bp103

When TMC put me in 4 overwhelming classes to choose 2 to drop, they said my uncle said i had to keep them. 65 hours homework a day. so i returned home to be a freelancer. especially to write Bible papers. i found that most fulfilling. with no bills to pay it doesn't matter they make no money. 225 women rejected me, so i don't date hetero. thisis working out. i read 1400 books. my shrink said that put a 4-year college degree in my head. i continue reading to develop my wwriting skill. since i dream every night, i wake up to translate my dream with the Bible. i had a crying fit for the class of 2020. especially the musicians & singers. i cry likewise for young American Idols.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutcollege
James 3:16-17
5 Bible Verses about College. James 3:16-17 ESV / 8 helpful votes. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutoverwhelming
Bible verses about being overwhelmed. When feeling overwhelmed and stressed out instead of focusing on the problem put your focus on God. Trust in God and His promise that He will always be there for you. Sometimes we just need to stop everything and work wiser. We need to stop working so hard and rely on the power of God. We cast so much doubt on...whatdoesthebiblesayaboutchoose
Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV / 156 helpful votes. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, …
Psalm 139:13-16 ESV / 64 helpful votes. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together …
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ESV / 63 helpful votes. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, …
John 10:10 ESV / 54 helpful votes. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that …
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutdrop
Job 36:27-28 ESV / 10 helpful votes. For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain, …
John 14:6 ESV / 2 helpful votes. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No …
Luke 19:27 ESV / 2 helpful votes. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign …
Exodus 22:18 ESV / 2 helpful votes. “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutuncle
Proverbs 6:6 ESV / 7 helpful votes. Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 6 helpful votes. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially …
Leviticus 18:6 ESV / 5 helpful votes. “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to …
Genesis 1:28 ESV / 4 helpful votes. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and …
See full list on openbible.info
Genesis 21:1-34 ESV / 2 helpful votes
The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ...
Genesis 20:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
Genesis 19:1-38 ESV / 2 helpful votes
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant's house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” ...
Genesis 6:18 ESV / 2 helpful votes
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
Genesis 2:18 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutsaid
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Mouths
Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; Revelation 2:16. Ready For War Weapons Of Christ The Timing Of His Coming Other References To Mouths. Opposition, To Sin And Evil The Sword Of The Spirit God Not Delaying.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutkeep
https://www.openbible.info/topics/keeping_your_word
Matthew 5:37 ESV / 862 helpful votes. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than …
Matthew 5:33-37 ESV / 763 helpful votes. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, …
Numbers 30:1-2 ESV / 720 helpful votes. Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of …
Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 ESV / 670 helpful votes. When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for …
See full list on openbible.info
whatdoesthebiblesayabouthomework
Ecclesiastes 12:12 ESV / 23 helpful votes. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making …
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV / 14 helpful votes. So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all …
Hosea 4:6 ESV / 11 helpful votes. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you …
John 14:27 ESV / 6 helpful votes. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world …
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutday
(NAS, Exodus 20:8-11) The Sabbath day that the bible speaks about is Saturday, the seventh day of the week (Genesis 2:2-3, Leviticus 23:2-3). The Jews have always considered a day to be the interval from sunset to sunset, and they have always observed the Sabbath from Friday evening until Saturday evening.
whatdoesthebiblesayabouthome
Luke 10:5 “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’”. Yes, this is another verse about peace! A new home is a chance to create a peaceful haven for you and your family. May God bless you with peace from the first day you move in until the last day your family lives in the home. A new home can be exciting,...
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutfreelancer
What the Bible Says About Church Membership. The writer of Hebrews clearly says that we are not …
Safety for the Sheep in the Sheepfold. John 10:11-18 mentions the Parable of the Good Shepherd. …
The Church is Many Members but One Body. Romans 12:4-5 is evidence that the church consists …
Under the Church’s Authority. Romans chapter 12 is the most authoritative chapter on how a …
See full list on whatchristianswanttoknow.com
\whatdoesthebiblesayaboutwrite
https://www.openbible.info/topics/writing
Revelation 1:1-3 ESV / 9 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
What Does the Bible Say About Written In Our Hearts?
What Does the Bible Say About Slowing Down?
What Does the Bible Say About Using Your Time Wisely?
What Does the Bible Say About Writing Things Down?
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutBible
The Bible is God's word to us. It's God's personal word to you! The Bible is all about God and his plan for you, your family and your life. The Bible gives you God's answers to the questions you have, and the circumstances you encounter in your everyday life.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutpapers
Daniel 7:1-28 ESV / 3 helpful votes. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a …
1 John 2:1-29 ESV / 2 helpful votes. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you …
1 Corinthians 14:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to …
1 Corinthians 12:28 ESV / 2 helpful votes. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, …
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutfulfilling
Esther 5:1-14 ESV / 2 helpful votes
On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. ...
Genesis 46:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes
And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here am I.”
Genesis 20:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
Genesis 4:1-26 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. ... whatdoesthebiblesayaboutbills
Bible verses related to Paying Bills from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance. Psalms 37:21 - The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. 1 Timothy 5:8 - But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutpay
Romans 13:7-10
Bible Verses About Paying Back What You Owe. Bible verses related to Paying Back What You Owe from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance. Romans 13:7-10 - Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute [is due]; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. (Read More...)
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutmatter
https://www.openbible.info/topics/matter
The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutmake no money
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+55&version=MSG
Buy Without Money - “Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway—buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money—everything’s free! Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest. Pay attention, come close now ...
What Does the Bible Say About Money?
https://www.openbible.info/topics/money
Hebrews 13:5 ESV / 3,200 helpful votes. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content …
1 Timothy 6:10 ESV / 3,185 helpful votes. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is …
Matthew 6:24 ESV / 2,829 helpful votes. “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the …
Proverbs 22:7 ESV / 2,820 helpful votes. The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave …
See full list on openbible.info
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutrejected
Jesus himself expressed pain over rejection. It's in the Bible, Luke 13:34, NIV. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!". Psalm 34:17-20 ESV / 776 helpful votes. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and …
John 15:18 ESV / 764 helpful votes. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it …
1 Peter 2:4 ESV / 690 helpful votes. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the …
Psalm 27:10 ESV / 617 helpful votes. For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord …
See full list on openbible.info
whatdoesthebiblesayabouthetero
1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV / 8 helpful votes
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Genesis 18:1-19:38 ESV / 8 helpful votes
And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” ...
Mark 10:6-31 ESV / 7 helpful votes
But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ...
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans A Practical Commentary and Study Guide compiled and written by Pastor Rick Brentlinger.
Introduction 
The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans contains 16 chapters, 433 verses and 9432 words in the 1769 Edition of the 1611 KJV. The 1769 Edition is also known as The Revised Standard Oxford Edition, Compiled and Edited by Dr. Benjamin Blayney. Many modern King James Versions follow Blayney’s 1769 Edition.
The word epistle means letter. The old King James Version (not the NKJV) defines its meaning for us in Acts 23:25, 33 and 2 Corinthians 3:1. Paul wrote his epistle or letter to the Romans in the winter of AD 57-58, from Corinth and possibly from Cenchrea, Romans 16:1, the rowdy eastern port city of Corinth, where sexual immorality and prostitution were openly practiced. Yet Rome was even more idolatrous than Corinth. Sporting events in the Circus Maximus and fertility goddess worship in hundreds of pagan temples echoed the adulation of idolatrous Romans. Rome was a city wholly given to idolatry.
Throughout ancient Rome thousands of bronze and marble statues honored false gods. Carved friezes decorated building facades, depicting everything from daily activities to pagan gods. Wall, floor and ceiling murals in homes and commercial buildings depicted erotic sexuality. Painted pottery portrayed pornographic pictures
Sensuality and lust were part of daily life in ancient Rome. Paul's letter to the Romans addresses their lack of righteousness and God's wrath at and remedy for their unrighteousness, which is the righteousness of Christ, freely imputed, Romans 4:6, when they receive the gift of righteousness, Romans 5:17. Paul does not shy away from the first century pagan realities of Roman idolatry, fertility goddess worship and shrine prostitution. Romans is not theoretical. It is practical and focused on what Roman Christians encountered every day they lived in Rome.                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 1
Beyond the erotic and salacious, ancient Rome was an incredibly modern city. In the first century AD, six aqueducts, drawing on 130 outlying reservoirs, supplied water to homes and businesses and to 170 free public bath houses and 500 fountains.
The Circus Maximus in first century Rome seated 150,000 spectators. It was enlarged by Emperor Trajan after AD 98 to accommodate 250,000 spectators on marble seats. Its immense size, approximately 680 yards long and 160 yards wide, provided room for spectacular events. Flooded, the stadium provided a watery battleground for ships. Drained, there was a huge oval track for chariot races. 
Above the Circus Maximus, Cybele's temple loomed on the Palatine Hill. The white stone steps of Cybele’s temple caught the eye of every spectator in the Circus Maximus. In the dim light of dawn and the fading light of sunset, Cybele's Temple seem to float in the air above Rome. The idolatry and shrine prostitution practiced in Cybele's Temple is the specific historical and religious context of Paul's letter to  struggling Christians in Rome.
Over the 2000 years since Paul's day, Rome has built up the land around the Palatine Hill so that today, it hardly seems like a hill. Ancient Rome is now buried beneath as much as 40 feet of fill dirt.
Context is important
To understand the Bible, we must factor in biblical, cultural, doctrinal, historical, linguistic and religious context. In Romans 1:26-27, the context isn't two gay guys or two gay gals who fall in love and covenant to spend their lives together as a couple.
