the remnant stands for the whole of Israel. God has kept a part of Israel for
himself, to show that his promises to the whole of Israel continue.
The remnant of Israel means those of Israel’s people who are truly loyal to God. In every
age, God considers that group of loyal people to be important in his plan. It is through them
that God shows his kindness to Israel. It is through Israel that God shows his kindness to the
world (Genesis 12:2-3).
However, that remnant became even more important at the time of the first Christians.
The first Christians recognised their connection to that remnant (Luke 1:6; Luke 2:25; Luke
23:50-51). In fact, the first Christians belonged to that remnant (Acts 2:36-42). It took
several years for them fully to accept people from other nations as Christians (Acts 15:1-21).
Paul belonged to that remnant too (Romans 11:1). However, he was careful not to allow that
fact to be a reason for pride. Paul could serve God loyally only because of the great kindness
(grace) that God had shown him (1 Corinthians 15:8-10). The fact that God chooses people to
serve him is an act of his grace. It is not a reward for anything that they have done (compare
Matthew 18:12-14).
Grace – or works
(Romans 11:6)
Grace means the kindness of God; our works mean our own efforts. The difference is that
grace depends entirely on the goodness of God. Our works, on the other hand, are what we
achieve without God.
So therefore, we cannot obtain a right relationship with God by our own human efforts
(Romans 4:1-5). Instead, we must depend on God, and that is called faith. That faith does
not come from us, but God gives it to us, in his great kindness, his grace. He gives faith to us
by his word, the Bible; and in particular by the gospel, the message about Christ (Romans
1:16-17; Romans 10:17).
All people must come to God in faith; all people, therefore, must depend on his grace, and
not their own works. These facts are true whether people belong to Israel, or to the other
nations. However, Paul’s particular subject here is the people who belong to Israel.
Paul explained the problem that many of Israel’s people had in Romans 9:30-33. They wanted
to have a right relationship with God. However, they thought that they could achieve it by
their own efforts to obey God’s law. These people did not come to God in faith because they
were depending upon themselves. Therefore, they were not yet ready to receive Christ; and
they were not ready to put their trust entirely in God. They had not realised how much they
needed God’s grace to change their lives.
Paul understood this problem from his own personal experience. However, by God’s grace, God
had done wonderful things in Paul’s life (1 Corinthians 15:10). So Paul knew that God could do
the same thing in other people’s lives too. For that reason, Paul prayed much for Israel’s
people (Romans 10:1).
Right and wrong reactions when we hear God's message
(Romans 11:7)
Israel’s people wanted a right relationship with God, and they tried hard to obtain it (Romans
9:31).
However, except for the people that God had chosen, they did not obtain it. That was because
they were not trusting in God. Instead, they were trying to obtain it by their own efforts
(Romans 9:31-32). They could not obey God’s law completely, and therefore the judgement of
that law was against them (Romans 3:9-20). However, by his death, Christ suffered the
judgement of the law. So, God forgives those people who trust Christ.
Paul refers to that particular group of people as the people whom God chose. In other words,
he describes them by reference to what God did for them. They were different from other
people because they were not trusting in their own efforts. Like the other people, the people
whom God chose in this passage also belonged to Israel. Paul could describe people from other
nations like that, but here he is writing about Israel. That is clear because Paul calls the other
people in Israel ‘the rest’.
So ‘the rest’ of Israel means those people in Israel who were not trusting God. They heard
God’s message, but their reaction was unbelief. They were unwilling to allow God to change
their lives. Instead, they wanted God to approve of how they were already living.
Psalm 95:7-8 warns us about wrong attitudes when we hear God’s word. We should receive
God’s message gladly; we should believe it and we should obey it. We must not have hard
hearts; in other words, we must not be unwilling to change our attitudes. Rather, we
should allow God’s message to change our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17).
The people in Israel who refused God's message
(Romans 11:8-10)
When children will not listen to their teacher, the teacher must work harder to gain their
attention. Perhaps he will warn them, and perhaps he will punish them. However, his real
desire is not to hurt them, but to end their foolish behaviour.
Paul’s subject is those people in Israel who refused to accept God’s message. Their decision
was both foolish and evil. In the end, it brought about a terrible change in their character. The
passage compares them to blind people, deaf people (Deuteronomy 29:4), or people whom
nobody could wake (Isaiah 29:10). They could hear God’s message, but they gave no attention
to it. They saw what God was doing - but it made no effect on their lives. They seemed
unaware of what God wanted them to do. Of course they would suffer much from such foolish
behaviour, as Psalm 69:22-23 says.
However, as Paul repeats these very serious passages, he is reminding his readers about
something else too. In the end, each of these passages is about how God will bring Israel’s
people back to himself. He will overcome their foolish attitudes and lack of attention. They
will turn back to him and then they will truly be his loyal people. So, let us look more carefully
at each of the passages that Paul refers to here:
(1) Deuteronomy chapter 29 warns that Israel’s people would have to leave their land because
of their evil deeds. However, chapter 30 promises that God will bring them back. Then they
will truly love and obey him (Deuteronomy 30:1-6).
(2) Isaiah chapter 29 tells how God will defeat Israel’s enemies (Isaiah 29:5-8). Then Israel’s
people will respect God and they will learn from him (Isaiah 29:22-24).
(3) Psalm 69 ends with the promise that God will rescue Israel. He will rebuild its cities, and
its people will serve him loyally. Then, they will truly love him.
God makes Israel's people jealous so that they will turn back to him
(Romans 11:11)
When people are loyal to God, God can use their lives in a wonderful way. However, if we have
not been loyal to him, God is still working in our lives. God desires to bring us back into a right
relationship with himself. To do that, he may show us other people who have a stronger
relationship with him. Simply to see how they love God, creates a desire in us for a similar
experience of God.
That is the kind of jealous reaction that Paul describes here. His subject is the Jewish people,
the people who come from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. At the present time, only
some of them are truly loyal to God (Romans 11:5). Many are not. However, the Jewish people
are still God’s special people, because of the promises that God made to Abraham. Therefore,
for God to carry out his promises to them fully, the Jewish people must turn back to God
(Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1)
In the meantime, God is working in the lives of people from every nation. Through the
gospel (the message about Christ), he brings them to a right relationship with himself. He
wants the Jewish people to see their lives, and to desire the close relationship with God that
they have.
So as Christians, we should be careful about how we live. To live like someone who does not
know God, will not attract anyone to trust God. Our thoughts and attitudes, our words and our
actions all matter. Our deepest desire should be to please God. That desire should show in our
love both for God, and for other people (Mark 12:29-31).
Israel's return to God will be wonderful for the whole world
(Romans 11:12)
As we read the Book of Romans, so often the kindness of God astonishes us. We might imagine
that his love for Israel would cause him to neglect the people from other nations. However, in
fact the opposite is true. God uses his love for Israel to give people from every nation the
opportunity to know his love. That is what God promised to Abraham in Genesis 12:3.
When Israel’s people do not obey God, they cannot through their own lives show God’s
kindness to the world (Romans 2:24). However, God’s character does not change (Hebrews
13:8; Exodus 34:6-7). He still cares about the people, both in Israel and in the other nations
(Jonah 4:11). He wants very much to show his kindness to them. During our present age (the
period from Christ’s death until his return), God has been very kind to the people in every
nation. He has sent his gospel (the good news about Christ) across the world. In every nation,
people are becoming Christians and God is working in a wonderful way in their lives. All of this
is happening at a time when many of Israel’s people do not have a right relationship with God.
Just before Christ’s return, all of Israel’s people will turn back to God (Zechariah 12:10 to
13:1; Romans 11:25-26). However, that will not end God’s kindness to the other nations.
Rather, Christ will come to rule the world (Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 20:4-6). At last, the
world will know good government and be at peace. So, Israel’s return to God will cause the
whole world to return to him.
Paul: the apostle to the Gentiles
(Romans 11:13)
Christians often refer to Paul as ‘the apostle to the Gentiles’. Paul himself does not use that
exact phrase; here, he prefers to call himself (in the original language) ‘an apostle of (to)
Gentiles’. He expresses the same idea in different words in Galatians 2:7 and 1 Timothy 2:7.
Today, people rarely use the words ‘apostle’ and ‘Gentiles’ unless they are talking about
religion. However, at the time of the first Christians, both words (in their original language)
were in common use.
Today, the word apostle means one of the first, or most important, church leaders. However,
formerly, the word meant a servant, or worker, whose master sent him to carry out an
important task. For example, a master might send his worker, whom he trusted, abroad, for
the purposes of trade. That worker was originally called an apostle. He had great responsibility
because he had to make important decisions on behalf of his master.
The first Christians understood that God had given great responsibility to many of their
leaders. He had sent them abroad to declare his gospel, the message about Christ (see Romans
1:16). It is a message that changes people’s lives, so it is a great responsibility to declare it (2
Corinthians 5:17-20).
The first apostles did not only declare God’s message. They also established new churches,
even in places where there were no Christians previously. Paul’s special task was to do that
among the Gentiles; in other words, people who were not Jews.
The word for Gentiles simply means ‘the nations’. None of those nations were serving the real
God. So the Jews (Israel’s people) did not consider that they belonged to ‘the nations’. Rather,
God had chosen them to be his special people. However, in his special work as ‘apostle to the
Gentiles’, Paul did not neglect the Jews. In fact, in each place that he went, Paul first declared
God’s message to the Jews (Acts 17:2).
Paul's work among his own people, the Jews
(Romans 11:14)
Some Christian leaders seem unaware of anything, except their own work. They give no
attention to what God is doing through other people, or in other places.
Paul did not have that attitude. He saw his own work as just a part in God’s great plan (1
Corinthians 3:5-11). God’s plan is to bring all things under the perfect rule of Christ (Romans
8:18-23; 1 Corinthians 15:24-27). Paul knew about the limits of the work that God had given
him to do (2 Corinthians 10:13-16).
Paul’s special work for God was among people who were not Jews (Romans 11:13). The
Jews are Israel’s people, from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All the first Christians,
including Paul, were Jews. However, even before Paul’s birth, God chose him to bring the
message about Christ to people who were not Jews (Galatians 1:15-16; Acts 26:16-18).
Although that was Paul’s task, God was using his life to do something even greater. God was
working, by means of Paul, to bring people who were not Jews into a right relationship with
him (God). However, in addition, some Jews would see that and they would want the same
kind of relationship with God. Paul was eagerly praying for that to happen (Romans 10:1).
However, even that was only part of God’s much greater plan, which is for their whole nation
(Romans 11:11-12; Romans 11:25-26). These things astonished Paul, because of what they
proved about the greatness and the wisdom of God (Romans 11:30-35).
Israel's return to God: life from death
(Romans 11:15)
Paul has just described (verse 12) the wonderful effect that Israel’s return to God will have
upon the rest of the world. After Israel’s people return to God (Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1),
the whole world will turn to God (Zechariah 14:10 and 14:16). That will be when Christ’s rule
on earth begins (Revelation 20:4-6).
In Romans 11:15, Paul repeats that lesson, but he adds a bold and exciting description to it.
Israel’s return to God will mean 'life from death', he says. He seems to be describing not
just the effect on Israel’s people, but upon the whole world.
We ask why Paul chose to use that description, 'life from death'. As in Revelation 20:4-6, he
may be describing the actual events of Christ’s return to earth. However, perhaps he is
referring to the wonderful things that God showed Ezekiel, in Ezekiel 37:1-14. In that passage,
Israel appeared as a nation of dead people. However, when God’s Spirit came upon them,
they became alive again. They stood up as a vast army, and God gave them back their own
land.
However, Paul has himself used this description of life from death previously (Romans 4:17-
19). There, he was describing how the nation called Israel began, with Abraham’s belief in
God. Abraham’s essential belief was that God causes dead people to become alive. That
almost happened at the birth of Isaac. Abraham and his wife were so old that they considered
themselves almost dead. However, Abraham continued to believe God’s promises to him.
God had promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3, that all nations would know God’s kindness
because of him. That can only happen fully when the whole world turns to God. It will happen
after the return to God of the nation that comes from Abraham’s family, Israel. That is when
the whole world will know the true God, Abraham’s God. They will know him as the God who
brings life to our dying world (compare Romans 6:23).
If part is holy, all is holy
(Romans 11:16)
If something is holy, it belongs to God in a special way. Israel’s priests were very careful to
separate holy objects from objects for common use. They had strict rules that helped them to
decide about such matters (see Haggai 2:11-13).
Paul is not here discussing those rules, but rather their true meaning. God’s law says that the
people should give the first part of their harvest to God (Deuteronomy 26:1-11). Of course,
they then kept the rest of the harvest for themselves. However, the reality is that there is no
difference between the first part of the harvest and the rest. The whole harvest grew by
means of the life that God gave to those plants. So, in reality, it all belongs to God; it is all
holy.
It is impossible to have a tree with holy roots and unholy branches. The branches share the
life that God has given to the roots. If you tried to separate the branches, you would destroy
the life in the branches.
Paul wrote these words for the benefit of Christians who were not Jews (Romans 11:13). He
wanted to show them their connection with the Jews (Israel’s people, who came from the
family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). God first chose Israel to be his special, holy nation.
Now, people from every nation can join the holy people of God (1 Peter 2:9). God joins
them, with the Jews who trust him, as one holy nation (Ephesians 2:11-14). It is true that,
at the present time, some Jews oppose the gospel, the message about Christ (Romans 11:28).
However, God’s plan for their nation continues. The first part of Israel trusts God (Romans
11:1), and therefore the whole nation is holy (Romans 11:26). It belongs to God, and God
claims it as his own.
Christians need to appreciate God's kindness to them
(Romans 11:17)
Paul continues as if he is writing to one particular Christian. He does that in several places in
the Book of Romans, when he needed to warn people severely (Romans 2:1-5; Romans 2:17-
23; Romans 9:19-21). Here (Romans 11:17-24), this person is arguing that the Christians have
replaced Israel in God’s plan (Romans 11:19).
In his reply, Paul warns that person that his attitudes are proud, and therefore dangerous
(Romans 11:20-21; Romans 11:25). God acts in a wonderful and generous way when he invites
people from every nation to have a part in his plans. Therefore, those people who have
benefited so much from his kindness should have a humble and grateful attitude. Such an
attitude would not cause them to oppose Israel’s people, but rather to recognise God’s
love for Israel (Romans 11:28).
To explain this, Paul uses a word-picture about an olive tree. The olive is a very special tree.
From its fruit comes the valuable oil that people used both for food, and in their lamps.
A skilled gardener can take a shoot (small, young branch) from one tree and join it to another
tree. That task is called 'grafting'. Without a connection to a tree, that shoot would soon die.
However, its connection to the tree allows it to grow into a strong and healthy branch.
For that purpose, the gardener would not select the shoot from a wild tree. Rather, he would
choose a shoot from one of his best trees. However, Paul compares that Christian from a
foreign nation, to a wild olive shoot. He wants that Christian to realise what an honour it is
for him to join the people of God. When that Christian appreciates properly God’s
kindness to him, his attitude towards Israel’s people will change. He will desire strongly
that God will soon complete his promise to bring Israel’s people back to him (Romans 11:26-
27).
Christians should not be proud in their attitudes towards the Jews
(Romans 11:18)
Christians should have humble attitudes towards other people. That is, they should not
become proud; they must not consider themselves superior to other people.
That is especially true in relation to the Jews (Israel’s people, who come from the family of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). It is true that many Jews have not put their trust in Christ. While
they continue in an attitude of unbelief, they do not have their proper place in God’s plans.
They are like branches that a gardener removes from a tree. However, God is able to bring
them back to their proper place (Romans 11:23).
Christians have a right relationship with God because of their trust in Christ. Therefore, they
might start to become proud against those Jews who do not yet believe in Christ. However,
that would be a very foolish attitude.
Very many things that the Christian religion depends on, belong firstly to the Jews
(Romans 9:4-5). For example, God gave the Bible to the Jews. We all need the Bible, to teach
us, to encourage us, and to give us hope (Romans 15:4). God gave his promises to the Jews.
Those promises include his promises to people from other nations (Genesis 12:3). Therefore,
Christians need those promises (Romans 15:8-12). God showed the Jews how to pray to God,
and how to serve him properly. Christians need those instructions in order to serve God in a
proper manner (Romans 15:4).
So Christians cannot separate themselves from what God has given to the Jews. To do that
would separate them from Christ, who is himself a Jew (Romans 9:5). That is why Christians
must always deal with the Jews in an attitude of love, and never of pride (proud attitudes).
A Christian who forgets God's kindness, his power and his promises
(Romans 11:19)
Paul often had to deal with Christians who were showing proud attitudes (for example, 1
Corinthians 4:6-7). He would much have preferred to deal with them gently; but often he had
to deal with the situation in a firm and strict manner.
Here, he was dealing with a Christian who was speaking proudly against the Jews (God’s
special people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). Boldly, this Christian dared to
protest that he had the right to speak like that about them. He had trusted Christ; they had
not. In his opinion, therefore, he had a right relationship with God and they did not.
In reality, this Christian’s relationship with God was weaker than he imagined. If his
relationship with God was stronger, he would not be speaking so proudly. A person can only
become a Christian because of faith (trust in God). In other words, a Christian depends
not on himself, but upon God. On the other hand a proud person depends on his own
intelligence, strength or skills. Therefore, a proud person trusts himself, and not God.
This particular Christian was arguing that the Jews had lost their relationship with God. It was
clear that many of them were not believing God. Without faith (belief and trust in God), it is
impossible to please him (Hebrews 11:6). However, this Christian seems to have forgotten
God’s kindness, his power and his promises (Romans 11:23; Romans 11:26). God has not
forgotten his love for the Jews (Romans 11:28-29). He is able to bring them back into a right
relationship with him. He will carry out his promise to do that, at the time that he has chosen,
just before Christ’s return.
Unbelief and faith
(Romans 11:20)
Faith is the opposite of unbelief.
Faith means our attitude when we believe and trust God. By faith, we receive the benefit of
God’s promises. Many of those promises are for the future, and we cannot know them fully
now. That is why we must stand in faith. In other words, we must continue to trust God
(Hebrews 10:36-39), even when God’s promises seem impossible (Romans 4:18-21). So, we
depend, not on ourselves, but on God.
With that attitude, we cannot be proud. It is impossible for us to save ourselves from our
troubles in this world. We might hope that other people will help us - but that hope may be in
vain. Instead, with faith, we wait for God to act powerfully on our behalf. We know that we
are weak - but we depend upon his strength (2 Corinthians 12:10).
On the other hand, unbelief is the attitude of someone who refuses to believe God. It is not
wrong to ask questions, as Nicodemus did in John 3:1-16. It is not even wrong to have sincere
doubts, if we are willing for God to teach us. However, it is very wrong if we refuse on
purpose to accept God’s message to us (Hebrews 3:7-19). Such an attitude makes it
impossible for us to receive the benefit of God’s promises. God cannot do what he wants in our
lives because of that evil attitude.
People develop an attitude of unbelief when they do not respect God properly. They choose
not to listen to his words because they do not want to accept his authority over their lives.
They do not want to trust his promises, because they prefer to depend on themselves.
However, they forget how weak they really are. We all need God to work powerfully in our
lives.
The kindness of God and the danger of unbelief
(Romans 11:21-22)
God’s kindness cannot fail (Lamentations 3:22-23). However, a person can refuse to accept
God’s kindness to him. A person can refuse to believe God’s promises, and instead choose to
believe the devil’s lies. We call that attitude ‘unbelief’ (Romans 11:20). It is the opposite of
faith (belief and trust in God).
Every Christian sometimes fails to believe God. However, God knows our weakness and he
cares about us (Hebrews 4:15). The Bible compares him to a shepherd, a person who looks
after sheep (Psalm 23:1; Psalm 119:176). God will make the most extraordinary efforts to
bring his people back into a right relationship with him (Matthew 18:12-14). Then he
teaches his people to live in the way that pleases him (Hebrews 12:5-11).
Our knowledge of God’s kindness must not cause us to become careless about unbelief. Rather,
we should care very much about the damage that this evil attitude can cause to our
relationship with God (Hebrews 3:12). We must not allow an attitude of unbelief to control our
lives.
Paul makes a statement in Romans 11:21-22 that many Christians will find hard to accept.
Christians do not have more security in their relationship with God than the Jews (Israel’s
people) have. Some Jews, because of their attitude of unbelief, will not gain any benefit from
God’s promises to Israel (Romans 9:6). However, God’s promises to their nation, Israel,
continue (Romans 11:26). In the same way, some people who consider themselves Christians,
will have no part in God’s plans for his people. However, their unbelief cannot destroy the
wonderful plans that God has for his people (Romans 8:28-39).
God is able to bring Israel's people back to himself
(Romans 11:23-24)
God is called the God of Israel (Psalm 72:18), but many of Israel’s people do not believe him.
By their attitude of unbelief, they separate themselves from the close relationship that God
wants with them. Paul has compared them to a branch that a gardener cuts from a tree.
When a gardener does that, the effect is usually permanent. Without any connection to the
roots, the branch soon dies. However, Paul insists that the same is not true about Israel’s
people. They will only be separate from God for as long as their unbelief continues. When
they return to God (Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1), God will again accept them fully as his people
(Isaiah chapter 62; Jeremiah 30:18-22; Ezekiel 36:24-38; Hosea 1:10).
The unbelief of many of Israel’s people has given the people from other nations an opportunity
to know God. It is very wonderful that God has done this for them. Paul compares them to
shoots (small young branches) that a gardener joins to a tree in his garden. Those shoots then
grow into strong branches because of the health and strength that they receive from the root.
However, gardeners never actually use a shoot from a wild tree for this purpose. Normally,
they select the shoot from a very good tree, in order to benefit from its good qualities. A
gardener cares little about wild plants; he cares about the plants in his garden. In the same
way, it is only natural that Israel’s God cares deeply about Israel’s people. It astonishes
us to see how great his love is for the people from other nations, too.
The end of Israel's troubles
(Romans 11:25)
Paul worried that some Christians were already starting to have wrong opinions about the
Jews (Israel’s people). Without an accurate knowledge of God’s plans, we can develop ideas
that are completely wrong.
Those Christians has seen how strongly many of the Jews opposed the gospel (God’s message
about Christ). So, some Christians started to believe that God’s love for Israel had ended.
However, their idea was wrong, as Romans 11:28 explains. They had not understood what God
has promised to do for Israel in the future (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). They were thinking only
about the present problems of the Jews, and not about God’s future plan for them
(Zechariah 14:9-11; Malachi 3:1-4).
In the original language (Greek), Paul does not describe Israel in the same way that he
described Pharaoh (Egypt’s king) in Romans 9:17-18. Pharaoh became ‘hard’ (completely
unwilling to change), and the result was his punishment because of God’s anger against him
(Romans 9:22).
However, the word that describes some of Israel’s people as ‘hard’ (Romans 11:7; Romans
11:25) is a different word. It describes an illness that makes people blind: something hard has
grown over their eyes (compare Romans 11:8-10). In other words, because of their unbelief,
some of Israel’s people could not longer see (know) the truth.
Paul had himself been physically blind for a temporary period (Acts 9:8-19). Perhaps that
experience helped him to have great sympathy for Israel’s people in their present difficulties.
When God completes his work among the other nations, then Israel’s troubles will also
end. That work is to bring people from those nations into a right relationship with him. When
that is complete, Israel’s people too will return fully to God (Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1). Then
Christ’s rule on earth will, at last, begin.
God will save all of Israel

