Bible Commentary - Acts 21 thru Romans 14

[Littleleslie]

Bible Commentary - Acts 21 thru Romans 14


Acts Chapter 21

Paul then sailed to Cos, Rhodes, and to Patara. A ship took him over to Phoenicia. Paul saw Cyprus and passed south of it, then going on south to Syria; and finally landed at Tyre. Paul found disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they repeatedly urged Paul not to set foot in Jerusalem. The disciples and their wives and children went with them out of the city, and there on the beach they knelt to pray, and after saying good-bye to each other, we boarded the ship and they returned to their home. Paul then landed at Ptolemais and greeted the brothers there and stayed one day. The next he reached Caesarea and stayed with Philip who was one of the seven. (Acts 6:5, 8:26-40)

At Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus came from Judea. He came over and tied Paul’s hands and feet with Paul’s belt. The Holy Spirit told Agabus the Jews of Jerusalem would bind Paul and hand him over to the Gentiles. Both the Caesarean believers and Paul’s own traveling companions begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but he told them he was willing to die in Jerusalem for Jesus’ name and that the will of Jehovah will be done. Paul and those with him along with some disciples from Caesarea went to Jerusalem and received a warm welcome from the brothers there. Paul met James and the elders and reported what God done amongst the Gentiles in his ministry. All there praised God after hearing Paul’s detailed report.

Thousand of believing Jews were zealous for the law. They were told that Paul teaches Jews that live with the Gentiles to turn away from Moses and not circumcise their children or live according our customs; and these believing Jews will hear that you have come. So, Paul is told to take four men who have taken a vow and join with their purification rites. Paul is to pay for their costs to have their heads shaved. Then all will know that the rumors about Paul are false, but that you are walking orderly and you are keeping the Law. As for the believers among the nations, we have sent our decision that they should keep themselves from what is sacrificed to idols as well as from blood and what is strangled and from fornication.

When the seven days of purification were about over, some Jews created a mob and Paul was seized. Paul was dragged from the temple and the mob tried to kill him. The rioters stop beating Paul when the Roman troops came. The Roman commander arrested Paul and had him chained and led to the barracks. There, Paul told the soldiers he is a Jew from Tarsus and asked if he was allowed to say something to them. Paul got permission and, standing on the stairs, motioned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he addressed them in Hebrew.


Acts Chapter 22

The crowd quieted down when Paul spoke to them in Hebrew. Paul then gains common ground with the crowd by talking about himself. They learn Paul is a Jew born in Tarsus of Cilicia, and that he was well trained in the law of their ancestors and that he is also zealous in God. Paul persecuted the followers of Jesus and had them thrown in prison and even to death. The high priest can testify to this.

Paul now begins to share his testimony about Christ with the crowd. He tells them about the bright light and about Jesus talking to him asking Paul why he is persecuting him. He tells them about being blinded and told to go to Damascus where a man named Ananias will receive him and his sight will return.

He continues talking to the people, how Ananias tells Paul he has been chosen by the God of our fathers to be a witness to men and see the Righteous One, and to hear the voice of his mouth. He then gets baptized and had his sins washed away by calling on Jesus’ name. (Acts 10:43)

Paul recalls the time when he stood by giving approval when Stephen was martyred when he was praying at the temple in Jerusalem. He tells about being in a trance and Jesus tells Paul to leave Jerusalem because they will not believe his testimony about him. He mentions that they knew that Paul used to imprison and flog in one synagogue after another those believing upon Jesus, and when the blood of Stephen your witness was being spilled, I myself was also standing by and approving and guarding the garments of those stoning him. And yet, Jesus sends Paul far away to the Gentiles.

Hearing about the Gentiles made the crowd jealous and they began shouting at him again and throwing their outer garments around, and tossing dust into the air, and wanted to get rid of him. So the commander had Paul taken back to the barracks and said he should be scourged. They stretched him out for the whipping, and Paul asked the army officer there if it was lawful for them to scourge a man that is a Roman and was uncondemned? The Roman commander then was asked what he was intending to go, that Paul is a Roman citizen and became alarmed that he had put Paul in chains. The next day the commander went to find out why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So, he has Paul stand before the chief priests and the Sanhedrin.


Acts Chapter 23

Paul looked at the Sanhedrin and told them he has fulfilled his duty to God down to this day. The high priest Ananias upon hearing this had Paul struck in the mouth. Paul said to him God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall. Do you at the same time sit to judge me in accord with the Law, and transgressing the Law, command me to be struck? Paul then reveals to them that he is a Pharisee and that he stands trial because he has hope in the resurrection of the dead. This caused a dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees because the Pharisees believed in the resurrection. The Roman commander became afraid for Paul that he would be pulled apart by them, so he told the force of soldiers to go down and snatch him away and took him back to the barracks.