1. The biblical context is Paul making an argument against idolatry by summing up the Old Testament record of pagan Gentile worship and citing specific instances where God gave up ancient Israel for her paganism and idolatry, not homosexuality, not gays and lesbians, not transsexuals and transgender folks.
2. The cultural context is the greatest pagan city of the ancient world, an idolatrous tableau featuring hundreds of pagan temples where multitudes worshiped false gods.
                       ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 2
3. The doctrinal context is righteousness. God requires righteousness for salvation. We lack righteousness, as evidenced by the pagan idolatry Paul references. God provides righteousness as a free gift to anyone who wants it, including pagan idolaters, Rom 5:17.
4. The historical context is mid-first century Rome about 25 years after the resurrection of Christ, where the main problem was worship of false gods, not gays or lesbians or transgendered people.
 5. The linguistic context is Paul using the Greek word, akatharsian, in Romans 1:24 and 6:19, the same word used in the LXX or Greek Septuagint to describe idolatry and shrine prostitution. Paul drives home his point by using the Greek word latreuō in v. 25, which we translate in English as, served. This word, in the Greek Septuagint, always refers to serving false gods. Paul used these words with purpose, to indicate he was referring to shrine prostitutes and their unholy worship of false gods. Paul further drives home his point by using the phrase, arsenes en arsesin in v. 27 or men with men. This is a clear intertextual echo of arseno in Lev 18:22 and 20:13. Both are clear references to shrine prostitutes and were recognized as such by men like Philo, a Jewish intellectual and a contemporary of Jesus and Paul and a fellow Jew although not a fellow believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
6. The religious context is shrine prostitution in which Cybele the Phrygian mother goddess, was worshiped by temple prostitutes in at least five of Cybele's pagan temples in Rome in the mid-first century AD plus another temple to Jupiter and Minerva (Cybele being known  as Minerva when associated with Jupiter Optimus Maximus in Rome).
Understanding the Bible in context is not:    a. changing the meaning of scripture                  b. twisting scripture                  c. re-interpreting scripture                  d. taking scripture out of context                  e. reading modern views into scripture                 f. rewriting history                 g. advocating lawlessness                 h. attacking biblical holiness                 i. eisogesic manipulation
                       ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 3
Understanding and interpreting the Bible in context is standing for the historic truth of God by obeying 2 Timothy 2:15 and "rightly dividing the word of truth."
Paul’s reasons for writing Romans
1. He wrote to prepare the way for his first visit to Rome and his missionary journey to Spain, 1:10–15; 15:22–29.      2. He wrote to present the righteousness of God - that the gospel of Christ teaches, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, to a church that had not yet received the teaching of an apostle.      3. He wrote to explain the relationship between Jews and Gentiles in God’s plan of redemption. Jewish Christians were being rejected by Gentile Christians (see 14:1) because Jewish believers still observed Jewish dietary laws and holy days, 14:2–6. 
Romans is unique in that most of Paul’s other letters were written to churches in which he had personally ministered. Yet although he knew many Christians in Rome and lists their names at the end of his letter, Paul had never visited Rome. 
In Romans Paul lays the doctrinal foundation of Christianity, that God requires righteousness and mankind lacks righteousness, therefore, God provides righteousness as a free gift to all who will receive it. Romans and the revelation of the righteousness of God in the gospel is Paul's doctrinal masterpiece. It is interesting to note that the apostle John wrote to seven churches which are in Asia, Revelation 1:4. The apostle Paul also wrote to seven churches: Corinth, Thessalonica, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse and Rome. 
The opening sentence of Romans contains 126 words in the KJV. Long complex sentences are characteristic of Paul’s writing style, Galatians 1:1-5, Ephesians 1:3-14. The Apostle John’s writing style is different;  short and simple yet profound sentences, 1 John 4:8-19. 
This illustrates how God used the education, personality, linguistic ability and thought processes of the human authors of the Bible to
                       ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 4
color what they wrote, yet what they wrote is free from error and exactly as God intended, 2 Pet 1:20-21, 2 Tim 3:16-17. Each human author of the Bible had his own unique style yet God used them to record exactly what the Lord wanted to be included in His word. In a similar way, God uses our individuality, our personality, our gifts and talents, to serve God and minister to others.
Think of Romans in this way
Attempting to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans without factoring in Cybele the fertility goddess and shrine prostitution is as silly as trying to understand terrorism in New York City on September 11, 2001 without factoring in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Discussion Questions
1. Why should we study Paul’s letter to the Romans, 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17? ______________________________________________
2. Some churches teach that, to keep from learning false doctrine, people should only study the Bible under the guidance of a priest. What does the Bible say about this, 1 John 2:27, John 16:13, 1 Peter 2:5-9? ________________________________________________
3. The first word of Romans tells us the name of the human author. Who wrote Romans? ______ What do we mean when we say Paul was the human author of Romans?
4. What is Saul/Paul doing when we first see him in the Bible, Acts 7:58, 8:1? ____________________________________________
5. Before he got saved, Saul was devoutly religious, zealous for God and a passionate defender of Judaism, yet he was completely wrong - his life changed radically when he got saved. Why? ______________
6. If a man as educated, passionate and devout as Saul could be unsaved and completely wrong, how can you be sure you are right in your religious beliefs? _____________________________________ 
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 5
7. When you read the story of Saul’s conversion in Acts 9:1ff, what encourages you to believe his conversion was genuine? ___________________________________________________ 8. When you hear about someone getting saved today, what encourages you to believe their conversion is genuine? ________________________________________________ 9. Have you had a genuine experience of of being saved by the living Christ in your own life? ___________________________________
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 6
Romans Chapter 1  The grand theme of Romans is Righteousness.     1. God requires righteousness    2. We lack righteousness    3. God provides righteousness as a free gift
Righteousness and the Gospel in Romans
 1:1-3:20 - Man's need of righteousness  3:21-26 - God's provision of righteousness  4:1-25 - By faith, man receives this righteousness  5:1-21 - Jesus Christ is this righteousness  6:1-8:39 - Righteousness is produced in us by the Holy Spirit  9:1-11:36 - Why Israel rejected this righteousness  12:1-16:27 - Practical righteousness in the Christian life
Extended Outline of Romans
I. Greetings and Introduction (1:1–15)
II. Theme (1:16-17)
III. Condemnation: Need For God’s Righteousness (1:18–3:20)  A. Unrighteous Gentiles (1:18–32)
 B. Unrighteous Jews (2:1–3:8)
 C. Unrighteous Mankind (3:9–20)
IV. Justification: Provision of God’s Righteousness (3:21–5:21)  A. The Source of Righteousness (3:21–31)
 B. The Example of Righteousness (4:1–25)    C. The Blessings of Righteousness (5:1–11)    D. Imputation of Jesus’ Righteousness (5:12–21)
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 7
V. Sanctification: Demonstration of God’s Righteousness (6:1–8:39)
VI. Restoration: Israel’s Reception of God’s Righteousness (9:1–11:36)
VII. Application: Behavior of God’s Righteousness (12:1–15:13)
VIII. Conclusion and Benediction for the Righteous (15:14–16:27)
1:1 - Paul - Romans begins with the name of its human author. Paul was originally called by his Jewish name, Saul. After his dramatic conversion to Christ in Acts 9, he began using his Roman name, Paul. As the apostle to the Gentiles, Rom 11:13, 15:16, Acts 9:15, 22:21, Galatians 1:16, Ephesians 3:8, 1 Timothy 2:7, this name change was appropriate. Paul begins his letter by telling us he was:
a servant - or a slave of Jesus Christ. This is an amazing statement when we consider Paul’s background as a free born Roman citizen, Acts 7:58, 8:1-3, 9:1-2, 22:28, 1 Cor 15:9, 1 Tim 1:13-15. Is it possible that Paul was or had been a man of wealth or at least, a man from a wealthy Jewish family, Acts 24:26 and 28:30, Philemon 18? Would avaricious Felix hope to receive money from Paul, to be set free, if Paul was a poor man or from a poor family? Some have speculated that perhaps Paul was the rich young ruler, Matthew 19:16–30, Mark 10:17–3, Luke 18:18–30, who came to Jesus with a question about eternal life and went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. I don’t believe that because it hardly seems even a remote possibility. 
Yet if Paul was not rich, what other ways could he have afforded to rent a house for two whole years while he was a prisoner of the Romans? Luke makes a point of phrasing it, “two whole years.” Could a poor man afford to rent a decent house in Rome for two whole years, where he could receive high ranking Jewish leaders and others? Would the Jewish leaders of Rome, referred to by Luke as the “chief of the Jews,” Acts 28:17, respond to a summons from a poor man living in a hovel? 
The idea in asking these questions about Paul is to get you thinking about what the Bible says in context and the historical circumstances
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 8
in which Paul preached and ministered. Luke wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit and every word he wrote is important for God’s purposes. Travel was expensive in the first century yet Paul traveled often, sometimes by ship and on foot, sometimes with an entourage. 
St. John Chrysostom, AD 349-407, tells us Paul worked at his trade of tentmaking (Acts 18:3), to support himself. Ellicott’s, A New Testament Commentary For English Readers, 1878, says: “The fact that St. Paul had learnt this trade is not inconsistent with the comparative opulence suggested by his education both in boyhood at Tarsus and at the feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem.” 
In the first century AD, the population of Rome was about one million to one and a quarter million people. Of this number, about one third were slaves, most of them from countries Rome conquered in battle. Many slaves in Rome were from Europe and Asia Minor.
Discussion Questions
1. Why does Paul call himself a servant? Matthew 20:25-27, 23:11, Luke 22:27, Philippians 2:5ff. Was it because Jesus was a servant? Was it because Paul was an authentic disciple of Jesus? See #3.
2. What happened to Paul that he willingly became a servant of God? Acts 9:1ff.
3. What does it mean when Paul tells us to follow him as he followed Christ? Acts 26:29, Romans 11:14, Galatians 3:1, 4:12, 1 Cor 4:16, 11:1, 1 Thess 1:6, 2 Thess 3:7, 9, 1 Tim 1:16, 2 Tim 3:10-14
When Jesus began His public ministry in Matthew, He was dealing with bearded, circumcised, law-keeping, pork-abstaining, Sabbath- worshiping, Moses-following, gospel-rejecting, unsaved Jews in the land of Israel who refused to receive Jesus as their Messiah. 
When we get to the Book of Acts, God is still dealing with the Jews but is also beginning to segue to ministry to Gentiles, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8. In the Acts period, we witness a gradual turning away from Israel because Jews as a nation rejected the gospel, Acts 13:45-46, 18:5-6, 28:17, 23-28.
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 9'
The Pauline epistles tell us to follow Paul as He followed Jesus instead of simply telling us to follow Jesus because we are on the grace side of Calvary (OT Law vs. NT Grace). That is because Jesus was the Jewish Messiah to Israel, Isaiah 53, who ministered signs and wonders to Jews living under the law of Moses in the land of Israel, Romans 15:8. Paul was Jewish but he was also the apostle to the Gentiles, Romans 11:13. As Christians we certainly witness to Jews about Jesus. God gladly saves individual Jews who accept Jesus but Israel as a nation has been removed from the place of blessing in this age because as a nation, they rejected their Messiah, King Jesus, Romans 11:25.