(Romans 11:26)
The Bible has very many passages about God’s future plans for Israel, or the Jewish people.
Those passages deal with Israel’s return to its land, its return to God, and Christ’s return to
rule Israel and the world. There is a close link between these events, so the Bible often deals
with them together.
For example, Deuteronomy 30:1-10 describes a situation after Israel’s people have completely
ruined their relationship with God (Deuteronomy 29:25-28). Then they return to God, and they
decide to obey him completely. God permits them to return to their land. Their evil deeds have
made their land into a desert; but now their crops grow again and they are successful.
The prophets (the Bible’s holy men who received messages from God) often wrote about these
things. Paul refers to Isaiah 59:20. He seems to emphasise that verse in order to explain it.
Christ is coming again to Zion (Jerusalem) (see Malachi 3:1 and Zechariah 14:4); by means of
Christ, God will forgive Israel’s people (Hosea 1:10-11). That will happen when they, together,
turn away from their evil deeds (Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1).
The New Testament (the books that the first Christians wrote) also refers to those events. At
the end of Matthew 23:37-39, Christ spoke about the future time when Jerusalem’s people
will truly welcome him. In Acts 1:6, the disciples (Christ’s special students) asked when these
events will happen. Christ replied that God the Father has decided these things. He gave the
same explanation about the time of his own return in Mark 13:32. Revelation 7:4-8 speaks
about a group of 144000 people who represent (appear on behalf of) the different tribes
(family groups) of Israel. In Revelation 14:1-5, Christ stands with these people on Zion
(Jerusalem), and these people belong completely to him. They are a nation that is completely
loyal to God.
The Messiah's new covenant with Israel
(Romans 11:27)
The Jews, also called Israel’s people, are the people whom God chose as his special, holy
nation. The Christians are the people from every nation who have received a right relationship
with God because of Christ’s death (Romans 5:8).
However, God does not deal with the Jews differently from the people who belong to other
nations (Romans 2:9-11). All people are under God’s judgement because of their evil deeds
(Romans 3:9). All people need to turn from those evil deeds; all people need to believe and to
trust in Christ (Romans 1:16). God’s message about Christ, the gospel, is for people from every
nation.
From the Bible, the Jews know that God will carry out his promises to them by means of
the Messiah. The Messiah means the king whom God will send to them. The word ‘Christ’ is a
translation into the Greek language of the Hebrew word, ‘Messiah’. However, most Jews at the
present time do not recognise Jesus as their Messiah. So, they are waiting for God to show
them who that Messiah is. The Messiah will save (rescue) their nation, and he will bring them
into a right relationship with God (Romans 11:26). So they, like everyone else, must turn
away from sin (wrong and evil attitudes and behaviour), and believe and trust in God
(Romans 11:23).
In Romans 11:27, Paul probably refers to Jeremiah 31:33-34. When the Messiah comes, he
will establish a new covenant (an agreement that establishes a relationship) with Israel.
Then they will truly know him, and they will gladly obey him. This will happen when God has
forgiven their sin. God’s relationship with their nation will never end (Jeremiah 31:35-37;
Romans 11:29).
Enemies whom God loves
(Romans 11:28)
Before Paul himself became a Christian, he was a fierce enemy of the first Christians. He
arrested many of them; he even helped to kill some of them (Acts 26:10). However, this same
Paul was the man whom God had chosen, even before his birth, to declare God’s good news
to the nations (Galatians 1:13-17).
Paul’s experience was very extreme, but the same principle is true about all God’s people. God
chooses his enemies to become his friends (Romans 5:10). By our evil deeds, we all have
made ourselves enemies of God; by the death of Christ, God forgives us and makes us his
people (Romans 3:23-24).
However, in Romans 11:28, Paul is not writing about Christians generally, but about the
Jewish people (in other words, the people who belong to Israel). God loves the Jewish people
for a very particular reason. It is not that they deserve his love. God’s grace (kindness) is a
free gift and not something that we can earn (Romans 11:6). Rather, Paul says that God loves
them because of ‘the fathers’. Paul means Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, from whose family the
Jewish people came. God made promises to these men about the future of their family; and he
will certainly carry out all of his promises. He has chosen the Jewish people to be his special
people, and therefore he loves them.
We can imagine that some Christians from other nations might protest against Paul’s words.
He was not just telling them to love their enemies now. He was urging them to recognise God’s
love for the entire nation from which many of their enemies came.
Perhaps Paul could have made that lesson easier. He could have spoken only about the many
Jewish people who had accepted Christ. However, Paul was not trying to make his lesson
easier. Rather, he wanted to show how great and wonderful God’s wisdom is (Romans 11:33-
34). God loves the Jewish people; he will forgive them, and he will give them a right
relationship with himself (Romans 11:25-27).
When God chooses someone, he does not change his mind
(Romans 11:29)
Saul was Israel’s first king, but he chose not to obey God. The situation became so bad that
God told Samuel to appoint David to be Israel’s next king. In the end, Saul became so jealous
of David that Saul tried to kill him on several occasions.
David, on the other hand, would not kill Saul or even hurt him (1 Samuel chapter 26). David
respected Saul greatly; he did not try to become king while Saul remained alive. David’s reason
was simply that God had appointed Saul to rule Israel. David did not believe that, even in
these extraordinary circumstances, Saul’s right to rule Israel had ended.
A person might, as Saul did, ruin his own relationship with God because of his evil deeds.
However, that person’s evil deeds do not change the work that God has given that person
to do. When God has chosen someone, he does not change his mind. That person still has the
duty to do what God wants him to do.
God made promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob about the future of their family. Those
promises cannot change (Jeremiah 31:35-37). Their family became the nation called Israel.
God chose Israel’s people to be his special people (Isaiah 44:1-5) and to declare his message
to the world (Romans 2:17-20). That task does not change. Some of them have not obeyed
God, but that does not change God’s decision (compare Romans 3:3-4). If they continue in
their evil behaviour, God’s judgement will certainly be against them (Romans 2:8-11).
However, God will still carry out his promise; he will certainly rescue Israel (Romans 11:26).
Zechariah describes the day when the nation will suddenly turn back to God (Zechariah 12:7 to
13:1).
God's mercy to people from different nations
(Romans 11:30)
In Romans 11:30-32, Paul describes the two great periods of human history, before and after
the death of Christ. He discusses the two groups of people who are called God’s people: the
Jews (Israel’s people) and the Christians. He explains their two different reactions to God -
the choice not to obey God, or to accept his help.
At a former time, the people who are now Christians did not obey God. That is true about
the earlier part of each Christian's life, before they accepted Christ into their lives (Romans
5:6-8). It was true about entire nations before the death of Christ. However, God had a plan
to show his mercy, even to people who came from those nations. God’s mercy means the help
that he gives because of his great kindness.
If God’s people, the Jews, were obeying God, then God would have used them to show his
kindness to people in other nations (Genesis 12:3). In fact, many of the Jews did obey God
(Romans 11:1), and God did use them for this purpose. All the first Christians were Jews, and
from them God’s message, called the gospel, spread across the world.
However, many Jews did not believe the gospel (Romans 9:31-33). God used the fact that they
did not believe as an opportunity to show his mercy to people from the other nations (Romans
11:13). That shows God’s wisdom (Romans 11:33). He knew that people in every nation were
not obeying him (Romans 3:9-23). However, he wanted to show his mercy to people from every
nation. So, even when God's own people were not obeying him, he was actively helping
other people to know him. His work in the lives of those other people would help his own
people to return to him (Romans 11:11-12).
God's mercy to Israel's people
(Romans 11:31)
Paul does not mean that none of Israel’s people were obeying God. Rather, he is describing the
present age (the period from Christ’s death until his return) by the most important things that
are happening. That is, these are the most important in God’s opinion. People’s opinion about
what is most important differs much from God’s opinion.
In fact, many of the Jews (Israel’s people) were serving God loyally, and from them came the
first Christians. However, at the present time, most of the Jews are behaving in the same
way as most people in other nations. They are not obeying God, although God is eager to
show them his mercy. In other words, because of his great kindness, he wants to help them.
At this time when many Jews are not accepting God’s mercy, he is showing mercy to people
from other nations. However, by that act he is not neglecting the Jews; he has not forgotten
his promises to them (for example, Jeremiah 31:31-37). Rather, God wants them to see his
great love for the people from other nations. He wants the Jews to desire that love for
themselves (Romans 11:11). Then they too will turn back to God (Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1).
God will forgive them and so they too will receive God’s mercy (Romans 11:26-28).
That will bring about a truly wonderful event in the world’s history (Romans 11:12-15). As
Christians have prayed for so long (Matthew 6:10), Christ will return to rule the world
(Revelation 20:4-6). His rule will be completely good and right in every way (Isaiah 32:1), and
the world will know peace (Isaiah 11:1-9).
The mercy that God offers to all people
(Romans 11:32)
As in Galatians 3:22-23, Paul describes all people to be like prisoners. The cause of this sad
situation is their own evil attitude: they refuse to obey God. That was the first evil act that
people ever did (Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-11). The same evil attitude is the reason for much of
our evil behaviour today. That is why God’s law declares his judgement against us (Galatians
3:10; Deuteronomy 27:26).
Sometimes a judge could order the death of a criminal, but instead he sends the criminal to
prison. So, although the judgement is severe, it actually gives hope to the prisoner. He has
hope because, in the future, he may again become a free man.
God could have destroyed all human life on earth at the time of Noah (Genesis 6:5-8).
However, he did not do that because of his mercy. His mercy means the help that he gives
because of his great kindness. So, although he punished the wicked people, he saved Noah and
his family.
At the present time, people are like prisoners, because their own evil behaviour controls their
lives (Romans 7:14-24). However, in his mercy, God is making people free (Romans 8:1-4).
He does this for those people who accept his good news, the gospel (Romans 1:16). They turn
from their evil behaviour to invite Christ into their lives (Romans 6:23).
In the future age, all the people on the new earth will know God’s mercy (Romans 8:18-21).
There will be no wicked people, and no people who refuse to obey God, among them (Romans
2:8; Revelation 21:8). At the present time, God in his mercy wants to forgive them (Exodus
34:6-7; Ezekiel 18:21-23). He invites them to join his people (Isaiah 55:6-7). However, that
opportunity must end and it will end very suddenly (2 Peter 3:9-10).
The greatness of God's wisdom
(Romans 11:33)
Paul has just explained God’s wonderful plans for his people, both from Israel (Romans
11:26) and from every nation (Romans 8:18-21). God is bringing them together (Ephesians
2:11-18) to be his children, a holy nation of people who truly love God. In the New Jerusalem,
they will live in peace with God always (Revelation 22:1-5).
It astonishes us to remember that these same people were once God’s enemies (Romans
5:10; Romans 11:28). We have all offended God by our wrong actions and evil deeds (Romans
3:9-23). However, God in his great love sent his Son to suffer our punishment (Romans 5:6-8).
When we trust God, God forgives us because of the death of Christ.
That is an act of such great kindness that it seems almost impossible to believe. However by
his word, the good news called the gospel, God really has made it possible for us to believe
him (Romans 10:17). We believe and trust God; and he carries out this wonderful change in
our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In this matter, God has shown his wisdom to be so much greater than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).
He is doing something that the greatest people in this world could not even imagine (1
Corinthians 2:6-10). Without the aid of God’s Spirit, people cannot even understand these
things. However, God has placed his Spirit in the lives of his people (Romans 8:14). By the
power of God’s Spirit, they can know these things (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). With the help of
God’s Spirit, they can therefore live as God’s children, even in this evil world (Romans 12:1-2).
Who advises God?
(Romans 11:34)
We often say that God is truly great. However, our minds constantly fail to understand how
great God really is.
For example, we call God our king. However, kings depend on their advisers, and the greatest
rulers have very many advisers. On the other hand, God needs no adviser because his
wisdom and knowledge are perfect. His judgements are always right and good and proper.
His plans are perfect, although we so often fail to recognise them.
It is a great honour for us when God permits us to know his thoughts (1 Corinthians 2:16).
It is very wonderful that people can be the friends of God (John 15:14). Abraham is called the
friend of God (James 2:23), and God even discussed his plans with Abraham (Genesis 18:17-
33). God listened to Abraham then, even as he listens to us during our prayers. In his great
kindness, God often does those things that we request in prayer. However, God does not need
our advice; he already knows what is best for us. Therefore, we should pray to know what God
wants us to request in our prayers (1 John 5:14).
In Romans 11:34, Paul repeats questions that come from Isaiah 40:13. He first asks: Who has
knowledge of God’s thoughts? The answer is nobody, unless God shows these things to a
person, by his word and by his Spirit. The next question is: Who advises God? (compare Isaiah
40:14). The answer is nobody, because God’s wisdom is perfect. Paul asks these questions in
order to praise God. No words can express how wonderful our God is. Therefore, it is our duty
always to give him honour.
Who has the right to demand anything from God?
(Romans 11:35)
Paul next asks a question about a subject that is very important in the Book of Romans. This
question comes from the words that God himself spoke in Job 41:11. The question is: Who has
the right to demand anything from God? In other words: Can a person give anything to God
that God must repay?
People often try to control the actions of powerful men in this way. For example, they might
pay a judge to support them - however, that is against God’s law (Exodus 23:8). In the same
way, people often made generous gifts to false gods, in order to get the help of those gods.
However, the real God does not accept such gifts (Micah 6:6-8).
God does not accept those gifts because all his judgements are right and proper (Romans
2:5-11). However, we could not even find a suitable gift for that purpose. That is so because
everything in heaven and earth already belongs to God (Psalm 50:12). In our gifts, we only
give back to God what he first provided to us (1 Chronicles 29:14).
So, we can never pay God in order to receive his kindness. We cannot pay for his kindness, and
we cannot earn it (Romans 4:1-7). God’s kindness is a free gift that we do not deserve
(Romans 5:6-8). God owes nothing to us.
The reason why God helps people is not because of debt, but because of his great love
(John 3:16). He works on behalf of those people who believe and trust him (Romans 4:23-24;
Romans 10:9). He saves them; in other words, he rescues them, from their own evil deeds
(Romans 6:23; Romans 8:1-2), and from the power of the devil and death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Paul praises God
(Romans 11:36)
For several chapters, Paul has been explaining the wonderful plans that God has for his people.
Soon, in chapter 12, Paul will start to explain how, therefore, Christians should live at the
present time. However, first he praises God.
God’s wisdom is perfect. His thoughts are more wonderful than anything that we can imagine
(Romans 11:33). He needs nobody to advise him, because his decisions are always right
(Romans 11:34). We deserve nothing from him, but he shows us his kindness as a free gift
(Romans 11:35).
He is the only real God, and he created all things (Genesis chapter 1; Proverbs 8:22-31; John
1:1-13). All things, therefore, come from him (Colossians 1:16).
Nothing could continue to exist without God (Colossians 1:17; Acts 17:23-28). We all, and
everything else that exists, depend on him. His power directs the operation of the natural world
(Job 38:16-30); his power holds even the stars in place (Job 38:31-33). All things, therefore,
exist through God’s work.
The world, and everything in it, belong to God (Psalm 24:1). However, at the present time,
people oppose God’s rule (Romans 1:18-32) and they refuse to obey him (Romans 3:23). God
permits this situation now, so that people have an opportunity to turn to him (2 Peter 3:9).
However, that opportunity will end suddenly. In the end, all people, and everything else that
God has created, must give honour to him (Philippians 2:9-11).
God did not create anything to exist without a purpose. He did not create people so that they
could selfishly please themselves. God created them so that they would give honour to him
with grateful and joyful hearts. That is how Paul himself ends this passage: he praises God.
Romans chapter 12
A living sacrifice
(Romans 12:1)
In Leviticus chapters 1 to 7, there are several references to holy sacrifices (gifts to God)
that pleased God (for example, Leviticus 1:9). For those sacrifices to please God, the death of
an animal was necessary.
So Paul is discussing something new here when he speaks about a ‘living sacrifice’. The death
of animals as sacrifices is no longer necessary, because Christ has died to free people from
their sins (evil deeds) - Hebrews 9:22-26. So now God’s people can offer their own lives to
God and, because of Christ’s death, their gift pleases God. God will then make it possible for
them to do what he wants them to do in this world. By the power of his Spirit, he will make
them into the kind of people that he wants them to be.
Not every Christian is willing to offer themselves to God in this way. So often, we care too
much about the natural feelings of our own bodies: our emotions, desires, fears and
ambitions. When such things guide our lives, we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to direct us
(Romans 8:5-6). As Paul says in Romans 8:8, that kind of life cannot please God.
However, God has given his Spirit to every Christian (Romans 8:9). It is the Spirit who gives
life to our bodies (Romans 8:11). Therefore, God’s people do not have to live selfishly, or to
care only about their own feelings. God can change their thoughts (Romans 12:2), if they
simply allow him to work in their lives. So Paul urges every Christian to offer themselves
completely to God.
New thoughts so that we can do what God wants
(Romans 12:2)
If we offer our lives to God (Romans 12:1), then our lives must change. We cannot still live in
the way that so many people live during this present age (Psalm 1:1; Romans 1:28-31). We
need to have new thoughts, new desires and new attitudes. Therefore, we need God to
change even the way that we think.
Genuine love - both for God and for other people - must replace our selfish attitudes (Mark
12:28-31). We must learn to trust God for those things that we truly need (Luke 12:22-34).
Our attention should be upon heaven, where we belong, and not merely on the things of this
world (Philippians 3:17-20).
When we first invite Christ into our lives, the change in our relationship with God happens at
once (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17). We cannot always expect all our attitudes and thoughts
to change so suddenly. So, we do wrong things that we should confess to God (1 John 1:9).
However, as Christians we desire to live in the way that pleases God. So, we must learn from
the Bible about how God wants us to live (Hebrews 5:12).
We might be afraid of what God wants us to do. However, we should not be afraid. God’s
desires for us are always good (James 1:17). In every situation, he works in the lives of his
people to achieve what is good (Romans 8:28). We may not now see that, especially when we
suffer troubles (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). Even Paul had to confess that he was not
yet perfect (Philippians 3:12). However, in the end, God’s plan for his people is to make them
perfect (Romans 8:18-21; Revelation 21:1-7). In that way, God will complete the work that
he has now begun in their lives.
The measure of faith
(Romans 12:3)
Christians should be very careful in the opinions that they form about themselves. In this
matter, it is so easy for us to think about ourselves either in a proud or a foolish manner. We
imagine ourselves to be much stronger in our Christian life than we really are. So, we try to do
something that is too difficult for us. As a result, perhaps, we fail in that task. We have caused
our own troubles; we were trusting in ourselves and not in God.
Faith means belief and trust in God. It is not a quality that we have in ourselves; it is the gift of
God. Some Christians have more faith than other Christians. So, they are more able to do
difficult tasks in God’s work than those other Christians.
Some people seem willing to believe almost anything. That is not true faith; rather, it shows a
simple or foolish attitude. Instead, faith is something that should develop in us during our
Christian lives. In other words, our faith in God should become stronger as time passes.
Two things in particular will make our faith stronger: our study of the Bible, and our
experiences:
(1) As we read God’s word in the Bible, we learn to trust him. God has given us wonderful
promises, and those promises encourage us to believe him (Romans 10:17; 2 Corinthians 1:20;
Hebrews 6:17-18).
(2) Our experiences also help to make our faith stronger. Usually, we begin to trust God in
small matters. God does not always give us what we request in prayer - but he never
disappoints us. We see how he is working to achieve good things in our lives (Romans 8:28).
That gives us the confidence to trust God more.
Christians should help each other
(Romans 12:4-5)
God has designed the parts of the human body differently from each other, because they all
carry out different tasks. We do not expect our hands to do what our feet do; our eyes cannot
do what our ears do. However, no part of the body operates for its own benefit; all the parts
work together for the benefit of the whole body.
That is how God wants Christians to live, too. God has brought together people from
different nations (Ephesians 3:6), and they all have different skills and personal qualities. God
has also given them all the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9); but the Holy Spirit works in them in many
different ways (1 Corinthians 12:28-31)
Therefore, Christians should never be selfish. In other words, they must not use what God
has given them solely for their own benefit, or to increase their own importance. Nor should
Christians refuse to meet with other Christians (Hebrews 10:25). God has placed them
together because they need each other.
Instead, Christians should be eager to help each other, by their prayers, their words and
their actions. They should care about each other, and by their kindness they should show their
love for each other (John 13:34-35). The greatest among them should be ready to serve the
least important of them (Mark 10:43-44).
Paul teaches the same lesson in more detail in 1 Corinthians 12:14-27. Here in Romans 12:4-5,
he repeats the same word-picture more briefly. This was not just a lesson for the church at
Corinth, which had many problems. Rome’s Christians, and the Christians in every church,
needed to learn this lesson too.
The ways that God works through his people
(Romans 12:6)
God can work in our lives directly (for example, Galatians 1:11-12). He does not depend on the
actions of any person. However, he often chooses to use his people when he shows his
kindness to other people. So, God works in and through his people. That is like a master who
directs his servants in their work. The master may choose to show his kindness through the
actions of his servants (Luke 14:21-24).
In Romans 12:6, Paul uses the words ‘grace’ and ‘gifts’. In the original language (Greek), the
two words are very similar, in fact different forms of the same word. Grace means the kindness
that God shows to us. God’s gifts are the ways that God shows his kindness to other people
through our lives.
In verses 6 to 8, Paul gives examples of some of the ways that God does that. Some of these
‘gifts’ are supernatural, in other words, they cannot happen by natural means. We can only
do these things if the Holy Spirit directs us to do them. For example, a prophecy is a message
from God. We can only speak such a message if God, by his Spirit, gives us that message. It
does not come from our own thoughts or our imagination.
However, Paul mentions other ‘gifts’ that may not be supernatural. Some of these we might
describe as skills, for example, the skill to teach the Bible. Others of these are simply
opportunities. If we can afford it, we can give to help poor people. Whether supernatural or
not, God is using us in these ways to show his kindness to people.
In all these matters, Paul warns us not to go beyond our faith (belief and trust in God). We
must always make sure that our belief and trust in God remain strong. The danger is that we
can start to depend on ourselves, or on other people, and not to depend on God.
The leader's duties at a church meeting
(Romans 12:7)
In Romans 12:6-8, Paul mentions 7 ways in which church leaders do God’s work. Although
we call them ‘leaders’, leadership is only one of these 7 tasks. In fact, the most important duty
of our church leaders is not to lead, but to serve (Mark 10:42-44).
The first 4 tasks in Paul’s list seem to refer particularly to the leader’s duties at a church
meeting. The last 3 probably refer to his duties at other times; Paul emphasises there how the
leader should carry out these duties. In all 7 tasks, the leader must depend on God with faith
(belief and trust in God). Also, the leader should not expect God to use him in all these ways on
every occasion. God gives different skills to different people, so that all God’s people must
work together (Romans 12:4-5).
In this article, we shall discuss the first 4 tasks:
(1) In verse 6, Paul refers first to ‘prophecy’. A prophecy is a message from God. In 1
Corinthians 12:10, it refers to a special message that the Holy Spirit gives.
(2) In verse 7, ‘ministry’ is a general word for the way that a church leader acts as a servant.
As the leader leads a meeting, his principal duty is to serve God, but also humbly to serve the
people there. He must not use the meeting for his own benefit, or as an opportunity to
increase his own importance. Instead, as God’s servant, he must do the work that God has
given him to do.
(3) For a church leader, ‘teaching’ means to teach the Bible. A church leader must always be
careful to teach God’s word, and not his own ideas.
(4) Then, in verse 8, Paul speaks about the work to ‘encourage’ people. In this work for God,
the leader appeals to people. He urges them for example, to trust God or to do what God
wants. Sometimes he may need to warn people against wrong behaviour and attitudes.
Other duties of church leaders
(Romans 12:8)
We are very aware of the tasks that our church leaders carry out during the meetings. Perhaps
we are less aware of the many tasks that church leaders carry on at other times. However,
they still need to carry on those private tasks with faith (belief and trust in God). This work is
still a sacred duty, even when nobody but God knows about it.
(1) So, church leaders are responsible for the gifts that people give to the church. Really,
those gifts are gifts to God, and so they are very holy. However, it is the leaders in the church
who decide how to use those gifts. Paul urges those leaders always to act in a sincere manner.
Often, a church appoints people with the special duty to deal with the gifts. You can read how
the first church, in Jerusalem, did this in Acts 6:1-6.
(2) A Christian leader should think about himself as a servant of God, rather than as someone
important (Mark 10:42-44). However, he is still leading people, because he shows them how
to live. People should be able to learn from his life, and to imitate his good behaviour (1
Corinthians 4:16; Titus 1:6-9; Hebrews 13:7). So, Paul urges leaders to do this work of
leadership in an eager manner. In 2 Corinthians 8:16-17, Paul mentions how eager Titus was
to do God’s work in Corinth.
(3) Finally, Paul urges church leaders to carry on acts of kindness in a joyful manner. It is not
always easy to visit ill people or to care for people who are suffering greatly. So, when we
carry out sad or uncomfortable tasks, we should remember God’s goodness. He has been very
kind to us. We should be grateful that he is showing his kindness to other people by means of
us. Then, when we share other people’s pain, the joy in our hearts will help them to be
stronger.
Instructions for every Christian
(Romans 12:9)
In verses 4 and 5, Paul taught that every Christian has his own special work for God.
However, the tasks that he mentions in verses 6 to 8 seem to us often to be the work of
leaders. Perhaps sometimes we expect our leaders to do the work that we ourselves should be
doing. For example, every Christian should be glad to have an opportunity to show kindness to
other people.
The instructions that follow, from verse 9 on, are clearly for every Christian. Paul reminds
us about how Christ taught us to live. His instructions remind us of such passages as Matthew
chapters 5 to 7, and John chapters 13 to 16. This is how Christians can and must live in an evil
world.
There can be no proper place in their lives for selfish behaviour. Instead, an attitude of true
love must guide all their actions (Mark 12:29-31; 1 Corinthians chapter 13).
Christians should be very aware of the difference between right and wrong behaviour. They
should firmly refuse to do any evil thing; they should make a strong decision only to do
what is good (Psalm 1:1; Psalm 15; Psalm 24:3-6).
However, that does not mean that Christians must separate themselves completely from evil
people. Rather, Christians have a responsibility to show God’s goodness to the world (Matthew
5:16). In fact, they may even have to show love to their enemies (Romans 12:20). Their good
actions may even cause some of those evil people to turn from their evil behaviour. God wants
even the most wicked people to turn to him, so that he can forgive them (Ezekiel 18:21-23).
How to love in a way that gives honour to other people
(Romans 12:10)
Christ urged Christians to love each other. He even called it his ‘new command’ (John 13:34-
35).
That is a lesson that John taught very carefully in the Book of 1 John. We cannot love God but
hate our brother (1 John 4:20-21). Christians are the children of God (John 1:12-13);
therefore, they are all brothers and sisters in the family of God (Mark 3:31-35). So, Christians
must love each other with the love that comes from God, their Father in heaven (1 John
4:7-11).
Many people today only know love as a kind of emotion that attracts people to each other.
That is not the kind of love that the Bible is referring to. Rather, true love shows itself in a
genuine desire that good things will happen in other people’s lives. We do not need to like
another person in order to desire that good things will happen for him.
Of course, such a desire achieves nothing unless we act because of it. That is when we show
the kind of love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Love causes us to act, not for our own benefit,
but to help other people (Luke 10:25-37).
When we show that kind of love, it sometimes causes us to act in an extraordinary manner.
Normally people desire honour for themselves; they want other people to respect them (Luke
14:7). However, the person who shows true love does not need anyone to give him honour.
Instead, he cares much more that other people should receive honour. He does not believe
that only famous and important people deserve honour. A good person whom nobody respects
deserves honour too - and the person who truly loves would gladly suffer shame in order to
give honour to that person.
An eager desire to serve God
(Romans 12:11)
The fire on the altar of God’s house, the temple, burnt continuously (Leviticus 6:13). It never
went out.
The altar was the place where Israel’s priests offered sacrifices (gifts to God). The fire there
burnt both day and night to show that the service to God was continuous.
Christians also offer a sacrifice to God: they offer their bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans
12:1). In other words, they do not live to please themselves or to satisfy the desires of their
bodies. Instead, they choose to live in the way that pleases God. As a result, they do his work
and they show his love and his goodness to other people in our world.
That sacrifice too, is like a fire that burns continuously. It does not, of course, burn in a
Christian’s body, but in his spirit. That is what Paul seems to refer to in the middle phrase of
Romans 12:11. In the original language, he speaks about a spirit that is ‘burning’. That fire
means a Christian’s eager desire to serve God, that is, to work for God. That desire should
never stop. Rather, a Christian should have, deep inside him, a continuous desire to do what
God wants. That desire should constantly direct his thoughts, words and actions.
Fire can be a terrible thing, because of its power to destroy. However, this desire is like a fire
that does not destroy (compare Exodus 3:1-3). Rather, like the power of love, it burns but it
makes our spirits stronger (Song of Solomon 8:6-7). In fact, this desire has a very strong
connection with love. It is God’s love that first creates this desire inside us. Then, this desire
becomes an expression of our love for God. In addition, this desire cause us to show love to
other people (Mark 12:29-31; 1 Corinthians chapter 13; 1 John 4:7-21).
Joy during troubles
(Romans 12:12)
We do not usually expect people to have joy during their troubles. However, God’s people can
and should be different. They do not, of course, have joy because of their troubles. Their joy is
because of the good things that God is doing in their lives, even during their troubles
(Romans 8:28). In other words, their joy is because of their hope.
In the Bible, hope does not mean something uncertain, like luck or chance (Hebrews 6:19).
God’s people put their hope in God, in the certain knowledge that he cannot disappoint them
(Romans 8:31-39). In the end, he will certainly do all that he has promised to do for them
(Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). So, their joy does not depend on their present
circumstances; it depends on the promises of God.
However, God’s people may still suffer great troubles at the present time. The proper
reaction to those troubles is not despair, but patience. In other words, even during the
worst troubles, God’s people should stand firmly and they should continue to trust God
(Hebrews 10:35-39). Their pain cannot last always, because God will rescue them. Even while
it continues, he supports them (Psalm 23:4). He looks after them; he makes them strong.
Even God’s people will be weak if they constantly allow doubts and fears to fill their minds.
Their strength must come from God, and not from themselves (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). That is
why Paul taught Christians to pray much and often (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God acts
powerfully when his people pray (James 5:16).
Christians should be eager to help other people
(Romans 12:13)
God’s people should not live their lives as if nobody else matters. Rather, they should be
ready to share both their homes and their possessions with other people.
The idea that God’s people should live like this is not new. In Genesis 18:1-8, we read how
eagerly Abraham provided for three visitors to his home. Hebrews 13:2 says that, in this way,
some people have even shown kindness to angels (God’s special servants).
In Romans 12:13, Paul mentions two particular groups of people that Christians should be
especially eager to help.
(1) The first group is called the ‘saints’ in some translations. That word means God’s holy
people, in other words, other Christians. Every genuine Christian is holy, because of his
relationship with God. Therefore, God will reward anyone who helps one of them (Mark 9:41).
God accepts such acts of kindness as if they were for God himself (Matthew 25:40).
(2) The second group does not appear clearly in many translations. Those translations mention
‘hospitality’, which often means kindness to a guest. However, Paul’s original word in the Greek
language means: ‘Show love to strangers’. A stranger is someone whom we do not know,
especially someone from another country. That was an especially important instruction for
Rome’s Christians, to whom Paul was writing. Many people travelled to Rome, and their
journeys were very dangerous (2 Corinthians 11:26-27). They might arrive in Rome in a
desperate situation, without any friends or family there who could help them. So God’s
people, who are themselves living as strangers in this world (Hebrews 11:13-16), have a
special duty to help them (compare Deuteronomy 10:19).
Christians should be kind to their enemies
(Romans 12:14)
Paul has just said that Christians should show kindness both to other Christians and to
strangers (Romans 12:13). Now he adds an extraordinary statement. Christians must not only
be kind to good and grateful people; they must also be kind even to their enemies. They
should desire good things to happen in the lives of those people who deal cruelly with them.
Most people would bitterly curse their enemies; Christians should bless them.
By that action, Christians do not of course desire that wicked people will succeed in their evil
plans. Instead, they express the desire that God will show mercy (great kindness) to those
people. The punishment for that evil behaviour is truly terrible; however, God desires to save
people from that punishment (Ezekiel 18:21-23). Therefore, God’s people should also desire
that, in his great kindness, God will save even their enemies. That was what had happened
in Paul’s own life (1 Timothy 1:12-15).
Christ taught that his people should show love even to their enemies (Matthew 5:43-48).
That was a hard lesson, even for James and John, who were among his most loyal students
(Luke 9:51-56). Even they would have preferred to see God’s judgement against those people
who opposed them. However, Christ’s own attitude was different. Even at his death, he was
praying for the people who had dealt so cruelly with him (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34).
Paul reports elsewhere that all the apostles (first Christian leaders) were showing kindness
and not hate to their enemies (1 Corinthians 4:12-13). They had already suffered great
cruelty from their enemies, but those troubles had not made them bitter and angry (2
Corinthians 6:3-10). Instead, their sincere desire was to know Christ better, and to behave as
he did (Philippians 3:8-12).
Christian attitudes towards other people's successes or troubles
(Romans 12:15)
We often see people who are achieving much in their lives. God has been good to them in so
many ways. We ourselves would like to have been successful in these matters. However, our
successes seem so few, and our troubles seem so many.
Perhaps their success has been in business, and they have become rich. Perhaps they have a
large family of healthy children, all of whom behave well. Perhaps they are strong people when
we seem weak. If we are church leaders, perhaps their church is larger and better than ours.
It seems only natural for us, like Cain (Genesis 4:2-7), to think that God should have shown
that kindness to us, too. Like Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1-14), we desire what God has not given
to us. We become jealous (Exodus 20:17); if we are not careful, we can become bitter and
angry against God himself.
It is much better if our joy does not depend on our own circumstances. We can be happy
because God has shown such kindness to someone else. We can be glad about the good
things that other people are achieving.
When we are pleased at other people’s successes, then we will have a different attitude
towards other people’s troubles. When we truly love other people, we will feel their pain (Mark
12:31; 1 Corinthians 12:26; 2 Corinthians 11:29). We will not merely sympathise with them,
like Job’s friends, whose words did not match their actions (Job 2:11-13; Job 19:1-3). Instead,
in our thoughts, our prayers and our actions, we will show the true love that Christians
should show (Matthew 25:31-46; 1 Corinthians chapter 13; James 1:27; James 2:1-17; 1 John
3:11-17).
Christians should not try to be superior to other people
(Romans 12:16)
Paul had recently been dealing with an extremely difficult situation in the church at Corinth.
Many of its members had formed themselves into opposing groups, which argued with each
other fiercely (1 Corinthians 1:11-12). Each group wanted to prove that they were superior to
the other groups (compare 2 Corinthians 10:12).
A similar situation was starting to develop in the church at Rome. In Corinth, there were
several groups, but in Rome there were just two. Jewish Christians established the church
there, but then Rome’s rulers forced them to leave Rome (Acts 18:2). Gentile Christians then
led the church, but now the Jewish Christians were returning (Romans 16:3-5). So now the
church had two groups of leaders: the Jews (people from Israel) and the Gentiles (people from
other nations).
In Romans 12:16, Paul repeats some of the advice that he gave earlier to the Gentile
Christians (Romans 11:20; Romans 11:25). A Christian should not try to prove that he is
superior to other Christians. Such an attitude only causes arguments and troubles. It spoils
the love that Christians should show to each other (Romans 12:10).
Instead, a Christian should think about how he can serve other people (Mark 10:43-44;
John 13:2-15).
In particular, he should try to help other Christians, and he should not be afraid to do even
humble tasks. Those are the tasks that other people do not want to do. Nobody except God
may notice them; but God will reward the person who does them.
When Christians have that right attitude towards each other, they work together to make
each other stronger. That is how God wants churches to operate (Romans 12:4-5).
Higher standards for Christians
(Romans 12:17)
All people have done wrong and evil things (Romans 3:23). In fact, their wicked behaviour
even brings God’s anger against them (Romans 1:18). However, people have not lost all
knowledge of what is good.
All people still understand that certain kinds of behaviour are noble, honourable and right.
They may not themselves be honest or sincere, but they still consider an honest, sincere
person to be a good person. They may themselves be very evil, but they would not trust an evil
person. They know that they can only really trust someone good.
Paul urges Christians to test their own behaviour by those standards. It may be right and
fair to cause pain to someone who has hurt you. However, by those standards, such action
seems wrong. It is as if we can mend one evil act by another evil act. It gives an impression
that we do not really care about good and right behaviour. It is as if we can choose whether to
be good or evil, simply to suit ourselves. In Romans 3:8, Paul insists very strongly that
Christians should not have such attitudes.
Christians have the responsibility to show God’s true nature to the world (Matthew 5:14-
16; Romans 2:21-24). God is perfect in every way (James 1:17); he never does any evil thing
(James 1:13). As God’s children, Christians must show this by their actions. Christians need
to behave in a different and better way than other people behave (Matthew 5:43-47).
Christ told Christians to be perfect, even as God, their Father, is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
The right way to live in an evil world
(Romans 12:18)
Christ is called ‘the prince of peace’ (Isaiah 9:6) and his rule will bring perfect peace to the
world (Isaiah 11:6-9). However, Paul’s subject is not the future age, but the present time.
At the present time, God’s message separates people (Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 13:9-13). The
first Christians, with their many troubles, understood that well (1 Corinthians 4:11-13).
People hated them simply because they belonged to Christ.
In such circumstances, Paul urged Christians to be very careful how they lived. If a Christian
always behaves in a good and moral way, then his enemies will have no proper reason to
hate him. They might accuse him of many wrong things, but their own conscience will declare
their words to be lies.
A Christian should not allow his own behaviour to be the cause of bitter feelings or anger
for other people. In his business, he should not take unfair advantage of anyone. If he has
authority over people, he should not deal cruelly with them. In conversation, he must not try
to start bitter arguments between people. He should forgive those people who offend him
(Matthew 6:14-15); he should not be lazy (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13); he should not speak lies or
gossip. He should always be kind, and good, and truthful. He should obey the law; and he
should respect those people who have authority over him (Romans 13:1-7).
It is not possible to be friendly with everyone. People who hate Christ, will hate Christians
too (Matthew 10:25). We cannot change what God declares to be holy, or true or right; we
cannot agree to do any evil act. However, often, in order to establish a friendship with
someone, we do not have to carry out any wrong act. Rather, we must show love to that
person - and that is a duty for Christians (Mark 12:31; Romans 13:8).
Revenge and the judgement of God
(Romans 12:19)
Early in the world’s history, people considered it their right to punish anyone who hurt them
(Genesis 4:23-24). That is called 'revenge'. Acts of great cruelty were often the result of it.
Families would take action on behalf of someone who had died. Often then whole families,
town and nations would join in the fight.
Kings and rulers wanted control over such matters for themselves. They appointed judges
and they set up courts. Often, they did this not to stop the cruelty, but rather to increase their
own power.
However, even in our modern world, people still act as if they have that right. Perhaps they
cannot actually punish the person who caused their trouble. So instead, they choose to have
bitter feelings towards that person. Or, perhaps they try to find an opportunity to upset that
person. For example, they may choose to say bad things against that person. Or, they may try
to cause trouble for that person.
God’s people have a different attitude: they forgive (Luke 17:3-4). They cannot of course
deny that evil things have happened. However, they recognise God to be the perfect judge
(Genesis 18:25). So, they hand over all their rights in such matters to him. They appeal to
him to deal with the matter instead of them (Genesis 4:10; Revelation 6:10). With such an
attitude, they have no bitter feelings, because it is not still their right to punish the guilty
person. It is a matter for God alone to deal with, and all his judgements are right and good
(Revelation 19:1-2).
Like burning coals on your enemy's head
(Romans 12:20)
To ‘heap burning coals on someone’s head’ is a strange word-picture; not all Bible teachers
agree about the meaning.
As we read the Bible, we should not depend on guesses. Instead, we should study carefully for
accurate information, and we should pray for God to guide us. However, on this particular
occasion, a guess about the origin of the phrase may help us to explain its likely meaning
If we are embarrassed (deeply ashamed) about something, our face becomes red and hot. In
fact, our face feels as if it is burning; and we can do nothing to stop it. It is as if someone is
heaping hot coals on our head.
A person’s enemy expects that person to hate him. Such a reaction seems to prove all the bad
things that the enemy has spoken against that person.
However, Christ told Christians to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44). Paul’s words, from
Proverbs 25:21-22, give a practical example of how they can do that. God is good even to evil
people (Matthew 5:45), and Christians can behave in the same way. If an enemy needs help,
then they can give him that help.
For the enemy, that is a much more difficult reaction to deal with. Nobody expects a person
whom he hates to care about him. So it is not surprising if the enemy feels a deep sense of
shame in that situation. That shame only becomes worse as the Christian continues his kind
and generous acts. To the enemy, it feels like a burning fire: he is ashamed of his cruelty,
his bad words, his evil actions.
The purpose of all this is not to make the enemy uncomfortable. Rather, the Christian hopes
that his enemy will turn from his evil behaviour. God does not want even evil people to
suffer the punishment that is due to them. He wants them to turn to him, so that he can
forgive them (Ezekiel 18:21-23).
Do what is good to defeat the power of evil

