Bible In A Year: Romans

The book of Romans explains the gospel of Jesus Christ and reveals that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin and need God’s righteousness. Paul teaches that righteousness comes through faith, using Abraham as an example of one who was justified by faith before the giving of the Law. Romans shows that salvation is God’s gift, not the result of human works, and explains God’s faithfulness to His promises. The letter calls believers to live by faith, walk in the Spirit, and offer their lives in obedience to God.

Transcript

Show Intro And Mission

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our mission is to help the people of God understand the Word of God. Join us each Monday and Thursday for new episode releases. Listen to our full library of content at teachmethebible.com or by downloading the Teach Me the Bible app from any app store. You're listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast.

Kicking Off Romans

SPEAKER_02 0:27

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to Teach Me the Bible Podcast. My name is Alex Wolf. I'm here with Dr. David Klingler, and we are going through the story of the Bible in a year. So we have made it all the way through the Old Testament. We've made it through the Gospels. Last week we introduced epistles or letters in the New Testament. And we talked a little bit about how they work and uh how we should begin to understand them. And so today we're going to jump into the first one. We're going to jump into Romans. Um, and as we talked about last week, that's not necessarily because it was written first, but because it was it's the longest, and that's the way it's ordered in the English Bible. Uh so that's what we're gonna be looking at today. And so, Doc, if you want to jump in and take us away.

Dr. David Klingler 1:15

We're gonna jump in and take down the biggest fish right away. Yes, right, and the one that people are most uh familiar with. And and um if you uh, you know, there's probably a handful of verses, New Testament verses um that get quoted uh not only by people in the church, but by people outside the church, and and and one of those is kind of peripheral. You know, you you learn John 3.16, then you probably learn what would be next in the New Testament? Probably I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Or uh God causes all things to work for good. Yeah, right. That'd be the other one, right? For my good. Yeah, yeah. God causes all things to work for my good as I deem good. Yeah.

The Romans Road Problem

Dr. David Klingler 1:55

Um uh there's uh you know, there these are familiar um, you know, we have the Romans Road, there's there's different, you know, ways that uh that the book of Romans has been used, been taught, and it becomes topical uh in the you know uh in how it's kind of thought about and taught. Uh and and so kind of the letter aspect goes away. Uh so Paul's writing this letter for a reason, right? And and um and so, you know, uh you know this, Alex, we teach this at in class that you said in the seminary. Yeah. Uh but you whenever I ask students, um, is it true that there's non-righteous, not one? I mean, you know how this it always goes 100% of the time, it goes, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, non righteous, not one, you know, because they they've heard that verse, at least if they've heard the you know the Romans wrote or the presentation of the gospel or something like that. Um and then someone will inevitably say in the class, well, except for Jesus. Yeah, right. Yeah, Jesus. Okay, and everybody's oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Jesus, Jesus, yeah, yeah, of course, but of course, Jesus, right? Uh and um and then I take them to to chapter three, verses ten through eighteen, and these are all quotes from the old testament. And in every single one of those psalms, they're mostly psalms, it's Psalm 14, 53, 5, 140, 10, 36, in every one of these psalms, there are righteous people in the psalm.

SPEAKER_02 3:20

Right. Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 3:20

Um, and then in chapter four, Paul has righteous people in his letter. Uh he's got Abraham. What has Abraham, our father, according to the flesh, found? Uh, for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. And so you have this Abraham who was justified before God, uh, David, who was justified after he broke the law, right? Uh, and so that whole there's none righteous, not one doesn't even hold in the book. In the book, in Paul's Paul's uh letter. And so uh the other thing that happens is because we're kind of in in the place we are in history, uh there's different theological camps.

Old Testament Quotes Inside Romans

Dr. David Klingler 4:07

Uh, and so you you have this this argument over Calvinism and the elect and all that stuff, and and so I always point out, you know, uh Paul wasn't writing about Calvinism. Uh John Calvin comes, you know, you know millennia after Paul, you know, 1500 years after Paul's. Yeah, so so Paul wasn't uh writing about Calvinism. Right. And one of the things that's happened in between Paul's writing and Calvinism, I think this is important to point out, is that um uh that through the history of the church, the second century, the third century, as the church becomes increasingly Gentile, almost exclusively Gentile. Yet the Gentiles are reading uh books uh like uh 1 Peter, book of Hebrews, uh, you know, the letter of Hebrews, uh uh books that are written to Jewish believers. Um and they they didn't remember that they were written to Jewish believers, these Gentiles, I don't know how well they knew the Old Testament, um, but um um but they started to understand the church as replacing Israel.

