ROMANS 1


     Before we begin in the book of Romans we need to take a look at
the penman, Paul. Paul was also known by Saul. Saul means asked and
this was the name he was using when he was persecuting the Christians.
The name Paul means little. His Jewish name was Saul and his Roman
name was Paul.  I personally believe that Saul stopped using that name
when he was saved by Jesus Christ, and used the name Paul from then
on. He was a native of Tarsus, a city of Celicia. Paul was Jewish (in
fact a Pharisee). He was from the tribe of Benjamin. Philippians 3:5
"Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, [of] the tribe of
Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;"
Paul was also a Roman citizen.  His father was a Roman.

     Paul was such a controversial figure that I feel our time will be
well spent looking into his background. Paul was an educated man.  He
had studied in Jerusalem in a Jewish school under Gamaliel. We will
see in Paul's teachings some leftovers from that early learning of the
law.  Remember Paul was a Roman citizen, from Tarsus, a Pharisee of
the Hebrews.  This may explain what he says in I Corinthians 9:19 "For
though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto
all, that I might gain the more." I Corinthians 9:20 "And unto the
Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are
under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under
the law;" I Corinthians 9:21 "To them that are without law, as without
law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that
I might gain them that are without law." I Corinthians 9:22 "To the
weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all
things to all [men], that I might by all means save some."

     This should make it easier for all of us to understand the
seemingly discrepancies in Paul's writings. He does not say the same
thing all the time, because he is speaking to people who have
different customs. Paul tries to reach them at their level of
understanding at the time. He establishes a church in Philippi with 2
women in high position and then writes the Corinthian church for women
to be silent in church. In this same 1 Corinthians we read that women
should have their head covered when they prophesy in the church. I
Corinthians 11:5 "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." I Corinthians 11:15 "But if a woman have long
hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is given her for a
covering."

     Paul fights for the new Christian doctrine of not having to keep
the old Mosaic law and then observes it himself. The reason for this
is not that he is doubleminded, but that as I said, he is keeping the
customs of each person he ministers to. Paul was not really a hater of
women as many thought, for he travelled with women ministers who
worked with him. When God sent him to Macedonia, he ministered to the
women on the Sabbath and Lydia and her family were saved. He moved
into Lydia's house and established a church there. Acts 16:12 "And
from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of
Macedonia, [and] a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain
days." Acts 16:13 "And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a
river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and
spake unto the women which resorted [thither].  "Acts 16:14 "And a
certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of
Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord
opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul."
Acts 16:15 "And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought
[us], saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come
into my house, and abide [there]. And she constrained us."  It really
appears from this that Lydia was a leader of this church in her home.

     Paul never married, but it was not because he hated women but
because he was so busy working for God. All of chapter 7 of first
Corinthians is about this very thing.

     Many of the people of our day have deified Paul and that is very
dangerous. It appears to me that this is very similar to what the Jews
did about John the Baptist. John the Baptist was more acceptable to
the Jews than Jesus was. If we Christians are not careful we will
forget also that Jesus Christ the Son of God is the focal point of the
entire Bible, John the Baptist was a messenger (a truly great servant
of God), but Jesus was the Message. The messenger is not more
important than the Message. Paul was a servant of Jesus as we read in
his own words Romans 1:1 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to
be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God," The One served is
greater than the servant. Paul is not at fault in this, we Christians
are. We must worship God alone.  Paul's writings are really important
(some of my favorites).  We certainly do not want to down play them at
all.  Tremendous teachings of the basic Christian walk are taught in
the books he penned. Gentiles owe much of their church beginnings to
him and Peter.

     Paul was a tentmaker by trade and even worked as a tentmaker
while he ministered. He tried to make his own way so that he was not
subject to any particular church.  Philippians 4:12 "I know both how
to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things
I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and
to suffer need." Paul was satisfied with whatever he had. He did not
complain.

     Paul was a very special man. He went into the desert for 3 years
after his encounter with Jesus and was taught of the Holy Spirit of
God.  Galatians 1:16 "To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him
among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:"
Galatians 1:17 "Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were
apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto
Damascus."  Galatians 1:18 "Then after three years I went up to
Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days." Paul was
also carried away into heaven at one point. II Corinthians 12:1 "It is
not expedient for me doubtless to glory.  I will come to visions and
revelations of the Lord." II Corinthians 12:2 "I knew a man in Christ
above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or
whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one
caught up to the third heaven."  II Corinthians 12:3 "And I knew such
a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God
knoweth;)" II Corinthians 12:4 "How that he was caught up into
paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a
man to utter."  II Corinthians 12:5 "Of such an one will I glory: yet
of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities."