(Romans 12:21)
Christians choose to live in a good, honest and truthful manner because that kind of life
pleases God (Matthew 5:48; Romans 12:2). In fact, God, who is good and perfect in every way
(James 1:17), can approve of no other kind of life (Psalm 15).
It is not easy to live in a good manner in this world, where evil forces have so much power.
People will often oppose us, with their evil words, evil plans and evil behaviour.
God’s people will certainly overcome all their troubles in this world, because of Christ’s great
love for them (Romans 8:37). However, to do that, they cannot behave as many people do in
this world. They cannot allow hate, or cruelty, or bitter feelings to direct their actions. They
must not use bad words to oppose someone who speaks bad words against them. They cannot
act cruelly, even against someone who has been cruel to them. If they did those wrong things,
they would not have achieved anything good.
Christians overcome their troubles, not by evil acts, but by good acts. They show kindness,
even to their enemies (Romans 12:20). They show love, even to people who hate them
(Matthew 5:43-44). They do not do these things in order to impress people, or in order to give
themselves a sense of satisfaction. Often, they find it very difficult to do the right things in
such circumstances, because it is against their natural feelings. So, they must depend on God
to help them and to give them strength. They themselves are often weak - but Christ gives
them the power to live in the manner that pleases God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Romans chapter 13
Governments and the attitudes of Christians
(Romans 13:1-2)
Rulers and governments often use their power in a wrong, evil or even cruel manner. Many
people therefore argue that governments should have as little power as possible. Nobody
should have authority over anyone else, they say.
That is not what the Bible teaches. It says that governments do important work in this
world. They organise our cities and our societies. They deal with and punish criminals. They
make laws to try to stop certain kinds of wrong behaviour. When governments do these things
properly, they are doing God’s work in this world.
We might think that our governments gained their power by political skill or military strength.
That may be correct, but in reality their authority comes from God. So, Christ told Pilate that
all his power in fact came from God. Pilate would have no authority if God had not given it to
him (John 19:10-11).
That means that rulers and governments are responsible to God for their actions. That is a
very serious matter, because God will be their judge (Psalm 2: Psalm 110:5-6).
That also means that Christians should respect their rulers. Of course they cannot obey any
laws that tell them to do evil things. Of course they try to help the weakest people in their
country. They care about those people who suffer because of their government’s actions.
However, usually most laws are not for an evil purpose, but for a good purpose. Therefore,
Christians must obey the laws of their country. They should be good citizens, not just because
of the power of their government, but also because of their duties to God.
Rulers as the servants of God
(Romans 13:3-4)
Here, Paul describes rulers and government officials as ‘servants of God’. To us today, that
seems an unusual use of that phrase. We would expect the ‘servants of God’ to mean loyal
Christians. They serve God by their prayers, by good works and when they declare his
message. However, many rulers and officials do none of these things. Sometimes they use their
power in a cruel or evil manner. Many of them do not know the true God; however, Paul still
calls them God’s servants.
God works powerfully in our world (Romans 8:28). God has the right to carry out his plans by
means of anyone whom he chooses (Romans 9:17). In Isaiah 44:28 to 45:6, God appointed
the powerful foreign king, Cyrus, to carry out his (God’s) work in the world. Cyrus did not
know the true God, but God used him to return Israel’s people to their own country (Ezra
chapter 1).
A judge may not know the real God, but that judge’s authority to punish criminals still
comes from God. Our governments may not respect God, but their power to make laws still
comes from God. The purpose of those laws is to make evil people afraid, because there will be
judgment of evil acts. Government officials have real power to punish guilty people, which Paul
expresses in his reference to their ‘swords’.
With so many evil governments in the world, we may ask whether good people should also be
afraid of their power. Christ’s answer was that we should not be afraid of them. God is the
judge of all people. A powerful person might be able to kill someone’s body, but he cannot send
that person to hell (Matthew 10:28). Governments may deal cruelly with God’s people, but
God will always support his people (Romans 8:35-39). God will protect his people; he will
bring them safely to heaven (John 14:1-3).
Christians and the law
(Romans 13:5)
Since the beginning of the Christian religion, some people have tried to change God’s message
into a message about freedom. They say that Christ has given them both moral and political
freedom; therefore, they oppose any kind of authority. They want to be free to behave in any
way that they wish.
Paul had seen this kind of behaviour in the church at Corinth. There, people were saying that
they possessed the rights of kings (1 Corinthians 4:8). One church member even believed that
he had the right to have sex with his father’s wife. Even people who were not Christians were
not behaving like that (1 Corinthians 5:1). At church meetings, Christians were behaving in
ways that would cause shock to other people (1 Corinthians 11:20-22).
Paul could see how much trouble this kind of behaviour would cause with the government. If
Christians would not even obey God’s law, they would not respect the laws of their country.
Therefore, Paul urged Christians to respect God’s authority. God had permitted the
government to rule their nation, so they should respect its authority too.
Of course governments will punish people who refuse to pay their taxes. Of course people who
do not obey the law will go to prison. Governments and officials even owe a duty to God to
make sure that these things happen. So of course Christians should obey the law and they
should pay their taxes. Otherwise, they will suffer the same punishment as anyone else who
will not obey the law. Even a Christian who cannot obey an evil law will often suffer
punishment for it (1 Peter 4:15-16). Christians are not free from these matters.
Christians and taxes
(Romans 13:6)
We ask what money really is. It is not really wealth. Money cannot pay for the things that are
truly good, even in this life. We cannot buy a good family or a happy life. In fact, when a
country has political troubles, our money itself can lose its value.
Rather, money is a way that governments show their power over us. They pay us with money
so that they control our power to buy and to sell (compare Revelation 13:16-17). For that
reason, each government puts its own mark on the coins and notes that it provides for our use.
That mark shows us to which country the money belongs.
Because the money belongs to our country, its government has the right to demand its
payment (Mark 12:13-17). That is what taxes are. The government provided the money for
our use, so it can demand its return. Christians should pay their debts (Romans 13:8); so
they should also pay their taxes. They do not do it merely because they are afraid of
punishment. They do it because they consider it the right thing to do (Romans 13:5).
Paul makes a surprising statement about the work of people who collect taxes in Romans 13:6.
We know how much other people often dislike them (compare Mark 2:13-17). However, in the
collection of taxes, governments are using the authority that God has given them (Romans
13:1). Therefore, the people who collect taxes are carrying out a public service on God’s
behalf. It impressed Paul how well they carry out this special work for God. They do not
neglect their work; they constantly carry out the tasks that God has given them. From their
attitudes, as from so many other things in this world (Proverbs 30:24-28), Christians can learn
an important lesson.
The duties of Christians in this world
(Romans 13:7)
Christians are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). So, they might argue that they do not need
to respect people in authority in this world. However, Paul insisted that the opposite is true.
In fact, Christians are people who respect God’s authority. Therefore, they should be able
to understand more clearly than other people what authority really is (compare Luke 7:1-10).
It is God who chose to give authority to governments in this world (Romans 13:1). He did it in
order to place a limit on the power of evil people (Romans 13:3-4).
Therefore, Christians should respect the power of their government. They should give its
officials whatever is rightly due to them.
That often means the payment of money, in other words, taxes. Paul mentions two kinds of
taxes here. One of these perhaps means a tax on people and their property. The other
probably refers to a tax when people buy and sell goods.
However, there are also other ways by which we show respect to people in authority. There is
a proper sense of fear that we should show, for example, towards our judges (Romans 13:3-
4). That sense of fear should cause us to avoid wrong behaviour and to do what is right. Also,
we should show honour to people who carry on important and responsible work. In Acts
chapter 26, we see how politely Paul himself spoke to powerful and important people. He
showed great respect to them.
It is interesting to compare Paul’s words in Romans 13:7 with the answer that Christ gave in
Mark 12:13-17. Christ too insisted that God’s people should pay their taxes. However, he then
reminded the people that we all owe a much greater duty to God.
Debts, duties, and the duty to act in love
(Romans 13:8)
In financial matters, Christians are like other people in this world. They may have homes,
families and businesses. They have people whom they must pay; they have duties that they
must carry out.
In all these things, Christians should be honourable. Christians should pay their debts; they
should carry out their duties. They should be people whom other people can trust (Luke
16:10-11).
When we have paid our debts, there is nothing more to pay. When we have carried out our
duties, we are free from those duties. However, there is one duty that Christians will always
have towards other people. It is the duty to act in love towards other people. (Mark 12:29-
31; Luke 10:25-37; 1 Corinthians chapter 13). That kind of love is not an emotion. It is the
decision to offer help and kindness to everyone that God places in our lives. That love does not
depend on whether we like that person. In fact, it shows greater love to help someone whom
we do not actually like.
It is by our acts of love that we truly carry out God’s law (Romans 13:9-10). In other words,
the law of God in the Bible is teaching us to show love to other people. A person might obey
some of the rules in the Bible, but still have an attitude of hate towards other people. That
person would not truly be obeying God’s law, because he is not showing love. However, by
means of love, a person does what the rest of God’s law is teaching him to do. It is that
person’s desire to show to other people the same kind of love that God has for them (Matthew
5:43-48). There can be no better attitude than that towards other people; that person is doing
what God wants him to do.
Love and God's commands
(Romans 13:9-10)
The list of commands that God gave to Israel’s people appears twice in the Bible: Exodus
20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Those commands are not, of course, the whole of God’s law.
Rather, they are a series of lessons to teach people how God wants them to live.
The commands are in two parts. The first few commands are lessons about a person’s
relationship with God. The other commands are about a person’s relationships with other
people. That is how Christ could explain the lessons even more simply in Mark 12:28-31.
People should love God, and they should love other people. Those are the most important
lessons that God’s law teaches.
In that passage, Christ was not in fact teaching a new lesson. He was simply repeating words
that already appeared in the Bible: Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. Paul repeats only
the last of these passages in Romans 13:9, because his subject is relationships between people.
He is teaching us how Christians should deal with other people.
Christians should act in love, and therefore they should offer kindness and help to other
people. That is how God’s law teaches people to behave; therefore, that is how God wants his
people to behave.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, you can read Paul’s description of the nature of true love. That kind
of love is entirely good, because it comes from God himself (1 John 4:16; see also James 1:17).
People who offend against God’s commands are not showing true love. Rather, the reason for
most of these wrong acts is people’s selfish and evil desires (James 1:14-15). When people
behave in a selfish manner, that is the opposite of true love. Love is when we care about
other people; we are selfish when we care too much about ourselves.
Our salvation is nearer that when we first believed
(Romans 13:11)
The first Christians often gathered for their meetings at night, and the meetings continued
until early in the morning (Acts 12:12-18; Acts 20:7-12). It was the only time when Christian
slaves were able to attend the meetings.
We can only imagine how impressive Paul’s words were on such an occasion. However, Paul is
not speaking about the start of a new day, but about the return of Christ. For God’s people,
that will be the day of their full salvation. Salvation means rescue and safety. Christ is coming
to rescue them from all their troubles in this world. Under his rule, they will always be safe
(Revelation 21:3-4).
We often use the word ‘salvation’ to mean the time when a person first believes in Christ
(compare Romans 1:16). That is also a correct use of the word, because God’s work in a
person’s life is both certain and immediate (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:17). God will
certainly carry out all his promises to his people, but that has not happened yet (1
Corinthians 15:12-19). It will happen only when Christ returns to rule all things.
So, as we wait for Christ’s return, we must not become lazy. We must not behave like people
who do not care about Christ’s return (1 Thessalonians 5:4-11). We must not be like servants
who are not ready for their master’s return (Mark 13:32-36). The time of Christ’s return
becomes nearer every day. We have believed Christ; we must continue to believe and trust
him. We have put our hope in Christ; we must allow our hope to become stronger. We are the
people of God; we must live our lives as God’s people should live in this world (2 Peter 3:11).
We must not always be like children; we must allow our relationship with God to develop and
to become mature (Hebrews 5:11-14).
The day of Christ's return is near
(Romans 13:12)
Paul’s words seem to describe the camp of an army. That army hopes to surprise its enemies
with a sudden attack, early in the morning. However, by night the soldiers are pleasing
themselves, with foolish and wild behaviour.
They are drinking wine and they are eating too much food. They are having sex with women;
and they are arguing with each other. As the night continues, even the guards are sleeping.
They are all in great danger. Anyone could enter the camp and attack them.
The Bible uses darkness as a word-picture for people’s evil deeds (for example, Isaiah 8:21
to 9:2). Many people who are now Christians formerly cared only to please themselves (1
Corinthians 6:9-11). However, then God changed their lives in the most powerful manner (2
Corinthians 5:17). The knowledge of Christ changed them completely, like a light that shines in
darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6).
The darkness of people’s evil deeds must end because, suddenly, Christ will return (Luke
21:25-28). He will defeat all that is evil in this world (1 Samuel 2:1-10). In Romans 13:11-13,
Paul compares Christ’s return to the beginning of a new day.
The beginning of the new day has an astonishing effect on the soldiers in the camp. Long
before dawn, they are all awake, and they are preparing themselves for the battle. Now none
of them cares to please himself; their only desire is to carry out their tasks well, and to win.
The knowledge of Christ’s soon return (Revelation 22:12) should have a similar effect on the
lives of Christians. Christians should not desire to please themselves. Instead, they should
loyally do the work that God has given them to do. They should not behave like those foolish
soldiers in the darkness. Instead, they should make themselves ready for the day of Christ’s
return (Mark 13:32-37).
Wrong behaviour when we start to relax
(Romans 13:13)
Many people may behave well, before the night begins. They may be too busy to carry out their
true desires. Or perhaps they do not want other people to see their wrong and evil actions. So
when they relax, in the darkness of the night, their behaviour suddenly becomes much worse.
Christians belong to the day, says Paul (compare 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8). There will be no night
and no darkness in the New Jerusalem, where God’s rule is complete (Revelation 21:23-25).
Christians are the people who accept God’s rule over their lives now. So Christians should not
be guilty of evil behaviour, even in this world.
Most Christians understand quite well how God wants them to live. Perhaps they behave well
during the day, when they are busy. However, in the evening when they start to relax, they do
many wrong things.
When people start to relax, they often try to please themselves. It is that kind of attitude
that Paul warns against. Christians should not try to please themselves; that is a selfish
attitude. Rather, their desire always should be to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9).
Paul probably wrote the Book of Romans while he was in Corinth. From the experiences of
Christians there, Paul knew about the kinds of wrong behaviour that often tempt eager
young Christians. All the wrong acts that he mentions in Romans 13:13 had been happening
among Christians at Corinth. However, with the help of Titus, Paul had successfully urged
them to turn back to God (2 Corinthians 7:6-16). God is eager to forgive us when we are
willing, with his help, to stop our evil deeds (1 John 1:9).
'Put on' Christ
(Romans 13:14)
In English, to ‘put on’ Christ, as we ‘put on’ clothes, seems a strange expression. However,
the first Christians were familiar with this word-picture, and we often see similar expressions
in their books. For some examples, see Luke 24:49; 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 and Colossians
3:10-12. In each of these places, strength replaces weakness when we receive God’s gift to
us.
We are all aware of the weakness of our physical bodies. That is why we put on clothes: to
cover our naked bodies (Genesis 3:7; 1 Corinthians 12:23). We choose clothes to deal with our
weaknesses. So, we wear warm clothes when are cold. We wear cool clothes when we are hot.
We choose clothes to protect us from the sun or the rain. In battle, soldiers wear armour:
strong clothes that defend the weak parts of their bodies (compare Romans 13:12, and see
Ephesians 6:10-17).
However, we have no clothes to deal with our inner weaknesses: our wrong desires, ambitions,
emotions and fears. To deal with these weaknesses, we must depend on Christ. He alone
frees us from these weaknesses to live in the manner that pleases God (Romans 8:1-4).
In Galatians 3:26-27, Paul again uses the expression: to ‘put on Christ’. There, he refers to the
beginning of the Christian life, when a person first trusts Christ. However, we cannot stop then
- we must continue to trust Christ through our whole lives (Galatians 3:2-3; Hebrews 10:36-
39). So, in Romans 13:14, Paul urges people who are already Christians to ‘put on Christ’. In
other words, they must trust him every day, even as we put on our clothes every day. We
need his help continuously. We constantly need to accept his strength, in order to overcome
our weaknesses.
Romans chapter 14
Christians who are weak in faith
(Romans 14:1)
Paul has just explained how we should deal with our own weaknesses (Romans 13:14). His next
subject is how we should deal with the weaknesses of other Christians.
He describes a man who is weak in faith. Faith means belief and trust in God; therefore, this
man is not trusting God properly. The man is weak in faith, but he is not completely without
faith; therefore the man does seem to be a genuine Christian. So, Paul tells Rome’s Christians
that they should accept this man as a member of their church. God has accepted this man, so
they should accept him too. The man is weak, so they must deal with him kindly, gently and
patiently. However, they must not allow him constantly to argue with them, or to teach in their
church. In these matters, they must be firm with him.
We ask how a Christian can be weak in faith. There are two main reasons. Some Christians
are weak because they allow wrong desires and feelings to direct their actions (see Romans
6:12-23). So, they do many wrong things simply because they want to do those things (James
1:14-15). They are not trusting God properly; they are not allowing his Holy Spirit to direct
their lives (Romans 8:5-9).
Other Christians are weak because of a wrong attitude toward the rules and traditions of their
religion. To become Christians and to live in the manner that pleases God, we must trust God
constantly (Galatians 3:1-5; Hebrews 10:35-38). However, these Christians are trying to
please God by their efforts to obey his law strictly. That was the attitude of the man that Paul
refers to in Romans 14:1. That was also why the man wanted to teach; he thought that he
knew a better way for Christians to live. However, Christians should allow the Holy Spirit to
direct their lives, and then they will not offend against God’s law (Galatians 5:16-26). That
is how God wants his people to live.
Arguments about the foods that Christians should eat
(Romans 14:2)
It is interesting to compare the situation in the church at Rome with the situation at Corinth.
In both churches, there were arguments about the foods that Christians should eat. The
result was that, in both places, some Christians claimed to be superior to the other Christians.
Both churches included among their members some Jews (people from Israel), and some
people from other nations. God had given rules to the Jews about the meats that they could
eat (Leviticus chapter 11; Leviticus 17:10-14). The Bible’s rules for people who are not Jews
are much simpler (Genesis 9:1-4; Acts 15:29).
In the church at Corinth, some Christians would not accept any of these rules. They believed
that they had a right to eat any kind of food whatever. So, they acted very boldly. They even
entered the houses of false gods, to eat the meat that people had offered to those gods. Paul
had to warn those Christians that they must not do this. Their behaviour was spoiling the
relationship that weaker Christians had with God (1 Corinthians chapter 8).
In the church at Rome, however, those Christians who obeyed God’s rules were acting too
boldly. As in Galatia, they were trying to persuade the Christians to accept all the rules
that God had given to the Jews (Galatians 5:1-12). They were talking as if Christ’s death had
no purpose. Christ did not die so that all people could become Jews. He died so that people
from every nation can have a right relationship with God (Romans 1:16).
Their relationship with God does not depend on food (Romans 14:17), but on faith: belief and
trust in God (Romans 4:1-8).
Right attitudes when Christians disagree
(Romans 14:3)
Some people think that Christians should agree about everything. That was not Paul’s opinion.
He understood that God has made each person differently (Romans 12:4-6). Christians have
had different experiences in life. They may be from different nations. They have learnt from
different teachers and they have understood different things. No person’s knowledge about
anything is complete or perfect. So of course even the most sincere Christians will
sometimes disagree.
For that reason, Christians should learn to have the right attitudes towards those people
with whom they disagree. Perhaps they disagree with another Christian about a matter which
is especially important. Even in such a situation, they must not allow the matter to become an
excuse for hate or for bitter feelings. They must respect and love that other Christian as their
brother or sister in God’s family (1 John 3:10-16). If God has accepted that person, they too
should accept him or her.
That other person clearly has very strong reasons for his opinion about the matter. He truly
believes that in this matter, he is obeying God. So it may not seem strong enough for him
merely to disagree with Christians who oppose him. Rather, he would like to express God’s
anger or to declare God’s judgement against Christians who believe that wrong idea. However,
he must not do that (Matthew 7:1-2). Christians do sometimes believe wrong and foolish
things; but God deals with them as their loving Father (Hebrews 12:5-11).
Therefore, Christians who disagree must always deal with each other in a gentle, kind and
patient manner.
Christians are the servants of God
(Romans 14:4)
As Christ often did (for example Mark 13:32-37). Paul describes God’s people as the servants
of God. His word for a ‘servant’ is not the general word for a worker, here. Instead Paul
chooses the word for someone who carries out personal duties for his master, in the
master’s house. (See also Luke 16:13, which uses the same word.)
Of course such a servant is responsible only to his master, and nobody else. Nobody else
has the right to say whether that servant’s work is satisfactory. It does not matter whether or
not the other servants approve of that servant’s work. Only the master’s opinion about his
servant is truly important.
When Christians meet together, there are often disagreements between them, and sometimes
arguments. Perhaps they become bitter against each other; perhaps they start to accuse each
other. It is like the situation when the servants in a house begin to argue against each other.
However, God is their master; and only his opinion about each of his servants truly
matters.
It is wonderful for us to know that God approves of his servants. Of course he does not
approve of their wrong deeds or their foolish actions. He approves of them because Christ died
for them (Romans 5:8-9). He approves of them because of their faith (active belief and trust)
in him (Romans 4:1-8). He approves of them because they truly are his people (Romans 8:28-
34). He has begun a great work in their lives, and he will certainly complete it (Romans 8:15-
19; Philippians 1:6).
Disagreements about holy days
(Romans 14:5)
Christmas day is a very joyful occasion for those Christians who choose that day to remember
Christ’s birth. However, we cannot say that the origins of that day are truly Christian. Many of
its traditions in fact come from ancient false religions. That fact sometimes causes
disagreements between Christians.
Not all Christians agree even about the right day for church meetings. Most churches meet on
Sunday, the first day of the week (see Luke 24:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2 and Revelation
1:10). However, God gave to Israel the seventh day, Saturday, as its Sabbath, a special day for
rest and prayer (see Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 2:23 to 3:5 and Acts 17:2).
God gave to Israel its sacred holidays (Leviticus chapter 23), and Paul considered them
important (Acts 20:16). However, Paul had to warn the Christians in Galatia that some
teachers were using those holidays as a means to control them (Galatians 4:9-11; compare
Acts 20:29-31 with Galatians 5:7-10).
In Romans 14:5-6, Paul refuses to say whether he believes it right or wrong to have special
sacred days. Christians give their whole lives to God, so, for them, every day is holy (Romans
13:11-14; Hebrews 4:1-11). They pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17), so they need no
special day for prayer.
However, many Christians still consider it helpful to have special holy days and sacred
holidays. Paul refuses to argue against them. God can guide different people to do different
things. Therefore different Christians, who have different opinions about these matters, may
all be obeying God loyally. They do not have to agree about such things. Each person only
needs to do what God has directed him to do.
Our meals and our holidays give us a reason to praise God
(Romans 14:6)
When Christians eat, they should thank God for his goodness. It is God who provides food,
both for people and for every living thing (Psalm 136:25). We cannot in reality obtain food by
our own efforts, however hard our work may be (Psalm 127:2). Rather, our food is the kind gift
that God, our Father in heaven, provides for us (Matthew 6:11; Matthew 6:31-33).
Therefore, for a Christian, even a simple meal provides both an opportunity, and a reason,
to praise God.
However, sometimes a Christian might refuse to eat certain foods because of his beliefs. He
makes that decision because he cares about his relationship with God; he is doing only what his
conscience declares to be right. Therefore, in that decision, that Christian is also giving honour
to God. He must not make that decision with a proud attitude, but rather with a grateful heart.
So, he too must thank God for his goodness. He may not eat the food, but he too has both an
opportunity and a reason to praise God.
Christians should be careful to give honour to God in all their decisions, but especially in
decisions about their religion. When they choose to have a special day, for example Christmas
or Easter, it must not be just an opportunity for parties. They might have those happy
activities, but the main purpose of the day must be to give honour to God.
It is possible for Christians to have different opinions about various matters. For example,
they may not agree about holy days, or about which foods to eat. In their decisions about
these things, Christians should be careful always to give honour to God. Often, that matters
much more than the actual decisions that they are making.
In life or death, Christians belong to Christ
(Romans 14:7-8)
You might think that your life and death are private matters, for you alone. In life, your greatest
desire is to please yourself. At its end, you alone and nobody else will suffer when you die. Other
people may care about you but, in the end, these things only really matter to you. Such may be
your attitudes.
It can be very different for a servant who carries out important personal duties for his master.
Paul referred to such a servant as a word-picture for a Christian in verse 4. That servant
cannot say that he has his own life, separate from the life of his master. Rather, he gives
his whole attention to his master (Psalm 123:2). His only desire is to do what his master wants
- and to do it well. At the death of such a good and capable servant, the master himself feels
great loss - and his loss is real.
God knows and cares even when a small bird dies (Matthew 10:29-31). So of course God cares
very much more about the people whom he truly loves (Romans 5:8). Nothing - not even
death - can separate them from his love for them (Romans 8:35-39). God cares deeply about
every part of their lives (Matthew 6:25-33).
In fact, God loves them so much that their own lives and deaths hardly seem to matter to them
now. Their present troubles seem slight when they remember God’s plans for them (Romans
8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). In life or death, their desire is to please him (2 Corinthians 5:9).
They use their lives to do the work that God directs them to do. They know that even death
cannot defeat them. Its effect will only be to take them to be with God always (Philippians
1:21-23).
Christ's authority over both living and dead people
(Romans 14:9)
Christ passed through death into a life that can never end. By that means, he received
authority over all things and all people, whether they are dead or alive (Philippians 2:8-11;
Revelation 20:11-13).
Of course, all people die; and all God’s people will rise from death (1 Corinthians chapter 15; 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18). God’s people also receive authority from him (Matthew 25:14-30; 1
Corinthians 6:3); however, their authority is not like Christ’s authority (Matthew 28:18-20).
Christ has complete authority as ruler of everything; they have the authority that he gives
to them. Even in the New Jerusalem, when they will rule with him, they will still be his
servants (Revelation 22:3-5).
Clearly therefore, the simple facts of Christ’s death and that he rose again did not give him
this great authority. Rather, we need to understand what Christ achieved at that time.
Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us that, by his death, Christ defeated both the devil, and the power of
death itself. Romans chapter 5 explains that a new kind of relationship became possible
between God and people because of Christ’s death. Christ suffered the punishment for their
evil deeds so that they can receive a right relationship with God.
Then Christ became alive again (1 Corinthians 15:1-7 and 15:20). That shows that his work
on the cross was complete, and successful. In other words, by his death, Christ had
completed the work that God the Father had given him to do. That is why God the Father gave
him the place of greatest honour and authority in heaven (Hebrews 1:3).
Christ was able to do these things because he is God the Son (John 1:1-2; Mark 1:11). He
was able to suffer the punishment for our evil deeds because he is perfect (1 Peter 2:22-24).
He rose from death because it was impossible for death to have any power over the perfect
Son of God (Acts 2:24-36).
Why Christians should not accuse each other bitterly
(Romans 14:10)
In verse 10, Paul refers back to the situation that he described in verse 3. Christians were
arguing with each other about a matter that they considered important. The argument
became so fierce that they did not deal with each other in love, but in anger. In the end, their
words became severe, and even bitter.
There are many subjects that cause disagreements between Christians. About all these
matters, Christians should study the Bible carefully. The Bible is God’s word and it alone has
the authority to guide us in these matters (2 Timothy 3:16). Christians should also pray about
these things and they should listen to the opinions of more mature Christians (Hebrews
13:17). They should not decide too quickly about such matters. It can take a long time for
them to know what God is directing them to do. However, when they do know, they must obey
God.
Even then, Christians need to remember that they are all brothers and sisters in God’s
family. That fact is also true about those Christians with whom they disagree. It is even true
about a Christian who opposes them fiercely. So, they must deal with such Christians with an
attitude of love (John 13:34-35; 1 John 2:9-11).
Christians cannot simply deal with other people in whatever manner they choose. They have
accepted God’s authority over their lives (Romans 14:7-9); God is their master, their Lord.
So they all must accept God’s judgements about these things. Paul uses the same word for
the place of authority or judgement, BEMA in the Greek language, that he uses in 2 Corinthians
5:10. It refers, as in Acts 25:6, to the place where a ruler would sit to make important
decisions.
Christians are responsible to God for their attitudes and actions
(Romans 14:11-12)
Paul repeats the words from Isaiah 45:23 that he also uses in Philippians 2:10-11. Every knee
must bend in front of God; in other words, every person must kneel. Every tongue, in other
words, every person, must give honour to God. In Isaiah 45:24, they declare the goodness
and the power of God. In Philippians 2:11, they declare that Jesus is Lord (God), in order to
bring honour to God the Father.
These passages describe a future time after God has defeated every evil force (1 Corinthians
15:24-26). However, they also describe the attitude that God’s people should have now.
They are the people who have accepted God’s rule over their lives (Mark 1:15). Therefore, they
are the people who should give him honour, both now and always.
People would kneel down in order to give honour to a ruler or a great man (see Esther 3:1-4).
Servants often have to kneel as they work. So, to kneel in front of someone was a way to
express humble attitudes towards that person. In other words, you kneel to show that you
accept his greatness and his authority over you.
Christians declare that Jesus is Lord (God) to accept his authority over their lives. It is
only by that means that we can have a right relationship with God (Romans 10:9-10).
In the end, God will be the judge of all people (Genesis 18:25; Revelation 20:11-15). So,
nobody is really free to do whatever pleases them. In particular, God’s people should live to
please him and not to please themselves (Romans 14:7-9). They must not have bitter or cruel
thoughts about those Christians with whom they disagree (Romans 14:10). They should
remember that they are responsible to God. As his servants, they will have to give an
account to him for their actions (compare Matthew 25:14-30).
Do not cause trouble for weaker Christians
(Romans 14:13)
In Rome, the Christians could not agree about certain matters, so they began to accuse each
other. As previously (Romans 2:21-23), Paul says that it would be much better for Christians
to accuse themselves. Their opinions may be correct, but those opinions are causing trouble
for weaker Christians (compare 1 Corinthians 8:9-12).
We need to care for those Christians whose relationship with God is weak. So, we should
not do anything that might spoil their relationship with God (Mark 9:42). In particular, we
should not urge them to do something that they believe to be wrong.
The first Christians often used a word-picture for that kind of behaviour. They compared it to
someone who places a stone on the path in front of someone else. The stone will cause that
other person to fall; he may hurt himself badly. However, the person who put the stone there
is responsible. What he has done is very wicked (compare Leviticus 19:14).
Whenever our opinion is different from someone else’s opinion, we believe ourselves to be
right. We might consider that other person to be weak or even foolish. Perhaps that is why we
choose to argue rather than to show love to that person. We may even think that, by our
arguments, we are helping that person. However, the reality may be that we are urging them
to act against their conscience. What is right for us to do may not be right for another person
to do (Romans 14:14; 1 Corinthians 8:9). So we should pray for weak people, and we should
deal with them gently. That is how Christ behaved (Matthew 11:28-30 and 12:18-21); that is
how we must act too (John 13:12-17).
When a Christian acts against his conscience
(Romans 14:14)
Suppose that I believe a certain action to be wrong. In other words, I believe that it would
offend God for me to do that thing. My opinion about that matter may, of course, be either
right or wrong. However, if I then carry out that action, I have certainly done something
wrong. Even if my action has not offended God, my attitude certainly has offended him. I
would have done something on purpose that I believed to be wrong and evil.
God wanted to separate Israel’s people from the other nations, so that they would be his holy
people. So, he taught them by his law to live differently from how other people live. For
example, he gave them careful rules about various animals that they should not eat (Leviticus
chapter 11).
People from other nations could eat those animals, and it would not offend God. The world and
everything in it belong to God (Psalm 24:1). So it was not unholy or wrong to eat those
animals. Rather, God was teaching Israel’s people that they should study how to live as his
people. They must not desire to please themselves. That was the real lesson that God
wanted them to learn from these rules.
When some Jews (Israel’s people) became Christians, they continued of course to obey these
rules. They were simply following their conscience, and it was right for them to do that.
However, Christ taught that a person’s food cannot, by itself, spoil a person’s relationship
with God. Rather, the evil thoughts that come from inside a person ruin that person’s
relationship with God. Those evil thoughts cause the person to do all kinds of wicked acts
(Mark 7:14-23; see also James 1:13-15).
Do not please yourself: instead, act in love
(Romans 14:15)
Paul has a very beautiful way to describe a Christian who may disagree fiercely with him.
He describes that person as ‘someone for whom Christ died’. God has shown such great love for
that person (Romans 5:6-8). Therefore, of course Christians must also show love to that
person; it is their duty to do that (Romans 13:8; 1 John 3:23).
However, in both Rome and Corinth (1 Corinthians 8:11-12), some Christians were not
showing that love. Their reason astonishes us. They cared more about their choice of food,
than about the people whom God loves so much. They wanted the freedom to eat any kind of
food, and that attitude was upsetting weaker Christians. In Corinth, that attitude was even
causing some weak Christians to do things that their conscience did not permit (1 Corinthians
8:10).
Cain tried to argue that he had no responsibility for his brother (Genesis 4:9). In fact, he had
murdered his brother. That is like the Christian who refuses to care about other Christians (1
John 3:11-15). It is completely unlike the attitude of love that Christ showed (1 John 3:16).
Christ gave his own life so that people could have a right relationship with God.
Those Christians in Rome and Corinth wanted to eat whatever foods pleased them. They cared
very much about their own pleasure. It mattered much more to them than the things that
worried weaker Christians. Paul urged them to change their attitudes. Christians should show
the kind of love that 1 Corinthians chapter 13 describes. They should truly care about
weaker Christians (Mark 9:42). They should be ready even to give up their own rights in order
to help them (1 Corinthians 9:18-23).
Christians must think about the effect of their actions on weaker