SPEAKER_02 5:21

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 5:22

Uh and so the promises that were made to Israel they saw as being fulfilled in the church, and in some ways that's true by the Jewish believers in the church, they were starting to uh they were certainly um participants in the new covenant. Jewish believers uh were. Um and then the the spirit goes to the Gentiles. So there's things that's happening here, yeah. Uh and so the way that they understood this was the uh the church has replaced Israel.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

Yeah, and they're they're they're kind of reading their history rather than reading the story, so so to speak. Yeah, they're looking around and they're seeing the Jews are falling off of this thing and the Gentiles are increasing in the church and must be.

Dr. David Klingler 6:06

It actually goes right against the the argument of Romans. And uh and but but they just said, okay, oh, the elect. Well, the the elect in the old testament was Israel and the church has replaced Israel, so the the church is the elect. And that that's kind of how that whole thing went. And and so that um you know, so so we'll need to to to address uh address

Replacement Theology And Later Debates

Dr. David Klingler 6:24

that. But but the this letter was written by Paul to address the the antagonist to to answer some questions. Um when we ask why did Paul write this letter, I think most people would say, well, this is his you know this is his capstone uh work. You know, this this is his litigation by faith. Yeah, that's this is this is his his defense of you know of his whole ministry.

Why Paul Delays Visiting Rome

Dr. David Klingler 7:00

Well, it it is. Um, but the reason why he light writes this letter is because he's not coming. And he's going to explain why he's not coming to Rome yet, and um and you know answer charges about you know why why they think he's not coming. So so uh you know uh he wants to see him. He he says here in chapter one, I long to see you in order to impart some spiritual uh uh some uh impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established. But I don't want you to be unaware, brethren, this is verse 13, how often I plan to come to you, but I've been prevented thus far, in order that I might obtain some fruit from among y'all, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. Well, um, so he wants to come to them. Uh he wants to come to them to quote obtain some fruit from among them, right? Well, what does that mean? Well, you know, you leave it open to interpretation, you can come up with all kinds of stuff.

SPEAKER_03 7:59

Oh, yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 7:59

But this is a letter, uh, it's a single letter, uh, and in this letter, Paul, uh this is in chapter 15, he returns back to this point. He says, for this reason. Right? Uh he's explained how he uh he wants to uh to come to them, but um he he his what what drives him is to preach the gospel in places where it hasn't yet been named, right? So this is in chapter 15, verse 20, and thus I aspire to preach the gospel, not where Christ had already been named, uh that I might not build upon another man's foundation, um, but as it is written, they who had no news of him shall see, and those who have not heard shall understand. For this reason, I have often been hindered in coming to you. But now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you, whenever I go to Spain, I hope to see you in passing, and be helped on my way by you there, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while. But now I'm going to Jerusalem, serving the saints, for Macedonia and Achaea have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so. Uh and they, the these Gentile believers, are indebted to them, these the the Jews, the Jewish believers. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, in the promises given to Israel, uh, they are indebted to minister to them in material things. Therefore, when I have finished this, and I have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, there it is, there's the fruit, um uh I will go on my way uh you know, uh to Spain. Uh and so he's going around, he's gathering this blessing, this fruit, this gift, material gift from the Gentiles to take it to the Jews who are in uh in persecution, being persecuted in Jerusalem. Uh and that's why he's delayed in coming to them. Uh, but he wants to make sure that they know that he's not ashamed. He's not coming to them because he's not ashamed of the gospel. That's what he's saying. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. Uh he's he wants to answer some charges that are being levied against him. Right. Um you know, uh why not say as some slanderously uh say that we say, let us do evil, the good may come, their condemnation is just. And so so he's writing this letter to address um why he's not coming and what he's teaching and why he's teaching it. Now, uh everywhere Paul goes, uh he is confronted with Jewish opposition, right? He he's not, you know, rarely, not I wouldn't say never, but but rarely does Paul run into Gentile opposition, right? Um for the most part, everywhere he goes, it's the Jews who are opposing him. Yeah.