The next night the Lord told Paul to be of good courage, and told him that just as he had been giving a thorough witness about him in Jerusalem, so he would also testify about him in Rome.

Upon morning the Jews conspired to have Paul killed. About 40 men went to the chief priest and told him they would not eat or drink until they killed Paul. They wanted Paul brought before the Sanhedrin by petition and they had a plot to kill Paul before he could arrive there. But the son of Paul’s sister heard this and told Paul.

The Roman commander was told of this plot to kill Paul and order a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to take Paul to Caesarea to the Governor Felix. And so, Paul was handed over to Governor Felix. The governor agreed to hear the case when his accusers arrive. Paul was then placed under guard in the praetorian palace of Herod.


Acts Chapter 24

Five days later Paul’s accusers brought their charges against him before the governor. A lawyer named Tertullus was with the high priest and he started out speaking to Felix the judge with flattering words about how they enjoy great peace through him and reforms were taking place in the nation through his forethought, and to Felix there was great thankfulness. This flattery was a customary beginning, and then he went on to tell the governor that Paul is a troublemaker who stirs up riots all over the world because of the Jews. Tertullus goes on by stating that Paul is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect that tries to profane the temple. The Jews there agreed with Tertullus’s testimony.

Felix, the governor, then summons Paul to respond. Paul tells the governor that he went to Jerusalem to worship around twelve days ago. There he was not arguing with anyone and they cannot prove the charges they are accusing him of right now. But, Paul admits he worships the God of our fathers by being a follower of Jesus, which they call a sect. Paul asks the men to say for themselves what wrong they found as he stood before the Sanhedrin, except over the resurrection of the dead that he is today being judged before them.

Paul goes on by telling the governor that he has been gone for several years and so he came to Jerusalem to bring gifts and offering and was ceremonially clean when they found him in the temple courts. The governor then adjourns the hearing and says he will decide the case when Lysias comes in. Felix orders Paul to be kept under guard.

Days later Felix came with his Jewish third wife, the daughter of Herod Agrippa I, to listen to Paul. Paul preached to him about Jesus, righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, and Felix became afraid and had Paul taken away. Yet, Felix talked to Paul frequently, hoping for some money to be given to him by Paul. After two years, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix, and because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jews, he kept Paul bound.

Acts Chapter 25

A few days after Festus became governor of Judea in place of Felix, who had been recalled to Rome to account for the uprising that were occurring in his providence, he went to Jerusalem to meet with the chief priest and the Jewish leaders. They urged Festus to have Paul moved to Jerusalem so that they could put him to death. Festus refused to do this and told them to come with him to Caesarea and make their accusations against Paul there. At Caesarea, the Jews again leveled serious charges against Paul but had little evidence to back up the charges. Paul again denied having done anything wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.

Festus, hoping to gain favor with the Jews, asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial. Paul reminds the governor that he is standing before Caesar’s court, a right that he has as a Roman citizen. Paul also says that he is not afraid to die if he is guilty of any wrongdoing. But, since the charges were not true, no one had the right to hand him over to the Jews as a favor to them. Paul then appeals to Caesar. Festus then agrees to send Paul to Caesar.

Soon afterwards, King Herod Agrippa arrives in Caesarea for a visit with the new governor. Festus discusses Paul’s case with the King relating how Felix, his predecessor, had left Paul in prison but whom the Jewish leaders wanted condemned to death. When he had Paul accusers brought before him, he learned that their dispute involved religious matters and not criminal ones. He had hoped to send Paul to Jerusalem to be tried, but he had appealed to Caesar, so he had no other choice but to hold him until he could send him to Rome. King Agrippa wanted the opportunity to hear what Paul had to say so Festus arranged that Paul should be brought before him the following day. After King Agrippa examines Paul, then Festus may have something specific to charge Paul with when he sent him to Caesar.

Acts Chapter 26

When Paul is given permission to speak before King Agrippa, he tells him that he knows that he is speaking to a man who is thoroughly familiar with the customs and controversies of the Jews. Paul begins his defense by giving his personal background. But his problem with the Jews has nothing to do with him personally. It is the means by which God would fulfill the promises He made to the twelve tribes of Israel that is the cause of the problem between the Jews and him. He reasons that neither the Jews nor anyone else should find it hard to believe that God can raise the dead. He even admits that he was very much against Jesus and those who proclaimed him, going so far as to persecute them in cities outside of Jerusalem.

