Romans 1:14-24
What is the purpose and occasion of Paul’s writing the book of Romans? Although Paul is well aware of the Roman church he has not yet personally visited it (Rom. 1:10). However, as we will soon see, Paul feels a very deep obligation to its members. First of all, He is an apostle to the gentiles, of whom the majority of the Roman church is made. Secondly, as a citizen, he is well aware of the environment in which the church must struggle. We will touch on this further in this commentary. So Paul’s purpose is to introduce himself and his theology to a people he has yet to meet. In doing this he intends to be both compelling and influential. Needless to say, as anyone familiar with the book of Romans will know, Paul is more than successful in his objectives.
Let us begin with verse 14 which reads “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” (Rom 1:14 ESV). I would like to comment on the word “obligation” here. I believe the KJV has a better translation as “debtor”, the reason being that the Greek word is opheiletes which means “a person indebted to.” It implies someone bound to a duty; it gives a deeper sense of “owing” than obligation. Why does Paul feel this deep sense of debt to the Roman church and to all gentiles as a whole?
If we look to Rom. 1:1 we will get some clarity. Here Paul says he is “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” In one short sentence he gives three reasons for his motivation; he is a servant, he is called, and he is set apart. Let’s take a quick look at Paul’s sense of servitude. In 1 Cor. 9:19-23 Paul tells us that “though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.” He goes on to say that to the Jew he becomes as a Jew, and to those under the law, as under the law. The point being made here is that Paul’s sense of service in reaching the lost for Jesus is such a high priority in life that he is willing to “become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some” (vs.22). A greater example of service would be rare indeed.
As to Paul’s sense of being called we need only go back to that day on the road to Damascus. Paul’s conversion to Christianity is one of Jesus’ great works. Paul was a Pharisee of the highest standing, a persecutor of the church who witnessed and condoned the stoning of Stephen, and one who hunted and captured Christians for persecution. Then one day he comes face to face with Jesus; what an event! Better yet we read in Acts 9:15-16 the very words of Jesus saying, “he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Wow! So we see why Paul feels his deep sense of calling.
We find in Acts 13:2 why Paul feels set apart. While at a church in Antioch with many church leaders that were gathered to worship and pray, the Holy Spirit speaks to them; “set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Thus we see again why Paul feels he is a servant, called, and set apart. We need to remember that we have all been called and set apart to be servants; called by the same Jesus, to the same service, led by the Same Holy Spirit, to the same work which is moving forward with God’s work.
In the second half of verse 14 we see to whom Paul feels indebted; Greeks and barbarians, and wise and foolish. The Greeks would have been considered the wise and the barbarians the foolish but, I believe the point Paul is making is the universality of the gospel message. The work of Christ is for the whole world now, not only the Jews who considered themselves the chosen one’s of God.
Verse 15 reads “So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Here is a question; why preach the gospel to a Christian church? Are they not saved already? We already know that Paul has not been to Rome, yet he is going to be very sure that they have the correct message. But I also have to believe that Paul feels that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a message for everyday life as a Christian. Everything starts with the cross of Calvary and we need to keep that with us daily.
Let us walk through verse 16. Paul begins this verse with an interesting phrase, one that is very applicable to our own lives and thus deserves our attention. He says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.” For the first century Christians this was a real problem and Paul was very much aware of it. The new church was experiencing persecution from all sides and the cost of being a follower of Jesus was often huge. Rome at this time was a place where shame would have been very understandable for the Christian. It was a place where the emperor was worshiped as a God. The worship of many gods (paganism) was supported and practiced by the government. It was a center for higher intellect, which was also worshiped. It was also the center of carnal pleasure where all forms of immorality were indulged. Worst of all, it was a place where Christian’s were hated and killed for public entertainment. Yet in the face of all of this Paul is implying that they should not be ashamed. I will tell you who is ashamed, me! I can recall many times in a secular environment where I felt a Christian perspective needed to be spoken and yet I remained quiet because I didn’t want to be looked at as “one of those." How about you? How many times have you stayed silent when there was an opportunity to speak the name of Jesus? Remember this is the one you claim is your Lord and Savior. This is the one we say we believe is God’s answer to man’s eternal destiny, and yet our lips do not part.
Imagine if you will a scale. On one end would be something like witnessing to a man who asks during a bible study “can someone help me become a Christian?" On the other end would be Roman soldiers saying “renounce Jesus or you will be fed to lions as the public applauds your death.” This scale is used to measure points of shame where we hide our faith and, as you can imagine, there are multiple situations and points of shame between the seeker at a bible study and being fed to lions. So the question is not, “if you had to pick a spot where do you think you would fall," but rather, it is “if there was a spot for every point of shame in your life, that is, the times you hid your belief, where would the cluster fall”? Can you picture this? We all have moments of utter weakness as well as those of great conviction and courage, but where does the majority fall? In other words, where do you live your life? These are questions only you can answer and we need to ask them often.
