Lesson 1
Paul wrote the book of Romans as a letter to the Christians in Rome. These Roman believers were mostly Gentiles who had received the Gospel, been born again, and were committed to following the Lord. However, they were being troubled by Jewish believers who were trying to mix the Old Testament Law with Christianity.
In the early days of the church, many born-again Jews truly believed that Christianity was simply an extension of Judaism. Therefore, they considered all of the basic tenets of the Jewish faith—specifically the Old Testament Law, the dietary regulations, the rite of circumcision, and many other Jewish religious observances—to still be the foundation of their new faith in Christ. They were trying to mix the Old Covenant with the New.
Paul—the apostle of grace to the Gentiles—boldly proclaimed that circumcision and all other adherences to Jewish custom and Law were not necessary for salvation. His constant struggle with legalistic Jews (called Judaizers) is well documented in the book of Acts.
Although written for the same purpose as Romans, Paul’s letter to the Galatians contains several strong, harsh rebukes against legalism.
He started out by saying,
“If anyone preaches any other Gospel than what I preached, let them be accursed!” (Gal. 1:8, author’s paraphrase).
Then he repeated himself for emphasis (verse 9). Paul also called the Galatians “foolish” and “bewitched” (Gal. 3:1) for believing this legalistic lie, telling them that if they were trusting in such things as circumcision for their salvation (Gal. 5:3), they had fallen from grace.
Galatians 5:4 says,
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”
Romans presents these same truths, but from more of a doctrinal standpoint.
Whoever wrote Hebrews—I tend to believe it was Paul—also dealt with these very same things. Written specifically to a religious Jewish mindset, the book of Hebrews argues faith in the finished work of Christ using Jewish tradition (the Old Testament patriarchs, tabernacle, priesthood, sacrificial systems, among others) and showing how Jesus perfectly fulfilled it all.
Romans expounds the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to both Jewish and Gentile believers. It’s written to everyone! Anybody who truly understands and embraces its message will be forever changed in the way they relate to God. The revelation of God’s grace contained in Romans delivers believers from a performance mentality—which bases relationship with God on their own efforts—to a total trust and reliance upon the Lord, His goodness, and His grace. Salvation is all about God’s faithfulness—no one else’s!
This revelation is foundational for maintaining a close relationship with God. We might do good for a while, but the truth is that all of us have sinned and fallen short of His glory (Rom. 3:23). We need a Savior! We must constantly place our faith in God’s goodness, and not our own.
The Gospel
Paul opened the letter with salutations and greetings. He commended the believers in Rome for how their faith was being spoken of throughout the world. Then, after expressing his desire to visit them, he summarized the message of the entire book:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:16-17).
The first five chapters of Romans communicate how the Gospel is the power of God. It’s what produces the life of God in people.
Before we go into all of this, we need to define the word Gospel. It’s become a religious term that has actually lost a lot of its meaning today. Many people associate “Gospel” with anything that has to do with religion—specifically the Christian religion, but the word “Gospel” literally means “good tidings,” or “good news.”
The Greek word euaggelion, which was translated “gospel” in seventy-four New Testament verses, was so rare in writings outside of the New Testament that it’s only found twice in the extra-biblical manuscripts we have access to. The reason for this is because this word not only meant “good news,” but was actually describing “nearly-too-good-to-be-true news.” There wasn’t much in the world that was nearly too good to be true before Jesus came, but the biblical writers adopted this word because it was very descriptive of what the Lord did for us.
The Gospel is good news—not bad news! That definitely limits what we mean by the word “Gospel.” Many things have been promoted as “the Gospel” that aren’t good news. For instance, quite a few people in the so-called “Christian culture” of the United States associate the Gospel with teaching that says, “You’re a sinner. If you don’t repent, you’re going to hell!” Now, these are true statements. There is a heaven and a hell, a God and a devil, and you will go to hell if you don’t repent and receive salvation. But even though all of that is truth, it’s not good news.
A Free Gift
Many people have mistakenly thought that preaching on hell and scaring people out of it is the Gospel. That’s not what Paul taught in Romans. As a matter of fact, as we dig deeper into this—showing the context and who the apostle was writing to—you’ll see how that’s the complete opposite of what he was really talking about. It’s the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Rom. 2:4)!
Although it is true to tell someone that their sin has separated them from God and caused them to be worthy of eternal damnation, the “good news” is that Jesus came and bore all of our sin for us. We don’t have to atone for our own sin. We don’t have to become holy enough to earn salvation. It’s a gift.
Romans 6:23 says,
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Most of religion today majors on the first part of that verse—“For the wages of sin is death”—and calls it the Gospel. They preach their hearts out about hellfire and damnation. I know. I grew up in one of those churches. People would literally grab the pew in front of them until their knuckles turned white. They’d feel such conviction and remorse. There is a place for that, but it’s not the Gospel if all that’s presented is God’s wrath and judgment upon sin. The true Gospel specifically refers to the means by which we are saved. We’re saved by faith in what Jesus did for us—not by faith in what we do for Him.