He relates that when he was on his way to Damascus to continue persecuting the followers of Jesus, he had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. He saw a blinding light and a voice asked him why was he persecuting him. Paul asked who it was that was speaking to him and was told that it was Jesus. Paul was then told that he had been appointed as a servant and as a witness of Jesus not only to his own people but also to Gentiles. He would turn them from darkness and Satan’s authority so that they could receive forgiveness of their sins and an inheritance with those who had faith in him. And of course Paul was obedient to this command and this was the reason that the Jews had attempted to kill him. But he was only acting in harmony with the prophets and Moses who had foretold the sufferings that the Christ would undergo, be resurrected and then become a light to the both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Governor Festus at this point interrupts Paul and says that his great learning has driven him insane. But, Paul states that what he is uttering are sayings of truth and soundness of mind. He reminds Agrippa that he is familiar with all these things because even he believes what the Prophets have written. The reason Paul could say this to Agrippa is that his family, who were Idumeans, had been forcible converted to Judaism by John Hyrcanus (134-104 B.C.) and thus could be said to be ‘technically Jewish.’ (See Harper’s Bible Dictionary under the subject of Herod) Agrippa the King even admitted that Paul could probably persuade him to become a Christian if he continued listening to him. Agrippa, after examining Paul, concluded that he had done nothing deserving of death and could have been released had he not appealed to Caesar.

Acts Chapter 27

Paul and some others were handed over to Julius, a centurion, to be taken to Italy. It appears that Luke also went with Paul because he uses the term ‘us’ in his writings. They boarded a ship from Adramyttium and went out to sea. The following day the ship landed at Sidon and the army officer allowed Paul to see his friends there. Continuing their journey, they began to run into bad weather and they put into port at Myra in Lycia, where Paul was placed aboard an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy. With great difficulty they finally came to a place called Fair Havens which was near the town of Lasea. Sailing had now becoming dangerous because it was after Atonement Day, which is celebrated between the latter part of September and the first part of October.

The NIV Bible Commentary, page 512, tells us this: “Navigation in this part of the Mediterranean was always dangerous after Sept. 14 and was considered impossible after Nov. 11.” Paul warns them that the voyage would continue to be dangerous and there would be loss of both cargo and lives if they continued. But no one wanted to listen to Paul. They felt that the harbor at Fair Havens was not suitable for wintering, so they decided to try to reach Phoenix, a larger and safer port.

A gentle south wind was blowing when they set sail but it was not long that they faced hurricane-like winds such that the ship was pushed along by them. Conditions kept worsening and the ship had to be tied together to keep it from breaking up. The ship’s anchor was lowered to keep it from running aground on the sandbars. The next day, the deck cargo was thrown overboard to lighten the ship. The sun and stars disappeared and the people began giving up hope. Paul then stood up and told them they should have taken his advice. He then tells them they should not give up hope as they would all survive. Jehovah had sent an angel to tell Paul that he would stand before Caesar and that all of the people with him would also be saved. They would, however, run aground on a certain island.

They were tossed about by the winds for fourteen days and nights and finally some of the sailors suspected that they were drawing near some land. By taking soundings, they learned that they were nearing a shore. To keep from being dashed against rocks, they dropped four anchors. Some of the sailors wanted to desert the ship but Paul told the centurion and the soldiers that they must all stay with the ship or no one would survive. Paul persuaded all the passengers to eat some food to regain their strength. After eating they became more cheerful and after the 276 passengers were fed they threw the wheat overboard to lighten the boat.

When daylight came they saw that they were near a bay and they were determined to beach the ship so they made preparation to do this. Once they ran aground the ship began to break up and the soldiers were determined to kill the prisoners. The reason for this was that if any of the prisoners escaped, the soldiers would themselves be killed. The centurion did not want Paul to be killed so he stopped the soldiers. Eventually everyone on board got off the ship safely.

Acts Chapter 28

On the shore, Paul and the passengers discovered the island was called Malta. The Islanders were very kind and made a fire that they cold warm themselves by. Paul gathered brushwood and was bitten by a poisonous viper. The islanders saw this and reasoned that Paul must have been a murderer and would experience the long hand of justice but Paul just shook it off into the fire. The islanders watched to see if he would swell with inflammation and drop dead but nothing happened to him so they began saying that he was a god.

