Brian Simmons - Romans: Grace and Glory

Romans: Grace and Glory

The Passion Translation

Translated directly from the original Greek and Aramaic texts by Dr. Brian Simmons

Published by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

www.broadstreetpublishing.com

2015 The Passion Translation

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5027-2 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5028-9 (e-book)

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Printed in the United States of America

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Author: The Apostle Paul

Audience: The Church of Rome

Date: AD 5557

Type of Literature: Ancient historical letter and theological essay

Major Themes: The gospel; salvation; the love of God; justification; Gods righteousness; the law; life in the flesh vs. the Spirit; the destiny of Israel

Outline:

Letter Opening 1:117

The Human Condition 1:183:20

The Gospel Solution 3:215:21

The Gospel Freedom 6:18:39

The Gospel and Israel 9:111:36

The Gospel and Our New Life 12:115:13

Letter Closing 15:1416:27

What you are about to read is a 2,000-year-old letter, penned by the apostle Paul and inspired by the Holy Spirit. You will be stirred, challenged, perhaps even corrected, as you read this enlightening letter. Pauls gospel was the gospel of grace and glory. When you receive the grace of God by faith, righteousness is birthed within your life.

The love of God is so rich; it leaves our hearts full of heaven. When we believe in Jesus Christ he pours his Holy Spirit into our hearts until every sense of abandonment leaves us. We become children of God, sons and daughters of glory, who follow the Lamb.

Do you want to be enriched and discover the heavenly treasures of faith, grace, true righteousness, and power? Plug into the book of Romans and youll never feel the same again. Truth always sets the heart free, and nothing can free you more than the truth found in Romans. Grace and glory are waiting for you to unwrap and make your own. Live in the truths of Romans and watch how Gods love sets you free!

The Protestant Reformation and the Wesleyan Revival both were born out of the revelation of righteousness found in Romans. Catch the fire of truth and grace as you read through Pauls masterpiece. While preaching in Corinth, Paul dictated the letter to Tertius (16:22) and entrusted it to Phoebe (16:1) to deliver it to the Roman believers. Phoebe was one of the outstanding women in the church of Cenchrea, a port city very near Corinth. We can date this letter to about AD 56. You can imagine the joy that came over the church at Rome when they read Pauls letter!

I encourage you to read Romans a portion at a time, first overlooking the footnotes. Then go back and make a personal study with the hundreds of study notes we have included plus the eight-week Bible study at the end of the book. You will be blessed as you read the anointed words found herein. The romance of Romans will fill you with freedom. Freedom from sin! Freedom from self! Freedom from dead works! A new freedom is coming into your spirit as you embrace the truth of Romans!

And you did not receive the spirit of religious duty, leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the Spirit of Full Acceptance, enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, Beloved Father, Abba! For the Holy Spirit makes Gods fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being: You are Gods beloved child!

Romans 8:1516

Paul wrote Romans to communicate the grand themes of Gods grace and glory encapsulated in the gospel! No one comes into glory except by the grace of God that fills believers with his righteousness. Our clumsy attempts to please God and the works of religion are totally unable to make us holy. But God is so kind, compassionate, and gracious that he shares his righteousness with all who receive his Son, Jesus Christ. He causes his faith-filled ones to be made holy by his grace and glory! Paul wrote his letter to clearly articulate this message, to explain why he preached it, and show how it should impact Christians in their daily life and community.

Rome was the power center of the known world when Paul penned this letter. It was the most influential city on earth at that time. Although Paul had not yet been to Rome, he would one day be martyred there. So Paul wrote to these Roman Christians an important epistle filled with rich doctrines of our faith that reveal Gods heart for his people, and what must be our proper response to such sacrificial love. Pauls theology flows from the romance of God toward us. Intimacy longs for understanding and oneness. And to be intimate with the God of glory requires that we understand his heart and join him in every way.

The Gospel. Arguably the central focus of Pauls teaching ministry is what Christians call the gospel. Its also the major focus of his letter to the Church of Rome, too. In the opening sentence Paul explains that God had set him apart with the mission to unveil Gods wonderful gospel (1:1). This is one way of explaining the gospel. Here are some others: the revelation of Gods Son, the wonderful message of Jesus, the joyful message of Gods liberating power unleashed within us through Christ, the message of Christs goodness, good news, and joyful news.

The Greek word for gospel is euangelion, which simply means good news. Paul uses this word as shorthand for the amazing, joyful message of Gods saving work in Jesus Christ. The entire Christian message is wrapped up in this one word. The gospel is the message about how God has acted in the world to rescue humanity from sin and death through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. So when Paul says gospel, he means all that!