people
(Romans 14:16)
Often, the result of bad and evil acts by Christians is that other people say wrong things
against God. So, God’s holy name does not receive the honour that is due to him (Romans
2:24).
We might not expect that anything good could ever have a similar effect. However, the
freedom that Christ gives to his people is certainly something good (Galatians 5:1). If we
use it for God’s honour, then that freedom will bring honour to God (1 Corinthians 9:18-23).
However, if we use that freedom to satisfy our own desires, weaker Christians may suffer.
We may have the knowledge to prove that our actions are right. Other people may copy our
actions but act against their own consciences (1 Corinthians 8:7). That can ruin a person’s
relationship with God (1 Corinthians 8:10-11).
It is not good enough for a Christian only to do what is right. He must also think about the
effect of his actions on other, weaker people.
For example, a stronger Christian might go into a place where people do wrong and evil acts.
He might do nothing wrong there, but in the same place a weaker Christian would be in great
danger (1 Corinthians 8:10-11). The choice of food and drink was another important example
for Paul as he wrote Romans chapter 14. Still today, the use of alcohol places many Christians
in serious danger.
Paul sometimes had to warn Christians about their wild and foolish behaviour (1 Corinthians
11:13-16 and 11:22). Perhaps they were only expressing their joy. However, other people
would see it, and they would say bad things about God because of it.
Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
(Romans 14:17)
The ‘kingdom of God’ is a phrase that Christ used often. It means the place where God is king.
There, God’s rule is complete and people are completely loyal to him. That is so in heaven now;
Christians pray for it to happen on earth, too (Matthew 6:10). In fact, it has already begun on
the earth, because God rules in the hearts and lives of Christians. Christians are the people
who accept Christ as their king - in fact, ‘king’ is the basic meaning of the word ‘Christ’.
People have various ideas about what God’s rule on earth will mean. It is clear that it must
be a time of great happiness. When God rules all things, evil forces will no longer have any
power. Therefore, people spoke about great meals and happy parties in God’s kingdom (Luke
14:15).
In Corinth, some Christians were trying to live like that now. They loved to eat great meals;
they drank too much wine (1 Corinthians 11:20-22); they even thought of themselves as kings
(1 Corinthians 4:8). They had not understood that God’s rule on this earth is not yet complete.
Also, they had also misunderstood the nature of the good things that God brings into his
people’s lives. Of course God cares about the health of our bodies, and our food and drink
(Matthew 6:25-34). However, these bodies are only temporary, and our lives on earth are
short. Therefore, the work of God in our spirits is much more important to us. He gives to
his people, by means of Christ’s death, righteousness: a right relationship with him. He gives
them peace: true friendship with him (and often, with each other too). That peace helps them
to be calm and content, whatever their circumstances. He gives them joy that does not come
from their situation in this world, but from his Holy Spirit.
How can we do what is truly good?
(Romans 14:18)
True religion is not merely a matter of food and drink, as we saw in verse 17. In other words, it
does not please God if we care only about the desires of our bodies. Nor do other people
approve of that kind of attitude. They consider it selfish and greedy.
Rather, right religion is when we serve God in our spirits (John 4:24). We can only do that in
the power that comes from his Holy Spirit (Romans 8:4-5). God is completely good (James
1:13-17); his Spirit causes us not to live for our own selfish benefit (Galatians 5:16-21) but to
do what is truly good (Galatians 5:22-23). In other words, we cannot find in ourselves the
power to do what is truly good in this world. Rather, we need to receive that power from
the Holy Spirit.
So, Christians need to have an attitude that depends completely on God (2 Corinthians 12:9-
10). They need his power to live in the way that truly pleases him. They need to show in this
world the kind of love that only comes from him (1 John 4:7-11). Without that kind of love,
their best efforts achieve nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
However, with that power and that love, Christians can achieve things that are truly good
(James 1:27). They overcome their selfish attitudes and they are genuinely able to help other
people (Luke 10:28-37). Everyone who thinks in a right and proper manner approves of that
kind of Christian behaviour. Even their enemies can see that their acts are good (Romans
12:14-21).
Peace in the lives of Christians
(Romans 14:19)
By nature, people are in a state of war against God, and often against each other too
(Romans 3:9-18; Romans 5:10). They oppose God by their evil thoughts, words and actions;
they oppose other people whenever they themselves act for their own selfish benefit. In those
ways, their lives become the opposite of how God commands people to live (Mark 12:28-31).
Christ died to bring people peace with God (John 14:27), in other words, a right relationship
between God and people (Ephesians 2:13-18). When people accept Christ into their lives,
they learn to love and not to hate each other (John 13:34). So the result of a right
relationship with God should be a right relationship with other people, too. A wicked
person may of course still hate a Christian, but the Christian will even show kindness to that
enemy (Romans 12:20-21). So, even the hate of evil people cannot spoil a Christian’s peace
with God (see Matthew 10:12-15).
By means of the gospel (the good news about Christ), Christians bring God’s message of peace
to this world (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Their message is not a political message, although some
Christians may work as politicians or as rulers. The Christian message is that, by the death
of Christ, God has made it possible for people to receive a right relationship with him
(Romans 5:6-11). So, they should turn from their evil deeds and invite God into their lives.
People who accept that message receive at once a right relationship with God (John 1:12; 2
Corinthians 5:17). However, it is often harder for them to have a right relationship with
other people. They must learn to show love, and not to be bitter towards other people. They
must learn to help and to encourage other people. They need God’s help to do these things;
they must learn to depend on him.
Do not cause trouble for weaker Christians
(Romans 14:20)
It is a shock for us to read that some of Rome’s Christians were ‘destroying the work of God’.
In other words, they were undoing the work that God had done. The situation there was
similar to that in 1 Corinthians chapter 8, but not quite the same.
In Rome, it was some of the Gentile Christians who were responsible for the problem. (The
Jews are Israel’s people; the Gentiles are people from other nations). Those Gentile
Christians in Rome were eating meat which for some reason offended the Jewish
Christians. Perhaps it was the meat of pigs, which the Jews do not eat (Leviticus 11:7). The
first Christians often ate together before their meetings, so perhaps the Jewish Christians felt
unable to attend those meetings. God’s work among the Jews was suffering because of the
actions of those Gentile Christians.
In his reply, Paul recognises that the Gentile Christians have a right to eat that meat. In
fact, they have a right to eat any food, and it does not offend God. He also recognises that the
Jewish Christians were only worrying about this because of their own weakness (Romans 14:1-
3). However, the Gentile Christians must still change their behaviour, because of the
damage that it was causing to God’s work. Christians must never do anything that spoils a
weaker person’s relationship with God (Mark 9:42; Romans 14:13-15).
This kind of problem often happens today, too, although the facts may be different. One group
of Christians wants to do something that offends other people in their church. The problem
may become so serious that those other people cannot attend church because of it. What that
group chose to do may itself be good and right. However, it is never good or right to damage
the work of God. We must always act in love; we must never cause trouble for weaker
Christians.
Should Christians drink wine?
(Romans 14:21)
Paul is not saying that it is wrong for a Christian to eat meat or to drink wine. Some Christians
do these things and some do not. The Christian message is not a message about food and drink
(Romans 14:17); it is about how people can have a right relationship with God. Therefore, it is
possible for Christians to have different opinions about food, drink and many other matters
(Romans 14:2-3).
However, there are circumstances where it is wrong for a Christian to eat meat or to drink
wine (1 Corinthians 8:13).
No Christian who believes these things to be wrong should ever do these things (Romans
14:14). Rather, he should do what his conscience directs him to do (1 Corinthians 8:10-11). He
must do what he believes to be right.
That Christian may be weak in his relationship with God (Romans 14:1). He is worrying about
things that belong to this world. Perhaps he also seems weak in other matters, for example, his
knowledge of the Bible. However, stronger Christians must not accuse him, and they must
not deal cruelly with him. Instead, they must be kind to him, and show love to him. They must
do nothing to damage the work of God in his life (Romans 14:15). Perhaps they too should
choose not to eat meat or to drink wine, if that decision would help him (1 Corinthians 8:13).
Christians must not be selfish. One Christian may like wine and it seems to cause him no
problems. However, we all know about the troubles that alcohol causes. Perhaps if that
Christian decided not to drink wine, he could help other people to be stronger. That would be a
wise and good decision for that Christian to make.
A lack of wisdom among Christians
(Romans 14:22)
The Christian message is not a matter of private opinions and secret ideas (2 Peter 1:20). It is
God’s message to the whole world (Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16). Therefore, Christians should
explain the good news about Christ sincerely and honestly (2 Corinthians 4:2). People need to
understand clearly the truth about Christ.
However, sometimes Christians show a serious lack of wisdom in both their words and
their actions. They know that God gives freedom to his people (Galatians 5:1); however, they
use that freedom in a way that upsets and offends people. Perhaps they speak proudly about
their freedom; perhaps they act in a foolish manner to show their freedom. They are not acting
wisely. Their behaviour may make it difficult or impossible for other people to trust God.
Some of Rome’s Christians wanted everyone to see the freedom that God had given to them.
Their belief about that freedom was right, but their actions were wrong.
A Christian does not need to do everything that he has the right to do (1 Corinthians 9:15).
The knowledge of his freedom brings him joy in his relationship with God. He thanks God who
has been so kind and good to him. He does not need to prove to other people that he has that
freedom. His greatest freedom is in his spirit, and nobody else sees that (Romans 8:2). He
expresses that freedom both in his prayers, and by the way that he allows the Holy Spirit to
guide his life (Galatians 5:16). Only God sees these things, but they are real.
The person who eats in doubt, and not with faith
(Romans 14:23)
Some Christians believe that it is wrong for them to eat certain foods. Perhaps their belief is
wrong, and with a better knowledge of the Bible, their opinions may change. However, while
they still have that belief, they should not eat that food.
People do not always do what they believe to be right. For example, a Christian with such a
belief might accept that food simply because he wants to avoid an argument. He eats it because
he is too afraid to refuse it.
In such circumstances, the Christian is not acting in faith (belief and trust in God). Instead, he
eats that food with an attitude of doubt and fear. Christians should eat their food with
grateful hearts, and with thanks to God (Romans 14:6). Instead, this poor, weak Christian is
in a situation where he can expect to receive nothing from God (James 1:6-7). God does
wonderful things when his people act in faith (Mark 11:22-24; Hebrews 11:6). However, an
attitude of doubt and unbelief places people in great danger (Hebrews 3:12-19).
Paul tells us this, not to frighten that weak Christian, but to warn stronger Christians
(Romans 15:1). Christians must not act in whatever manner pleases them. Instead,
Christians need to think about the effect of their actions upon weaker Christians (Mark
9:42; Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:9). It is so easy for a weak Christian to copy the actions
of another Christian, but to act against his own conscience. All Christians should help, and
show love towards, other Christians (1 John 3:11-18). Stronger Christians, who often teach
other Christians, have an even greater responsibility in this matter (James 3:1).
Romans chapter 15
Strong Christians and weak Christians
(Romans 15:1)
As a child grows, he should become strong in both his body and his mind (Luke 2:52). In the
same way, the Bible teaches that Christians should become stronger in their relationship
with God (Hebrews 5:11-14). They should increase in faith (trust in God). That is the result of
their study of the Bible, and their experiences as they learn to trust God.
Christians are weak when they depend on their own feelings. They allow their own desires,
ambitions, fears and emotions to guide their lives, instead of God’s Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians
3:1-3). They have not yet become mature in their relationship with God.
In most churches, few of the Christians are really strong. Very many Christians are much
weaker in their relationship with God than they realise. Often, that weakness becomes clear to
other people because of the wrong or foolish attitudes and behaviour of those weak Christians.
In such situations, a stronger Christian might want to speak in a bitter or fierce manner
against the weaker Christian (Romans 14:1-4). In some situations it is necessary to speak
firmly, however, the stronger Christian always needs to act in love (1 Corinthians chapter 13).
Of course every Christian should act in love - but the strength of a strong Christian’s
relationship with God makes him more able to do that. The strength of a physically strong
person allows him to carry weights on behalf of a weaker person. In the same way, a stronger
Christian has great trust in God; and that allows him to help weaker Christians.
Should Christians try to please other people?
(Romans 15:2)
We all naturally desire what is good for ourselves. However, if we care only to please
ourselves, that is a selfish and evil attitude (Romans 15:1).
Clearly therefore, our desire should be to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9). However, we must
be careful to do that only in the way that God approves of. For example, we must not try to
force God to support us by our gifts (1 Samuel 15:22; Micah 6:6-8).
God has commanded us to show love to other people (Luke 10:25-37; Romans 13:9-10).
Therefore, there is a right way to please other people. It is when we unselfishly serve them,
on God’s behalf (1 Corinthians 10:33 and 9:19-23). So, we can bring what God declares to be
truly good into their lives. The result is to give them the opportunity to trust God for
themselves. When we do that, God uses us to carry out his work in their lives.
However, we should also remember that there are wrong ways to please other people
(Galatians 1:10). For example, sometimes we try to impress people because we want to be
popular. Sometimes we want people to approve of us so that we can benefit in some wrong
way. When we do such things, we are acting selfishly. We may say that we are helping other
people - but really, we care much more about ourselves. We are simply using those other
people for our own advantage.
Sometimes we choose to please other people when we should desire only to please God.
Perhaps we respect those people too much, or perhaps we are afraid of them. We must never
give to anyone else the honour that God alone deserves.
Jesus did not try to please himself
(Romans 15:3)
Through his life on earth, Jesus refused to do anything for his own selfish advantage (see
Matthew 4:8-10). Instead, he did the things that God the Father wanted him to do (John
5:19). He spoke the words that God the Father wanted him to say (John 8:28). His decision
was to obey God the Father completely, in every matter (Mark 14:36).
As he did that, Jesus accepted insults (Mark 3:22 and 15:29-32) and shame (Hebrews 13:12-
13). Paul describes this in Romans 15:3 with words from Psalm 69:9.
Psalm 69 describes a person who is loyal to God. However, the enemies of this person have
attacked him fiercely, without any proper reason. So, in the Psalm, he prays desperately to
God. He is sure that God will act on his behalf. In the end, God will certainly rescue his people.
The first Christians were aware that several verses in that Psalm described events in Jesus’
life (John 2:17 and Psalm 69:9; Acts 1:20 and Psalm 69:25). In fact, Jesus himself used the
Psalm to describe his own experience (John 15:25 and Psalm 69:4).
Paul gives no explanation here of why Jesus accepted those insults. Instead, he changes the
subject, and he leaves us to think about that question for ourselves.
We think that Paul’s answer must match his advice to Christians in Romans 15:1-2. Jesus
came, not to please himself, but to serve other people (Mark 10:45). Therefore, Christians
should copy his attitudes in their own lives. They must not think too much about their own
importance, profit or pleasure. Instead, they must show love to other people; in particular,
they must help weaker people.
The Bible teaches, encourages and gives us hope
(Romans 15:4)
Most of the apostles (first Christian leaders) had remained with Christ for a period of 3 years.
All of them, including Paul, saw often that the Holy Spirit was working powerfully in their lives
(2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4).
However, the apostles spoke and wrote very little about their own personal experiences.
Instead, the constant subject of their books, letters and public speeches was the Bible.
They referred constantly to the Old Testament (the older books of the Bible).
At the time of the apostles, those books were already ancient: between 400 and 1500 years
old. Still, the first Christians did not believe that the Old Testament had lost its importance.
They taught that the whole Bible (both Old and New Testaments) is God’s word (2 Peter
1:20-21 and 3:15-16). God’s word cannot lose its importance - it achieves God’s purposes
(Isaiah 55:11).
So, the first Christians studied the Bible carefully (2 Timothy 3:16); and by it, God himself
became their teacher (Psalm 119:97-102). They had many enemies, and their lives were often
very difficult (1 Corinthians 4:9-13). So they needed very much the comfort that God gives (2
Corinthians 1:3-10) - and often, he gave them that comfort from the Bible. From it, they
learned that God is carrying out his plans in the world (see, for example, Psalm 2 and Psalm
110). Therefore, no trouble in this world can ever defeat God’s plans for his people (Romans
8:31-39). So, God’s people learn to be patient and to trust God during their present troubles
(Romans 8:28; Hebrews 10:32-39). The promises in God’s word give them a hope that cannot
fail (Hebrews 6:17-19).
Paul expresses his desires in prayer
(Romans 15:5-6)
A truly holy person prays constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17), as Paul did (Romans 1:9). Paul
desires God to act in every situation, so Paul naturally expresses his desires in prayer. That
is why Paul’s words in his letters so often become prayers. We may say that we come to God in
prayer; however, a truly holy person never leaves God. He is always aware that God is present;
so he is always praying.
So, Paul has just written about patience and comfort. We might consider patience to be a good
personal quality, and comfort to be a pleasant feeling. However, Paul was thinking about God
and his kindness. So, Paul believes that patience and comfort are the gifts of God. He calls
God: ‘the God of patience and comfort’. It is God who helps his people in the difficult situations
of their lives. From him, and through his word, the Bible, they receive the patience and
comfort that they need.
In prayer, therefore, Paul expresses his desires for Rome’s Christians. Paul's desires match
God’s desires for them. So, he prays that they will live and work together, to the honour of
God. That is the most important thing in any Christian’s life: to give honour to God. That is
the most important task in any church: for its members to join together to give God honour.
It is good to pray for someone’s health, and happiness. It is good to pray for new members in a
church. However, our attention should not be solely, or even mainly upon these things.
Instead, our attention should be upon God himself. Then in our prayers, we will desire those
things that he desires.
Accept each other
(Romans 15:7)
It is easy for us to be friendly towards those people with whom we have a good relationship. It
is much more difficult to be friendly when they disagree with us about many things. However,
all true Christians are the children of God (1 John 3:1). Therefore, they are all brothers and
sisters in God’s family. God, their Father, loves them, so they too should love each other (1
John 4:7-11). In other words, Christians should care about each other and they should try
to help each other.
After an argument, we have a choice. We can choose to receive the other person with
kindness; or, we can send that person away. It seems clear from Paul’s words in Romans 14:1-
4 that there were serious arguments in the church at Rome. The Christians there could have
sent each other away. They could have tried to establish churches where everyone agreed
about almost everything. However, Paul did not recommend that. Instead, he recommended
that they should use their disagreements as an opportunity to show love to each other. By
that means, Paul said, they would bring honour to God.
We think that it is right, sometimes, for churches to separate. God can use such situations to
establish a new church in an area where formerly, there was only one. In fact, it seems that
had already happened in Rome (Romans 16:3-5). In such situations, the two churches may
have different beliefs about certain matters. However, those two churches must not be bitter
towards each other. They are not enemies; they should help each other to do God’s work.
So, Paul urged the two churches in Rome to be friendly towards each other.
Christ's work was on Israel's behalf
(Romans 15:8)
God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that, by means of their family, he would show
kindness to people from every nation (Genesis 12:3). God would make it possible for people
from all nations to receive a relationship with him. People from every nation would know the
same kind of relationship with God that Abraham’s family had (Romans chapter 4).
As a mark of that promise, that family accepted circumcision: a minor operation on the sex
part of males. That family became the nation called Israel, also called the Jewish people.
Circumcision distinguished them from the other nations; it also reminded them of their
nation’s special work for God. That work is to bring the knowledge of God to the world, as Paul
explains in Romans 2:17-20).
However, Israel’s people could not carry out that task properly or completely, because of their
own wrong deeds (Romans 3:9-12). By God’s standards, we are all guilty people (Romans
3:23). That is why God sent Christ into the world (John 3:16). He died to suffer the
punishment for our evil deeds (Romans 5:6-8). We must turn from our evil deeds and accept
him into our lives by faith (trust in God). God accepts all who turn to him in faith, from every
nation (Romans 3:29-30). Therefore, people from every nation can now receive a right
relationship with God because of Christ’s work.
Christ did not carry out that work separately from God’s promises to Israel. Rather, Christ did
it because of God’s promises to Israel. Christ himself belonged to Israel (Romans 9:5). So, he
brought the knowledge of God to all the nations on behalf of the rest of Israel. God’s kindness,
both to Israel and to all the nations, is a great reason to give honour and thanks to God
(Romans 15:9)
All God's people should join together to praise God
(Romans 15:9)
Romans 1:16 to 15:13 seems to be one continuous sermon or speech. Paul wrote it at a time
when he was unable to visit the church in Rome. He probably intended that one of the church
leaders there would read it at a church meeting.
Paul wanted to end this long passage in a joyful manner. He has written much in the Book of
Romans about the gospel (the good news about Christ). So, Rome’s Christians have much to
thank God for. God showed them his love in a wonderful way when Christ died for them
(Romans 5:6-8). When they accepted Christ, God placed his Holy Spirit in their lives, to guide
and to help them (Romans 8:9-11). God will do even more wonderful things for them in the
future: he will adopt them fully as his children (Romans 8:18-21).
Paul also wanted to bring together the two groups in the church at Rome. Some of the
Christians there were Jews (Israel’s people), and some were Gentiles (people from other
nations). God’s promises to Israel have not ended (Romans 11:25-26); and God’s love for
people from the other nations has not ended (Romans 11:12-15). Therefore, all God’s people
should join together to give God thanks.
So, Paul ends the speech with a series of Bible passages that urge God’s people to praise him.
The first of these comes from David’s song, when he praises God after the defeat of his
enemies. It appears both in 2 Samuel 22:50 and Psalm 18:49. God had saved David from his
enemies. We might think that David only praised God for the defeat of those nations. However,
Paul reminds us that David praised God ‘among the nations’. In other words, people from
those other nations joined with David to praise God. We can see that from such passages as
2 Samuel 15:18-21.
Joy for the people from every nation who trust Israel's God
(Romans 15:10)
Romans 15:10 repeats a line from Deuteronomy 32:43. That line is near the end of the song
that God told Moses to teach to Israel’s people (Deuteronomy 31:19-22).
That song is a sad song. Its subject is the people in Israel who did not want to be loyal to God.
The song records the great kindness that God had shown to their nation. It describes how
some of Israel's people would choose to serve false gods and to follow evil behaviour. We can
compare this with Paul’s reference to the same people (Romans 10:19-21), in which he repeats
other words from the song (Deuteronomy 32:21).
In the song, the people become so evil that God wants to destroy their nation completely.
However, God declares that, for his own honour, he would not do that (Deuteronomy 32:26-
27). Instead, he would permit them to suffer great troubles, and their enemies would attack
them fiercely.
Through all their troubles, God is waiting for the time when his people will no longer
depend upon themselves (Deuteronomy 32:36). Then, at last, they will be ready to trust him,
and God will act powerfully on their behalf (compare Zechariah 12:7 to 13:1). That is the time
when God will save the whole of Israel (Romans 11:25-27).
So, the song urges the inhabitants of both earth and heaven to praise God with great joy.
Of course, the nations or Gentiles of Romans 15:10 are not the enemies who hate Israel; God
is punishing those enemies (Deuteronomy 32:42). Rather, the joy is for the people from every
nation who themselves trust in Israel’s God. They have great joy because Israel’s people are
returning to the true God. So, that event brings happiness to the whole world, as Isaiah 55:12
describes in a word-picture (Romans 11:12).
People everywhere should praise God for his love to Israel
(Romans 15:11)
The author and singers of Psalm 117 urge people everywhere to praise God. People from
every nation and every group of people on earth should praise him, they declare.
The reason that they give is extraordinary; however, perhaps we do not realise that when we
first read the Psalm. The singers mention God’s love and his faithfulness, in other words, the
fact that he always carries out his promises.
That is extraordinary because the singers refer to God’s love ‘to us’ (Psalm 117:2), in other
words, to Israel. The author of the Psalm and all its original singers belonged to Israel. Also,
God’s promises are firstly to Israel, rather than the other nations (Romans 9:4). So, people in
every nation should praise God for his love and faithfulness to Israel (Romans 15:8-9).
We ask why people in other nations should praise God for his love to Israel. The answer is that
God uses Israel to show his kindness to people in other nations (Romans 11:12-15). God’s
promises to Abraham, from whose family Israel came, were for the benefit of people in all
nations (Genesis 12:3).
Christians have a special reason to thank God for his goodness to Israel (Romans 11:12).
Christ belongs to Israel (Romans 9:5); so do Paul and all the first Christians. Israel’s people,
the Jews, originally gave the Bible to Christians; Israel’s people taught the Christians how they
could know God. So, in Psalm 117, Israel’s people are right to encourage the whole world to
praise God with them. Israel’s God is the God of the whole world, and everyone should
praise him.
Christ, the root of Jesse, will rule the whole world
(Romans 15:12)
People called Christ ‘the son of David’ (Mark 12:35) because he came from the family of King
David, Israel’s king (Matthew 1:1-16). However, Isaiah 11:10 calls him ‘the root of Jesse’,
who was David’s father. It is the root that supports the plant; the plant does not support the
root (Romans 11:18). Christ did not receive his authority to rule from David; rather,
David’s family received their authority to rule as kings from Christ.
Isaiah chapter 11 describes the future time when Christ’s rule over the whole world will be
complete and perfect. At that time, judgements will be right and proper; cruelty will end, and
the knowledge of God will fill the earth.
Isaiah 11:10 in the Hebrew language uses word-pictures, which Paul’s translation into the
Greek language (in Romans 15:12) explains. In the Hebrew language, the root of Jesse (Christ)
stands like a flag, and the nations gather round him. A flag is a sign that shows royal authority;
therefore, the meaning is that Christ will rule the nations. The nations do not gather round
him to oppose his rule; but rather they gather gladly to accept his rule. They have suffered so
much, for so long, from the actions of cruel and wicked rulers. So, the beginning of Christ’s
good and perfect rule on earth gives them the most wonderful hope for the future.
The rule of Christ, the king of Israel, will be wonderful news for the whole world. In fact,
his rule is already wonderful news for the Christians from every nation, who have accepted his
rule over their lives. So, the Christians from every nation should join with Israel’s people to
praise God with great joy (Romans 15:9-12).
Christians' hope
(Romans 15:13)
Paul ends here the long speech or sermon that he began in Romans 1:16. In it, he has fully
explained the gospel (God’s message about Christ), so Paul ends with a message of hope. In the
end, the gospel is always a message of hope, to everyone who accepts it. It is God’s good
news for the world (Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23).
For Christians, the word ‘hope’ has special meaning. It is not something uncertain, like luck or
chance (Hebrews 6:19). Rather, ‘hope’ means the fact, or certain knowledge, that God will
do good things in the future. In fact, he is already doing these things, even when our
circumstances seem to show the opposite (Romans 8:28).
That knowledge gives joy and inner peace to God’s people. Paul knew that joy even when he
was in prison (Philippians 1:17-19 and 4:4). He also knew that inner peace, an attitude that
caused him to be content even in the most difficult circumstances (Philippians 4:11-12).
Rome’s Christians would have very serious troubles a few years later. So, Paul prayed that
they would know that same joy and peace. That joy and peace would come to them as they
trusted God more. As they believed God’s promises, their troubles in this world would matter
much less to them. Instead, their attention would be upon the wonderful things that God was
doing in their lives (Romans 8:18).
Especially, they should not depend on their own strength, but on the power of the Holy
Spirit (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). They could not deal with their own troubles, but God’s Spirit
was actively working in their lives (Romans 8:9-14). So, in every situation, the Holy Spirit
would remind them of God’s wonderful plans for them (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). In every
situation, they could be confident about God’s love for them (Romans 8:31-39). In every
situation, their hope and trust in God could become stronger.
Paul's explanation of the purpose of his book
(Romans 15:14-16)
The main part of the Book of Romans is a speech or sermon that Paul wrote for the church in
Rome (Romans 1:16 to 15:13). In that section, Paul was teaching the Bible, so he says little
about himself.
After that, Paul adds some more personal notes; he begins with this explanation of his book.
The original book was probably on parchment, a kind of paper that people made from animal
skins. Paul would not waste any of the parchment. He considered it precious, because an
animal had to die to make it. Perhaps that thought reminded Paul of the work of priests in the
temple, God’s house in Jerusalem. There, too, God had provided the death of animals so that
people could have a relationship with him.
Paul knew that Rome’s Christians were capable people, with good church leaders. The
success of their church was evidence of that (Romans 1:8). Paul recognised that they were
able to correct and to teach the members of their own church. Paul had never visited their
church; perhaps it would offend some of them that Paul had written so boldly to them.
So Paul urges Rome’s Christians not to allow that to upset them. Paul was just doing what a
priest did: he was carrying out the work that God had given to him. The priests carried out
their work for God so that other people could have a right relationship with God. For Paul,
that work was among the Gentiles, people from nations other than Israel. They belonged to
nations that had not previously known God; God was making them into his holy people (1 Peter
2:9-10). Paul was not trying to achieve that wonderful change by means of his own words.
Instead, he declared the gospel (the good news about Christ); and he depended not on his
own strength, but on the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul shows that he is not behaving in a proud manner
(Romans 15:17-18)
The first Christian churches had a serious problem with certain men who wanted to be
leaders. These men spoke in an impressive manner, but they were not declaring the truth
about Christ (2 Corinthians 11:4). They acted with great authority, but their authority did not
come from the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 11:20). They claimed to work for God, but they were
actually serving the devil (2 Corinthians 11:12-15). They had been especially active at Corinth,
from where Paul wrote the Book of Romans.
Paul too had written very boldly to the Christians at Rome (Romans 15:15). So, Paul needed to
show that he was not behaving in a proud and powerful manner, like those wrong leaders.
Paul himself refused to be proud about anything, except what God had done in his life.
However, it was his duty to speak clearly and boldly about the gospel (God’s message about
Christ).
In particular, Paul knew that he had a special work to do for God (Romans 11:13). He mentions
that work in Romans 1:5, and he repeats the same phrase here (Romans 15:18). It was to help
people from the Gentile nations to obey God. The Gentile nations are all the nations except
Israel, Paul’s own nation - although Paul was eager to help Israel’s people, too (Romans 11:13-
14). However, in all the Gentile nations, people were serving false gods. So, it was an
important and difficult task to bring knowledge of the true God to those nations.
When Gentiles became Christians, Paul was still careful not to be proud. Paul knew that the
honour for that success belonged to Christ: Christ had done this wonderful thing, through
Paul’s work. It was Christ, and not Paul, who died for them. Christ had sent Paul to them with
his (Christ’s) message: Paul did not send himself. Christ had worked in their lives, by the power
of his Holy Spirit. Paul had simply obeyed Christ.
From Jerusalem to Illyricum
(Romans 15:19)
Illyricum is the country that today is called Albania. It is on the north west side of Greece.
Paul mentions it as the furthest place where he had declared the gospel (the good news
about Christ). That is, it was the furthest place in a north and west direction. In the opposite
direction (south and east), the furthest place was Jerusalem. The two places are about 1000
miles (1600 kilometres) apart.
God had given Paul the desire to declare the gospel in places where people did not know
Christ. There were many such places in the nations round the Mediterranean sea, between
Jerusalem and Illyricum. The Book of Acts records Paul's principal journeys, and some of the
main events on those journeys. However, much of the time Paul was probably travelling to
small towns, where he only remained for a few days. The Book of Acts does not give the details
of those journeys. Also, it does not record his journey to or towards Illyricum; nor most of the
events in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. Clearly, Paul did much more than even the Book of Acts
records.
Paul did not choose where he would go. Instead, he prayed and he allowed the Holy Spirit to
guide him (Acts 16:6-10). Paul depended very much on the power of the Holy Spirit to do
this work. He himself was not strong enough to do it - he depended on Christ for the strength
to do God's work (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Like all the first Christians, Paul did not depend on
words alone as he declared the gospel. In every place, the Holy Spirit was active and
powerful (Mark 16:16-19; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4). God cured ill people, and
astonishing things happened. During the lives of those first Christians, God did even more
wonderful things than he did during Christ's life on earth (John 14:12).
A church leader's work in places where there are no Christians
(Romans 15:20-21)
Most church leaders work in churches that other people established many years before.
That arrangement has many advantages. The church already has members who can support
the leader's work; the church may have a building and it may be able to pay the leader (1
Corinthians 9:7-11). In 1 Corinthians 3:5-10, Paul approved of that arrangement.
However, it was not the special work that God had given to Paul. Paul's special work was to
establish churches in towns and cities where, previously, there were no Christians. Some
Christian leaders still do that work today.
Paul compared his work to a builder who lays a foundation. The foundation of any building
must be good, otherwise the building will fall (Matthew 7:24-27). In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15,
Paul compared that foundation to Christ; in other words, his work was to introduce Christ to
the people. Then other church leaders could follow him, even as another builder can work on
the first builder's foundation. However, the church must always depend on Christ - without
Christ, the church fails completely in its purposes.
It was hard work. Paul usually had companions who helped him, for example Barnabas and
Silas. However, Paul usually did physical work to earn his money (1 Thessalonians 2:9). Often,
people opposed his message and they dealt cruelly with him.
In such situations, Paul could remind himself of Isaiah 52:15. By means of Paul and leaders
like him, God is carrying out a promise that he made long ago. People who have heard nothing
about Christ previously, can know him for themselves. People who previously have not heard
God's message, can understand it.
Paul's plans to visit Rome and Spain
(Romans 15:22-24)
For several years, Paul had worked mainly in the countries now called Greece and Turkey. The
names of some of these regions at that time are familiar to Bible readers today; they include
Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10), Galatia and Asia (2 Corinthians 1:8 - Asia was then the name of a
smaller region round Ephesus).
Paul believed that his work in those regions had now finished. God, who had guided him to
those places, was guiding him elsewhere. There was still plenty of work for other Christian
leaders to do in those regions, of course. However, perhaps churches now existed in most of
the principal towns and cities. So Paul made himself ready to go to another region, Spain,
where no Christians had yet gone. The people there needed the gospel, God's message about
Christ, very much (Matthew 28:19-20). The gospel is God's message to the whole world
(Romans 1:14-16).
Paul was very sure that God was sending him to another place. He even told the church leaders
at Ephesus that they would never again see his face (Acts 20:25). In this passage in Romans,
Paul seems to have definite plans. After he has been to Jerusalem, he will come to Rome, and
then to Spain. However in that speech in Ephesus, just a few weeks later, Paul's plans seem
much more uncertain. By then, the Holy Spirit had shown him that, in every place, Paul must
expect troubles, and to be in prison (Acts 20:23).
We know from Acts 28:11-31 that Paul did reach Rome, as a prisoner. The Bible does not
record whether or not he reached Spain.
Important events in Paul's work for God

