Romans Explained Part 1 | Heathens, Hypocrites & JesusSample

| Romans Intro | Right With God

 Hello friends and welcome to Through the Word. Today we begin the book of Romans, and this one is big. Romans takes on life and truth and a lot of topics that you avoid at family gatherings, and hits them head on.

Romans 1 has what may be the most controversial passage in the Bible today. But then Romans 3 has what may be the most essential passage in scripture. Leon Morris called it “the greatest paragraph ever written.” But if you want to understand either of them, you have to get the context that connects them both. The context is the gospel.

See Romans 1 takes on the heathens, sinners, with the wrath of God and a few subjects bound to make someone angry. But it’s not just about the heathens. There’s more to it. Romans 2 takes on religious hypocrites - you’ll like that one. But it’s not just about the hypocrites. Romans 3 brings the heathens - and the hypocrites - and everyone else to Jesus. It’s about Jesus.

Romans lays out the gospel, the essential message of Christianity, the message of God to man. The radical truth that God loves sinners, that Jesus saves. Romans is the gospel, clearly explained, thoroughly examined, questioned, challenged, and answered with incredible clarity and depth. This is the gospel, the incredible, fantastic, phenomenal gospel.

And at it’s core the gospel is about what it takes to be right with God. And when I say right with God, I hope you understand that in the most personal way possible. Take a look at verse 16 of chapter 1:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed - a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17).

In the opening of Romans, it’s as if Paul steps out into the open square, ready to declare and nothing to hide. He introduces the gospel. For Paul, this message was his life. He introduces himself in verse 1 as a man “set apart for the gospel of God.”

This is his calling. And when he opens it in verse 16, he is not ashamed, because it is God’s power. It brings salvation. If anyone will listen to it, will believe it, these words, this message, this gospel will save their life. And look carefully at verse 17:

“For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed…” (1:17)

Stop there. This is what the gospel is really about. “The righteousness of God is revealed.” Righteousness is the only requirement that God has ever set for entering Heaven. God made Heaven, he sets the ticket price. Righteousness is the only way in.

Righteousness is being right with God. It means doing right by God, and standing right in His sight. Think of it this way. Do you know that feeling - that awful feeling between you and someone you love - when you are most definitely not right? With your wife, or your husband, with a true brother, or sister, and something is very wrong. And you know it’s you. You screwed up. Bad. You look at them and try to wish it away, to erase the hurt, to cover the wrong or just go back in time. But you can’t. You wronged them. A thousand little swords stab at your heart saying, “You stupid idiot why did you do that? Why would you hurt her? How could you do that to him?” And you wish for something, anything, “Give me words, I’ll work, I’ll suffer, I’ll battle the beast, anything - to make it right!”

But you can’t. It’s wrong. You’re wrong, and you can’t make it right.

That is where we stand with God. We are wrong, and we cannot make it right. The God of the universe, the Father in heaven, the Creator who is so good, and so loving, and so right, and we wronged him.

I am not ashamed of the gospel… for in the gospel righteousness is revealed - how to get right. A righteousness that is by faith.

To get right, we first have to deal with a lot of wrong. So get ready, start reading, and join me for the book of Romans.

 Host: Thanks for joining us for today’s quick audio guide. You can find the full audio guide for this chapter and hundreds more on the Through the Word app and website. And remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing Through the Word (Romans 10:17).

 Bible quotes in NIV unless otherwise stated.