4. What does it mean to be on the law side of Calvary, Rom 6:14? 5. What does it mean to be on the grace side of Calvary? ________ 6. What event is the dividing line between law and grace? ________ 7. Does God really expect us to follow Paul? ___________________  8. Does God really expect us to be His servants? _______________
Saul of Tarsus was a great enemy of the early Christian church. In order to reject Jesus and the Bible, critics of Christianity must explain away the conversion of Paul. George Lyttelton, 1709-1773, studied Paul’s dramatic conversion in an attempt to disprove Christianity. He became a Christian as a result of studying the life and conversion of Paul. In his essay, "Observations on the Conversion of St. Paul" (This article is found in the classic set, The Fundamentals, edited by R.A. Torrey and A.C. Dixon and others, Vol. II, page 353.) Lyttelton lists four possibilities for what happened to Paul on the Damascus road in Acts 9.
 A. Paul was an impostor who preached what he knew to be false, with intent to deceive (he really didn’t see the risen Christ but lied and said he did).
 B. Paul was a fanatic with a vivid imagination (he sincerely thought he saw the risen Christ but really did not).
 C. Paul was deceived by the fraud of others (who somehow tricked him into thinking he saw the risen Christ). 
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 10
 D. Paul's conversion happened the way he described it, therefore Christianity is true. (Paul really did see the risen Christ and Christianity is true because Christ is alive).
9. Discuss problems you see with possibilities A, B and C.
an apostle - An apostle had a special calling, gift and office. Are there any biblical apostles today? No, there are no biblical apostles today in the sense of men who were chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ to fill the scriptural office and who possess biblical apostolic authority and the apostolic office, Matthew 10:1ff., 1 Corinthians 12:28.
Although some Christians believe that apostles working wonders, with signs and miracles, has been normal Christianity for the last two thousand years, the facts of history and scripture rightly divided, strongly disagree. Since those who profess to be apostles today use the book of Acts to prove that they are also apostles, wise Christians will keep the following facts in mind.   A. Acts is a transitional book, segueing from ministry to Israelite Jews to ministry to Gentiles outside Israel, Num 25:14, Rom 11:1, KJV.
B. When events in Acts 2 occurred, the New Testament had not been written. For that reason, God used signs and wonders to authenticate the preaching of the apostles whom Jesus had chosen. One of the signs God used was speaking in tongues. No one spoke unintelligible gibberish at Pentecost, Acts 2 and no one spoke in prayer language tongues or heavenly tongues or tongues of angels at Pentecost because the biblical gift of tongues is the ability to speak a real earthly language one had not previously learned; not an angelic language, not a heavenly language, not a prayer language. C. The Greek word, ἀπόστολος (apostolos or apostle) is found 81 times in 80 verses in the Greek New Testament. In the KJV, it is usually translated as some form of our English word, apostle.
D. Jesus is no longer in His earthly ministry to Israel, as he was 2000 years ago when He personally chose twelve men to fill the office of apostle as they ministered to Israel before the crucifixion and resurrection.
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 11
For these reasons, it is wise to remember that there are no apostles today filling the biblical office as in Matthew 10, Luke 6, Acts 2, 1 Cor 12:28.
    1. The original twelve apostles were personally chosen by our Lord, Luke 6:12-13 and given the spiritual gift of apostleship, 1 Corinthians 12:31.
    2. The original twelve apostles had personally participated in our Lord's earthly ministry for 3.5 years, Acts 1:21.
    3. The original twelve apostles had received the baptism of repentance by John the Baptist, Acts 1:22.
    4. The apostles Jesus chose personally witnessed their resurrected Lord and Savior, Acts 1:21-22.
Two kinds of Apostles Apostles of Christ and Apostles of the Churches
There are a few others in the Bible who were called apostles but there is no biblical record that they exercised the same apostolic authority as the original twelve. Don’t miss this distinction. The original Twelve plus Matthias who replaced Judas Iscariot, Acts 1:23-26, plus the apostle Paul were "apostles of Christ," 1 Thessalonans 2:6, denoting the biblical office of apostle. 
Beware of false apostles, (2 Corinthians 11:13, Greek, pseudapostolos or false apostles) because there is an enormous difference between false apostles and apostolos or genuine apostles. Barnabas and others listed below were called apostles in the sense of messengers sent by God and were (Greek: ἀπόστολος apostolos) “messengers” (or apostles) “of the churches,” 2 Cor 8:23, without holding the biblical office of apostle.
 a. Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot, Acts 1:23-26 - "Matthias... he was numbered with the eleven apostles." See also Ac 6:2, Luke 24:9, 33.
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 12
   b. The apostle Paul, 1 Cor 15:9 - was "the least of the apostles" whose apostleship was "out of due time," 1 Corinthians 15:8. Paul had a special gift and calling from God to be an apostle on a level with the original twelve, Rom 1:1.    c. Andronicus and Junia, Romans 16:7, "who are of note among the apostles." - apostles of the churches.
 d. Barnabas, Acts 14:4 - "the apostles, Paul and Barnabas." - Barnabas was an apostle of the churches.
 e. James, the Lord's brother, Galatians 1:19 - "the apostles... James the Lord's brother." - James was an apostle of the churches.  f. Jesus Himself, Hebrews 13:1 - "Jesus the Apostle..."
Judas is the only one of the original twelve apostles who was replaced. He was replaced by Matthias, Acts 1:23-26. There is nothing in the Bible which indicates any other of the original twelve apostles was replaced when he died. If it was God's will that there constantly be apostles on earth like the original twelve, we would expect to see the apostle James replaced after his death in Acts 12:2. However, nothing in the Bible indicates that James was replaced. The language of 1 Corinthians 12:28, using the word "first..." and then the words, "after that," indicates chronological progression in time, not that the church would always have men with the same gift of apostleship that Jesus gave His original twelve apostles.
Paul refers to himself as "the apostle of the Gentiles," not an apostle of the Gentiles. In plainer words, in the Bible, there was one apostle to the Gentiles, not many apostles to the Gentiles, even though many of Paul's companions were sent to the Gentiles.
The narrowly focused specific definition of a biblical apostle denotes the scriptural office as an apostolic gift, 1 Cor 12:31. That gift must be differentiated from the more general use of the word, apostle, in which a Christian sent by God can be called an apostle, meaning simply: one whom God has sent. Calling someone an apostle in the general sense does not mean that individual holds the office of an apostle or possesses the spiritual gifts of first century apostleship, including
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 13
power to do sign gifts, wonders and healings, which Jesus gave to His original twelve apostles and to Paul.
For example, we might say of someone who is especially kind and loving, "(S)he is an angel." We don't literally mean an angel in the sense of that race of created beings who dwell with God in heaven. We are using the word angel in a general sense when we describe a fellow human being. In the same way, we can refer to some Christians as apostles in a general sense without intending to convey the impression that they hold the biblical office of an apostle, with the biblical authority and implications and powers that conveys.
Are we making an artificial distinction? No, we are making a biblical distinction. In 1 Cor 12:29, Paul asks rhetorical questions, to all of which, the correct answer is, No. "Are all apostles?" The correct answer is No, all are not apostles. We can certainly say that all Christians are chosen of God and sent for specific purposes, Ephesians 2:10, but according to the Bible, all are not apostles because no believers have been given the gift of apostleship since the original apostolic age almost 2000 years ago.
Christians are told to "covet earnestly the best gifts," indicating that the gifts Paul listed in 1 Cor 12, including being an apostle, are gifts not possessed by every Christian. The Bible also warns of "false apostles," 2 Cor 11:13. The way to tell a false apostle is found in 2 Cor 12:12. False apostles must fake their power. They cannot perform real signs, wonders and miracles like real apostles, Matthew 10:1.
    "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you  in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds." 2 Corinthians 12:12
A true apostle had authority and spiritual power from God to perform miracles which glorify God (not the apostle) and which authenticate the biblical message because the New Testament had not then been completed, Acts 5:12-16, Romans 15:18-19, Acts 19:11-12, Hebrews 2:4. 
In Ephesians 2:20, apostles are the foundation, not the walls, not the windows, not the roof, not the entire building. A foundation is laid one
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 14
time at the beginning of a building project. Today, no one has apostolic qualifications because an apostle was (1) one who had been baptized by John the Baptist, (2) had walked with Jesus in His earthly ministry and (3) had seen the risen Christ, Acts, 1:22, 1 Cor 9:1; 15:8-9 and Acts 1:22. The replacement for Judas had to have seen Christ in His earthly ministry, 1 John 1:1. Christ does not appear to men today, John 16:10, 1 Peter 1:8, because He has ascended into heaven.
Application - Acts 2:42 
Today we do not have apostles who operate in the biblical office of apostle but we do have the DOCTRINE or the teaching of the apostles as recorded in the New Testament. Today we do not have the Apostle Paul but we do have the DOCTRINE of the apostle Paul in the book of Romans and his other writings in the New Testament.
Separated unto the gospel of God - There is a negative aspect to separation (separation from sin and false religion) but this verse emphasizes one of the positive aspects (not separation FROM but separation UNTO). Paul’s dedication to the gospel of God is seen in Romans 1:16; 1 Cor 1:17-18; 2:1-2; 9:16; 15:1-4; Eph 6:19-20; Acts 20:21,24.
The gospel of God and the righteousness of God are important ideas Paul emphasizes in Romans. The word gospel occurs 101 times in 95 verses in the King James Bible New Testament. The word gospel is not used in the Old Testament yet according to Galatians 3:8, the gospel WAS preached unto Abraham. Our English word gospel comes from the Greek word, εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion or yü-än-ge'-lē-on, meaning good news. In classical Greek, a eu-an-ge-los was a messenger who brought good news of victory (like Ahimaaz in 2 Samuel 18:19-31) so eu-an-ge-li-on became a message of victory, good news for all who believe on Jesus Christ as their Substitute, who paid the penalty by enduring the wrath of God for their sins, Romans 1:18.
Christians believe and preach an everyone & whosoever gospel - Calvinists not so much! We were lost sinners under the curse of the Law, unable to satisfy the justice of God by paying sin's penalty ourselves. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus became our substitute and took our place, dying as us for us, paying the penalty
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 15
for our sins, appeasing the wrath of God, Romans 1:16-18, 3:24-26, Isaiah 53:4-6, 8, 11 AND Jesus saves WHOSOEVER believeth, John 3:16. God signaled us that He accepted Jesus' payment by raising Jesus from the dead.
The bleeding Lamb upon the Cross Bore all God's wrath that day; The guiltless for the guilty, slain, To take my sins away.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being  made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one  that hangeth on a tree:" - Galatians 3:13
What wondrous love is this O my soul, O my soul? That Christ should leave his heavenly bliss And take upon himself the curse, For my soul, for my soul! - 1811, Author Unknown
The good news of the gospel is that Jesus took our place and paid the sin penalty we owed by taking our sins upon Himself, thus becoming a curse for us. "The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity (sin) of us all." - Isaiah 53:6 
