Romans chapter 1: first four verses
The Gospel of God (1-4)
Verse 1- Slaves of Christ
• “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.” Marcus Barth wrote a 168-page essay on these words! How much study is too much study of God’s Word?
What areas of my life am I not behaving as a servant, but rather as a master?
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2.
3.
• A servant? No, rather a slave to Christ, who is nevertheless free. In what ways is the slavery of Christ better than the freedom of the world?
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2.
3.
Verse 2- God’s Promise
• Read Genesis 3:15, Genesis 12:1-3, Job 19:25, Isaiah 53:5. How has God been presenting His Good News to people even before Jesus came on the scene?
1. Eve
2. Abraham
3. Job
4. Isaiah
• Given that God could no more break a promise than he could lie (Titus 1:2) because saying is the same as doing in His eyes, why and in what circumstances do you think people find it in their hearts to be angry at God and disappointed with Him?
What can we do to avoid this ourselves and assist others in this emotional trap?
Verse 3- Jesus’ Humanity
• What a mystery, that God could be born a human baby and remain a human forever! Read Hebrews 4:15 and 16, 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Philippians 2:5-8, bearing in mind the Isaiah verses earlier. Why did the Incarnation need to take place?
Verse 4- Jesus’ Deity
• “Son of God” is another way of saying “the express image of His Person” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus identified Himself fully with the Father- read John 10:30-33 and Colossians 1:15-20. If a man has a child, that child is fully like him, in that both persons are finite and succeed one another. If God has a Son, then His Son is fully like Him, in that both Persons are eternal and co-exist. Why was it necessary for God’s Son to die? Why not an angel or a perfect but non-divine man?
1. The weight of guilt (Isaiah 53:6)
2. The infinity of wrath (Isaiah 66:24)
3. The power of death (Psalm 16:10)