Publius, the Roman governor, was hospitable to them for three days. Paul learned that his father was ill and he healed him. Thereafter, all those on the island who were sick came to him and they were all healed. They remained on the island for three months and when they set sail, the islanders gave them many things to accommodate their needs.

They left on an Alexandrian ship that had wintered in the island of Malta. They stopped at Syracuse for three days then sailed to Rhegium. The next day they reached Puteol where they found some brothers who entreated them to remain for seven days with them. Finally, Paul arrived at Rome and was allowed to stay by himself with a soldier guarding him.

Paul invited the leaders of the Jews in Rome to come and talk with him. He told them he had done nothing wrong against the Jewish people or their customs yet he had been arrested in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans. They had examined him and found nothing wrong in him and had wanted to release him, but the Jews continued to speak against it so he then had to appealed to Caesar. The Jewish leaders told Paul that they had not received any letters concerning him from those in Jerusalem but they wanted to hear him because the sect, of which he was a part, was being spoken against everywhere. They arranged to return to see him on another day.

They arrived in larger numbers to hear what he had to say. All day long, Paul talked to the Jews about the kingdom of God showing them that Jesus was the one that the prophets and the Law of Moses had written about. Some were convinced while others refused to believe what he was teaching. Because they could not agree with each other, they began leaving. Paul then applied the statement from Isaiah 6:9, 10 to them. He concluded by saying to them that the good news had gone to the Gentiles and they were listening. Paul was able to live in his own rented house for two years receiving all who came to him, continuing to preach and teach about Jesus with great freeness of speech without hindrance from anyone.

The Letter to the Romans

Scholars believe that the letter to Roman Christians was written by the apostle Paul in 57 C.E. and was for both Jewish and Gentile believers. Most Bible scholars agree that Paul did not have anything to do with the founding of the congregation in Rome, but he felt a need to share with them the complete gospel as he had been preaching it. Paul wanted to spread the good news further to the west, into Spain, and they could be a big help to him. If he were unable to continue his work then members of this congregation would be able to continue it. This letter is more of a religious treatise rather than ordinary correspondence.

Romans Chapter 1

Paul identifies himself as an apostle, one set apart to preach the gospel, the message that had been promised by God through his prophets. It centered on his son, who, according to the flesh, was in the line of David, but who now has been declared a son of God by resurrection from the dead. It is through Jesus that he has received his commission to bring the good news to the Gentiles which includes those in Rome. He is thankful to Jehovah that their faith has become well-known and he speaks of them continuously in his prayers. He longs to see them so that he, as well as they, can give much encouragement to each other. He is eager to preach the good news to them so that he might have some fruit among them as he does among other Gentiles.

The good news to Paul represents the power of God for salvation to all who believe, the Jews first then the Greeks, as it reveals the righteousness of God by means of faith as Habakkuk 2:4 shows. God’s wrath will come against those who revel in their wickedness. They know God exists because His invisible qualities are well known from observing the visible things that he has created. They refuse to honor or give thanks to Him but preferred their own wisdom that led them to exchange His glory for an image of visible creatures or things. So God allowed them to continue in their futile worship which only further defiled them. They developed unnatural passions, men desiring sexual relations with other men and women doing the same with other women. Because they thought so little of God, He allowed them to become slaves of their degenerate minds. They became filled with all kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They became gossips, back-biters, disobedient to their parents, untrustworthy, unmerciful, and haters of God. Although they know how God views these activities, they continue doing them as well as approving of others who practice them.

Romans Chapter 2

Paul counsels the brothers not to quickly judge because it is likely that they are guilty of the same sins. This counsel may have been directed towards Jews who looked down on Gentiles. Only God’s judgment is impartial against these evildoers. They must keep in mind that Jehovah’s kindness towards them is for the purpose of leading them to repentance and those who are obstinate in their refusal to repent can expect to reap God’s wrath when He renders His judgment to every man according to his deeds. Those who do evil whether Jew or Gentile will experience distress and tribulation and those who do good will experience honor, glory and peace, because God is not partial.


Those who sin but are not under the Law will die but not in accordance with the Law. Those who sin while knowing the Law will be judged according to the Law. It is those who obey the Law that will be considered righteous. Although Gentiles do not have the Law, they however act in harmony with the Law because they demonstrate that the requirements of the Law are written in their hearts, that is the moral and ethical requirements that people in general recognize. Their conscience bears witness with their hearts, their thoughts either accuse or excuse them. When God judges humans, he will take into account the secret thoughts of men as He is the only one who can assess them. This is a part of the good news that Paul is declaring to the people.

