Paul wrote the book of Romans to the church in Rome, and addressed the Jewish believers mostly. Paul had not been to Rome yet, but he knew he would go, and ultimately die there.
Romans 1
(v.1) The name, Paul, means little one in Greek. Paul counted himself little in comparison to God, and knew that he was saved from hell by the grace of Christ. He was an apostle, which means that he was sent forth with authority from God to preach the Gospel.
(v.19) Everyone has a spirit, and that spirit seeks God. He has revealed Himself, in one way or another, to everyone. What we do from there is the most fateful decision in our lives. If we accept and seek God, He will save us and work in us. But if we push Him away, and want to be our own god, then we will die in our sins.
(v.20) You may have heard someone ask, "Does God send people who have never heard of Jesus to hell?" The answer is, "It depends." The reason it's not a simple answer, is everyone has a understanding that there was a Designer to this universe. We see examples of that daily by seeing the human body, the seasons change, the incredible beauty and complexity of life. No matter if a person is in a dense jungle and never heard of Jesus, they are faced with the same decision we all have...there must be a Designer to all this! If a person believes and accepts that, then they are saved. But if a person refuses to believe the obvious evidence of God, then they are doomed to hell...by their own choice!
(v.22) Whenever I read this verse, it makes me think of the "intellectuals" in academia and the ruling elite. They have man's wisdom, which is utterly foolish compared to God's Wisdom. It also makes me think of this verse:
The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. ~ Psalm 14:1
(v.25) So many Environmentalists have done what is described in this verse...they have come to worship the creation, instead of the Creator. Don't get me wrong, as Christians, we are to treat the earth and all God's creation well, but we are NEVER to put the creation ahead of the Creator in importance!
(v.27) Homosexuals and Heterosexuals are sinners alike. Unless we have Jesus, we are all doomed to hell in our sins. However, God ordained and blessed marriage between one man, and one woman...in order to make babies that will grow up to praise God. Homosexuality is an abomination to God, for it betrays the purpose of marriage and sex.
With that said, we Christians are to love and respect homosexuals, but we are never to tolerate or equate their lifestyle with heterosexual marriage. To tolerate is to accept, and that is sinning against God. We need to love the sinner, but hate the sin.
(v.32) President Bush rightly said that we are at war with terrorists and regimes that support them. This is the same concept as this verse...if we allow sin to be common and acceptable, then we are as guilty as the ones doing the sinning.
Romans 2
(v.3) We are to discern and discriminate in our decisions in life, but only God condemns and judges the guilty. It is our job to love and encourage those lost in sin, and try to show them the love of Christ.
(v.11) God doesn't love anyone or any group of people more than another. The Jews are God's chosen people, only in the sense that He chose to reveal Himself to the world through them. They are not any more holy, righteous or good than the rest of mankind. With that said, they are His chosen people, and they deserve respect and our support. Gen 12:3
(v.24) God is tough on the Jews, for by their disobedience and idolatry has caused the Gentiles through time to resist God and call Him names by their terrible ambassadorship. This is why the Third Commandment is so important...people are watching us who are called His.
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