Paul’s next phrase in verse 16 is “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” The word for “power” here is dunamis, from which we get out word dynamite, and can be translated as “mighty force”. This same word is used in 1 Cor. 1:18 where it says “but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. And again in verses 23-24; “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." It is important to understand that Paul is using the word “power” in the literal sense, not an allegorical sense. He is saying that Christ is the literal power of God. In sum, Paul is saying do not be ashamed of the gospel because it is the literal power of God through Christ and into all who believe, resulting in salvation.
“To the Jew first and also to the Greek”; we need to remember God’s special love for His chosen people the Jews. In Peter’s second sermon to the Jews in Acts 3:26 he says “For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” It was through them that God chose to reveal Himself to the world. All of God’s plans began with the Jews.
In verse 17 we find a very powerful statement about faith. Paul writes “For in it [the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” In the phrase “from faith to faith” the word for “from” is ek which means “point of origin” or “starting place”. In the same phase the word for “to” is eis which means “to, into, point reached”. The point being made is that the revelation of God's righteousness begins with faith and ends with faith. There is nothing before, after, or in between, it is with faith only. Then to drive the point home Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4, “But the righteous will live by his faith”. At the time Habakkuk wrote this he was grieving the evil that was falling upon the Israelites. God was bringing armies against them and they were dying. So God gives him a revelation which, when literally translated, reads, “By faith the righteous shall live.” Even in the time of Habakkuk God is saying that faith is what determines those who live and die and this is the point Paul is making to the Romans.
Verse 18; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” It is interesting to note here that the word for “revealed” is “apokalyptetai” and is the same word used in the previous verse 17. The meaning is to “remove the veil from or unveil something once hidden”. We see that verse 18 is the antithesis of 17, and in each something is being revealed. In verse 17 the righteousness of God is revealed through faith and in verse 18 the wrath of God is revealed in the same manner through unfaith, or as Paul says “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” In both cases God will act, there is no neutral position and we are all one or the other.
Verses 19-20; “Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His Invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Paul makes a couple of startling claims here. For one thing when man stands before Christ in judgment and claims “there was never any proof that God existed” he will be told that the very world he lived in demanded a creator, yet he was unwilling to believe it. Secondly and most importantly, in verse 19 Paul claims “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them." Do you see what God did here? He made Himself known to man by making Himself evident within man. God makes testimony of Himself to each of us individually and still we turn away. What more can we ask of Him?
Verse 21; For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." This is the next stage of unbelief, of turning away from God. After turning away from evidence of God in the World and evidence of God in their heart, they become speculators following after their own imaginations and desires. A heart that follows such a path finds itself in utter darkness, lost.
Verse 22; “Professing to be wise, they became fools." This is so obvious in the world today. Some of the most educated people refuse to acknowledge even the possibility of God. In fact they spend their entire lives in all out war against the very idea. These are the wise who have become fools.
Verse 23; “And exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." Here they have fallen into the sin of idolatry, what may be argued to be the basis of all sin. At this stage the individual has completely removed from the heart and life the one true God and worships the self and man-made idols. Today’s favorite idols are money, status, possessions, quest for eternal youth, and even man-made good looks, just to name a few. God is irrelevant and self is everything.
Verse 24; “So God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them." Here again is another startling truth; that a man can turn so far away and become so lost in sin that God will turn him over to his own sinful desires. At this point the journey back to God is difficult at best, maybe impossible. I like to hope that one can never fall too far away, but that is a discussion for another time.
In closing, let me bring us back to verses 16 and 17 for it is there we find the answer to humanity’s dilemma.
For the Christian first- do not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is truly the only way of salvation. Yes, we will be criticized and mocked in the public square, but know that you stand on the shoulders of great people who came before you. We have been entrusted with the great privilege of being God’s voice in a fallen world. Without us the world does not hear the gospel.
Have faith in the power of God for it is by His power that we will persevere.
For the unsaved; hear the words of Paul when he says that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Jesus Christ is the door through which we enter into eternal life; “to everyone who believes.” It is at this point that God’s power enters into you and begins to reveal His perfect love and boundless grace. We do not earn this, we cannot earn this, it is truly by grace that we receive it.
Finally, brothers and sisters, I pray that as we move forward into the days ahead we will stand firm as the body of Christ. As this country in which we live becomes more secularized, the persecution of the church will grow stronger. Know that we are here with a purpose and remain strong in the truth.
God Bless You