Paul authoritatively, skillfully and systematically presents the gospel of God in Romans. Today there is much confusion as to what the gospel really is and how it should be presented. Let’s carefully study how Paul defined, explained and presented the gospel, and may we never forget that Paul got his gospel from God, Galatians 1:11-12. The gospel is clearly stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.
The gospel is a defined set of facts 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
  1. Christ died for our sins - v. 3   2. according to the scriptures - v. 3   3. Christ was buried - v. 4   4. Christ rose from the dead the third day - v. 4   5. according to the scriptures - v. 4
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 16
  6. Christ was seen by 500+ eyewitnesses - vs. 5-8 
What the gospel is called 
1. The gospel of God - Rom 1:1 - God is the source of the gospel. He did all the work to make it possible for us to be saved, while we were still his enemies, Rom 5:10.
2. The gospel of his Son - Rom 1:9 - The gospel is always about Jesus dying on the cross as us for us, suffering the wrath of God and paying the penalty for our sins. That is the grand good news of the gospel. The best news this sin sick world ever heard came from a graveyard.
3. The gospel of Christ - Rom 1:16 - Jesus dying on the cross for our sins is the focus of the gospel, not joining a church or getting baptized or trying to clean up our life.
4. The gospel of the grace of God - Acts 20:24 - The gospel leaves absolutely no room for our attempts at righteousness. Getting saved is all about God's incredible free gift of grace, not something we can do by way of good works, not something we can earn.
5. The gospel of peace - Eph 6:15 - Salvation brings us peace with God, Rom 5:1, through our Lord Jesus Christ because when we believe the gospel we are justified by faith.
6. My gospel - Rom 2:16, 16:25, 2 Tim 2:8 - The gospel we preach started with Paul and is for the church age. It is distinctively different from other gospels, like a. the gospel of the kingdom which was preached during the earthly ministry of Christ and b. the everlasting gospel of God as Creator which will be preached in the tribulation and c. the false gospels of religious cults and false teachers, Gal 1:6-8.
7. Everyone and whosoever gospel - Rom 1:16, John 3:16, 5:24 The Bible knows nothing about the odd Calvinist philosophy that Jesus only died for a few elect and God will not save anyone else. Words have meaning and only a Calvinist can read Romans 1:16, John 3:16 and 5:24 and conclude that: a. God will only save a few people He
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 17
chose in eternity past and b. God has to save you before you can believe on Him as your Savior. 
Christians reject false gospels
1. Acts 15:1 - the false gospel of works of the law like circumcision
2. Galatians 1:6-10 - the false gospel of law-keeping brings damnation      3. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - the false gospel of Satan who blinds people to the glorious gospel of Christ, telling them they can get saved just by being a good person.      4. A false gospel focuses on getting rid of guilt by positive thinking or having a better life with Jesus (Your Best Life NOW!) or Jesus as God's prosperity gospel genie who grants all your wishes. A false gospel talks about heaven (positive) but rarely mentions hell (negative).      5. A legalistic false gospel focuses on what you can do: turn from all your sins or get baptized in water or make Jesus Lord of your life or prove you got saved by doing good works. Those things should happen after you get saved but they are not part of the gospel, they are not part of getting saved or staying saved. Rather, they are a result of getting saved.
The entire book of Romans should be read through the lens of the gospel of God and the righteousness of God. When we obey the gospel and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin, hell and the wrath of God, three things happen immediately.    1. We receive forgiveness of sin: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." - Ephesians 1:7       2. We receive Christ's righteousness: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." - Romans 4:5, 2 Cor 5:21     
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 18
 3. We receive eternal life: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 
Discussion Questions
1. Is the gospel whatever anyone thinks it is or is the gospel a defined set of facts? ______________________________________________ 2. Does the gospel contain both positive and negative truth? ________ 3. If we leave out the negative truth, that our sins were so horrific that Jesus had to die, suffering God's wrath to pay the penalty, have we truly shared the gospel? ____________________________________ 4. Is the gospel the power of God unto salvation or is it just another religious story? ___________________________________________ 5. Who is the center of the gospel, Jesus or human beings? ________ 6. Is there any gospel apart from Jesus and Calvary’s Cross? _______ 7. In which Bible verses is the gospel found? ____________________ 8. Have you believed the gospel and trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin, hell and the wrath of God? _____________________ 9. Will you learn to share the gospel with people who need it? ______
1:2 - Which he had promised afore... in the holy scriptures - The gospel was previewed in the Old Testament in Genesis 3:15, Gen 22, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Zechariah 11. Jews who heard or read the OT with a believing heart, Neh 8:1-8, were looking for their Messiah. Yet the gospel was not explicitly laid out in the OT. As we will see in Rom  1:16-18, God reveals His righteousness and His wrath in the gospel. Those aspects of the gospel were not known in the Old Testament.
1:3-4 - Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord - What is the Gospel all about? According to 1:3 the gospel concerns God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus is the heart, soul and center of the biblical gospel. Romans 1:9 calls it "the gospel of his Son." Without Jesus there is no gospel. Any preaching that is not Christ-centered is not real gospel preaching. Getting the gospel right is the most basic, the most foundational thing. God gives dramatic warning about people who preach a false gospel, Galatians 1:3-9. Don’t preach a false gospel!
made of the seed of David - This speaks of the humanity of Jesus, John 1:14, Matthew 1:1, 1 Tim 2:5. Through Mary, Jesus was a real
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 19
human man, a direct descendent of King David, part of the most illustrious royal family of Israel. 
according to the flesh - He was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. Galatians 4:4 - God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. His flesh or humanity did not exist in eternity past. Jesus became human at a point in time, Gal 4:4. His humanity was made, not declared, Matthew 1:18.
Why did God need to take on human flesh, to become a man, Gal 4:5, Hebrews 2:9? ___________________________________________
and declared to be the Son of God - The deity of Jesus, John 1:1, 20:28, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, 1 John 5:20. Deity refers to the fact that Jesus was God, 1 Timothy 3:16. Jesus was fully man and fully God. He did not cease to be God when He became a man. His title, Son of God, describes the deity of Jesus Christ and that is precisely how first century Jews understood the term Son of God, John 5:17-18, 10:30-33. Jesus was eternally the Son of God, therefore His deity was declared, not created or made. 
Be careful not to embrace the twin false teachings of Incarnational Sonship (that Jesus became the Son at His incarnation) and EFS or the Eternal Functional Subordination of the Son to the Father (sometimes described as a hierarchical Godhead) vs. EFE or the Eternal Functional Equality of members of the Godhead. Both Incarnational Sonship and EFS have been popular false teachings in Calvinist circles for many years. John MacArthur taught Incarnational Sonship instead of Eternal Sonship, for almost thirty years until he reversed his position. Wayne Grudem, a Calvinist, in his Systematic Theology, teaches EFS, the Eternal Functional Subordination of the Son to the Father, making eternal life in the Trinity hierarchical (the Father above the Son) instead of egalitarian (the three persons in the Trinity being Co-equal) or EFE.
If there is eternal functional submission of the Son to the Father in the Trinity, that indicates ontological division within the Godhead. That ontological division means that the Father has priority instead of the members of the Godhead being Co-equal. That would mean there is a
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 20
hierarchy in the Godhead, which is unscriptural. A hierarchical Godhead is not taught in scripture.
Cults like Christian Science, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons and false religions like Islam teach that Jesus was not God. They say He was a created being or simply a great prophet. They are wrong.
How much did the Jews understand about the humanity and deity of Christ during the earthly ministry of Jesus, Matthew 22:41-46? The Jews admitted to Jesus that Messiah would come from the line of David, Matthew 22:42. The Jews understood Psalm 110:1 to refer to Messiah: "The LORD (meaning Jehovah, God the Father. Whenever Jehovah is used in Hebrew, the KJV translates it as LORD, using all capital letters) said unto my Lord (referring to David, the writer of the Psalm; Lord or "Adonai" meaning "Lord" or "Master," here referring to Messiah or Christ). The Jews were baffled by the question Jesus asked, Matthew 22:45-46. Here is Jesus’ question boiled down to essentials. 
How can David’s son also be David’s Lord? Paul answers this question in Romans 1:3-4. In His humanity, "according to the flesh," Jesus is the Son of David, 1:3. In His deity Jesus is the Son of God, 1:4, and thus He is David’s Lord. His bodily resurrection from the dead was the final proof that Jesus was everything He claimed to be.
Discussion Questions
1. Did Jesus become God when He was born to the virgin Mary? _____ 2. Did Jesus become the Son of God when He was born to the virgin Mary? ___________________________________________________   3. Was Jesus half man and half God or fully man and fully God? _____ 4. Was Mary the mother of God or was she only the mother of the human part of Jesus? _________________________________
with power... by the resurrection from the dead - The resurrection is the final proof that Jesus Christ was everything He claimed to be, Matthew 12:38-40, John 2:18-21 and that God’s wrath against sin was appeased, Romans 1:18, 3:24-26. Some people try to explain away the bodily resurrection of Christ. Do these theories have any basis in fact or in scripture?
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 21
1. The disciples stole the body of Jesus, Matthew 28:11-15. 2. The body of Jesus was removed by Joseph of Arimathaea and hidden somewhere, Matthew 27:57-60. 3. The women and everyone after them went to the wrong tomb. 4. The eyewitnesses who claimed to see Christ were victims of mass hallucinations. They thought they saw Christ but really didn’t. 5. Jesus did not really die on the cross. When they put Him in the tomb He was still alive, so His resurrection was a fraud. 
In the Old Testament, when God wanted to point out His great power He spoke of the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, Deuteronomy 4:37, 26:8, Exodus 32:11, 2 Kings 17:36. 
In the New Testament, when God wants to point out His mighty power, He points to the resurrection of Christ, Eph 1:19-20; Philippians 3:10.  When God wants us to see His incredible love He points to the cross of Calvary, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:10. When God wants us to see His mighty power He points to the empty tomb.
by the spirit of holiness - As “according to the flesh” referenced the humanity of Jesus, so “by the spirit of holiness” references the deity of Jesus. As the eternal Son of God (we believe in His eternal Sonship, not Incarnational Sonship), Jesus was not tainted with sin. He was holy and when He saves us, He sanctifies us, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Ephesians 5:26, Hebrews 2:11, 10:10, so that we can be holy. 
Romans 1:5 - By whom we have received grace and apostleship, - Grace is God’s undeserved favor, his unearned and unmerited kindness. Paul knew he did not deserve to be an apostle, 1 Cor 15:9-10 and Eph 3:8. Paul is introducing himself to the Romans, citing his apostolic authority and worldwide calling, that GOD had saved, called and sent him by grace. Paul knew his spiritual purpose in life was to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
 1. What does it mean to be saved, called and sent by God?  2. Is God’s purpose in our lives significant or insignificant?  3. Are you saved, called and sent by God?   4. Are you aware of the grace of God in your life?  5. Can you give examples of the grace of God in your life?  6. Do you know your spiritual purpose in life? 
