Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
1) What does Paul mean when he says he is “not be ashamed of the Gospel”?
2) Why is salvation first for the Jew and then for the Gentile?
3) What does it mean that the “righteous will live by faith”?
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
Original Intent
1) What does Paul mean when he says he is “not be ashamed of the Gospel”?
Paul begins these verses with a bold declaration and sets the stage for the entire letter. Paul writes this to a Roman audience, who are mainly Gentiles. The gospel Paul believes is one where the God-man was put to death as a criminal, taking the punishment we deserve for sin, and was exalted as Savior after rising from His own grave. The entire gospel hinges on the truth of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Paul’s gospel is one that was ridiculed and laughed at. Paul had many reasons to be ashamed from a worldly perspective, yet he’s not. Paul knew the truth of the Gospel. He knew Jesus, what He had done, and the salvation His sacrifice offers. Matthew Henry states in his commentary, “Paul is not ashamed of the gospel, how mean and contemptible it may appear to a carnal eye; for the power of God works by it the salvation of all that believe; it shows us the way of salvation, and is the great charter by which salvation is conveyed and made over to us.” As a result, Paul lived a life completely unashamed of his Savior and the Lord’s message of hope, no matter what came his way. Expositor’s Bible Commentary notes, “Thus with a pointed fitness he tells himself and his friends, just here, that he is “not ashamed of the Gospel.” For I am not ashamed; I am ready even for Rome, for this terrible Rome. I have a message which, though Rome looks as if she must despise it, I know is not to be despised.” Paul chose to live his life completely for Jesus because he truly understood the gift offered through Him
2) Why is salvation first for the Jew and then for the Gentile?
Paul makes a point of stating how the gospel is “first” for the Jew and “then” for the Gentile. God originally established a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15). Through this covenant, the Jewish people became God’s people. Jesus descended through the line of Abraham and was born of a Jewish woman and into a Jewish family. God remained faithful to the promise made to Abraham even though His people constantly showed unfaithfulness in return. They were the people to whom God had promised a Savior. However, once their Savior came, many didn’t recognize Him. They thought their Savior would be a world rule and overthrow the oppression of the Romans against the Jews. Instead, Jesus came to set all human beings free by His willingness to take our punishment for our sin, effectively paying the price for our freedom. Salvation through Jesus did indeed come “first” for the Jews, they were the people God had chosen through history to be His chosen ones, the special people through whom would descend the Savior. But this Savior was for all. Jesus had come not just for the Jew, but for all mankind. In this verse, Paul places both Jews and Gentiles on the same playing field. He points out all are fallen, all are in need of saving, and all can be rescued by placing their faith solely in Christ. Jesus came for both!
3) What does it mean that the “righteous will live by faith”?
No one other than God alone is righteous. Paul tells us in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned. There is not a human that has lived who blamelessly risen to the standard of God’s flawless, holy, righteousness, except Jesus. The gospel we find in the Bible clearly shows how unrighteous we are and how righteous God is. However, the choice Jesus made on Calvary to take on Himself the punishment for sin, which is death even though He was perfect and deserved no consequences, allows for forgiveness and righteousness for all mankind. Paul shares the avenue by which this righteousness becomes available… it is through faith in Christ and nothing else. Only by claiming Christ’s righteousness as our own, which He offers freely as a gift to us, taking our sin and shame for us, are we made alive for eternity.
Everyday Application
1) What does Paul mean when he says he is “not be ashamed of the Gospel”?
Paul lived his life completely sold out for the Gospel. No matter what the cost, he repeatedly chose Jesus. For Paul, living a life not ashamed meant persecution by flogging, being stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned, yet he never stopped sharing the Gospel (2 Corinthians 11:23-26). Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life changed forever. Once he encountered the Living God, he spent his life living for that Savior. Whether it was traveling on mission to share the Gospel or writing letters from prison, Paul never became ashamed. We can learn from this example. Often times as believers we allow our fear and insecurity to take control and in those moments, we convey a shame of the precious gospel. The opposite should be true of the life of a believer. Like Paul, we should live unashamed of the gospel of Jesus. We should trust God and lean into Him in those moments of fear and insecurity, choosing to boldly share the truth of the gospel just as Paul did. The gospel we believe in is living and active and truer than anything else. God calls us to live a life that is unashamed of the Gospel, no matter the consequences, just as Paul exemplified.
2) Why is salvation first for the Jew and then for the Gentile?
God entered into a covenant with Abraham in Genesis. This covenant promised Abraham that a people would come from his lineage, a chosen people, called out by the Almighty to proclaim Himself to the world. These descendent would be uncountable. God kept His promise and the Jews were God’s people. However, because Jesus came not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles, Abraham’s lineage continues even farther to include all who call on the name of Jesus for salvation. Just as the disciples turned their attention to the Jew and Gentiles world, obeying Jesus’ commandment to share the gospel and make disciples of all nations, so are we called to do the same. No language, nation, people group, or race should be beyond our willingness to share. Since Jesus came for all peoples, we can rest assured we share just as much in the promise of the Gospel as the Jews, while also having just as much responsibility to extend this gospel to all that Paul and the first disciples did. God loves all of us just as much as He does the Jews and we are all equally as desperate for a Savior as they are. Who can you extend this amazing hope of the gospel to?!
3) What does it mean that the “righteous will live by faith”?
I am not righteous on my own merit, no one is. Since Adam and Even sinned (Genesis 3), people have continued to be born sinners with a sinful nature. Sin is not something we simply do, it is who we are. We are corrupted sinners. Our nature is dead to righteousness and holiness. Although we are unrighteous, God is always righteous and just. His justice requires payment for my sins. Thankfully, Jesus came and took my punishment upon Himself, even though I am underserving of it. Romans 6:23 tells of the gift of Jesus, which is eternal life. Did you catch that… it is a gift, freely given. However, for my unrighteousness to be forgiven and for me to receive this gift, I must place my faith in Jesus. John 14:6 assures us there is no other way. Matthew Henry explains this verse by saying, “While God is a just and holy God, and we are guilty sinners, it is necessary we should have a righteousness wherein to appear before him; and, blessed be God, there is such a righteousness brought in by Messiah the prince and revealed in the gospel; a righteousness, that is, a gracious method of reconciliation and acceptance, notwithstanding the guilt of our sins.” We must accept Jesus and all He has done for us. Only through that faith does Christ give us righteousness. My faith (and yours) in Jesus makes me right with God nothing else. We then live righteous by faith. The question is, are we walking in that truth?
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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