The Open Word

Paul continues his charges against the religious Jew by showing that the rite of circumcision, one of the marks of what the Jews would consider as proof of their right standing before God, means nothing without a circumcised heart. In fact, Paul states it is better to be an uncircumcised Gentile with a circumcised heart, than a circumcised Jew with an uncircumcised heart. Being a true Jew is not a matter of externals, but one of an internal heart change before God.

Having brought charges against the heathen who do not have any knowledge of God's special revelation in His word, and the educated moral man that has a innate sense of right and wrong, Paul now turns to the Jews. His charges against them are even more severe as they not only have the inward revelation of God in their conscience, but they also have the written word of God and know exactly what God wants. Because of this, they are the most responsible and most condemned of all the groups Paul has brought before the bar of God.

Paul continues his case against the moral, educated person by showing that their innate sense of right and wrong speaks of a moral code to which they are responsible. Just knowing the code is not good enough - one must live by it. The fact that men violate their inborn sense of right and wrong is enough to condemn them before the bar of God.

We continue Paul's indictment of the Moral person - the one who has a knowledge of God, right, and wrong and yet believes that someone makes them better than the pagan person with no knowledge of God. Far from being in a better standing before God - the Moral person is in fact under greater condemnation.

We begin a new chapter in Romans in which Paul turns his attention away from men who have no special revelation of God to those who do have a knowledge of God and a knowledge of right and wrong. His conclusion is that it is more serious to know what God wants and not do it, than to not know God at all.

In this session we end the first of Paul's three indictments of mankind, the indictment against the heathen who do not have the special revelation of God but do have the general revelation as found in nature.

Paul continues his discussion on the guilt of mankind by showing the downward moral trend when a society abandons God and exchanges Him for idols.

We continue a look at Paul's condemnation of those that do not have the special revelation of God even though the have His general revelation in nature, and as such are still responsible to God to live up to the light that they have.

We begin a study of Paul's indictment of all mankind by examining the first group on the docket - the heathen who do not have the special revelation of God - only the general.

Perhaps two of the most important verses in Romans are the subject of our study in this session. These two verses, Romans 1:16-17, are the verses that Martin Luther struggled with until he understood the great truth of justification by faith alone. It is safe to say these two verses were the spark that lit the fires of the reformation.