(Romans 15:25)
This verse shows clearly when in Paul's life he wrote the Book of Romans.
The Book of Acts records three long journeys that Paul travelled in order to declare the
gospel (the good news about Christ). The first of these, which he travelled with Barnabas, is in
Acts 13:1 to 14:28. It ends with the meeting of the apostles (first church leaders) in Jerusalem
in Acts chapter 15.
Paul's second journey, with Silas, is in Acts 15:36 to 18:22. During that journey, Paul stayed in
Corinth for 18 months while he established the church there. That journey ends with Paul's
return to Antioch, which was Paul's own church (compare Acts 11:25-26; 13:1-3 and 18:22-
23).
The third journey is in Acts 18:23 to 21:19. During this journey, Paul spent two years in
Ephesus and he established a large church there. While he was still in Ephesus, he encouraged
Corinth's Christians to collect a gift for the poor Christians in Judea (1 Corinthians 16:1-4).
Paul then went through Macedonia into Corinth. There, Paul joined the men who were taking
that gift to Jerusalem.
Paul probably wrote the Book of Romans during that last visit to Corinth. The book does not
mention Corinth but Cenchrea (Romans 16:1) was near Corinth (Acts 18:18). So, Paul wrote
Romans just a few weeks after he wrote 2 Corinthians. He wrote 1 Corinthians about a year
previously.
This gift was an extremely important event for Christians in the new churches that Paul had
established. Five books of the Bible have references to it, or to Paul's journey to take it to
Jerusalem. (In addition to Acts, Romans and 1 Corinthians, Galatians 2:10 refers to it.
However, the longest explanation of it is in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9).
Gifts from Macedonia and Achaia
(Romans 15:26)
The church at Jerusalem was the first Christian church in the world. Since its beginning,
many of its members were very poor. So, the first Christians there gladly chose to share their
possessions with each other (Acts 2:44-45). Not long after that, they made special
arrangements to provide for the poor widows in their church (Acts 6:1-6),
The Christians in Jerusalem were the first to suffer for their belief in Christ - and Paul (then
called Saul) was personally responsible for many of their troubles (Acts 8:1-3). Many of them
lost their homes and their jobs; several had to go to prison (see Hebrews 10:32-34).
After Paul became a Christian, he desired very much to help the poor Christians in
Jerusalem (Galatians 2:10). His opportunity to do that came when he established the church
at Corinth, in Achaia. The new Christians in Corinth were eager to do God's work, and many of
them could afford to give. So Paul encouraged them to collect a gift for the poor Christians in
Jerusalem. After he returned to Corinth, he would be able to take the gift to Jerusalem (1
Corinthians 16:1-4).
On the way back to Corinth, Paul passed through Macedonia. There, something happened that
Paul had not expected. Macedonia's Christians were very poor, and Paul had not asked
them to give. However, they heard about the gift that Paul was taking to Jerusalem. So,
they urged Paul to take their gifts, too (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). They were eager to give; they
considered it an honour to be able to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem. They trusted God
to provide what they themselves needed (see Matthew 6:25-33; Philippians 4:19).
The love that Gentile Christians showed to Jewish Christians
(Romans 15:27)
Paul has written much in his letter about the love that Gentile Christians should have for the
Jews (Romans 11:11-28). The Jews are Israel's people, from the family of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob; the Gentiles are people from the other nations. In Romans 13:8, Paul describes love as
a debt that Christians owe. They show that love when they act to help other people.
Christians have a general duty to show love to other people, and they should not expect
anything in return (Matthew 5:43-48). However, Gentile Christians have a particular duty to
love the Jews, because they have already received much in return. It was to the Jews that
God originally gave the Bible and so many other good things (Romans 9:4-5). By means of
Christ, they have now shared these benefits with the world (Romans 15:8-10). Gentile
Christians receive these benefits as they join with the Jews as the people of God (Ephesians
2:11-19). In addition, all the first Christians were Jews; it was them who originally taught
God's message about Christ, the gospel, to people from other nations.
The Christians in Macedonia and Achaia showed their love in a very practical way. They
were mainly Gentile Christians. They collected a large gift to help the poor Christians in
Jerusalem, who were Jewish Christians. They gave gladly; in fact, Paul did not even ask
Macedonia's Christians to give (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Each person gave what he himself had
chosen to give (2 Corinthians 9:5-7). They considered it a wonderful opportunity to be able to
help the Jewish Christians in this way.
Paul's words for this 'gift'
(Romans 15:28)
Paul's subject in Romans 15:25-28 is a gift that he had collected for the poor Christians in
Jerusalem. Paul's choice of words from the Greek language to describe this gift is interesting.
He chooses not to use the usual word for a gift anywhere in this passage.
So, in verse 25 he uses the word DIAKONEO, which means to serve. In other words, by means
of this gift, Paul is serving Jerusalem's Christians, like someone who serves a meal. His work
was like the work of the 7 men who shared the gifts among the poor widows in Acts 6:1-6. We
call those men 'Deacons', which comes from this word.
In verse 26, the word is KOINONIA, which means fellowship or friendship. The idea is that, by
means of this gift, Christians were sharing together.
In verse 27, Paul uses the word SARKIKOS, which means fleshly or natural things. He
contrasts it with PNEUMATIKOS, which means things of the spirit. In other words, Christians
have received much more than they can ever give. Their money belongs to this natural world;
it cannot last (Matthew 6:19-21). However, they have received life in their spirits that can
never end (John 3:16; John 10:10).
Here in verse 28, Paul uses the word KARPOS, the usual word for fruit. In Israel, people gave
the first part of their harvest as a special gift to God (Leviticus 23:9-11; Deuteronomy 26:1-
11; 2 Kings 4:42-44). Paul was taking to Jerusalem the first major gift from Christians in the
new churches that he had established. None of the people in these churches had been
Christians before; in fact none of their towns had ever had churches before. It was the first
major gift that all these new Christians were giving to God. That fact made this gift very
special.
A full blessing
(Romans 15:29)
Paul told Rome's Christians that he would come to them with a full blessing from Christ.
Blessings are the good things that God says and does for people. A full blessing means a very
wonderful blessing. It satisfies us completely; we believe that we would not be able to receive
anything more. The word-picture in Psalm 23:5 is of a full cup that simply cannot contain
anything more; so, the wine spills over because God's goodness never ends.
Paul believed that such a blessing was coming to the Christian churches because of the gift in
Romans 15:25-28. In Malachi 3:8-10, God promises to give a blessing like that when his people
give. The gift that Paul was taking to Jerusalem was a very special gift. It was for the
benefit of some very poor, but very holy Christians. Christians from several nations joined to
make that gift to Judea's Jewish Christians. So, in a very special way, that gift united them
with the Jewish Christians (compare Ephesians 2:11-18). (The Jewish people are Israel's
people; in Genesis 12:3, God promises to give his blessing through them).
Paul also considered that this gift finished his work in the countries east of Rome (Romans
15:23-24). His future work would be in Rome and further west, perhaps in Spain (Romans
15:24). So, Paul believed that he would bring Christ's blessing with him on his future
journeys.
When Paul actually reached Rome, he arrived as a prisoner. However, he was still able to meet
many people and to declare to them God's message, the gospel (Acts 28:16-31). Only a few
years later, the Christians in Rome suffered greatly because of the government's cruelty.
However, that cruelty could not stop God's work (Romans 8:31-39). Even as they suffered,
many more people became Christians. The blessings that God gives in this world do
sometimes come with troubles (Mark 10:30). However, there will be no such troubles in
heaven, or in the future when Christ rules (Romans 8:18). God's goodness to his people is truly
wonderful.
Paul requests prayer
(Romans 15:30)
Paul often asked Christians to pray for him (Ephesians 6:19-20; Colossians 4:3-4; 1
Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2).
It seems clear that Paul was sincere in this request. He himself was praying constantly
(Romans 1:9; 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 and 14:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). The first Christians all
believed that God acts powerfully because of his people's prayers (James 5:16-18).
Paul saw prayer as a kind of battle against the evil spirits that oppose God's work (Ephesians
6:12 and 6:18). We ourselves are not strong enough to defeat those evil forces (2 Corinthians
12:7-10), so we must ask God for his help. Nothing can ever defeat God's power (Romans 8:31-
39). Therefore, when Christians pray with faith (belief and trust in God), God acts powerfully
on their behalf (Mark 11:22-24; 1 John 5:14-15).
Paul had made clear plans for the future: to go to Jerusalem, then to Rome, then to Spain. He
believed that God wanted him to go to those places. However, Paul knew that he could not
succeed in any of these plans by his own efforts. The journeys were long and difficult, and
many people opposed him. In addition, the devil and his evil spirits were trying to stop Paul, so
that he could not do God's work. So, Paul very much needed God's help, and the proper way
to request that is by prayer. That is why Paul asked the Christians to join with him in prayer
(Matthew 18:19).
A place to rest
(Romans 15:31-32)
On a long journey, we need places where we can rest. For God's people, their whole lives seem
like such a journey (Genesis 47:9; Psalm 119:54; Hebrews 11:13-16). Their real home is not on
this earth, but with Christ in heaven (John 14:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21-23).
However, as Christ guides them through this world, he also provides places for them to
pause and to rest (Psalm 23:1-3).
Paul's life really was a continuous journey; he was constantly travelling. However, God
provided various places where Paul could remain for a period of time. Paul did not stop his
work at those times. Rather, he was free from many of the pressures and strains that he
usually had in his life. So, he could work quietly and perhaps he had more opportunity for
rest and prayer.
One such place for Paul was Corinth. He probably wrote the Book of Romans on his return to
that city. Paul describes his plan for that visit in 1 Corinthians 16:6-7. He hoped to spend the
winter in Greece with Corinth's young and eager Christians. Acts 20:2-3 shows that he
actually did remain there for three months.
Paul expected no such opportunity for rest in Jerusalem, the next city that he visited. He
already knew that many people there opposed him fiercely (see Acts 9:28-30, which describes
his experiences on a previous visit there). Paul was right to expect trouble there, as Acts
chapters 21 to 23 show.
However, Paul hoped for a time of rest at Rome. He probably did not expect that rest as a
prisoner - however, that is what happened (Acts 28:16-31). For two years, Paul remained a
prisoner there, unable to leave his own home. During that time, Paul met with people and he
was free, although still a prisoner, to teach God's message.
The unusual way that the Book of Romans ends
(Romans 15:33)
The Book of Romans ends in an unusual matter. Normally, Paul blesses his readers simply, and
then the letter ends. However, Paul blesses the Christians in Rome four times (Romans
15:5-6; Romans 15:13; Romans 15:33; Romans 16:20), but still the letter does not end.
That reminds us of a letter from a loving friend. Our friend does not want to say 'goodbye'. So,
he continues to write while space remains on the page.
Perhaps Paul did write like that. God had given him a great love, even for Christians whom he
had never met (Romans 1:8-10; Colossians 2:1). It is right and good for a church leader to
have an attitude of love towards the people whom he serves (1 Corinthians chapter 13; 2
Corinthians 11:11). However, perhaps there were more practical reasons why Paul wrote like
that.
It seems that a Christian lady called Phoebe took Paul's letter from Corinth to Rome (Romans
16:1). She sailed from the port of Cenchrea, near Corinth. Her sailing boat could not leave the
port until the wind was in the right direction. So, while the sailors waited for the wind, Paul
would have more time to complete his letter.
However, perhaps Paul always intended to finish his letter in this way. He was familiar with
poems in the Hebrew language, which sometimes express the same idea in four different ways
(Deuteronomy 28:3-6; Psalm 91:5-6; Romans 15:9-12). So, Paul would have considered it
very beautiful to bless Rome's Christians not just once, but four times. It is also very
beautiful that he ends the letter not with a friendly greeting, but with words to praise God
(Romans 16:25-27). So, he turns his readers' attention away from himself, and instead to God.
Romans chapter 16
Phoebe, a lady with responsibility in the church
(Romans 16:1)
Christians who travelled often took letters with them, to recommend them to the churches. So,
it seems that this lady, Phoebe, took Paul's letter to Rome.
There are several things about Phoebe that surprise us. In fact, it even surprises us to read
that she was travelling to Rome. Perhaps she was not travelling alone, but there is no mention
of her husband or anyone else. So, Paul gave her the responsibility to take this, perhaps the
most important of all Paul's letters, to Rome.
Then, Paul's description of her surprises us. He calls her by a word, from the Greek language,
that means a servant. However, that Greek word is the same word that he uses for a church
leader in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Paul could perhaps mean that she was the wife of a church leader.
However, again, he says nothing about her husband and much about her. It is clear that Paul
respected and trusted this lady very much.
Cenchrea, from which Phoebe came, was very near Corinth (Acts 18:18). In Corinth, some
women had tried to take authority over the church (1 Corinthians 11:2-16). They were eager
and bold; but Paul could not approve of them. They were not helping people to trust God, and
the Holy Spirit was not guiding them. They were taking authority over the men; they were
behaving in ways that offended people. Phoebe too was a strong person, but she was not
trying to control other people. Instead, she used her strength to help many of God's people,
including Paul (Romans 16:2). Paul approved very much of her.
Phoebe was not the only lady with responsibility in the churches whom Paul mentions here.
There was also Prisca, whom the Bible mentions in several places, but always with her
husband, Aquila (Romans 16:3). Prisca and Aquila worked closely together to establish
churches both in Corinth and Rome.
Phoebe's special work for God
(Romans 16:2)
Many Bible translations simply describe Phoebe as a 'helper' of many people, including Paul. In
the Greek language, however, Paul gives her an honourable title, PROSTATIS. It means
someone who protects other people. In ancient Greece, some rich and important people
accepted the responsibility to protect people who were not citizens. It was their duty to
protect the rights of these people in court. That is the true meaning of the title that Paul
gives to Phoebe.
We do not suppose that Phoebe actually had that kind of legal responsibility in the court at
Corinth. Usually in the ancient world, only men did those things. Rather, Paul is showing us the
kind of help that Phoebe gave. In other words, she was a powerful woman, and that gave her
opportunities to help other people with their problems. For example, she could speak to
important people on their behalf. She had the skill to make arrangements for them; she had the
knowledge to advise them wisely.
Today's Christians might not respect people with such skills. They might be jealous of them, or
they might ask them to do more practical tasks. However, the Christians at Cenchrea, near
Corinth, gave honour to Phoebe (Romans 16:1). They knew how often they had needed her
help. The first Christians had many powerful enemies who tried to stop their work. Those
enemies often used the legal system and the courts, as they did against Paul in Corinth (Acts
18:12-17). Paul was very grateful to have Phoebe's help in such a situation.
Aquila and Prisca, a husband and wife who worked for God
(Romans 16:3)
Aquila and Prisca (also called Priscilla) were a husband and wife who helped Paul in several
places. In the Bible, Prisca's name always appears with her husband's name. That is unusual,
and probably shows the great importance of her part in their work, to establish new
churches.
The most important churches that Paul established were the churches in Corinth and
Ephesus. In those cities, large numbers of people who had formerly lived very wicked lives
became Christians (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Acts 19:18-19). For that reason, Paul continued to
work in those places for longer than anywhere else. He stayed for 18 months in Corinth (Acts
18:11), and 2 years in Ephesus (Acts 19:10).
Aquila and Prisca helped Paul to start both those great churches. When Paul arrived at
Corinth, he stayed in their home. He also worked with them; he, like them, made tents (Acts
18:1-4). When Paul left Corinth, they travelled with him to Ephesus (Acts 18:18-19). At that
time, Paul was just passing through Ephesus, but Aquila and Prisca remained there. There was
no church there yet, but they continued to speak to people about Christ (Acts 18:26). After
some time, they established their own small church there, which met in their home
(compare 1 Corinthians 16:8 and 16:19).
Later, they returned to Rome, where they also established a small church in their own home
(Romans 16:5). Their church was separate from Rome's first church. However, Paul still
encouraged the Christians in the first church to be friendly towards Aquila, Prisca and their
church. Paul asked those Christians to greet Aquila and Prisca on his behalf.
Aquila and Prisca: Jews who helped the Gentile churches
(Romans 16:4)
All the churches of the Gentiles should be grateful to Prisca and Aquila, says Paul. Paul was
writing about 25 or 30 years after Christ’s death. At that time, the churches with the largest
number of Gentile Christians were probably those at Rome, Corinth and Ephesus.
The Gentiles are people who are not Jews; the Jews are Israel’s people. Acts 18:2 tells us that
Aquila and his wife Prisca were Jews. They assisted Paul when he established the important
churches for Gentile Christians in Corinth and Ephesus. However, they chose not to join the
churches with many members who were Gentiles in Ephesus and Rome (1 Corinthians 16:19;
Romans 16:5). Instead, they established small churches in their own home, which were
probably for Jewish Christians.
Paul had opposed Christians, including Peter, when they separated themselves from the
Gentile Christians at Antioch (Galatians 2:11-14). So, we may ask how Paul could approve so
strongly of Aquila and Prisca. The answer seems to be that Aquila and Prisca allowed God to
guide them in these matters. They were doing what God wanted. So, they looked after the
Jewish Christians and, at the same time, they provided a home and work for Paul (Acts
18:1-3). In that way, Aquila and Prisca protected Paul in Corinth, and perhaps in Ephesus
too. It was a dangerous thing to do, because Paul had many enemies.
The effect was that Paul could stay in both Corinth and Ephesus for many months. In other
places, Paul could only remain for a few days until his enemies forced him to leave. However,
in those two cities, Paul had the time to establish strong churches for the Gentiles.
We do not know whether Aquila and Prisca ever spoke about Christ to the Gentiles. However,
they did care about the Gentile churches that Paul had established. After Paul left Corinth,
they even arranged for Apollos to lead the church there (Acts 18:27-28).
How churches begin in new regions
(Romans 16:5)
In Romans 16:3-15, Paul sends his greetings, mostly by name, to 25 of Rome’s Christians,
and to 5 groups. Paul had not yet been to Rome (Romans 1:10-13). So, he would only know the
names of the leaders, and of people whom he had met elsewhere. It seems likely therefore that
there were several hundred Christians in Rome, or perhaps even a few thousand. This was
about 25 or 30 years after Christ’s death.
The first group that Paul greets is the church in the home of Prisca and Aquila (see our notes
on verses 3 and 4). Probably, many of the first Christians churches began to meet in ordinary
houses. Prisca and her husband Aquila worked at home (Acts 18:1-3), as most people did at
that time. So, there was constant activity and probably many guests in their house. They were
pleased to invite other people to join their prayers and Bible study. They were constantly
available to discuss about Christ with those people (Acts 18:26). So, a group of Christians
gathered, and they became a church. Perhaps, like the first Christians in Jerusalem they
chose to eat together and to share their possessions (Acts 2:44-47).
The first person who becomes a Christian in any region has acted very bravely (compare 1
Corinthians 16:15). In the region then called Asia, which is now part of Turkey, that person
was Epaenetus. Many people in that region would oppose the Christians (2 Corinthians 1:8).
By his decision to trust Christ, Epaenetus was risking the loss of his home, his job and perhaps
even his family. However, Epaenetus believed that, in Christ, he had found something much
better (Matthew 13:44-46): a right relationship with God (Romans 8:31-39).
Epaenetus may have lost many friends, but he found Paul to be a true friend. He probably
loved to study the Bible with Paul, who had such a strong relationship with Christ. They had
plenty of opportunity to do that during the two years that Paul spent in Ephesus (Acts 19:8-
10). Ephesus was the capital city of the region then called Asia.
A Christian woman called Mary in Rome
(Romans 16:6)
The Bible mentions several women with the name Mary (see for example John 19:25). It was
clearly a popular name at the time of the first Christians. It is the same name as Miriam, which
was the name of Moses’ sister.
Mary, or Miriam, was a Jewish name; all the women with that name were Jewish at the time of
the Bible. Therefore, this Mary, who lived and worked in Rome, was also Jewish. The Jewish
people are Israel’s people, from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Paul mentions how hard Mary worked. She did not work for herself, however, but to serve
other people. In that, she showed a truly Christian attitude (Romans 12:9-11). That is the
kind of love that Paul encourages in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Mary would have worked harder
than Paul or even Rome’s Christians knew about. She did not do her work in public so that
other people would approve of her (contrast Mark 12:38-40). She was working for God, and
only he needed to see her actions (Matthew 6:1-4).
Paul’s word for her ‘work’ may perhaps also express the idea that she suffered much. It is the
same word that Christ uses for hard work in Matthew 11:28. Mary would have suffered the
loss of her home when Rome’s rulers ordered the Jews to leave Rome (Acts 18:2). Probably
Paul met her at that time. However, Mary still chose to return to Rome, to continue her work
there.
It seems that Mary also suffered the loss of her husband. That seems likely because there is
no mention of him here. If he was with her, we would expect Paul to greet him too. Perhaps
Mary was a widow, or perhaps her husband left her because of her trust in Christ (see 1
Corinthians 7:12-15). Paul urged the churches to support those older widows who truly
worked for God, and to serve his (God’s) people (1 Timothy 5:9-10). He (Paul) respected them
greatly.
People whom Paul greeted in Rome
(Romans 16:7-12)
From Paul’s long list of names, it is not possible to identify the main leaders of Rome’s church.
Paul loves and respects all these people, he sends personal greetings for so many of them. He
is eager to encourage all Rome’s loyal Christians.
However, it seems likely that Andronicus and Junias (verse 7) were among the principal
leaders. Paul knew them well, and he respected them greatly. They had long trusted Christ,
and they had gained knowledge and experience. They had also suffered for their belief in
Christ; in fact on one occasion they went to prison with Paul. That was a common experience
in Paul’s life (2 Corinthians 11:23). On such occasions, Paul did not allow his situation to upset
him. Instead, he encouraged the Christians who were in prison with him to sing and to praise
God with him (Acts 16:25; compare Matthew 5:11-12).
Paul’s personal greetings show his strong desire to encourage people in their relationship
with God. He frequently mentions the love that they share as God’s people (verses 8, 9 and
12), or their work for God (verses 9 and 12). He reminds them that God has chosen them to be
his special people (verse 13); God is pleased with them (verse 10). Most of the people in verses
7 to 14 are men, but verse 12 refers to three women.
An interesting greeting is to those Christians who belong to the houses of Aristobulus (verse
10) and Narcissus (verse 11). There were many great palaces in Rome, and large numbers of
slaves worked at each of them. It may be, therefore, that Paul’s greetings here are for
Christian slaves. Paul cared about the slaves, and he was pleased to declare the gospel, the
message about Christ, to them. It seems that many of them became Christians (1 Corinthians
7:21-22; Colossians 3:22-24).
Paul's 'relatives' in the family of God
(Romans 16:13-16)
We are looking at the long list of greetings that Paul sent to the church at Rome. Twice in the
list, Paul refers to people as his ‘relatives' (verses 7 and 11; also in verse 21), and once to
someone as his ‘mother’ (verse 13).
There is only one definite reference in the Bible to a relative of Paul’s. In Acts 23:16-22,
the son of Paul’s sister acted in order to save Paul’s life. Probably that relative did not believe
in Christ; his act of kindness was rare for a relative of the first Christians. Rarely did a whole
family become Christians; more often, the message about Christ separated families (Matthew
10:35-37).
So the reference to ‘relatives’ in Romans chapter 16 may mean that these men, like Paul,
were Jews. All the Jews come from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so their whole
nation is one family. Paul uses the word for ‘relatives’ with this meaning in Romans 9:3.
However, Paul’s subject in many of these greetings is a person’s relationship with God. All
Christians are brothers and sisters in God’s family (Mark 3:31-35); therefore, they are all
relatives.
The reference to Rufus (verse 13), whose mother is also called Paul’s ‘mother’, is especially
interesting. Perhaps this same Rufus was the son of Simon, from Cyrene, who carried
Christ’s cross (Mark 15:21). Perhaps that same Simon became a leader of the church at
Antioch with Paul, then called Saul (Acts 13:1). Perhaps at that time, Rufus’s mother looked
after Paul, as if she was Paul’s own mother. However, that can only be a guess.
At the end of Paul’s list, he urges Rome’s Christians to greet each other like a family (Romans
16:16). He wanted them to have true love in their hearts for each other (1 Corinthians chapter
13). Therefore, they should be friendly; they too should greet each other.
How we can protect ourselves from evil leaders in the churches
(Romans 16:17-18)
A sincere Christian serves God because of his love and respect for God. That Christian helps
other people because of the love that God has given him for those people. He does not care
whether other people consider him a leader, or not. He is not trying to increase his
importance; he is not trying to gain an advantage for himself from his work for God.
Perhaps he earns wages as a church leader (1 Corinthians 9:7-11) but he would still serve God
loyally, even without those wages.
On the other hand, there are many people who try to make themselves rich by their work in
the churches. Their method is to increase their own power and importance. They want people
to trust them, rather than to trust God. So, they start to replace the Bible’s simple message
with their own clever ideas. They try to separate people from the sincere leaders who would
teach them the truth about God. They try to attract people to themselves with their fine words
and impressive speech.
Such behaviour is evil; it can cause severe problems. It can ruin a person’s relationship with
God. A few weeks before Paul wrote the Book of Romans, he warned Corinth’s Christians
strongly about such leaders (2 Corinthians 11:1-6 and 11:12-15). A few weeks later, he
warned Ephesus’s church leaders about this matter (Acts 20:29-31).
Many Christians try to protect themselves from those evil leaders. However, those Christians
often choose foolish methods, which God has not provided. So, some Christians refuse to go to
church; but God wants Christians to meet in order to encourage each other in their
relationship with him (Hebrews 10:25). Other Christians refuse to learn anything new. They
only ever want to hear again the first lessons that they learned about God. In that way, they
can become too afraid to develop in their relationship with God.
However, God provides leaders to teach his people (Ephesians 4:11-13), from his word (the
Bible) and by his Spirit. The correct way for us to protect ourselves is with a close
relationship with God. We should constantly pray and study the Bible. We should allow God
to direct our lives by his Holy Spirit.
The garden called Eden
(Romans 16:19-20)
In the garden called Eden, the first people chose not to obey God (Genesis chapter 3). That
was how sin (wrong and evil thoughts, words and actions) entered our world (Romans 5:12).
Its results are terrible, because sin brings death (Romans 6:23).
So, what God is doing in the lives of Christians by his gospel (the message about Christ) is truly
wonderful (Romans 1:16-17). People from all nations are choosing to obey God (Romans
1:5) - the opposite of what Adam and Eve did in Eden (Genesis 3:1-6). God is giving them
life that never ends (John 3:16).
Adam and Eve decided not to obey God because they wanted the knowledge of both good and
evil things (Genesis 2:16-17). Still today, wrong and evil desires constantly tempt us (Romans
7:7-24: James 1:13-15; 1 John 1:10). For that reason, we must give our attention to what is
good; in other words, we must learn what is right (Proverbs 2:1-11). However, we must have
a simple attitude towards what is evil: we must refuse to do any evil thing (Job 28:28;
Psalm 1). That is true wisdom.
God is the God of peace, in other words, the God who brings people into a right relationship
with himself. By the death of Christ, he makes us, who were his enemies, into his friends
(Romans 5:6-11). Paul refers to the first promise in the Bible, Genesis 3:15. Satan (a name for
the devil that means ‘the accuser’) came in the form of a snake and he persuaded Adam and
Eve not to obey God (Genesis 3:1-4). However, God promised that another man, Christ, would
come from Eve’s family. Christ would destroy Satan’s power completely, like a person who
destroys the head of a snake beneath his foot. So, Satan is losing his power because of the
honour that God is giving to his people (Romans 8:15-19). Satan cannot defeat them because
God has given them a right relationship with himself (Romans 8:31-39).
The Christians with Paul send their greetings
(Romans 16:21-23)
Perhaps the main lesson to learn from these final greetings is the friendly attitude that the
first Christians showed. We cannot say whether any of these people had been to Rome.
Perhaps they did not actually know any of the Christians there. However, they had heard
about the Christians in Rome (Romans 1:8), and they felt only love towards them (1 John 4:19-
21). So when Paul sent his letter, the Christians with him wanted to send their greetings
too.
Timothy is Paul’s younger helper, to whom he wrote the Books of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. He
assisted Paul at Corinth, where Paul probably wrote the Book of Romans.
In Acts 20:4, there is a list of the Christian men who travelled with Paul on his journey from
Corinth to Jerusalem. They include Sopater, which may perhaps be a different spelling of
Sosipater. Similarly, Lucius may be a different spelling of Luke, the author of the Books of
Luke and Acts.
We think that Paul usually wrote his own letters (Galatians 6:11). However, on this occasion
Tertius, who was perhaps a scribe (professional writer), wrote down his words. Tertius’s name
means ‘third’; he would have been the third son in his family. Quartus’s name means ‘fourth’;
possibly he was Tertius’s younger brother.
When Paul first visited Corinth, he stayed with Aquila and Prisca (Acts 18:1-3). On Paul’s
return there, they had gone back to Rome (Romans 16:3), so Paul stayed with Gaius. Perhaps
he is the same man whose name appears in 1 Corinthians 1:14.
In 1 Corinthians 1:26, Paul says that not many important people there had trusted Christ.
However, here he mentions an important official in the city of Corinth, called Erastus. Erastus
had become a Christian and he too sent his greetings to Rome’s Christians.
A special prayer to praise God
(Romans 16:24-27)
Usually at the end of Paul’s letters, Paul blesses the people to whom he writes. However, he
has already done this several times in chapters 15 and 16. Perhaps he blesses them again in
verse 24, although that verse does not appear in many ancient copies of the Bible.
So, instead, at the end of the Book of Romans, Paul praises God with a special prayer. His
prayer is that God will always receive the glory (honour) due to him (verse 27). Of course,
Paul prays that wisely. In the end, God certainly will receive all glory and honour. So, this
prayer cannot fail.
In verse 25, Paul describes God as the God who is able to make his people strong (Romans
8:37; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Philippians 1:6). He does it by the gospel (the message about
Christ), which God’s people are even now declaring in every nation (Romans 10:9-18).
For so many ages, the gospel seemed a mystery or a secret (Ephesians 1:9-10). However,
that secret was only waiting for the time when God had chosen to make it public. Long before
Christ came, the prophets (holy men) had written about it in their books (1 Peter 1:10-12).
Ancient passages like Psalm 22 and Isaiah chapter 53 declare God’s plan clearly. It is that
Christ, by his death, brings people into a right relationship with God (Romans 5:6-11).
Because of their evil deeds, all people have made themselves into God’s enemies (Romans
3:23). However, because of Christ’s death, people from all nations can become God’s friends.
They do not achieve this by their own works, but by faith, simple belief and trust in God
(chapter 4). It is God who, by his Spirit, makes it possible for them to obey him (Romans 8:1-
11). So God, by his great power, will complete the work that he has begun in their lives
(Romans 8:18; Romans 8:28-30).
Romans - a study guide