The Gospel is God’s free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The “good news” is that God doesn’t want to send anyone to hell. You don’t have to go through a tremendous amount of religious instruction or observance. It’s a gift. All you must do is believe and receive. Believe what Jesus has done through His death, burial, and resurrection, and receive the cleansing from all your sin and the freedom and liberty it brings. That’s the Gospel!
God’s Grace
The Gospel is directly related to the grace of God. That’s the only way this forgiveness of our sins can be obtained. It wasn’t through our holiness or good works. God doesn’t take just the “good” people and save them; He justifies (extends salvation toward) the ungodly (Rom. 4:5).
This causes many problems for religious people. They say, “Wait a minute! I believe you must do this and that to be holy.” Religion—false religion, man’s concepts, not God-ordained salvation—teaches that right standing with God and blessings come as a result of our own goodness and works. It’s always preaching, “You must come to this church. You must pay your tithes, do this, and do that. And if you do all these other things, then God will accept you.” That’s anti-Gospel! It’s against the “good news” of God’s grace because it’s putting the burden of salvation on your back—and you can’t bear it. Nobody can save themselves.
That’s basically the false “Gospel” that religion preaches today. They may even talk about the “one true God” and use terminology like “God the Father.” They may even mention that Jesus is the Savior of the world who died for our sins, but at its core, it’s another “Gospel”—which is no Gospel at all (Gal. 1:7).
In Galatians, Paul angrily rebuked this perversion of the “good news.” They didn’t totally deny the foundational truths of the Gospel; they just perverted it and tried to add to it, saying, “Well, yes, Jesus is the Savior, but it’s also based on your own goodness, holiness, and performance. It’s Jesus plus you doing all of these things.” Paul declared, “No, no, no—a thousand times no! If you’re trying to be justified by anything other than faith in Christ, then you aren’t believing the true Gospel.”
The Gospel isn’t only just belief that there is salvation, but it’s also the specific method by which this salvation is obtained. “If you’ll act good and do good, then you’ll be good” is not the true Gospel.
Notice what Paul said while addressing the very first ministers’ conference at Ephesus:
“None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
Another way Paul could have said this is, “I am testifying of the Gospel—which is the good news of the grace of God.” In other words, “Gospel” and “grace” are terms that can be used interchangeably. The good news—or Gospel—is the grace of God.
Grace Equals Gospel
Someone may say, “Well, I’m preaching the Gospel: God hates sin and He’s angry at you. Repent or burn. Change your ways or you’re in big trouble!” That’s not the Gospel, because it’s not talking about the grace of God. Yes, there is a punishment for sin—but the Gospel emphasizes God’s answer to it.
Paul also uses these two terms—“gospel” and “grace”—interchangeably in Galatians. Notice how “the grace of Christ” clearly implies the Gospel:
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (Gal. 1:6).
Galatians was written for the same reason as Romans—to establish the grace of God.
The Gospel is “good news.” It specifically refers to what Jesus did for us. It’s based upon His performance, not ours. Our good works and “holiness” do not earn us salvation. We must get away from this dependence on self. It’s sad to say, but much of what is called the Gospel today is actually promoting trust in self, rather than trust in the Savior. That’s just false religion!
The Only Way to Salvation
Grace is what sets true Christianity apart from every other religion in the world. Other religions may acknowledge and worship a “one true God.” They may even agree that Jesus existed and that His teachings are admirable. They say that He was a good man, perhaps even a prophet, but definitely not God manifest in the flesh. Religion refuses to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation—right relationship with God.
Every false religion—even religious Christianity—puts the burden of salvation upon the individual. In other words, “salvation” is based upon your performance. If you live holy enough, do enough good things, observe all of these rituals and rules, then you might be able to be saved. The problem is—and Romans makes it crystal clear—that none of us can live up to those standards. We can’t save ourselves!
True Christianity is the only faith on the face of the earth that has a Savior. On Judgment Day, each one of us must stand alone before God and answer the question, “What makes you worthy to enter into My presence?” The followers of every other religion will say, “I was holy and gave to the poor. I never did these things and always did these others. I even journeyed to the holy city and performed the prescribed rituals. I prayed three times a day and fasted.” However, the Word plainly reveals that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). Who wants to be the best sinner that ever went to hell? Therefore, you simply cannot trust in yourself for salvation.
However, a born-again believer would answer that same question differently. They’d say, “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I’m trusting completely in His goodness and His performance. It’s definitely not anything I’ve done. I get in based on what He did for me through His death, burial, and resurrection.” Now that’s the right approach!