The Jews are shown that in spite of their having the Law, they are not superior to others because they are not living in accordance with it. In fact, because of their disobedience, God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles. They brag about circumcision as being something of value but they may as well not be circumcised if they are law-breakers. A real Jew is one who is circumcised in his heart by means of holy spirit not that done according to the Law. His praise comes from God not men.

Romans Chapter 3

Paul then asks if there is an advantage in being a Jew and is there any meaning to circumcision? Yes there is. First, they were entrusted with God’s word although they did not all remain faithful. But their lack of faith not does affect God’s faithfulness as Psalms 55:4 assures us. Jehovah’s judgments will always prove righteous and unchangeable. If the unfaithfulness of the Jews bring to light more sharply Jehovah’s justice, this will not cause their judgment to change. If it did, then God would be unjust and He could not judge the world in justice. Jehovah’s condemnation of the nation will remain as such. In this matter the Jews are not better off than the Gentiles, they are all condemned as sinners. Paul concludes his argument by saying that the Law is directed to those who are under it and no one will be declared righteous by means of it. The Law brings to the minds of those attempting to keep it just how sinful they are.

God’s righteousness is now being made known apart from the Law and it is through faith in God through Jesus Christ. Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, so all will be justified through God’s mercy by means of the blood of Jesus. God was here demonstrating his justice by acquitting humans of their past sins against the Law and justifying them presently if they exercise faith in Jesus. A Jew can now boast in his faith not in his keeping the Law. This fact is also applied to Gentiles as they too can be justified by faith. Faith does not nullified the Law but upholds it.

Romans Chapter 4

Paul uses the example of Abraham to make his point. Abraham was not justified by any works that he performed but his justification came because of his faith in Jehovah as Genesis 15:6, 22 testifies to. He uses the example of a man who works on a job and when his job is finished the wages he is paid cannot be considered a gift but are what is owed to him due to work that he did. But the one who puts faith in Jehovah will be justified because Jehovah will forgive his sins and will credit righteousness to him apart from works of Law. Paul uses the words of David, in Psalms 32:1, 2 in support of his position.

When Jehovah credited Abraham with righteousness due to his faith, he was uncircumcised. This would allow him to become the spiritual father of those who exercised faith but were uncircumcised. Later Jehovah gave him circumcision as a sign of his righteousness so that he would become ‘father’ to those who were circumcised. The promise Jehovah made to Abraham was made apart from the Law Covenant otherwise only those who observed the Law would be heirs and faith would be of no value. The Law itself did not produce any promises but only wrath. The promises came by means of faith so that Jehovah in His mercy could include all of Abraham’s descendants.

Jehovah had promised that Abraham would become ‘father of many nations.’ (Genesis 17:5) Abraham believed that Jehovah would fulfill His promise even though he was nearly one hundred years old and his wife was past child-bearing age when the promises were made. His faith that Jehovah was able to carry out his word never wavered and so this faith is credited to him as righteousness.

Romans Chapter 5

Christians have therefore been declared righteous as a result of faith and now enjoy peace with Jehovah through Jesus Christ. They should also rejoice when faced with tribulations because tribulation produces endurance, endurance produces an approved condition, which leads to the hope that will be fulfilled. This is possible because God has freely given them his love through holy spirit. Christ died for them in their ungodly state, an evidence of God’s love for them. Since they have been declared righteous by means of Christ’s blood, they have no reason to fear God’s wrath. They were once enemies of God but have now been reconciled to Him through the death of His son, and so are now assured of being saved.

Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, bringing death to all. Until Jehovah gave the Law Covenant to Moses, sin was not charged against anyone. But death did rule as king until up to the time of Moses. This would imply that the Law given to Moses could bring relief from this condemnation to death experienced by humans. Paul contrasts what Adam’s trespass brought to humans versus what is accomplished by the death of Jesus. All of Adam’s descendants were condemned by his one act of transgression while what God accomplished by His undeserved kindness would result in many transgressions being forgiven and many being justified and declared righteous for life. Through the disobedience of one man, all became sinners; through the obedience of one man many will be declared righteous. When the Law came into existence, sins increased, but with the increase in sin, undeserved kindness increased even more. Sin ruled as king with death in view, but undeserved kindness now rules as king with everlasting life in view.

