This week’s Bible study looked at the first part of Romans 1. In the introduction, Paul introduces himself and writes about the dual lineage of Jesus Christ, who is both a ‘descendant of David’ and ‘Son of God’. In discussing verse 4, we saw that the word ‘appointed’ acknowledged what was already true: Jesus did not become the Son of God at His resurrection, but His resurrection confirmed His identity.
The faith of the Roman church was being reported all over the world (vs 8) – a reflection of Jesus’s words in Luke 11:33 – “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.” We are called to be different, not for the sake of it, but to be who God created us to be.
Christians are God’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:18-21) and Peter urges us to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have when asked (1 Pet 3:15). We are all called to be witnesses to what God has done for us.
Romans 1:11 talks about the impartation of spiritual gifts, so we spent time discussing these (looking also at Acts 1:4, 2:28, 1 Cor 1:7, Romans 12:6-8 and 2 Cor 9:14-15).
In conclusion, we read that Paul was “not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). That kind of boldness and faith in the power of the gospel is what we all need to have.