Romans Chapter 1
- spencerkim
- Feb 22
- 5 min read
BIBLE PASSAGE
Romans 1
Greeting
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Longing to Go to Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
God's Wrath on Unrighteousness
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
SYNOPSIS
Romans 1 serves as an introduction to Paul's letter to the Romans, setting the stage for the rest of the epistle. The chapter opens with Paul's greeting to the saints in Rome (vv. 1-7), where he presents his credentials as a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle set apart for the gospel. Paul adapts the standard letter format to introduce himself in a way that aligns with his purpose for writing, emphasizing his obligation to preach the gospel to all people, including those in Rome. The apostle then expresses his eagerness to visit the Romans, aiming for mutual encouragement (vv. 8-15). In verses 16-17, Paul states what many consider to be the theme of Romans: the gospel as God's power for salvation. The chapter concludes with a description of God's judgment upon those who disregard the natural knowledge of God revealed in creation (vv. 18-32). Paul portrays human sin as ungratefulness and dishonor towards God, likening it to a failure to reciprocate in a patron-client relationship.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Paul describes the gospel as the power of God for salvation (v. 16). How does this truth impact the way you live and share your faith?
Romans 1 highlights the consequences of rejecting God’s truth. In what areas of your life do you need to be more intentional about honoring God?
Paul longed to encourage and be encouraged by fellow believers (v. 12). How can you encourage someone in their faith this week?
PRAYER SUGGESTION
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the gift of Your gospel, which is the power of salvation for all who believe. As I begin this journey through Romans, open my heart and mind to receive Your truth. Help me to live unashamed of the gospel, boldly proclaiming Your love and grace to those around me.
Lord, keep me from the temptation to suppress Your truth or exchange it for the things of this world. Instead, shape my heart to honor You in all that I do. Let my life reflect gratitude, obedience, and a deep desire to glorify You.
May I find joy in encouraging others in their faith, just as Paul longed to do with the believers in Rome. Strengthen my faith, guide my steps, and transform my heart so that I may live in a way that honors You.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Question 2.
I find it difficult to honor God intentionally with things like school, work, and even church. The thought of doing things with intention has been on my mind for the past couple of weeks and I've been able to talk about it with some people. When it comes to school, and work, I'm not very sure on how I could be honoring God so I'm kinda stuck there, but with church, I think I found my "motivation" for serving last week during bible study, it's just that living it out could be a challenge. To be more clear, I think my motivation for serving was to know "God's Presence." I thought that by serving, I would get this…
Question 2
I find that it is hard to honor God in the mundane and the everyday aspects of life. For example, I can honor God in the way that I drive, the ways I think, and in the small interactions with random people in my life. Instead of just going on autopilot in these small moments, I see how these moments, though personal, can be opportunities to honor God.
Question 2
As verse 21-23 mentions, I often seem to acknowledge God but not give Him the praise and honor that He truly deserves. It is so easy to get distracted by the world's message to glorify ourselves, and so when I don't intentionally invest in my relationship with Him, I grow numb to the love that He shows me, easily forgetting His goodness and power.
Especially in this season of life, I am reminded of how powerful and transformational the gospel is, and the importance of rooting myself in it. The more I seek Him through the Word, the less I find myself stuck in my anxiousness and lack of self-worth. Since my identity is in Him, I desire…
Question #1
This verse calls me to truly embody the Christian life. I am called to share the gospel whether it is by words or by actions. If I cannot speak eloquently, I ask God that I may be able to show physically what it means to be transformed by His word. The gospel holds power in itself, and through that power, my life should reflect and display the transformation it brings. I am also reminded that I do not hold the power to change others and that sharing in any way that I can brings opportunity for the hearts of others to be stirred. May I strive to live with thought, faith, and wisdom.
Question #3:
I will aim to be more intentional about my conversations and words when I meet up with other Christians, more so this week. I’ll be more mindful of ways that I can help support. I’ll also stay open always to what I can learn from others, even from JH students. I’m always thankful for many believers that God placed in my life.