Romans Chapter 6

If this is the case, then is it proper that men continue to sin just so undeserved kindness may abound? This cannot be the case for Christians because they have died with reference to sin and can no longer live in sin. They that have been baptized into christ have also shared in his death and were buried with him. They thus expect to share in the likeness of his resurrection being raised to a newness of life. So they must no longer be slaves to sin because all that have died have been freed from sin. Christ needed to die only one time with reference to sin and he now lives with reference to God. Christians will also consider themselves as dying one time and from henceforth living with reference to God through Christ Jesus. They are cautioned to cease allowing sin to rule as king over them or presenting their body members as weapons to be used for evil purposes. They should present their body member to God to be used as weapons of righteousness.

They are no longer under law but undeserved kindness but this is no reason to continue sinning either. Sin can be one’s master if that person continues to allow it to lead them but Jehovah has removed this master because they have become slaves to righteousness, being obedient from their hearts to the teachings of righteousness. When the Christians were slaves to sin, the fruit that they produced was something that is loathsome to them now as it was only leading to death. Now that they are free from sin and are slaves to God, their fruit is righteousness with everlasting life in view. The wages sin pays is death, but God’s gift is everlasting life through Christ Jesus.

Romans Chapter 7

Paul speaks of the Law as being master over a man his entire life just as a married woman is bound by the law of her husband all of her life. She is not free to remarry until he dies. So the christian had to die to the Law in order that they might be free to belong to another, that is, Christ. The analogy used here by Paul is not an exact one. He does not state that the Law dies but that the adherent of the law dies to the Law. Of course, if the married woman dies, she is also free of her husband’s law. So the Christian has been discharged from the Law and can now become slaves by the spirit and not by the written code.

The Law itself is not sin but is the instrument used by God to identify sin. Paul admits that he would not have known what sin was if the Law had not identified it. He would not have known that covetousness was a sin if the Law had not told him so. Because of the Law, sin now has a means to express itself through stimulating human desires. Without Law, sin has no life of its own. Sin then expressing itself came to life and produced death in the human. This is so because sinful humans are unable to do God’s will as set forth in the Law. But the Law itself is holy, righteous and good. So how could something good bring death?

As Paul explains it, with the appearance of the Law, sin was identified as such and this is what brings death. The Law showed just how sinful sin was. Being fleshly and under sin, one does not always do that which he desires but that which he does not want to do. If he does the things that he really does not want to do then he has to admit that the Law is good. But it cannot be said that it is the person that is doing these things but is the sin that resides in him. Paul knows that nothing good dwells in his flesh, but he does have the will to wish for good but not the power to accomplish it. He does not do the good that he wishes for but only the bad that he does not want to do. So if what he does is not what he wants to do, then he concludes that it must be sin that is a part of him that is causing the problem.

He does delight in the law of God according to his mind, but his fleshly body members have another law to which they adhere. So the flesh wars against the mind and appears to win most of the time. He considers this a deplorable condition with which he needs help to be set free of. He knows that Jehovah, through Jesus Christ, has provided the means to alleviate this problem.

Romans Chapter 8

Those who accept Christ Jesus are not condemned because the law of the spirit which is in Christ has set them free from sin and death. The Mosaic Law could not do this of its own because of the sinfulness of those trying to keep it. So God sent his son as an offering for sin enabling those who walk according to the spirit to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law. Those who set their minds on the flesh find themselves in opposition to God because the flesh does not subject itself to the law of God; therefore, they cannot please God and are dead. But those who live according to the spirit, that is, those that have God’s spirit within them, belong to Christ. And if a person belongs to Christ, he is alive in the spirit although his body is dead because of sin.

Therefore, Christians are obligated to live, not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit thereby putting to death the deeds of the flesh. For all that are led by the spirit are sons of God and have been adopted into God’s spiritual family and are able to refer to God as their ‘father’ in the most intimate terms. God’s spirit then bears witness with their spirit that they are ‘children’ of God and as such are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Jesus. If they suffer with Christ, then they will share in his glory. This suffering Paul considered as nothing in comparison to the glory that he would experience in the future.

Even the creation is waiting for these ones to receive their glory as sons of God because this will mean the end to the futility of their present existence and they themselves will have the opportunity of enjoying the freedom that belongs to children of God. Even those who already have the first fruits of the Spirit are at this time suffering as are the rest as they eagerly wait for their adoption as sons.

Christians are also helped in their efforts to pray by the spirit that intercedes for them and Jehovah, who knows the secrets of the heart, understands that the spirit is acting in harmony with His will. Jehovah causes all things to work together for the benefit of those that He called in harmony with His purpose. He foreordained that others should be associated with His son so that he might be first among many brothers. These ones He would justify and also glorify. Since He did not spare His own son but delivered him up for his brothers, He will also, along with His son, give them all things as He has promised.