     Paul had been an arrogant man before he met Jesus, but he became
humble to the point of calling himself chief among sinners. I Timothy
1:15 "This [is] a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
Jesus had called Paul to a life of suffering. Acts 9:15 "But the Lord
said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear
my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:"
Acts 9:16 "For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my
name's sake." We see that Paul himself lists some of these sufferings
in 11 Corinthians 11:23 "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a
fool) I [am] more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure,
in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft." II Corinthians 11:24 "Of the
Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one." II Corinthians
11:25 "Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;" II
Corinthians 11:26 "[In] journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in]
perils of robbers, [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils
by the heathen, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the
wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren;"
II Corinthians 11:27 "In weariness and painfulness, in watchings
often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and
nakedness." II Corinthians 11:28 "Beside those things that are
without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the
churches."  We also see in this verse above that his greatest
suffering was for the churches he started. Some of these churches were
the church at Corinth, the church at Ephesus, and the church at
Philippi.

     Paul helped establish the doctrine for the Christians when he
fought so hard the Jews and even went to Jerusalem to get the last
word from Peter stating that believers in Christ were not to
circumcise males and were not to keep the Mosaic law. Chapter 15 of
Acts tells of all they were to do in the way of a doctrine. Acts 15:20
"But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of
idols, and [from] fornication, and [from] things strangled, and [from]
blood."

     Paul's part in the founding of Christianity must be admired. He
went on 3 missionary journeys establishing churches. He spent more
time at Ephesus than any other of these places. On one visit he stayed
two and one half years there. Much of his writing was done from Rome
where he was under house arrest for a lengthy time.

     Paul was a full apostle of Christ. Apostle really means (one sent
with a special message.) Paul certainly fell into that category. He
not only preached, but healed the sick as well. Paul covered a great
deal of the known world at that time also. He fulfilled the commission
that Jesus gave in Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

     Paul carried a company with him every where he went to preach.
Philippians 4:3 "And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those
women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and
[with] other my fellowlabourers, whose names [are] in the book of
life." We see also at Antiock, Paul and Barnabos were ordained for
their missionary work together. This can be found in Acts in chapter
13 and 14. John Mark ministered for a short time with Paul and
Barnabas. Luke (who wrote the books of Acts went with Paul on these
missionary journeys and even went to Rome with him. Many times in
Acts, Luke (the beloved physician),  when he speaks of Paul`s
journeys,  says we.

     Perhaps Paul was closer to Timothy than any of these others. He
loved Timothy so much that he speaks of him as a son. II Timothy 1:2
"To Timothy, [my] dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, [and] peace, from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." This was not Paul`s son in
the flesh, but in the spirit. Paul took Timothy as a youth and trained
him for a minister of Jesus Christ. We would go on and on like Dorcas
who many believe helped Paul financially. He was popular among the
followers of Jesus.

     Paul was sorry that he had consented to the stoning of Stephen.
He and Peter had a few differences which were settled quickly. Paul
worked diligently for the Lord Jesus Christ and His church after he
received the Lord. At the end Paul was able to say in II Timothy 4:7
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept
the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at
that day."  We will finish the last of verse 8 out in  saying O that I
might be like Paul and receive this crown of righteousness. The end of
verse 8 of 2nd Timothy chapter 4.  II Timothy 4:8 "Henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all
them also that love his appearing." The part here that says unto all
them also that love his appearing, I truly hope includes me.



                                 Notes












                             Questions  1

1.  What was Paul's name from the beginning?
2.  What does Paul mean?
3.  What does Saul mean?
4.  Which of these names was his Roman name?
5.  Where was Saul a native of?
6.  What nationality was Paul?
7.  What was his religious group called?
8.  What tribe was Paul from?
9.  How could Paul claim to be a Roman?
10. Where had Paul been educated and by whom?
11. What does 1 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 19 through 22 tell us
    about Paul?
12. Why does Paul not say the same thing all the time?
13. Name 2 controversial things Paul did.
14. What does Paul observe each place he ministers?
15. What woman's house did Paul live in in Philippi?
16. Which Scripture explains Paul's belief about not marrying?
17. Who did the Jews accept better than they did Jesus?
18. Who is the focal point of the entire Bible?
19. What was Paul's way of making a living?
20. Why did he not live off the church?
21. How many years did Paul study in the desert?
22. Where do we find the Scripture that tells of Paul being carried to
    heaven?
23. What showed Paul's humbleness?
24. Acts chapter 9 verses 15 and 16 tell that Paul was called to a
    life of ____.
25. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 23 through 28 what sufferings
    of Paul are listed?
26. Name 3 specific churches Paul started.
27. When did Paul help establish the doctrine of the Christians?
28. Acts chapter 15 verse 20 gives the doctrine, what is it?
29. How many missionary journeys did Paul go on?
30. What was the longest time he spent at any of these churches?
31. Where did he spend the most time?
32. Much of his writings were done from where?
33. What is an apostle?
34. Quote Mark chapter 16 verse 15.
35. Name some who travelled with Paul.
36. Who ordained Paul and Barnabus?
37. How do we know that Luke travelled with Paul?
38. Which of the friends of Paul was he the closest to?
39. What does Paul call him in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 2?
40. In what sense could this be?
41. What troubled Paul?
42. Who did Paul disagree with sometime?
43. What was Paul able to say at the end that can be found in
    2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 7 and 8?
44. Not to me only, but unto whom?