About the Book of Romans: its author, date and original readers
When people study a Bible book, they often want to know about its author, its date, and about
its first readers.
Actually, the Bible rarely gives all this information. Often, it is not important. The Bible is not
merely an ancient book for us to study like other old books, Rather, the Bible declares itself to
be God's message for us today (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 15:4). Therefore, we should give it
careful attention and we should believe it (Romans 10:8-10). It is a very serious matter to
neglect or to refuse the message that God has given to us (Romans 11:7-10)
However, the Bible does tell us much about the author, date and original readers of the Book
of Romans.
The author was Paul, who wrote a total of 13 or 14 books of the Bible. Paul's Jewish name was
Saul; the account of how he became a Christian is in Acts chapter 9. God had given Paul the
special work to declare his (God's) message to the Gentiles (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:15-16).
The Gentiles are people who are not Jews; the Jews are Israel's people. In Paul's work for
God, he had declared the message about Christ in several countries round the Mediterranean
sea (Romans 15:19). However, he had not yet been to Rome (Romans 1:13).
Paul wrote his book in the form of a letter to the Christians at Rome. He probably expected
one of the leaders of the original church there to read it to the members at a church meeting.
The main part of the book (Romans 1:16 to 15:13) seems very much like a speech; the rest of
the book has private greetings and personal news.
We do not know who established that first church at Rome.
We can see that, by the time of Paul's letter, the church had both Jewish and Gentile
members. Perhaps, therefore, the first Christians who entered Rome were Jewish traders
(compare James 4:13). Acts 8:1 and Acts 11:19 show us that most of the first Christians had
to leave Jerusalem because of their troubles there. Among them were Andronicus and Junias,
two important church leaders who were in Rome at the time of Paul's letter (Romans 16:7).
They may have been among the original leaders of Rome's church.
It seems clear that the first Christians in Rome spoke about Christ both to Jews and to
Gentiles. Christ had told them that God's good news, the gospel, is for people from every
nation (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16). It seems clear that many Gentiles became
Christians (Romans 11:13). However, Rome's church would have had Jewish leaders until
the events in Acts 18:2.
Acts 18:2 records how Rome's ruler ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. This happened
about 5 years before Paul wrote the Book of Romans. Suddenly, all the Jewish Christians,
together with the other Jews, had to leave Rome. At once, Rome's church had lost all its
Jewish members, including probably all of its leaders. Those leaders would have prayed much
for the Gentile Christians who remained in Rome. It would be very difficult for them to
serve God loyally without anyone to teach them.
Paul tells us what happened to them. They did remain loyal to God (Romans 1:8). At the time
of Paul's letter, Christians everywhere were talking about how Rome's Christians had
continued to trust God.
When Paul write his letter, Rome's Jewish Christians were again able to return to Rome
(compare Acts 18:1-3 and Romans 16:3-4. However, that too caused difficulties, because the
Jewish Christians were unable to agree with the Gentile Christians about many matters
(Romans 14:1-8). So, Paul urged all the Christians to help and to support each other. He
reminded the Gentile Christians about God's plans for the Jews (Romans chapter 11). He
reminded the Jewish Christians about God's plans for the Gentiles (Romans 15:8-12). He
reminded all the Christians that the gospel (God's message about Christ), is both for Jews and
for Gentiles (Romans 1:16).
Romans 15:23-28 shows us when Paul wrote the book. He had collected a gift from the
Christians of Achaia and Macedonia, and he was taking it to Jerusalem. Acts chapters 20 and
21 have an account of that journey. In addition, Romans 16:1-2 shows that a woman called
Phoebe from Cenchreae probably took the letter to Rome. Cenchreae was a port near Corinth
(Acts 18:18). So, Paul probably wrote the letter during the three months when he stayed at
Corinth in Greece (Acts 20:2-3; 1 Corinthians 16:6).
This was probably in the year 57 or 58 AD. Just a few weeks earlier, Paul wrote the Book of 2
Corinthians to prepare Corinth's church for his return there. About a year previously, Paul had
written the Book of 1 Corinthians. So, in a period of only about 12 months, Paul wrote three of
his most important books. He also worked extremely hard during this period to declare God's
message in the regions then called Asia, Macedonia and Achaia.
A brief explanation of each chapter in the Book of Romans