No one can bring a charge against these ones that will stand before God as He will do all that is necessary to help them achieve the goal of His calling of them. They have the help of His son who is at the right hand of God and he intercedes for them. They know that they will face hardships but these will not separate them from Christ. Paul then applies Psalms 44:22 to these Christians. They have been victorious over all things by means of God’s love through Christ Jesus.

Romans Chapter 9

Paul feels much anguish over the fact that Israel, his brothers, have been cut off from Christ. They are the ones who had the privilege of adoption as sons, the covenants, the temple worship and the promises as well as providing the forebears of Christ. It would appear that since the nation failed God that would mean that God’s word had failed. But this is not so. Not all who descended from Israel are true Israelites nor are all that came from Abraham, his children. Jehovah told Abraham that it would be through Isaac that his descendants would come. Isaac was Abraham’s descendant because of a promise so also those reckoned as Israel would be children of the promise and not through natural descent. Jehovah also made the choice between which of the twin sons of Isaac He would use even before they were born. He told Rebekah that the older would serve the younger. Paul quotes Malachi 1:2, 3 to back this up.

Is God unjust in making these choices? No He is not! He shows mercy to those he wants to or He can harden those He wants to. It’s all up to Him. He chose to harden Pharaoh in order to demonstrate His power and to proclaim His name. (Exodus 9:16) Do humans have the right to complain about the way that God does things? He tolerated those who were worthy of destruction for the sake of those upon whom He wished to show mercy, those He had prepared beforehand for glory. He had the prophet Hosea declare that He would choose those who were not His people and would call them his people. (Hosea 2:23; 1:10) He also declared through the prophet Isaiah that only a remnant of his people would be saved. (Isaiah 10:22, 23) The facts are that the Gentiles attained righteousness by faith even though they were not pursuing it and Israel missed their goal of attaining to righteousness because they did not exercise faith. They sought to gain it by works of Law and stumbled over the stone that Jehovah laid in Zion because of a lack of faith.

Romans Chapter 10

Paul is concerned for the salvation of his Israelite brothers. He knows that they have a zeal for God, but not according to accurate knowledge. Since they did not know His righteousness, they sought to establish their own. Therefore they did not subject themselves to God’s righteousness. Had they accepted Jesus as the one who fulfilled the Law, they would have gained the righteousness that results because of faith. Moses wrote that those who perfectly obey the Law will live by the righteousness inherent in it. But the righteousness that is based on faith rests on publicly confessing with the lips that Jesus is Lord and exercising faith with the heart that God raised from him from the dead, then one can be saved. For it is with the heart that one exercises faith and with the lips that one makes public declaration for salvation.

Paul quotes Isaiah 28:16 to show that any who puts faith in Jehovah will not be disappointed and that includes Jew as well as Greek. The prophet Joel recorded that “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” (2:32) Paul gives us the steps needed in order for a person to ‘call on His name.’ He must put faith in Him after he had been told about Him. In order for the person to hear, someone must go to him and proclaim or tell them about Jehovah, someone who has especially been sent to do this, as Isaiah 52:7 says.

Yet even though Israel heard the good news, they did not all obey otherwise Isaiah would not have asked the question: “Who has put faith in the thing heard (the report) from us?” (53:1) Surly they did not fail to hear because Psalms 19:4 indicates that “into all the earth their sound went out and to the extremities of the inhabited earth their utterances.” Yes, they heard but chose not to respond. (Jeremiah 11:8) Moses recorded Jehovah’s reaction to their unresponsiveness saying that He would choose a stupid nation to take their place and this will incite them to violent anger. (Deuteronomy 32:21) The prophet Isaiah recorded words to this effect in chapter 65 verses 1, 2.

Romans Chapter 11

Paul assures Israel that Jehovah had not completely rejected them as he was an Israelite. He relates that Elijah spoke words against this nation but Jehovah told him that he was not alone, that there were 7,000 men who had not bowed to Baal. (1 Kings 19:18) Jehovah had preserved a remnant even in this time due to His undeserved kindness and not due to works of Law. On the whole the nation failed to obtain what they had been seeking, but certain chosen ones did obtain it. They failed because Jehovah dulled their sensibilities according to Deuteronomy 29:4 and Psalms 69:22, 23. Their failure has meant salvation for people of the nations.

