(Text and notes from the Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation, Tyndale 1996)
1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.
- Romans 1:1
Paul humbly calls himself Jesus Christ’s slave and an apostle (“one who is sent”). For a Roman citizen – which Paul was – to choose to be a slave was unthinkable. But Paul chose to be completely dependent on and obedient to his beloved Master. What is your attitude toward Christ, your Master? Our willingness to serve and obey Jesus Christ enables us to be useful and usable servants to do work for him - work that really matters.
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And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
God’s Good News
8 Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. 9 God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
10 One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. 11 For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. 12 When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.
- Romans 1:6-12
Paul showed his love for the Roman Christians by expressing God’s love for them and his own gratitude and prayers for them. To have an effect on people’s lives, you first need to love them and believe in them. Paul’s passion to teach these people began with his love for them. Thank God for your Christian brothers and sisters, and let them know how deeply you care for them.
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9 God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
10 One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.
- Romans 1:9, 10
When you pray continually about a concern, don’t be surprised at how God answers. Paul prayed to visit Rome so he could teach the Christians there. When he finally arrived in Rome, it was as a prisoner. Paul prayed for a safe trip, and he did arrive safely – after getting arrested, slapped in the face, shipwrecked, and bitten by a poisonous snake. God’s ways of answering our prayers are often far from what we expect! We when sincerely pray, God will answer – although in his timing and sometimes in ways we do not expect.
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4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
- Romans 2:4
In his kindness, God holds back his judgment, giving people time to turn from their sin. It is easy to mistake God’s patience for approval of the wrong way we are living. Self-evaluation is difficult, and it is even more difficult to bring ourselves to God and let him tell us where we need to change. But as Christians we must ask God to point out our sins, so that he can heal them. Unfortunately, we are more likely to be amazed at God’s patience with others than humbled at his patience with us.
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12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. 13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. 14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
- Romans 2:12-15
People are condemned not for what they don’t know but for that they do with what they know. Those who know God’s written Word and his law will be judged by them. Those who have never seen a Bible still know right from wrong, and they will be judged because they violated those standards that their own consciences dictated. God’s law is written within them.
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Psalm 9
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
2 I will be filled with joy because of you.
I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies retreated;
they staggered and died when you appeared.
4 For you have judged in my favor;
from your throne you have judged with fairness.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have erased their names forever.
6 The enemy is finished, in endless ruins;
the cities you uprooted are now forgotten.
7 But the LORD reigns forever,
executing judgment from his throne.
8 He will judge the world with justice
and rule the nations with fairness.
9 The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD who reigns in Jerusalem.
Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.
12 For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless.
He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.
13 LORD, have mercy on me.
See how my enemies torment me.
Snatch me back from the jaws of death.
14 Save me so I can praise you publicly at Jerusalem’s gates,
so I can rejoice that you have rescued me.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.
Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set.
16 The LORD is known for his justice.
The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.
Quiet Interlude
17 The wicked will go down to the grave.
This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.
18 But the needy will not be ignored forever;
the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.
19 Arise, O LORD!
Do not let mere mortals defy you!
Judge the nations!
20 Make them tremble in fear, O LORD.
Let the nations know they are merely human.
Interlude
Verse 4- God upholds our just cause; he is our vindicator (one who clears us from criticism and justifies us before others). In this life, we may face many injustices:
1. We may be falsely accused and misunderstood by friends and enemies,
2. We may not be truly appreciated by others for the love we show,
3. The true value of our work and service may not be duly rewarded,
4. Our ideas may be ignored.
But God is to be praised, for he sees and remembers all the good we do, and it is up to him to decide the timing and the appropriateness of our rewards. If we do not trust him to vindicate us, then we will be susceptible to hated and self-pity. If we do trust him, we can experience God’s peace and be free from the worry of how others perceive us and treat us.
Verse 10 - God will never abandon those who seek him. God’s promise does not mean that if we trust in him we will escape loss or suffering, it means that God himself will never leave us no matter what we face.
Verses 13, 14 - All of us want God to help us when we are in trouble, but often for different reasons. Some want God’s help so that they will be successful and other people will like them. Others want God’s help so that they will be comfortable and feel good about themselves. David, however, wanted help from God so that justice would be restored to Israel and so that he could show others God’s power. When you call to God for help, consider your motive. Is it to save yourself pain and embarrassment or to bring God glory and honor?
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1 O LORD, why do you stand so far away?
Why do you hide when I am in trouble?
- Psalm 10:1
To the psalmist, God seemed far away. But even though the writer had honest doubts, he did not stop praying or conclude that God no longer cared. He was not complaining but simply asking God to hurry to his aid. It is during those times when we feel most alone or oppressed that we need to keep praying, telling God about our troubles.
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The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked.
He hates those who love violence.
- Psalm 11:5
God does not preserve believers from difficult circumstances, but he examines (or tests) both the righteous and the wicked. For some, God’s tests become a refining fire, while for others, they become an incinerator for destruction. Don’t ignore or defy the tests and challenges that come your way. Use them as opportunities for you to grow.
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11 Sensible people control their temper;
they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.
- Proverbs 19:11
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