Chapter 1: God's anger is against all people because of their evil deeds; but the good news
about Christ is for people everywhere.
Chapter 2: God is the judge of everyone, so we all must accept responsibility for our own evil
deeds.
Chapter 3: We are all guilty of evil deeds, so we can only receive a right relationship with God
by trust in Christ.
Chapter 4: Like Abraham, we must believe and trust God in order to receive a right
Chapter 5: Since Adam, we have all been guilty people; but Christ died so that God can forgive
us.
Chapter 6: Because of Christ's death, God frees his people to do what is right and good.
Chapter 7: When we allow our natural feelings and desires to control our lives, they cause us
to do wrong things.
Chapter 8: By his Holy Spirit, God works powerfully in the lives of his people; and he has the
most wonderful plans for their future.
Chapter 9: God's promises to Israel's people depend not on their actions, but upon God's
kindness.
Chapter 10: Many of Israel's people have not believed Christ; but God will save (rescue)
everyone who does that.
Chapter 11: Israel's return to God will be wonderful news for people from every nation.
Chapter 12: God's people should serve God with good and kind acts that please him.
Chapter 13: God's people should be honourable and responsible people who respect their
country's rulers.
Chapter 14: When Christians disagree, they should deal with each other in a kind and loving
manner.
Chapter 15: God is working in the lives of people from every nation, and not just Israel's
people.
Chapter 16: Be friendly to those Christian leaders who do God's work; but be careful about
leaders who try to separate Christians for their own benefit.
Reasons to study the Book of Romans