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 22
 7. Can you describe God’s spiritual purpose for your life?
for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: - God intends to save everyone who believes on Jesus  Romans 1:16.
Acts 16:30-31 - What must I do to be saved? _________________ 1 John 3:23 - What is the first commandment a sinner must obey?  Hebrews 11:6 - What is the first thing a sinner must do to please God? Acts 17:30 - What is God’s command and to whom is it given?  Are disobedience and unbelief significant or insignificant? John 3:18, 3:36, 8:24, 16:9, 2 Thess 1:8-10
among all nations - Mark 16:15, Matt. 28:19, Luke 24:47, Acts 1:8 To whom should the gospel be preached? ______________________
1:5 - for his name -  Paul’s concern was for the Name and glory and reputation of His Lord and Savior, 1 Cor 10:31, 3 John 7 
 What does Paul mean by: obedience to the faith among all   nations? __________________________________________   Should Christians preach the gospel? ___________________ 
1:6 - Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: among whom = among all nations, v.5
 1. What is God doing in the world today that is different from what He did in the world of the Old Testament? _____________  2. What happened that makes the NT message different from the OT message, John 3:16? _______________________________
Today God is visiting the nations (Gentiles), taking out of them a people for His Name, Acts 15:14, 22:21. Christ is building His church, Matthew 16:18.  The Greek word, church - ecclesia - ἐκκλησία means a called-out assembly. God calls people out of paganism and worldly unbelief and into the fellowship of His Son, 1 Corinthians 1:9. 
 1. Has God called you out of darkness into His marvelous light,  1 Peter 2:9? __________________________   2. Do you know anyone who needs the light of the gospel?
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 23
1:7 - To all that be in Rome, - Paul is writing to Christians in the capital of the Roman Empire in one of the most wicked cities on earth. First century Rome had hundreds of pagan temples to false gods and multitudes of idolaters who worshiped and offered sacrifices in those temples. 
beloved of God, - Ephesians 1:5-6 - What does it mean to be beloved of God?   a. It means you are adopted into God’s family, Eph 1:5-6   b. It means you are saved and redeemed, Eph 1:7  c. It means your sins are forgiven, Eph 1:7  d. It means you are already in heaven, Eph 2:6
Beloved is how God the Father describes Jesus. God describes those of us who are saved the way He describes Jesus, Ephesians 2:4, Matthew 3:17, 12:18, Mark 1:11, 9:7, Luke 3:22, 9:35, 20:13  called to be saints: - Greek word - ἅγιος - hagios - it means to be holy, to be set apart for God, to be consecrated to God. The KJV New Testament translates it holy 161x, saints 61x, Holy One 4x.  Saints are: Called to be holy, called to be set apart for God, called to serve God. Paul tells Christians in a wicked pagan city that they are called to be saints, called to be holy, Revelation 4:8. Holy is opposite of wicked.     God’s covenant is holy - Daniel 11:28  God’s mountain is holy - Daniel 9:16  God’s city is holy - Daniel 9:24  God’s people are holy - Daniel 12:7  God is holy - Hosea 11:9  God’s name is holy - Amos 2:7  God’s temple is holy - Jonah 2:7, Acts 21:28  God’s land is holy - Zechariah 2:12  God’s angels are holy - Matthew 25:31  Jesus is holy - Luke 1:35, Acts 4:30  God’s prophets are holy - Luke 1:70, 2 Peter 1:21, 3:2  God’s Spirit is holy - Luke 11:13  God’s scriptures are holy - Romans 1:2, 2 Tim 3:15  God’s law is holy - Romans 7:12  Our bodies should be holy - Romans 12:1, Eph 1:4  The temple of God (our body) is holy - 1 Cor 3:17
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 24
 God’s apostles and prophets are holy - Eph 3:5  God’s church is holy - Ephesians 5:27  Our hands are holy - 1 Timothy 2:8  Our calling is holy - 2 Timothy 1:9  Bishops should be holy - Titus 1:8  The brethren are holy - Hebrews 3:1  Our high priest is holy - Hebrews 7:26  Our priesthood is holy - 1 Peter 2:5  We are holy - ! Peter 1:15-16  Our conversation should be holy - 2 Peter 3:11
1:8 - First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. - From an ungodly city like Rome, their faith was known throughout the Roman Empire because they lived for Jesus and were separated from the world. Rome was a travel hub and first century Romans were great travelers. Roman roads and ships and the Roman army made travel possible in the first century AD and aided the spread of the gospel.
  1. Is my faith known to anyone?    2. Is anyone thankful for my faith?   3. Were people in China aware of faithful Romans? 
Probably not at the time Paul wrote Romans in AD 58. The Chinese attempted to send an emissary to Rome around AD 97. Ancient China was aware of the Roman Empire but we have no historical record that ancient China was aware of Jesus or Christianity in AD 58. For more information on whether or not ancient China was aware of ancient Rome, see: Rome and the Distant East: Trade Routes to the Ancient Lands of Arabia, India and China by Raoul McLaughlin, 2010 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzQ_HwO792o - Did the Chinese Empire know about the Romans?
1:9 - For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; - Prayer is a powerful yet rarely used weapon in the Christian life. Here are nine truths we learn about prayer from Paul’s example.
1. Prayer begins with thanksgiving from a thankful heart - 1:8
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 25
Read Romans 1:21 - neither were thankful. Pagans are not thankful to the true God. What are you thankful for?
The Roman church of the first century was famous for their faith. What is the Roman church of the twenty first century famous for? The Roman church today is famous for traditions of men, sacraments, robes, rituals, papal bulls and false teaching but is not famous for evangelism and the gospel and making biblical disciples of Jesus. Paul was thankful that in the capital of the pagan Roman empire in AD 58, there were born again Christians who worshiped God.
2. Prayer is through our Lord Jesus Christ - 1:8  a. Because Jesus is our ONLY Mediator - 1 Tim 2:5 b. Because Jesus is the only Way - John 14:6 c. Because Jesus told us to ask in His Name - John 14:14
3. Prayer should be consistent - 1:9  - “pray without ceasing” - as in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Luke 18:1. What does it mean to pray without ceasing? To pray without ceasing means consistency and constancy. It is recurring prayer, not nonstop talking. Such prayer reflects a heart burden that stays with us all day and all week. Paul’s prayerful concern for the Roman believers was something that was always with him. Do you have a prayer journal to help you remember what to pray for on a daily basis? If not, will you get a prayer journal and get serious about your prayer life?
Pray without ceasing means: When you are tempted, you bring the temptation to God and ask for His help. When you experience something good and beautiful, you immediately thank the Lord for it. When you see evil around you, you ask God to make it right and to use you toward that end, if that is His will. 
When you meet someone who does not know Christ, you pray for God to draw that person to Himself and use you to be a faithful witness. When you encounter trouble in life, you trust God as your Deliverer. Thus life becomes constant communion with God: thoughts, circumstances and deeds become opportunities to commune with and trust your heavenly Father. In that way you constantly set your mind "on things above, not on things that are on the earth,” Colossians 3:2.
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 26
4. Prayer should be genuine, not a side show - 1:9  a. God witnessed the genuineness of Paul’s prayers.  b. The faith of the Roman church was Paul’s proof.  c. What proof do you have that God answers your prayers?
5. Prayer is intervening on behalf of another - 1:9, Eph 6:18  a. Paul prayed for people by name - 16:1ff.  b. Paul won souls by preaching and by praying.  c. For whom do you pray?
6. Prayer should be specific - 1:10 - Paul prayed specifically for a prosperous journey.  Be specific in your requests to God. If God is concerned about feeding the sparrow and clothing the lily, then He is concerned about specifics in our lives. "O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!"
7. Prayer should be submissive to God- 1:10  a. By the will of God - we all struggle with submission  b. Powerful prayer requires humility
8. Prayer requires right motivation - 1:11  a. Why did Paul want to go to Rome?  b. What hindered Paul from traveling to Rome?
9. How did God answer Paul’s prayer? - Paul arrived in Rome in an unusual way. God does not always answer our prayers the way we imagine He will. Paul’s prosperous journey, Romans 1:10, involved a shipwreck on the Mediterranean Sea, nearly drowning while swimming to shore hugging a piece of driftwood or a broken piece of the ship, a soggy sojourn on a chilly island, being bitten by a poisonous viper and arriving in Rome as a prisoner, Acts chapters 27-28. 
                 God moves in mysterious ways                  His wonders to perform,                  He plants His footsteps in the sea,                  And rides upon the storm.                  Deep in unfathomable mines                  Of never-failing skill,                  He treasures up His bright designs,
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 27
                 And works His sovereign will.    Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
   The clouds ye so much dread
   Are big with mercy and shall break
   In blessings on your head.    Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
   But trust Him for His grace;
   Behind a frowning providence
   He hides a smiling face.        His purposes will ripen fast,
   Unfolding every hour;
   The bud may have a bitter taste,
   But sweet will be the flower.    Blind unbelief is sure to err
   And scan His work in vain;
   God is His own interpreter,
   And He will make it plain.    - William Cowper, 1774 (1731-1800)
1:13 - that I might have some fruit among you - Our purpose in life is to bear fruit for God. That means: 1. the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23 and 2. being evangelistic soul-winning witnesses for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Daniel 12:3, Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8. Until you understand bearing fruit for God as your primary purpose in life, you will be constantly frustrated by circumstances.    a. We have a spiritual purpose in life, Acts 20:24  b. God has eternal purposes in mind for us, Eph 2:10  c. Those purposes provoke opposition from Satan, Rom 1:13
1:14 - I am debtor - I owe something to someone. In obedience to Christ, I must fulfill my spiritual obligation. I have a gospel duty. My life is about more than myself, my wants, my desires. 1 Cor 9:16-26.
 a. Do you owe a gospel debt to anyone? 2 Cor 5:17-21  b. How will you pay your gospel debt? ___________________ c. Have you presented your body a living sacrifice, Rom 12:1-2?
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 28
To the Greeks, and to the Barbarians - There were two classes of Gentiles. Greeks were those under the influence of Greek culture and language, Acts 17:12. Barbarians were foreigners who often spoke koine Greek but were not as strongly influenced by Greek culture, Acts 28:2, 4.
Koine Greek was the common language, the trade language of the Roman empire. Paul’s letter to the Romans was written in common or Koine Greek, not  classical Greek, not Latin and not Hebrew, Luke 23:38, John 19:20. Koine Greek was more practical than classical Greek, focused on clarity instead of eloquence, with simpler grammar and sentence construction. Koine Greek was the language of daily life while classical Greek was the language of education and oratory.
Paul owed the gospel to everyone. Do you owe the gospel to anyone? 
Before he was saved, Saul of Tarsus felt an obligation to persecute as many Christians as he could, Acts 7:58, 8:3, 22:19, 26:11; but now Paul felt an obligation to preach the gospel to everyone. How do we preach the gospel? With our life, with our loving heart, with our words. We converse about restaurants, TV shows, movies, health, cars, politics, sports. Why not converse about the gospel too and be vibrant witnesses for Jesus? Will you share the gospel with others?
1:15 - I am ready - Why was Paul so confident? Acts 26:15-20. There is a sense in which being ready to preach the gospel is as natural as talking about the weather. Paul had been praying about coming to Rome for years. Desire, planning and prayer helped get him ready and help get us ready to preach the gospel.
 1. Am I ready to preach the gospel?  2. Do I need a pulpit in a church to preach the gospel?  3. Where can I preach the gospel?
