Romans 1:14-17
Paul makes an interesting statement: I am obligated to the Greeks and non-Greeks, to the wise the foolish - that is why I am eager to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome... Did Paul just call them foolish? The Greeks were the Greek thinking Gentiles - the Gentiles of the civilized world - and the non-Greeks were the barbarians. The question: Is Paul saying that the barbarians are foolish? Or is it a cross comparison (he seems to use that sometimes), making the Greeks foolish? Did he just insult the Romans - I have an obligation to the foolish so that's why I want to come to you?
Whatever Paul is saying about the Romans' wisdom, he is making it clear that the gospel transcends all borders, all cultural divides, all societal boundaries. Paul, as an apostle called to the gospel by God through Christ, has an obligation to share the good news with anyone and everyond. So do I.
The gospel reveals the power of God to save us from God's own wrath and judgement. Paul says it is first for the Jew - meaning that the message of salvation came to the Jew first and then was shared with the Gentiles.
Here is Paul's thesis statement - the thing he will argue for and prove in the rest of the book: "The righteous will live by faith." He is going to talk about faith first and living second. The point is that this is a radical message: righteousness does not come from observing the law, it does not come from learning or wisdom. This righteousness comes from God and the only way to receive it is by faith. This is the main point of the entire book.
Righteousness is being declared right before God. It differs from being justified in that justification is a legal term (being declared not guilty) while righteousness is more of a relational term (restored/right relationship with God). I can't make my relationship with God right by doing good things - there's no way I can "make it up to God" (Paul's going to prove this in chapter 3). I receive righteousness through faith alone. Amazing!! I can hardly wrap my mind around it. That message is truly nothing to be ashamed of!
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2 comments:
"i am obligated to the greeks and non-greeks, both to the wise and foolish" after reading what u mentioned on that part it does kinda raise some question if he is insulting them, which is odd because 1:8 he was praising them for their faith. when first reading that part i figured that he was just saying that to show that theres not one single group that he is obligated to. he is not showing favoritism. with Paul being obligated shows that God is calling him to speak to not just the Greeks or the wise but to everyone and like you mentioned we are called to do so too. one word that kinda stuck out to me was "eager". i think its cool that he has such a strong passion that he cannot wait to share the good news to those in Rome.
verse 17 is awesome lol. i love it and like u said its hard to wrap your mind around it. this is an exciting verse for me, cause i am still fairly young in my knowledge and i am ignorant to many things in the bible. this will improve in time but its a very comforting thought that "the righteous will live by faith" but it can also be a scary thought as well.
you should grow ur beard out again... God bless
I think part of the reason that v. 17 is so hard is that it is not at all the way the world works: generally we live by what we can do. We receive favour and glory for our accomplishments. Love is earned.
Not in God's world - righteousness is given by grace through faith, love is given freely without merit, grace is the currency. It seems all upside down!
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