1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

2(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

5By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

6Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

7To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

10Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

11For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

12That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

14I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

15So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16For 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.

17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

COMMENTARY by Dr. Dave Burnette

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Paul

Date Penned: (57 AD)

Overview: What to Believe (c 1-11)

Theme: Sinfulness of Humanity (c 1-3)

Message: Paul Declares the Power of the Gospel (v 1-32)

Romans 1 Commentary

(1:1-7) Greetings from Paul - Paul opens his letter to these Roman believers, most of whom he had never met, by explaining who he is and what his credentials are. Almost immediately, he directs their attention to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul knew that the resurrected Christ was the most important common denominator for him and the believers in Rome. From that common ground he introduces his plan to visit them and then plunges into one of the most detailed explanations of the Christian faith found in the Bible.

(1:8-17) God's Good News - After formally introducing himself, Paul expresses his feelings toward the Roman believers and his reasons for wanting to visit them. This would disarm objections that might be raised to his coming. Some believers in Rome might think that he was arrogant in trying to extend his influence all the way to the capital of the empire; others might think he was presumptuous in planning to teach the gospel to those who had already heard it; others might even be concerned that he lacked integrity for often expressing his desire to come to Rome but never getting there. Paul does not leave the Romans guessing—he tells them exactly why he wants to come.

(1:18-32) God's Anger at Sin - The remainder of the first chapter paints a picture of the human predicament before a holy God. These verses, when they are read aloud, sound like a list of charges being read in court. All people everywhere deserve God’s condemnation for their sin. They know they are not acknowledging their creator and are deliberately disobeying his standards. The consequences have been disastrous. Sin continues to increase. Before detailing God’s way of salvation, Paul first sets out to convince people of their lost condition and their need for a Savior.

LIFE APPLICATION by Dr. Dave Burnette

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we start the book of Romans Chapter 1. In our text today we see Paul expounding on the sinfulness of humanity, the power of the Gospel, God's anger at sin, homosexuality defined, and the lost with no excuse showing that rejecting Christ will have generational consequences. In making application we see the power of God displayed in Salvation while those who reject the Lord will see their kids and grand kids to not see the truth. How about you? Do you see that rejecting Christ will affect your family? Let us learn from our text today and the truths of Paul to see the power of God and the consequences of our decisions.