to preach the gospel - Evangelize, preach the good news of salvation in Christ. Proclaim the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the cure for our sin problem. Tell everyone everywhere that the wrath of God is propitiated and we are reconciled to God. God hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation, 2 Cor 5:19. We are ambassadors  for Christ beseeching the lost to be reconciled to God, 2 Cor 5:20. If
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 29
you are saved, preaching the gospel is your responsibility. Don’t sluff it off on your pastor. 
Where do you preach and share the gospel? You do it where you are and wherever you go, to people around you. In the twenty first century, we have cell phones and the internet so you can also witness and share the gospel through email and websites, on social media and through texting. Are you an “in the closet” Christian on social media? Why do you hide the fact that you are a Christian on social media? Why are you ashamed to be bold for Jesus on social media, Matthew 10:32-33, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26. 
1:16 - For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ - Why are Christians so ashamed of the glorious gospel of Christ? Why do we love to make up our own positive gospel and leave out the negative parts like sin and God’s wrath against sin?
I AM debtor - v. 14, I AM ready - v. 15, I AM not ashamed - v. 16
-- Paul fled the city of Damascus under cover of darkness, escaping an assassination attempt and was let down the city wall in a basket, Acts 9:25, 2 Cor 11:33 -- he was stoned, dragged out of the city and left for dead, Acts 14:19 -- he was beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, Acts 16:19-25 -- he caused a riot in Thessalonica and Berea, Acts   17:5-14 -- he was mocked by Athens intellectuals, Acts 17:32 -- his teaching caused another riot in Ephesus, Acts 19:29, 20:1
Yet Paul was never ashamed of the gospel. Crazy circumstances and vicious attacks couldn’t discourage him from preaching the gospel. Are you preaching the gospel? Are you discouraged by circumstances? Paul had a great attitude on life, Acts 23:10-12. By the time Paul arrived in Rome, he had been a prisoner for more than two years, Acts 24:27, 25:10-14, and in Rome, he faced two more years as a prisoner, Acts 28:30. 
Did disobeying God have consequences for Paul? Acts 21:4
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 30
Paul prayed for the “will of God” in his life, Romans 1:10. Do you pray for God’s will in your life? God intended Paul to get to Rome to preach the gospel, Acts 23:11, 27:24. But several years before he went to Rome, Paul stepped out of the will of God by going to Jerusalem, Acts 19:21. The Lord warned Paul NOT to go to Jerusalem, Acts 20:22-23, 21:4, 21:10-12. Paul disobeyed God and went anyway and therefore, didn’t have the “prosperous journey” to Rome, Romans 1:10, for which he had prayed, although God still got him to Rome. Disobeying God will have negative consequences for you just as it did for Paul.
The will of God will never lead you  where the grace of God cannot keep you therefore, it’s always safe to trust God. 
It’s always safe to trust God but that doesn’t mean life will be an easy journey and it doesn’t mean you won’t face great challenges. Instead of sailing to Rome first class, Paul arrived as a prisoner. He suffered a fierce two week storm on the Mediterranean, was shipwrecked and floated to shore on broken pieces of the ship, Acts 27:39-44. The soldiers wanted to kill Paul and the other prisoners so they couldn’t escape in the storm but God intervened through the Roman Centurion in charge of Paul, to save him from that fate.
Many Christians around the world have suffered for the gospel over the last two thousand years and many more have suffered because, like Paul, they disobeyed God. What we do, decisions we make sometimes affect God’s answers to our prayers. Sometimes our bone-headed and rebellious decisions negatively impact others. It is God’s job to get us back on track when we get out of His will but sometimes it’s a long and difficult journey for us and the people who love us. Delayed obedience is disobedience.
1. Has preaching the gospel or disobedience to God ever caused you to suffer or cost you something? ______________________________  2. If the sheriff put you in jail for preaching the gospel and witnessing for Jesus, would you expect God to get you out right away? ______ 3. If you were in jail for two years, would you think God had forgotten you? ___________________________ 4. How long was Paul imprisoned before and during his trip to Rome?
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 31
5. If you got beat up before they put you in jail or again while you were in jail, how would you react to that? Read Acts 16:19-34.
Read Luke 9:26 and 2 Timothy 1:8,12. We should not be ASHAMED of the gospel and we should not be A SHAME to the gospel by living contrary to God’s will. That is easier said than done when times get hard yet God expects us to always trust Him.
1:16 - for it is power of God = The word power translates the Greek word δύναµις dynamis, from which we get our English word dynamite although Paul wasn’t thinking about dynamite when he wrote Romans. The same Greek word is translated “ye shall receive power” in Acts 1:8. The gospel itself contains power that allows its hearers to believe. God intentionally put power in the gospel so that all who hear are called and can believe and be saved. Paul makes this same point in 1 Cor 1:17-18. Hearing the gospel means God is calling you. Believing the gospel is how you get saved.
“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.  1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 23-24
“For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” 1 Thess 1:5
“Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:14
The gospel itself and the preaching of the cross which explains the gospel contains power like dynamite. All the power a man needs to get saved is contained in the glorious gospel of Christ. The truth of Christ dying for our sins on Calvary’s cross is the heart of the gospel. There is soul-saving power in the gospel. Here’s how the gospel works. 
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 32
1. You are called when you hear the gospel, so there is no need of an alleged decree of election in eternity past. God calls everyone who hears the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2:14, therefore everyone is called and God wants everyone to be saved, 2 Peter 3:9.   2. You are saved when you believe the gospel, so there is no need of irresistible grace. God’s power is in the gospel, not in an eternal decree of election. God made His gospel so powerful that any sinner who hears the gospel explained, preached or taught is called by the gospel and can believe the gospel unto salvation because of the power in the glorious gospel of Christ, 2 Cor 4:4. This is sometimes called prevenient grace, meaning grace which goes before salvation. 
Calvinism teaches the Total Inability of any lost person to believe the gospel. That false teaching traces back to Augustine of Hippo, AD 354-430, who converted from Gnosticism to Roman Catholicism. Modern Calvinists get their Calvinism from Augustine just like modern Catholics get their Catholicism from Augustine. Augustine, the father of Calvinism and Catholicism, taught that unsaved people are completely unable to respond to the gospel yet nowhere does the Bible say or teach that. Instead, we find Jesus saying: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” John 7:37. According to Jesus, If you are thirsty, you can come and drink. Again, Jesus told John, to write, Revelation 1:1, 11, 22:17 - “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” 
Scripture tells us the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. In general, dynamite or power is useless until you use it. The same is true about the gospel. God made the glorious gospel to be the call of God unto salvation, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 and the power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16 because “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Please read 1 Corinthians 1:18 & 24 and start using the powerful gospel God gave you! 
Calvinism’s view of Total Depravity says that all men are by nature, unable to believe the gospel. If you’ve read the Bible, you already know that the Bible never says what Calvinism teaches. Time after time, Calvinists, enslaved to their false philosophy, flip scripture on its
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 33
head and teach the opposite of what scripture says. Scripture says the gospel of Christ calls you and is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.” Calvinists reject what God said in Romans 1:16 and 2 Thess 2:16. In spite of what the Bible says,  after they read Romans 1:16 through the distorted lens of their Augustinian/ Calvinist philosophy, they say that God must regenerate you first, before you can believe the gospel even though the Bible never says that. 
Teaching that God saves you before you believe on Him is not biblical or spiritual. Calvinism is unbiblical, unChristian, unspiritual false teaching. Wise Christians reject Calvinist philosophy and stick with what the Bible says in context. Are you a wise Christian?  Saul the chief persecutor of Christians became Paul, God’s apostle to the Gentiles. It takes the power of God in the gospel to call, save and transform every sinner, Colossians 1:13 and Acts 26:18, including you and me. Since God put power in the gospel, are you using the gospel when you witness?
6. How has God transformed your life since you got saved? Discuss.
unto salvation - 1:16 - Everyone who believes the gospel gets saved, Luke 8:12, John 5:24, 6:47, Acts 16:30-31, 1 Cor 1:21, 15:1-6, Rom 10:9-10, 13. God made sure that the gospel itself contains the call plus all the power necessary for anyone who believes it to be saved, 1 Peter 1:23. Paul never mentions or affirms Calvinism’s false philosophy of TULIP or its false teaching about eternal decrees of election and reprobation. Do you find it interesting that those Calvinist beliefs are never mentioned in the Bible? Calvinism is extra-biblical (from outside the Bible) false teaching. Calvinism is not biblical truth, is not God’s truth.
to everyone 1:16 - God’s gospel is for ALL. Salvation is not just for a few elect people through eternal decrees of election and then, reprobation for everyone that God didn’t choose, like Calvinism teaches, 1 Tim 2:4-6, 2 Peter 2:1. The only qualifier on the gospel is, you must believe it. Are you saved? Have you believed God’s glorious gospel?
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 34
7. Since the gospel is for everyone, do I have a responsibility to preach the gospel to the lost, Matthew 28:18-20? ______________________
that believeth - 1:16 -- The gospel must be believed. God made the gospel itself to convey the power to believe to all that hear it. According to Jesus, believing the gospel is our human responsibility. Jesus commands us to believe and expects us to obey His command, Mark 1:15, Acts 17:30-31, 2 Pet 3:9. We do the believing  and God does the saving. We believe in our heart to receive God's gift of righteousness and salvation, Rom 5:17, 6:23, 10:9-10. The way you accept God’s truth is believing in your heart.
8. What is the difference between intellectual belief and believing unto salvation? ______________________________________________
You can have intellectual belief without acting on your belief. Heart belief moves beyond intellectual belief or mere head knowledge because heart belief compels you to act on your belief and receive Jesus as your Savior. Obey your conscience and receive Jesus Christ!
to the Jew first - 1:16 - A demonstration of God’s amazing grace! The Jews rejected their Messiah, John 1:11, and cried out for Him to be crucified, Matthew 27:22, Luke 23:21, John 19:14-16. 
9. Why did the Jews as a nation reject their Messiah? _____________ 10. Are disobedient professing Christians in the 21st century in danger of rejecting Jesus like the Jews did, Luke 19:14? _________________ 11. Do we call Jesus Lord yet rebel against His leading? ___________
God sent His good news to the Jews first. Jews heard the beginning of the gospel in Acts 2:5-11. Gentiles got the gospel in Acts 10. Today the gospel goes to everyone without distinction, Romans 10:12-13.
"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life,  lo, we turn to the Gentiles." Acts 13:46.
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 35
Why was it necessary that the gospel go to the Jews first?
 1.  The gospel had to go to the Jews first because "SALVATION is of the JEWS," John 4:22. Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. Since salvation is of the Jews it is fitting that the glorious message of salvation should go FIRST to the Jews.    2.  The gospel had to go to the Jews first because of Matthew 1:21. "He shall save his people from their sins.”     3. The gospel had to go to the Jews first because it was the Jews who were given the Hebrew Scriptures, the 39 books of our Old Testament, Romans 3:1-2, 9:4. 