Here are some of the main reasons why we study the Book of Romans:
(1) In a clear and powerful way, the book reminds us about God's greatness. God is the
judge of all people, and all his decisions are right and proper (2:6-11). His wisdom and
knowledge have no limit (11:33-36). His anger is severe (1:18-20), but his love, even for guilty
people, is very great (5:6-8).
Nobody can successfully oppose God (8:31); and nothing can prevent the power of his love on
behalf of his people (8:35-39). God works in the circumstances of their lives to bring about the
plans that he has for them (8:28-30) - and those plans are truly wonderful (8:18).
(2) The Book of Romans also tells us the truth about the state of our lives without God. God
is our judge, and we all are guilty of many wrong and evil deeds (3:9-19; 3:23). It is our duty to
recognise our own personal responsibility, and not to accuse other people (2:1-11). By our own
efforts, we can do nothing to earn or to gain a right relationship with God (4:1-8). Such a
relationship is only possible because, in his great love, God sent Christ to die for us (5:6-8). So,
we can only receive a right relationship with God when we believe and trust in Christ
(6:23). When we trust Christ, God forgives our evil deeds.
(3) The Book of Romans shows us how greatly God changes his people's lives by means of
Christ's death. They, who were his enemies, become his friends (5:6-11). They deserved to
die, but God gives them life without end (6:23). It is as if they died with Christ (6:1-4). Now
they live by the power of his Holy Spirit (8:1-13).
(4) The book teaches that Christians must not allow their own natural desires and feelings
to control their lives (6:11-14; 7:7-25). God has given them his Holy Spirit to guide and to
direct their lives (8:9-11).
(5) We learn from the Book of Romans about the wonderful plans that God has for the future
of his people (8:18). The devil and his evil forces cannot defeat those plans (8:31-39). Rather,
God uses even the troubles in his people's lives to achieve what is truly good (8:28). He is
making them more like Christ (8:29); in the future age, he will adopt them with the full rights
of sons in his family (8:23).
(6) The Book of Romans explains God's plans both for Israel and for the other nations.
Although many people from Israel are not obeying him, God's promises to Israel continue
(11:1-6). At the present time, people from other nations have an opportunity to trust God
(11:25). God wants Israel's people to desire the same relationship with him (God) that those
other people have (11:11).
Immediately before Christ's return, all of Israel's people will turn back to God (11:26). That
event will be very wonderful for the whole world, and for people from every nation (11:12;
11:15).
(7) In the Book of Romans, Paul explains how Christians should live in our present world
(12:1-2). They should have sincere attitudes; they should love even their enemies (12:9-21).
They should respect people in authority (13:1-7). They should care for those people who are
weak (14:1 to 15:3).
Romans - a 16 week study guide

Please print this section if you would like to study the Book of Romans with a group of people.
Please visit www.usefulbible.com to find our articles on each verse of the book
Week 1 - chapter 1
Read Romans 1:1-15, then discuss these questions:
(1) Why did Paul want to go to Rome? What was the message that he was so eager to declare
there? How did he hope that Rome’s Christians would benefit from his visit?
(2) What do we learn from this passage about Rome’s Christians? In what different ways does
Paul describe them? Would you consider it right to describe yourself, and the Christians whom
you know, in the same manner? Explain your reasons.
(3) Why do you think that Paul considered it necessary to pray so much for Rome’s Christians?
Read Romans 1:16-32, then answer these questions:
(4) In this passage, what does Paul teach about the gospel (the good news about Christ)? Who
can benefit from the gospel? Why must people ‘believe’ the gospel; and what does it mean to
‘believe’? Compare your answer with Romans 10:9-13, James 2:19-23 and Romans 4:1-3.
(5) What reasons does Paul give to explain why people choose not to obey God? Why does he
say in Romans 1:20 that there is no proper excuse for such behaviour? Is God right to be angry
with us?
(6) Read Romans 5:8-9. Discuss the relationship between God’s anger and his love in those
verses. What should we learn from God’s anger? How can we benefit from his love?
Week 2 - chapter 2
Read Romans chapter 2, then discuss these questions:
(1) Read Luke 7:41-42 and 1 John 1:8-10. Why is it so hard for us to recognise our own faults
and errors? Why is it so important for us to do that?
(2) What does Romans chapter 2 teach us about the character of God as our judge? Compare
your answer with Genesis 18:25, Exodus 34:6-7, Jonah 3:10 and 4:11, and Revelation 21:6-8.
(3) God is completely good, and he cannot approve of any evil act. Does that fact bring
comfort, or cause fear? Compare your answer with Ezekiel 18:23. Read Romans 5:8 and 6:23.
What does God offer us because of Christ’s death?
(4) Many people claim to follow the Christian religion, but they will not allow God to change
their hearts (attitudes). What lesson should they learn from Romans 2:25-29?
Week 3 - chapter 3
(1) Discuss the kind of evil acts that might produce good results (verse 8). Why must
Christians not do such things? Explain why Paul considered it necessary always to declare
God’s message plainly (see 2 Corinthians 4:2).
(2) Why do people choose to do evil acts? What benefits do they expect to gain from such
behaviour? What is the real effect of that behaviour? Read and discuss Psalm 73.
(3) Read God’s commands in Exodus 20:1-17. If we did not know God’s opinion about these
matters, would our conscience inform us correctly about each of them? Explain your reasons.
(4) Read Romans 3:21-26. Why is God’s judgement against us all? What will God do for all who
trust in Christ?
Week 4 - chapter 4
(1) Discuss how Paul contrasts our works (our efforts and actions) with faith (belief and trust
in God). What do we need to believe in order to gain the benefit of God’s kindness? How can
we obtain that kind of faith? Compare your answers to these questions with Romans 10:8-17.
(2) Read David’s prayer in Psalm 51 when he asked God to forgive his sin (evil deed). How did
David explain in that Psalm that he did not deserve God to forgive him? Why is it good news
for us that we cannot earn a right relationship with God? Explain how God can forgive us
because of Christ’s death.
(3) How did Abraham show his faith in God? Compare your answer with Hebrews 11:8-19. How
should we show our faith in God?
Week 5 - chapter 5
(1) Compare Romans 5:5 with Hebrews 6:19. Why does the hope that God gives not disappoint
us? Explain the nature of a Christian’s hope. How can our hope become stronger?
(2) What good things does the passage tell us that Christ achieved by his death? Contrast
these good things with the bad things that Adam caused by his evil act (see Genesis 3:1-19).
Discuss the relationship between Adam’s evil behaviour and the state of our world today.
Explain how Christ’s decision to obey God will bring about the new world (2 Peter 3:13;
Revelation 21:1-5).
(3) Compare Romans 5:8 with John 3:16 and Mark 14:36. How does the death of Christ show
the love of God? How can we benefit from that love? Compare your answer with Romans 1:16-
17, 6:23 and 10:9.
Week 6 - chapter 6
(1) In which ways does a person’s former life, before he becomes a Christian, differ from his
life as a Christian? Discuss the changes that should happen in his attitudes, desires, ambitions
and actions. How are these changes the result of the fact that Christ died for that person
(Romans 5:8)? Discuss why these changes are not always clear in every Christian’s life.
(2) Sometimes Christians suppose themselves to have the right to do anything, even if it is
against God’s law. How would you answer such a person? Compare your answer with Paul’s
answer in 1 Corinthians 6:9-20.
(3) What does Romans chapter 6 teach us about the true meaning of the ceremony called
baptism?
(4) Discuss how you might use Romans 6:23 to explain the gospel (the good news about Christ
and his death) to someone.
Week 7 - chapter 7
(1) Read Psalm 1, Psalm 19:7-11 and Psalm 119:97-104. What benefits do we gain from a
knowledge of God’s law?
(2) Read Matthew 5:17-20 and James 2:8-12. What was the attitude of Christ and the first
Christians towards God’s law? Compare this with what Paul says in Romans 7:12. Is it possible
for our lives to please God if we do not obey his law?
(3) Discuss the difference between God’s law and our conscience. What can God’s law show us
that our conscience cannot? Show how Paul explains this in Romans 7:7-10.
(4) ‘In Romans chapter 7, Paul places the responsibility for our evil deeds, not on God’s law,
but upon our own wrong desires.’ Discuss this statement. Then read James 1:13-17.
(5) In what ways do the natural desires of our human bodies cause us to do wrong things?
Contrast this with the good things that God’s Holy Spirit brings about in the lives of his people.
Read Galatians 5:16-25. How do we allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives?
Week 8 - chapter 8
(1) Discuss the work that God does by his Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians. Why do
Christians need the Holy Spirit? What happens if a Christian chooses to depend on his own
strength and skills, and not on God’s Holy Spirit? How does a Christian receive the Holy Spirit?
How does a Christian allow the Holy Spirit to direct his life?
(2) Discuss what it means to be a child of God. What is the great honour that God’s children
will receive in the future? When will this happen, and how will God bring it about? What should
be our attitude while we wait for God to do this?
(3) Read Romans 8:28-30 again. In verse 28, for whose benefit is God working? What has he
decided to achieve through their lives? Can you give an example of how God defeats the evil
schemes of wicked people to do this work? Compare your answer with Romans 9:17.
(4) Answer each of the questions in Romans 8:31-35. What does Paul prove by these
questions? Compare your answer with Paul’s answer in Romans 8:37-39. Who has the benefit
of these promises?
Week 9 - chapter 9
(1) What has God done that makes Israel’s people different from the other nations? In what
ways have Israel’s people behaved in the same manner as people from other nations?
(2) Read Genesis 12:1-3. Why is Abraham’s family, which became the nation called Israel, so
important in God’s plan? Show how God’s promises to Abraham passed to Isaac and Jacob.
(3) Discuss what God said to Pharaoh in Romans 9:17. Can anyone successfully oppose God’s
plans? What can happen to the person who tries to do that ?
(4) Read verse 29 again. Why did God not destroy Israel completely, like Sodom? What plan is
he carrying out by means of those people who remain loyal to him? Read Zechariah 12:10 to
13:1 and Romans 11:25-27.
Week 10 - chapter 10
(1) Paul discusses here right and wrong opinions about righteousness (true goodness).
Distinguish between these ideas. Why is it not possible for our relationship with God to depend
on our own good deeds? Why is Christ’s death so important for Christians?
(2) Compare Romans 10:9-13 with Romans 1:16-17. What do all these verses teach us about
the gospel (the good news about Christ)?
(3) What advice would you give to someone who cannot believe? Where does belief (or faith)
come from? How can we grow in faith? Compare your answers with Romans 10:14-17.
(4) Romans 10:19, 11:11 and 11:14 speak about jealous thoughts that are good. Why do we
usually consider jealous thoughts to be wrong? What is different about the jealous attitudes in
these verses? When is it right to desire something that someone else has?
(1) Why did it seem at the time of Elijah that Israel’s people were losing their relationship with
God? Why did it seem at the time of Paul that a similar thing was happening? What does God’s
reply to Elijah mean? What does Paul say about those of Israel’s people who were opposing the
Christians in Romans 11:28? What is the situation of Israel now?
(2) Discuss Paul’s word-picture of an olive tree in verses 17 to 24. What right do people who
are not from Israel have to receive a relationship with God? How, then, can they have that
relationship? Why must they not become proud about their relationship with God? What
should their attitude be? Compare your answer with 1 Peter 2:9-10.
(3) Compare verses 26-27 with Romans 1:16. What does Paul teach that God will do for Israel,
and when? Compare your answer with Jeremiah 31:31-37 and Zechariah 12:10 to 13:1.
(4) Read Genesis 12:1-3. How will Abraham’s family truly become a great nation? How will that
family bring God’s kindness to people from every nation? Discuss how Paul understood these
promises.
(5) Read again Romans 11:33-36. Can you show from your own experiences in life that God’s
wisdom is much greater than your own wisdom? Discuss some of the astonishing ways that
God has worked in your life.
(1) If the natural desires of our bodies are wrong (Romans 7:18-19; Romans 8:7-8), how can
our bodies please God? Discuss how God changes his people by his Holy Spirit. Compare your
answer with 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and Galatians 5:16-26.
(2) Why does Paul warn Christians not to act more boldly than their faith (belief and trust in
God) allows? How can we increase our faith? Compare your answer with Romans 10:17.
(3) Read Matthew 5:43-48 and 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Describe the kind of love that
Christians should show to other people. Why should Christians do this? What kind of reactions
can they expect from other people? How should Christians behave when someone is angry with
them? Discuss what Christians should learn from the character of God.
(1) What responsibilities has God given to rulers and governments in this world? How should
Christians behave towards them? What should a Christian do if he lives in a country with an
evil government? Read 1 Corinthians 4:9-13. Why did Paul urge Christians to obey the
government?
(2) Should Christians pay taxes? Discuss Christ’s answer in Mark 12:13-17. How did Christ
deal with the men who collected taxes? See Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 19:1-10.
(3) Why can we not truly love other people if we neglect God’s commands? Why is it not
possible for someone to carry out God’s commands properly without an attitude of love?
(4) Read Mark 13:32-37 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8. What does the Bible mean by this word-
picture of a Christian as someone who is awake?
(1) What attitude should Christians have towards those Christians with whom they disagree?
Can we declare our own strong opinions, and still show love towards them? Why do Christians
not need to agree about everything? What are the matters that all Christians should agree
about?
(2) Read Mark 9:42 and 1 Corinthians 8:9-13. Explain how one Christian’s actions can spoil
another person’s relationship with God. Give examples of the kind of behaviour that we should
avoid for this reason.
(3) Explain what days you consider to be holy, and your reasons. What special things do you do
on these days? Do you consider that these activities express well your love and respect for
God? In what way are all days holy for a Christian?
(1) Read Romans 14:1-10 again. What matters were causing Rome’s Christians to argue? What
was Paul asking God to do for them in 15:5-6? How do the passages that Paul refers to in 15:9-
12 teach this same lesson?
(2) Discuss what you can do to help Christians in your own church to develop in their
relationship with God. What would be good to pray for them?
(3) When we try to advise weaker Christians, why do our words sometimes only cause
arguments? Why do such arguments often fail to achieve any worthwhile result? Discuss how
we should deal with such matters.
Read Romans 15:14-33 then discuss these questions:
(4) Discuss the special work that God had given Paul to do. To whom was he speaking; and
what message was he giving to them? Why did he need to travel so much, and why was he
hoping to go to Spain? What was God doing in people’s lives by means of Paul’s work, and what
evidence was there of this?
(5) What was the purpose of the gift that Paul was taking to Jerusalem? Why did Paul consider
this to be such an important and special gift?
(1) What evidence is there in this passage of the work that women did in the first Christian
churches?
(2) Read more about Aquila and Prisca in Acts 18:1-4; Acts 18:24-28 and 1 Corinthians 16:19.
Discuss the kinds of work that people may do for God when their church does not employ them
as leaders. What work were Aquila and Prisca doing for God? Why does Paul recommend them
so strongly?
(3) Why is it important for Christians to be friendly and to greet each other? Compare your
answer with Psalm 133 and with Balaam’s words in Numbers 24:5-6.
(4) Whom is Paul warning against in verses 17-18? How can we protect ourselves from such
people and from the wrong things that they teach?
(5) Compare verse 20 with Romans 8:31-39 and Genesis 3:15. When will the devil’s power
end? Discuss the passages like Psalm 110 and Revelation 19:11-16 and 19:19-20 which
describe Christ as a great hero in battle. How do such passages help us to trust the promises
of God?
© 2016-2018 Keith Simons

This book is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words), which was developed by Wycliffe Associates (UK).
March 2018

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Romans: Bible Study and Commentary

Christ is God the Son

How to obey God by faith

A description of Rome’s first Christians

It is important to bless people

Reports about the faith of Rome’s first Christians

Paul’s private prayers

Paul’s prayer that he could go to Rome

Why Paul wanted to be with the Christians

The duty to declare God’s message

God saves everyone who truly trusts Christ

God’s people must live by faith

We have no excuse when we do not obey God

The respect that the true God deserves

God’s attitude when people follow their own desires

The most wicked behaviour

God urges us to repent

The nature of God’s judgement

Nobody has any special advantages when God is their judge

We must obey God’s message, and not merely hear it

Some people who do not know God’s law, still obey it

People who know God’s law, should teach it to other people

People who teach God’s word, must obey it

Real religion is in the heart

God is right to make his judgement against our evil deeds

Can we use evil methods to achieve good results?

Everybody is guilty of sin

Evil words are sin

Sin destroys human society

God’s law shows us that we need God to save us

A right relationship with God depends on faith in Christ

The most serious problem in the world

God can forgive us because of Christ’s death

The righteous Lord loves righteousness

Christians must not be proud

By faith, people from every nation can know God

Do Christians have to obey God’s law?

How Abraham received a right relationship with God

How to receive God’s kindness

Whom does God help?

How to be truly happy and content

The wonderful news that God can forgive us

Our ‘father’ Abraham

The people who benefit from God’s promises to Abraham

The judgement of the law

How to receive the benefit of God’s promises

Abraham remained firm in his trust in God

How we can have a right relationship with God

The hope of Christians

How trouble can bring about hope instead of despair

The person who dies to save someone else

Christ died to save sinners

The blood of Christ gives people a right relationship with God

Christians should speak boldly and with joy about God

Paul compares Adam and Christ

The two most important events that have ever happened

Adam’s family and Christ’s family