Pronouns And Audience Clues

Dr. David Klingler 11:00

Uh and and so one of the things that's important, and we talked about this uh last last time, is the use of pronouns. That when Paul says I, Paul's referring to Paul. Okay, that sounds so ridiculous. But we laugh about that, but uh, but but here's a verse that uh uh you know that we all claim uh for I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Well, that's Paul saying that, right? And so you know we laugh and say, Oh, yeah, it's ridiculous. Of course that's right. No, it's not, it's not a it's not obvious because you know Philippians 4 13 is a is a life verse for everybody. I do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Paul doesn't say to the Philippians, Y'all can do all things through Christ who strengthens y'all. He doesn't say that. If he I think if he wanted to say that, he could have said that, but he didn't say that. And so the question is, what's he saying there? Anyway, that's Philippians. But uh and and so when Paul says I, he's preferring to himself. When Paul says we, um, Paul's referring to himself and others. Okay. No. We want to be really, come on. So I refers to the person speaking, we refers to the person speaking and others, right? And you um, singular doesn't refer to the person speaking, and you plural doesn't refer to the person speaking or the group with the person speaking. Okay, so if there's a we group and there's a you group, the you group is not the we group. Yeah, there's two groups, right? If the we group were the you group, you wouldn't need the you group, there'd just be the we group, right? And Paul could say, we do this and we do that, and yeah, therefore this, that, and the other thing. He doesn't do that, okay. Uh, and so it's important to understand when Paul says you, who's he referring to? Now, let me give you some. Uh therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment on others, right? This is in chapter two uh verse one. Um you're without excuse. Every one of you who judges uh passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge do the same things, right? This is second person singular. Okay, now most letters that Paul writes to a group, to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, we'll talk about this as we go through these. You is is always plural, unless he's quoting an old testament passage. Yeah. Um, then sometimes that old testament passage is being quoted as singular you. You're going, well, we're getting into the weeds here. Well, this is important, right? In the English Bible, here's the problem uh, you, when it says you, you can't tell if it's singular or plural.

unknown 13:47

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 13:48

So we need a Texan version. Texan, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

People make fun of that, but that's incredibly valuable. Yeah, y'all, yeah, y'all or you guys, or however you say that.

Dr. David Klingler 13:56

Yeah, you know, that would be youans, you know, or you know, the you know, different areas of the country. Um, you know, they say y'all plural differently. But whatever it is, that's what you know, but this is singular. Therefore, you or without excuse, every one of you uh who passes judgment. Uh he continues with this use of you, right? If you teach others, do not teach yourself. Uh if you bear the name Jew, and if you rely upon the law, and if you know his will, and if you approve the things that are essential, and if you're instructed out of the law, and if you're confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind and a light to those who are dark, a corrector of the foolish, i if you view yourself as a teacher to the immature, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, uh, you therefore who teach another, do you not teach yourself? See, so so the you is the Jew.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 14:50

Right. If you call yourself a Jew, if you bear the name Jew, and if you rely upon the law, and if you boast in God, if you're a teacher of the law and you know the law and you teach others, do you not teach yourself? Uh and so uh he's going to explain who the true Jew

Who Is The True Jew

Dr. David Klingler 15:07

is. It's not just one who's a Jew outwardly, uh, with circumcision in the flesh, but also, not not either, but also in addition to being a Jew outwardly, because you know, not all Israel is Israel, because not all Israel believed. He's going to explain this. And so when we get to chapter nine, he's still talking about this. Yes. Right? He's still talking about these two groups uh in Israel, one who is a true Jew, who is not only circumcised outwardly, but believed and therefore has circumcision of the heart, and the Jew uh who uh you know the the Jew who's only a Jew outwardly, but doesn't have circumcision of the heart. And so you got these two groups.

SPEAKER_02 15:45

Yeah, and it's interesting because if you're familiar with the book of Romans, I think most people would agree that's what's generally what's happening in nine through eleven. Um, but we're at we're actually saying the starting way back here in chapter.

Dr. David Klingler 15:58

Yeah, the you've become are used here. Uh so he's explaining uh, are we better than they? So see, he's explaining you're not he's saying to the Jew who hasn't believed in Christ, you're not a true Jew.