The Jews, of all people, should have recognized their Messiah and should have acknowledged Him as their Lord. Paul’s habit on the Sabbath was to go into Jewish synagogues to reason with them from scripture, showing them clearly that Jesus of Nazareth was their promised Messiah. 
 4. The gospel had to go to the Jews first because of God’s incredible grace. Did the Jews deserve to hear the gospel FIRST? They were the ones who rejected and crucified their Messiah, Matthew 27:22; Acts 2:23; 2:36; 3:14-15; 5:30; 7:52; 10:39; 13:27-28; 1 Cor. 2:8; Zech. 12:10; 1 Thess. 2:14-16. 
Perhaps the Jews should have been the last to hear the gospel. They had rejected their Messiah yet God did not reject them. How gracious of God to reach out first to the Jews. When Israel’s sin was greatest, God’s grace was greater, Romans 5:20.
Review Questions
1. Who wrote the book of Romans? _______ 2. Approximately what year was Romans written? _______ 3. Where was Paul when he wrote Romans? _______ 4. Had Paul ever been to Rome? _______ 5. Had Peter ever been to Rome? _______ 6. How large was the population of first century Rome? _______ 7. Was ancient Rome Christian or pagan? _______
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 36
8. Was ancient Rome friendly to the gospel of Christ? _______ 9. What is an apostle? ________________________ 10. Are there any biblical apostles today? _______ 11. Paul was (1) a servant, (2) an apostle and (3) separated unto the gospel. Which two of those are you? ___________ ___________ 12. What is the Greek word for gospel? __________ 13. εὐαγγέλιον or euanggelion or yoo-ang-ghel'-lee-on means good news or gospel. T or F? 14. Summarize the gospel in your own words, 1 Cor 15:3-8. 15. What is the great theme of Romans? R___________________  16. What is the central message of Christianity? ___ ___________  17. What is the gospel of God? _____________________________ 18. How many times is gospel used in the Old Testament? _______  18. What is the good news of salvation? _______________________  19. What message did Paul preach wherever he went? ___  ________ 20. How did the church’s greatest enemy become the church’s greatest apostle? _________________________________________ 21. What caused the amazing transformation described in Galatians 1:23? ______________________________________________  22. How did Saul the persecutor become Paul the "servant of Jesus Christ," Rom 1:1? ______________________________________ 23. What caused the conversion of Saul of Tarsus? See 1 Corinthians 9:1 -- "have I not SEEN Jesus Christ our Lord" and compare Acts 9:3-6 and 1 Cor. 15:8. _________________________________  24. Did Paul have a personal encounter with Jesus? _____________ 25. Name the three I AMs of Paul in Romans i. _________________ ii. ______________________  iii. ___________________________ 26. Name two things revealed in the Gospel,   The ______________________ of God, Romans 1:17.  The ______________________ of God, Romans 1:18.
27. Circle the one thing that is the power of God unto salvation, 1:16.
Sincerity - Love - Faith - Truth - the Gospel - Respect - Happiness
28. Why was Paul NOT ashamed of the Gospel, 1:16? _____________ 29. Are you ever ashamed of the Gospel? _______________________ 30. Is preaching the gospel a weak or powerful way to witness? _____ 31. Is saying, ‘God loves you,’ preaching the gospel? ______________ 32. Is inviting someone to Bible study preaching the gospel? ________
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 37
33. Why did Paul describe the gospel as powerful? ________________ 34. Does God always answer prayers in the way we think He will? ____ 35. Does our disobedience sometimes cause us to take long detours from God’s perfect plan for us? ____________________________ 36. How can we avoid long detours from God’s plan? ______________ 37. What is revealed in the gospel, Romans 1:17? ________________  38. How does the gospel reveal the righteousness of God? _________
Jesus dying on Calvary’s cross is  God’s perfect plan to make everything right.
Calvary is where God makes everything right, Romans 3:25. Past sins cast long shadows. For four thousand years of OT history, from Adam to Christ, God had been forgiving “sins that are past” based on animal sacrifices but those sins were only covered. They were not taken away. At the appropriate time, in the fullness of time, Galatians 4:4, God sent forth His Son.
Upon the cross where Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied; His blood was shed for you and me, Amazing grace has set us free! The bleeding Lamb upon the Cross Bore all God's wrath that day; The guiltless for the guilty, slain, To take our sins away. - rb
Therein - in the gospel (see v. 16). How is the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel? ___________________________________
The righteousness of God - The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel by the fact that God didn’t just ignore our sins. On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His precious blood. Giving His life, Leviticus 17:11, as the sacrifice for our sins perfectly satisfied the demands of God’s justice. Our sins were paid for by the shed blood of Jesus, God the Son. God the Father accepted the payment Jesus made for our sins because Jesus’ death appeased God’s wrath against our sins. When we are satisfied with the payment Jesus  made for our sins and receive Him as our Savior, God the Holy Spirit applies the payment to our account, forgives all our sins, imputes to us
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 38
the perfect righteousness of Christ and baptizes us into the body of Christ by spiritual (not water) baptism, 1 Cor 12:13. 
On our own, we do not have any righteousness that God will accept, Rom 3:10, and we need that kind of righteousness, 1 Cor 6:9. How can we get the righteousness we need? We receive it as a free gift from God, Romans 5:17, 6:23. 
from faith to faith - God’s righteousness is only received by faith. Faith comes before salvation. Calvinists have it backwards. They teach that God has to save you before you can repent, before you can believe, before you can have faith, even though that backwards order is never found in the Bible. God used Romans 1:17 to open the eyes of Martin Luther. As he meditated on this verse, it suddenly dawned on him that justification was BY FAITH, not by human effort, not by good works, not by sacraments, not by church rituals or religion but only by faith in Jesus Christ. 
Luther said: "God does not want to save us by our own (righteousness) but by an extraneous righteousness, one that does not originate in ourselves but comes to us from beyond ourselves, which does not arise on earth but comes from heaven."  Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans.
from faith to faith - Repetition of words and thoughts is a Hebrew poetic device, Psalm 16:11, 42:7, Jer 4:19, 6:14, 8:11, Ez 7:26. Paul was a “Hebrew of the Hebrews,” Philippians 3:5, and sometimes repeats words and thoughts for emphasis, to intensify the idea he describes so that it sticks in our mind, for example: Romans 4:18, hope to hope and 2 Corinthians 2:16, death to death and life to life. 
from faith to faith - We are saved by faith and God expects us to keep living our Christian life by faith, Gal 2:20, Heb 11:6. Faith is essential to our spiritual growth. If you’re not walking by faith, you’re not experiencing much spiritual growth. Learn to trust God by faith.
Some believe Paul means from Old Testament faith to New Testament faith, from the law to the gospel, from Israel to the church. If that is his meaning, he compares and contrasts the works righteousness of the OT with the grace righteousness of the NT. Under OT law, they did
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 39
not have the imputed righteousness of Christ that Christians enjoy after the resurrection of Christ. OT works righteousness came from living it and was earned in the OT under law vs. imputed as a free gift of God’s grace in the NT when we believe on Jesus, Deu 6:17, 18, 25, 1 Kings 8:32, 2 Chr 6:23, Job 27:6, Ps 18:20, 112:3, 9, Isa 38:3, Ez 18:20, Luke 1:6.
the just shall live by faith - righteousness by faith alone and entirely without works was foreshadowed in the OT by men like Abraham and in verses like Habakkuk 2:4. Living by faith means we stop having faith in our religion and our works righteousness. We stop trying to earn salvation by our own merits. Instead, we trust the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, a righteousness we don’t deserve and didn’t earn for ourselves.
What happened on the cross  for everyone who is saved? 
God treated Christ as if He had lived my wretched sinful life so that He could treat me as if I had lived Christ’s spotless perfect life. Discuss.
If you will spend time repeating that to yourself and meditating on it, your Christian life will radically change for the better! Our sins were imputed to Christ, as if He had committed them and He suffered the wrath of God as our Substitute, enduring punishment we deserved. Conversely, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us who believe, as if we had lived the holy sinless life of Christ and we stand before God fully justified, as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself. Discuss.
If we deny that our guilt was transferred to or imputed to Christ and He bore its penalty, we deny the gospel and the basis of our justification by faith. If our guilt was not imputed to Christ and paid for on the cross, if Jesus didn’t suffer the wrath of God that we deserved, how can Jesus’ righteousness be imputed to us for our justification? 
For that matter, what happened to the wrath of God if Jesus didn’t suffer God’s wrath on the cross? If Jesus didn’t appease the wrath of God by His death on the cross, God’s wrath is still unappeased yet 2 Cor 5:14-21 is clear that God is reconciled, meaning His wrath is appeased. This doctrine of justification by faith became one of the
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 40
three great pillars of the Protestant Reformation. The other two were the supreme authority of the Bible (not the church) and the universal priesthood of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Romans 1:18 - The wrath of God - God’s love is much more popular than God's wrath. That Jesus had to die to appease God’s wrath is an incredible revelation both of God’s wrath and God’s amazing grace.      Love sent my savior to die in my stead;   Why should He love me so?   Meekly to Calvary's cross He was led;   Why should He love me so?       Nails pierced His hands and His feet for my sin;   Why should He love me so?   He suffered sore my salvation to win;   Why should He love me so?      O how He agonized there in my place;   Why should He love me so?   Nothing withholding my sin to efface;   Why should He love me so?       Why should He love me so?   Why should my Savior to Calvary go?   Why should He love me so?   - Robert Harkness, 1880-1961
The logic of teaching God’s wrath
A. First the diagnosis, then the cure. The bad news is, God hates sin. The good news is, Jesus died for sinners and God justifies the ungodly, Romans 4:5. But we must start with God’s hatred. First the diagnosis, then the cure. There is no reason to seek treatment if you don't know you are sick. Learning of God’s wrath encourages us to receive the free gift of God’s grace, Romans 5:17, 6:23.
This is not "God hates the sin but loves the sinner." Does that sound bite phrase mean God's displeasure is against sin but not against the sinner? Would anyone argue that God is displeased with murder but
                        ©  2016-2017 by Rick Brentlinger 41
feels no displeasure toward murderers? God loves sinners, not in the sense that he does not hate them along with their sin, Psalm 5:5, 7:11, 11:5, but in the sense that he also seeks their salvation in Christ. "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still." Isaiah 9:12, 21. God's attitude toward sinners is antagonism and wrath while at the same time his good will toward them actively seeks their repentance and salvation, 2 Cor 5:18-21. That is unassailable spiritual common sense.
B. Disease before deliverance. No one seeks deliverance from the disease of sin until confronted with the wrath of God which is the consequence of sin. The wrath of God convinces us we need a Savior. Jesus said: They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31
C. Bad news before good news. Understanding the bad news helps the good news make sense. If there is no bad news, then we don't need the good news but if there is bad news, we desperately need the good news. Why tell the good news if people don't yet understand the bad news? A man needs to know he is lost and under the wrath of God before he can understand he is a sinner who needs to be saved from sin, hell and the wrath of God. Remember Romans 4:15 - the law worketh wrath and Galatians 3:24 - the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutworking

