The Letter of Paul to the Romans Ch 1 Session 2

                                                               Session # 1.1                                                                     Pg.1
Opening prayer:                          
Father God we ask your blessing on this study tonight, that you would make us aware that in this world you do not always work independently.  Help us to realize that we too are vessels that you use to further your Kingdom on this earth. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the letter of Paul to The Romans, The word of God.. In Jesus Name we pray Amen
                   
This is session 2 of our study and will complete the first chapter of Romans. We have been introduced to Paul, And to the Roman Church and its ethnic makeup. And we  have some lead ins as to what Paul hopes to accomplish with his letter.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs. 1:7). Paul perfectly displays the opposite of this Psalm in these verses when he describes how low mankind’s morality has fallen. We neither fear God nor do we have a proper understanding of what God desires of us. We live in a fallen world.
Many of the Jews in Jesus' day used the Septuagint as their Bible. Quite naturally, the early Christians also used the Septuagint in their meetings and for personal reading; and many of the New Testament apostles quoted it when they wrote the Gospels and Epistles in Greek.
So through the Septuagint mankind actually did  have a working knowledge of God and there was plenty to read of what the bible says about God and sin, but the early church did not know the deeper truth of how to respond to it.
The Gospels were yet to be written. And a study of the Gospel of Christ was a matter of what people had experienced or heard. And so Paul was hoping to bring to the church in Rome, a better understanding of the word of God, and to convict them of their sinful ways, and to bring them the message of salvation.
If one is humble and contrite when approaching the matter of learning the will of God one can expect  to be helped by the one promised by Jesus, “The Holy Spirit” who will give us help with a proper understanding and a clear view of the will of God for our lives. These verses from Paul are very critical of mankind, but they represent his view of how far the morality of man has drifted from the laws of God.

                     Romans 1:18-32, God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.      

                             
                                                                                                                                                    Pg.2

                                                         Discussion
Paul is telling us in these verses, that all of mankind needs the gospel of Jesus Christ, This is reflected in the lives of so many who don’t know God, or do not know the message of Jesus, and so many who do not want to know it, and even those who do know it and will not respond to it. And like the Roman church, there are those who call themselves Christian yet have only a minimum knowledge of God, and how a Christian is to live.
We all need to hear the gospel message. If left alone, man will often stray from a life of obedience to God, then quickly begin to pursue his own desires. Just as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, could have enjoyed a perfect existence in fellowship with God, But instead chose not to obey God, we too have the same penchant for serving self.
Our modern, high tech, super sophisticated world tends to reject God’s word, and substitute social emancipation from God as a desirable condition. Society has devised a life pattern which has relegated God to what it deems a more controllable position. We have built our own golden calves, our possessions, and our comforts. Our time is our own and we allot some of it to God.  We worship in our own way, a way which soothes our conscience, and answers our need.  We have even learned to do what we have termed “good” but in Isaiah 64:6 the prophet tells it like it is.
                                                          Questions
Q.1 What are your feelings about the words of Paul in these verses to the Roman church?
Q.2 Which, if any of these criticisms can be applied to our society today?
Q.3 Paul writes in verse 23 about images, what do you think he was referring to?
Q.4 In vs 25 Paul says,“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie”, What does this mean?

                                                          Scripture continued                                                          
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
                                                    Discussion
In verses 26-32 we have Paul’s assessment of how bad things in that society had become. Mankind had been given over to sexual immorality, to the lowest form of debauchery. And to make matters even worse, these sinful acts were being further magnified by glorifying the committing of them. They began to accept the matter of immorality as a preference as long as it didn’t affect anyone else.  But God was affected, He was taking notice of it.  And as is happening even in our day, in that day they  choose to ignore Gods law because it reminded them of their sins. But God says Woe unto those who commit such acts. (Isaiah. 5: 18-23).


                                                                                                                                               Pg.3
                                                  Questions
Q.1 What was the consensus about sexual immorality in Paul’s day? Is it the same in our day?
Q.2 A list of sins, but no mention of theft, fraud, slothfulness, or lying? Are there others?
Q.3 In vs. 26 - 28 the phrase “God gave them over” what meaning does that convey to us?
Q.4 How should the Christian feel about men marrying men and women marrying women ?
Q.5 Are Christians to honor such matters when it becomes law? Psalm 1:1-6, Rom.13:1-5
Q.6 What usually happens when one begins to practice sinful and corrupt acts?