SPEAKER_02 16:12

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 16:13

Yeah, you're circumcised outwardly, but you're not a true Jew. What then? Are we better than they? See, so he's so he's uh what shall now this is chapter four. What shall the uh what then shall we say about Abraham our forefather according to the flesh? Okay, now stop and let that sink in. Abraham is not the Gentiles' forefather according to the flesh. Yeah, right. Uh so what shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, according to the flesh, has found? He's who's in that case. Paul is addressing uh the the those who have Abraham as their forefather according to the flesh. Yes. Right? Uh and uh uh he he's making this distinction between y'all who think that you're justified because you're Jews, y'all who think you're justified through the law. Um the law doesn't justify anyone, it condemns you, right? Uh Abraham, our forefather, was not justified by law. The law wasn't even around yet, right? He was justified by faith. And David was justified uh by faith after he broke the law, after the law was given and after he broke it, right? Uh and so it's through faith. Um chapter seven, do y'all uh do you not know, brethren? For I'm speaking to those who know the law. Um now who knows the law? The the Jews don't the Gentiles don't know the law, they don't they don't have the first clue, right?

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Which was said in chapter one, right?

Dr. David Klingler 17:47

Yeah, and so you know here he's he's addressing the plural y'all. Do y'all not know, brethren? For I'm speaking to y'all who know the law, that the law has jurisdiction. So he's still addressing y'all, the Jews. Now, so in chapter eight, and so so this is where uh we're gonna go back through this, but I want to just kind of give you the highlights.

No Condemnation And Foreknown People

Dr. David Klingler 18:08

But but in so in chapter eight, he's still um holding this distinction between those who have no condemnation because they're no longer under law, right? Um they're not they're they're no longer seeking to be justified by law. The law did its job, it convicted them of their sin, and they died to righteousness through law keeping. Uh and so now they have realized that righteousness only comes through faith. And so because they have come to Christ through faith, they are at peace with God, chapter five, six, and seven. Right. Uh now into chapter eight. So now there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But you who are still under law are still condemned.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 18:55

Right. Uh, and so he's explaining that there's two groups in Israel. There's the and this is all through the Old Testament. You know, this is the Old Testament story where Israel goes, rejects the Lord, and goes and joins the Gentiles. And when we get to Ephesians, we're we're doing that in our in our Tuesday uh morning uh podcast uh that's uh coming, and we'll we'll cover it here as we go through the Bible. Uh but Paul summarizes in chapter two of Ephesians this is what happened in the Old Testament. The Gentiles were over there worshiping Satan, basically, worshiping the gods, you know, demons. And and we came over there and joined you, right? Um But God being rich in the mercy with which he loved us, right? Uh and so um, you know, he he's revealed himself to us, he's revealed himself to Israel, and so so not all Israel believed. Uh and so Paul is suffering for for being a member of the believing remnant, and he's going to say in chapter 8, I consider the present suffering not worthy to be compared to the glory which has to be revealed to us. Um and and so then we get down to the familiar verses, right? So I just want to kind of I'm skipping a rock across the uh this letter so that we see it. Because this is one that's familiar to us, and so we got to fix all, we gotta kind of run the bulldozer out in front and you know, kind of mow down some stuff, push some stuff over uh so that we can see it when we go through it, right? Um, so he's still talking about the two groups, yeah. Israel, believing Israel, and Israel who hasn't believed, okay. Um uh and and so uh for whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. Okay, he that's the that's the talk, okay. He uses that foreknown or foo for knew language twice in the book, in the same context. It's it's continuous from chapter eight, before chapter nine. He's he's been talking about this, as you said, from chapter two all the way to chapter eight, yeah, into chapter nine, ten, and eleven. Yes. I say then, chapter 11, verse 1, God has not rejected his people, has he? May it never be. For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew, right? For those whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed. Uh Israel rejected. Some of them were broken off because of their unbelief. The Gentiles were grafted in, but if the Gentiles were able to be grafted in, God is also able to graft Israel back back in, the natural branches back in. And so Paul is explaining basically the Old Testament story that one was always righteous through faith, never through law. The law was not added to make one righteous, it was added to demonstrate to the to the Jew that he was a sinner. Okay, that he needed faith. Uh, and and so that was always the purpose of the law. But he's gonna say it here. He says in Galatians chapter three, uh, so Paul is consistent, and it's Consistent with the Old Testament

Gentiles Grafted In To Stir Jealousy

Dr. David Klingler 22:02

story. Israel rejects the Lord. They go serve the gods of the Gentiles, gods of the nations. And so in response to that, God's going to take the gospel to the Gentiles to move Israel to jealousy, to move them to anger. That's Deuteronomy 32.

SPEAKER_03 22:15

Yes.