Work is honorable, Scripture says, no matter what kind of occupation you have. Honest toil, done in a joyful spirit, is like a prayer to God . Draw strength and encouragement from these Bible verses for working people.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutread
The Bible doesn't say anything about mind reading or psychic powers. It forbids going to the dead for advice and it forbids casting spells. It doesn't sound like you are dealing with either one. Sometimes people have what is called "good intuition.".
What does the Bible say about mind reading and people with ...

www.christianforums.com/threads/what-does-the-bible-say-about-mind-reading …
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutbooks
Revelation 1:3 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
Hebrews 4:12-16 ESV / 5 helpful votes
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Colossians 4:16 ESV / 5 helpful votes
And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 ESV / 5 helpful votes
For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
Luke 12:33-34 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Jeremiah 23:29 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutpsychologist
58 Bible Verses about Psychology. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV / 70 helpful votes. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutcollege
College


James 3:16-17 ESV / 7 helpful votes
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
Proverbs 22:24-25 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.
Proverbs 1:7 ESV / 5 helpful votes
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Deuteronomy 6:4-8 ESV / 5 helpful votes
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deuteronomy 4:6 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
whatdoesthebiblesayabouthead

1 Corinthians 11:4-16

There is only one passage in the Bible that addresses head coverings. That is 1 Corinthians 11:4-16. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutcontinue
Matthew 7:13-14 ESV / 2 helpful votes
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 5:48 ESV / 2 helpful votes
You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:21-22 ESV / 2 helpful votes
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:9 ESV / 2 helpful votes
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Matthew 4:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Matthew 4:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Matthew 4:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes
But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
2 Chronicles 15:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes
But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutreading
The Bible doesn't say anything about mind reading or psychic powers. It forbids going to the dead for advice and it forbids casting spells. It doesn't sound like you are dealing with either one. Sometimes people have what is called "good intuition."
What does the Bible say about mind reading and people with ...

www.christianforums.com/threads/what-does-the-bible-say-about-mind-reading …
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutdevelop
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutwriting
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 “Take...
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutnight
Finally, the Bible teaches that there is a time to sacrifice sleep for a greater spiritual good. Jesus regularly rose early to pray and even prayed all night on occasion ( Luke 6:12 ), recognizing that sometimes communion with God is more necessary for His children than physical rest.
Does the Bible Say Anything About Sleep Habits? | The ...

biblemesh.com/blog/does-the-bible-say-anything-about-sleep-habits/
whatdoesthebiblesayabouttranslate
What Does the Bible Say About..Bible Versions?
www.minuteswithmessiah.com/question/bestversion.html

But mistranslating the Bible is not changing the original wording. I would have to have examples in order to answer your question fully. Your second question was which Bible I would say was the best to study. I think the best one is the one that is easiest for you to understand, with some qualifications. I do not usually recommend translations ...
What does the Bible say about trust? | GotQuestions.org
https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-trust.html

Jan 02, 2020 · Question: "What does the Bible say about trust?" Answer: The words translated “trust” in the Bible literally mean “a bold, confident, sure security or action based on that security.” Trust is not exactly the same as faith, which is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Rather, trusting is what we do because of the faith we have been given.
What Does the Bible Say About Scripture?
https://www.openbible.info/topics/scripture

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 166 helpful votes. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for …
Romans 15:4 ESV / 93 helpful votes. For whatever was written in former days was written for our …
Romans 10:17 ESV / 75 helpful votes. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word …
Isaiah 55:11 ESV / 64 helpful votes. So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not …
See full list on openbible.info
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutcrying fit

Ecclesiastes 3:4
 Chapter
 Parallel
 Compare
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Ecclesiastes 7:6
 Chapter
 Parallel
 Compare
6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 10:19
 Chapter
 Parallel
 Compare
19 A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything.
Genesis 21:6
 Chapter
 Parallel
 Compare
6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

whatdoesthebiblesayaboutclass
https://www.openbible.info/topics/social_class

1 Timothy 6:9-10 ESV / 30 helpful votes. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a …
Galatians 3:28 ESV / 26 helpful votes. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor …
Mark 8:36 ESV / 24 helpful votes. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit …
Proverbs 28:6 ESV / 19 helpful votes. Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich …
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutmusicians & singers

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Musicians

21 Bible Verses about Musicians Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem; and they served in their office according to their order.
https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-music.html

Jan 02, 2020 · Question: "What does the Bible say about music?". Answer: Music is an inherent part of every society. The unearthly sounds of throat-singing in Mongolia and Siberia are as important to their cultures as Bach is to European cultures or drum-driven song and dance are to Native American cultures.
What does the Bible say about crying?
100 Bible Verses about Crying. Revelation 21:4 ESV / 315 helpful votes. Isaiah 41:10 ESV / 183 helpful votes. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
What Does the Bible Say About Crying?

www.openbible.info/topics/crying
whatdoesthebiblesayaboutidols.

Scripture strongly advises against the following of idols other than God. Idolatry, in this sense, means abandoning the way of God for another aim. The Bible says we should put living in a righteous manner above all other pursuits of the flesh and mind.
Reference: www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-idolatry/