                                                 Commentary:                                                                    
Sexual immorality and idolatry are problematic for society today and have been such since the first century. God never intended such for man, read Jeremiah  29: 11  this scripture tells us what God wanted for all mankind.
Paul tells us in these verses that God gave them over to the sinful desires of their hearts, to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another, to shameful lusts, to a depraved mind, and that God’s wrath is revealed as He hands men over to evil.
Homosexuality, debauchery, murder, theft, idol worship, and all manner of evil is not the stuff of which life is supposed to consist. Paul says that these are a sign of a sick and failing society. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah had descended into a sinful and immoral state and were destroyed by God because of their immorality, we as a society are choosing to accept such things as simply how things are in our world today. And as Paul tells us in vs.32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

                                                 Questions
Everyone is guaranteed the right to the freedom of expression, and to live the lifestyle and make the life choices they prefer.  It seems to be a very non restrictive, free and unjudgmental world we live in today. But there is a Judgment day coming.

1. What is it about creation that helps us understand God's eternal power and divine nature?
2. Some religions exclude the worship of Jesus, What are the Christian’s feelings about this?
3. What does it say about people who have no regard for God’s creation but worship idols?
4. Paul is referring to idolatry, are there modern applications for the same teaching?
5. Paul says homosexuality is the result of idolatry, does this relate to our society today?
6. What bible was available to the Roman church?
7. In the list of sins, does Paul refer to any of these "sins" as being more evil than the others?

                                             Closing Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for approving and accepting your people, those who pay attention to your word, because of what Jesus did for them Give us the wisdom and strength to pursue, approve and do only what pleases you. Now we offer up those who are on our hearts, whose names are on our lips who need your healing touch__________. We pray that you will impart to them your comfort and healing touch, that they might be more able to endure and prevail over their illness. These things we pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.





                                                                                                                                                             Pg.4
                                               Scripture readings
 Isaiah 64:6  All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
                                                                           
Isaiah 5:18-23 Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes, 19  to those who say, "Let God hurry; let him hasten his work so we may see it. The plan of the Holy One of Israel-- let it approach, let it come into view, so we may know it." 20  Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 21  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. 22  Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, 23  who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent

Isaiah 10:1-3  Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2  to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. 3  What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches.
                     
Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ...

 Jeremiah  29:11  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 13:1-5 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.                                                                                                                          








                                                                                                                                 
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                                                           Meditation:                                                              
Gentile sins are Paul’s focus in Romans 1:18–32, as seen in his references to the worship of idols and homosexuality. However, not all Gentiles in the first-century Roman Empire worshiped graven images or engaged in homosexual acts. Some were God-fearers, Gentiles who were attracted to Jewish monotheism and ethics, and who followed the Lord of Israel except for being circumcised. There were also what we might call “virtuous pagans,” Gentiles who had no particular affection for Yahweh but were essentially monotheistic and strove to live ethically responsible lives.
Romans 1:29–32 gives the other ethical consequences that flow from humanity’s rejection of God. Paul does not give us every possible way that human beings can commit sin.. Some among the sons and daughters of Adam take their sins to the utmost conclusion in things such as murder and ruthlessness, while some merely gossip on occasion or mildly disobey their parents—transgressions that seem insignificant if we believe God grades on a curve. Either way, human beings outside the covenant community of Israel are in the worst predicament imaginable. Today’s passage has Gentiles in mind primarily, but it ultimately describes the condition of everyone who is not in Christ by faith alone.
Human beings might consider the most “minor” sin is evidence that at a fundamental level, we do not want the Lord involved with what we do or say or think. Unless and until we are convinced of that truth, we will not see our need for the gospel and the fact that it is only by grace alone that we can be saved. Paul wrote that people made a horrible trade: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:25). They traded worship of God for worship of things. They chose worshiping and serving created things rather than the Creator, but really they were just being foolish. Their choices showed their futile and darkened thinking. The thing in which they find their highest love and joy and hope. People love their families, their careers, their stuff, their hobbies or themselves more than God. Not much has changed since this was first written. Today, people still choose to worship the things that they have created instead of our Creator.
From the last verse of our reading for today, we see that we have a huge problem with that. We know God’s righteous decrees. Yet, we choose to do and accept so many things that fly in the face of God’s law and commandments. Since we’ve accepted and done so many of those things, will God accept and approve us? We don’t have what it takes to meet with God’s approval – There is no eternity that will be pleasing to anyone if Jesus is not in it. Have you been convicted of your sin and your need for Christ?
Thankfully, God’s acceptance of us doesn’t depend on us, but on him. If we fast-forward a few chapters in the letter to the Romans, Paul gives us great comfort. He tells us that Jesus “was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25). Jesus gave up his life and died for our sins. God accepted Jesus’ payment for our sins. And God declared you not guilty when he raised Jesus from the dead. God accepts and approves of you because of Jesus.  
Then there is the matter of Paul’s telling us that even in our present sinful state, that our faith, and being justified by the Grace of God is actually a profound truth and that our believing in God, and our promised salvation by Jesus Christ, will save us if we repent and choose  to live a Godly and repentant life. When that truth finally is brought home to us, and our promised Holy Spirit is allowed to influence our lives and the choices we make, we will submit our wills to the path of life that God has willed for us. Amen