Dr. David Klingler 22:15

That's the song of Moses. Paul's going to quote this in chapter 10. He's going to explain it in 9, 10, and 11. So Israel's rejection, the gospel has come to the Gentiles. And so when he says this, I say then, he's talking about Israel who stumbled, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be. But by their transgression, by Israel's transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make them jealous. Now, if their transgression, if Israel's transgression be riches for the world, in other words, through Israel's rejection that the gospel's come to us and run them, Texas, and wherever it is that you're listening, right? If you're listening to this, the reason the gospel has come to you where you are is because of Israel's rejection. Yes. And so if their transgression be riches to the world and their failure be riches to the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be? I'm speaking to you who are Gentiles, insomuch as I'm an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry. If somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. For if their rejection be reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? And then he goes on and explains how the branches were broke off.

SPEAKER_02 23:30

And so notice too there that the pronoun changed. Yeah. Right. The you group changed to the Gentiles, but he specifies it.

Dr. David Klingler 23:39

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, exactly right. Now I'm speaking to you who are Gentiles. Right. So now he's turned his focus to the Gentiles. And so now when he's referring to the Gentiles, he's going to refer to them as in the third person. They, them, they, those guys. If they reject it, the salvation has come to you. You don't be arrogant against them. For I don't want y'all to be uninformed, brethren. Now he's talking to the Gentiles, chapter uh 11, verse 25. Um, lest y'all be wise in your own estimation that a partial uh hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and thus all Israel shall be saved. Verse 28. So from the standpoint of the gospel, they, Israel, are enemies for y'all, Gentiles' sake. But from the standpoint of God's choice, they, Israel, are beloved for the sake of the fathers, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. The the the promises to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, uh, the covenant, the old covenant, the replacement of the new covenant. These promises are going to be kept.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 24:48

For just as y'all were once disobedient to God, Old Testament, serving gods of the Gentiles and worshiping sticks and rocks and frogs and Zeus and whatever else y'all were doing. Um y'all were once disobedient to the one true God, but now y'all have been shown mercy because of their disobedience. So also these now have been disobedient in order that the mercy shown to y'all they may be shown mercy, for God has shut up all Jews and Gentiles alike, in disobedience, that he might show mercy to all. See, so so when Paul says back in Romans chapter one, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God into salvation for all who believe, the Jew first, and then the and then the Greek, yeah, right, uh, he's already introducing what he's saying. Okay. Uh and so Paul, uh, so here's Paul's argument. Look, I'm an apostle um set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand. Apostle to the Gentiles. And I'm going and I'm sharing the gospel with the Gentiles. And what I'm telling the Gentiles is because of Israel's rebellion, because of Israel's disobedience, the gospel has come to them and they need to believe it. Right? Um, and uh, and so uh through um so so he's he's introducing the the letter by explaining his apostleship through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for his name's sake, among whom y'all also are the called of God. To all who believe so you have these Jews and Gentiles in one body in Rome and believe the gospel, and Paul's gonna explain to them who they are in Christ, how they're to live in Christ. He's going to confront the Jews who would be doing the Judaizing. Hey, y'all, you Gentiles need to become Jews. He says, No, no, you don't, right? Um, and so he's explaining his whole gospel. Yeah, I'm not ashamed, for it is the power of God and salvation for all who believe the Jew first,

Wrath, The Fall, And Suppressed Truth

Dr. David Klingler 26:44

and then the Gentile. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. It's all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Now, what the Jew is doing, the Gentiles are already doing this, they're suppressing the truth and unrighteousness. And goodness gracious, I don't know where you live today, but watch your news, right? This is what the Gentiles have been doing forever.

SPEAKER_02 27:04

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 27:05

Right. Um they they were, you know, the they were wiped out, all of the rebellious people were wiped out in the flood. Uh Noah and his family get off the boat, uh, and they go right back to it. Right. And so suppressing the truth in unrighteousness, that's that's in us. That that's our that's our I don't know. Spiritual propensity. We've got a innate we got a real problem. Yeah, we've got natural ability to suppress the truth. In fact, I I would say often believers engage in suppressing the truth through quoting verses out of context, right? Um we still suppress the truth, we just do it with verses. We make it, we make it sound better. Yeah, we make it sound better because we quote verses out of context, right?

