Romans 1 Introduction

Summary: A verse by verse examination of what the book of Romans in the Bible teaches. This message covers Romans 1:1-12.

Bible References:

Romans 1:1-12 ( KJV ) ¹Paul, 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.

Acts 9:1-22 ( KJV ) ¹And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,  ²And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.  ³And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:  ⁴And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?  ⁵And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.  ⁶And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.  ⁷And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.  ⁸And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.  ⁹And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. ¹⁰And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.  ¹¹And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,  ¹²And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.  ¹³Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:  ¹⁴And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.  ¹⁵But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:  ¹⁶For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.  ¹⁷And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.  ¹⁸And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.  ¹⁹And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.  ²⁰And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.  ²¹But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?  ²²But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

Acts 7:5-54 ( KJV ) ⁵And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.  ⁶And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.  ⁷And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place.  ⁸And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.  ⁹And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,  ¹⁰And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.  ¹¹Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance.  ¹²But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first.  ¹³And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph’s kindred was made known unto Pharaoh.  ¹⁴Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.  ¹⁵So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers,  ¹⁶And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. ¹⁷But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt,  ¹⁸Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph.  ¹⁹The same dealt subtly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live.  ²⁰In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months:  ²¹And when he was cast out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him up, and nourished him for her own son.  ²²And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.  ²³And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.  ²⁴And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:  ²⁵For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.  ²⁶And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another?  ²⁷But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?  ²⁸Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?  ²⁹Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. ³⁰And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.  ³¹When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,  ³²Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.  ³³Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.  ³⁴I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.  ³⁵This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.  ³⁶He brought them out, after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.  ³⁷This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.  ³⁸This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:  ³⁹To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,  ⁴⁰Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  ⁴¹And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. ⁴²Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?  ⁴³Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.  ⁴⁴Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen.  ⁴⁵Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;  ⁴⁶Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.  ⁴⁷But Solomon built him an house.  ⁴⁸Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,  ⁴⁹Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?  ⁵⁰Hath not my hand made all these things? ⁵¹Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.  ⁵²Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:  ⁵³Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. ⁵⁴When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

Acts 8:1-4 ( KJV ) ¹And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.  ²And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.  ³As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. ⁴Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

John 15:13-20 ( KJV ) ¹³Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  ¹⁴Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.  ¹⁵Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.  ¹⁶Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.  ¹⁷These things I command you, that ye love one another. ¹⁸If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  ¹⁹If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.  ²⁰Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 16:2-3 ( KJV ) ²They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.  ³And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Acts 1:13-26 ( KJV ) ¹³And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.  ¹⁴These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. ¹⁵And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)  ¹⁶Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.  ¹⁷For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.  ¹⁸Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.  ¹⁹And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.  ²⁰For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishopric let another take.  ²¹Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,  ²²Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.  ²³And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.  ²⁴And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen,  ²⁵That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.  ²⁶And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Ephesians 4:11-12 ( KJV ) ¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  ¹²For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

1 Corinthians 3:9-10 ( KJV ) ⁹For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.  ¹⁰According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

Ephesians 2:20 ( KJV ) ²⁰And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Revelation 14:12 ( KJV ) ¹²Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 12:14 ( KJV ) ¹⁴And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Isaiah 56:8-9 ( KJV ) ⁸The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him. ⁹All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.