Paul now turns his attention to those of the nations who have benefited by the failure of Israel. He reminds them that although he is an apostle to the nations yet he would still desire that Israel would be reconciled again to God. If the world gained so much by their being cast away, how much more would it gain if they were all saved. He issues a warning to the Gentiles, who are branches from a wild olive tree that have been grafted into the domestic olive tree and are now sharers in the fatness of the olive root, not to boast because of their position. After all they are not the root of the tree but are supported by the root. They should constantly be in fear because they could also be lopped off also if they lose their faith.

Paul explains that spiritual Israel will be comprised of a certain number of Gentiles, who will complete it. These Gentiles by becoming Israelites is the means by which Jehovah saves all Israel. Paul then quotes from Isaiah 59:20, 21 and a portion of Isaiah 27:9. Israel has not been completely forgotten by Jehovah. He will yet be merciful towards them. Paul then praises Jehovah for his fathomless wisdom and knowledge, His judgments and ways that cannot be understood by mere humans. None can know the mind of Jehovah or can counsel Him. Everything comes from Him, continues to exist because of Him and all will come to completion through Him. All glory and honor belong to Him.

Romans Chapter 12

Paul encourages the christians in Rome to present themselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. They are not to be like the world that they live in but should make their minds over to conform to the acceptable will of God. Each one’s thinking should reflect a soundness of mind that is based on the amount of faith that he has been given. The congregation is composed of many members but all are of one body with each member having a different function yet all are united in christ. Each has been given different gifts, some have the gift of prophesying, some have been given a ministry, some are teachers, some have the ability to strengthen the faith of others, and some have competent leadership ability. Whatever gift one has, he should work at performing his service in harmony with the undeserved kindness given him. Paul then lists christian principles that should govern the lives of all who are dedicated to Jehovah.

Romans Chapter 13

The problem of dealing with the governmental powers is now dealt with. Christians should not oppose the authority of these agencies as they exist because Jehovah allows them to. They serve a purpose in that they provide a measure of protection for those who do what is right. It is only to those who do wrong that the governments become a cause for fear. These agencies are described as bearing the sword for the express purpose of bringing punishment upon those who do bad but to those who are doing what is good, he will receive praise from them. Christians are obligated to give government officials their legitimate due whether it is taxes, tributes or tolls, honor or reverence.

Chrisians should not owe anyone anything except to love each other as love is the fulfillment of the law. All of the commandments can be summed up in this statement that one should love his neighbor as himself. Since expressing love renders no harm to anyone, it fulfills the law. Paul now encourages everyone to be on the alert and not to be sleeping because of the time that has past by. Salvation is now nearer than when they first became believers. This being so, they should rid themselves of all activities that belong to night and take up the weapons of light. Their lives should be free of anything indecent as they stay attuned to their lord Jesus and they should not be making plans to satisfy the desires of the flesh.

Romans Chapter 14

People have varying degrees of faith. While one person understand the freedom that he has in christ, another person, not yet having attained this degree of maturity, may be considered as weak in his faith. One person may not have a problem with eating anything that he desires while the other may have scruples that do not allow this freedom. He should not be criticized for his view nor should he criticize others who may not see things the way that he does. Each man has been welcomed into the congregation by Jehovah and He is the only one who can judge each one effectively.

A person may be convinced that a certain day is special while another person will see each day as being no different than any other. As long as each is convinced in his mind that what he does is right, he is not to be judged by others for his view. Jehovah is the ultimate judge. Whatever one does, he does for the sake of Jehovah recognizing that it is His approval that he is seeking. All will stand before the judgment seat of Jehovah and will render an accounting for his own actions alone not for the actions of his brother. So Paul counsels them to refrain from judging one another and to never put a stumbling block before anyone.

If a person considers something to be defiled, to him it is defiled although Paul knows that nothing is, of itself, defiled. So for the sake of a person who believes that some food is defiled, Paul counsels to refrain from doing anything that will cause this brother to lose his faith. He must do nothing to encourage his brother to act against his convictions concerning eating certain foods as the kingdom of God does not mean eating and drinking but means righteousness, peace, and joy with holy spirit. The one who puts these things first will be acceptable to both God and men.

Christians will pursue the things that make for peace and harmony and that are upbuilding to his brothers. If eating meat causes one’s brother to stumble it is better not to eat meat at all. A Christian would not want to be guilty of tearing down the work of God for the sake of food or drink. If one’s faith allows him to eat whatever he likes and he has no doubts about this, then he is perfectly within his rights to enjoy these provisions, but he should not do so in front of the one who would be offended by his actions. He would not want to be judged by the things that he approves. The one who has doubts will be condemned if he acts against his convictions because he will not be doing it out of faith and it will a sin for him.




***©2006 by YORWW Congregation