unknown 27:53

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 27:54

And so he's going to explain this this is the product of the fall, that this is what happened at the fall. That men suppress the truth and unrighteousness. Although they uh that they know God, uh they uh even though they knew God, they didn't honor him as God. Um but uh or or give thanks, but they came became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, that's the fall. Um uh Eve saw that the tree was good to make one wise, and she took and she ate, and they became fools, right? And so all of humanity are fools, right? And they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man, right? They exchanged the image. They were created to be image berries, and they exchanged it. Yeah, they said, I am God, right? Uh and that's the sin. When Paul gets to chapter five, he's gonna talk about the sin. Here's the sin. Yes, I am God and there is no other, right? Um, and that's was Satan's enticement, okay? And and so when Paul says, and that's what the Gentiles are doing, the Jews say, Amen. Paul says, That's what you're doing, too. They say, I'm not leaving you up. Oh, I don't, I don't like that. Right? Oh, well, when you condemn others, you condemn yourself, for you do the same things, right? And so that's chapter two. So he so he's spelling out this wrath of God that has come upon all mankind, right? Because they suppress the truth and unrighteousness. The Gentiles don't know the one true God, Israel does. Uh, and so they're out there suppressing the truth and unrighteousness. And and actually that's what's going to be quoted in these these Psalms in chapter three. And so Paul's over there saying, you know, these men, Gentiles, people, humanity, suppress the truth and unrighteousness. And you hear the old Jewish lawkeeper over there, amen. And he said, What are you amening about? You do the same thing. The next uh 10 chapters on that. You're without a you know, you when you condemn others and you do the same thing, you know, how's that make you any different? It it's not the hearers of the law who are justified before God. So just because you heard the law doesn't justify you. Yeah, it's the doers of the law. How's that going for you? Oh, you ain't doing it. Well, then guess what? It doesn't justify you. I mean, that that's that's his argument, right? Yeah, um uh there's no partiality with God, right? Um for all who sin without the law will perish without the law, and all who sin under the law, so the Jew is under the law, he's not without the law, he's like, will be judged by the law.

SPEAKER_03 30:31

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 30:31

For it's not the hearers of the law who are just before God. They're going, oh, we're we're special, we're Jews, we're God's chosen people, we have the law. He goes, Oh, so you so so all that does is make you without excuse. That it doesn't justify you, just at least they have an excuse. They didn't know. You don't have an excuse, right? It's not the hearers of the law who are just before God, but the doers of the law. For if the Gentiles who do not have the law do instinctively the things of the law. Now, uh we we need to pause here. In theology, yeah. We're gonna apologize. This one's gonna be longer because this is Romans, right? So that's right. So this is gonna take a minute to work through, but we want to do it all in one sitting, uh, so that uh so that we the the flow the flow of the thought follows right through here. But but uh uh if the Gentiles, so so the function of the law, and Paul explains this in Galatians, he's gonna explain it here as well. It was

What The Law Was Given For

Dr. David Klingler 31:23

to do three things. It was it was to convict Israel of their sin, right? The Gentiles didn't have the law, they weren't under the law, uh, and so they were blissfully ignorant of God's character or standards, right? But Israel wasn't. And so the law given to Israel convicted them of their sin. That was one. It revealed the character of God, too, and of course, in revealing the character of God also revealed they didn't have that character, right? Uh they had a hard heart.

unknown 31:51

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 31:52

Uh and so it drove them because that conviction of sin and righteousness of God that creates a gap, um it drove them to the sacrificial system, which was a placeholder for Christ. And so Paul says it this way in Galatians: it the law was a tutor to Christ. It was to drive them to Christ. And so so what the Spirit does is what the law failed to do. It convicts of sin, convinces that Jesus is uh the Christ and that God is righteous. You know, so so the the law, so if the Gentiles who don't have the law do instinctively the things of the law, right? The this through the ministry of the Spirit, they recognize their sinners, they recognize God's righteous, and they recognize Christ as the answer, right? Then these not having a law become a law unto themselves and that they show the works of the law written on their heart and their conscience bearing witness. And and you know, we don't want to go too far down this trail, but but I I I my concern is that the way that we understand conscience is is wrong. Uh oh my i if your conscience is guilty. Well, your conscience is not the standard by which you're judged. Yeah. If you can sleep at night, uh that doesn't mean that you're good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of monsters who sleep very well at night, right? And their conscience has gives them no no problems. Right. Um, the the the word is made up of of two parts uh that uh that also um you even see in the word conscience, you know, with knowledge, right? You know, con is with science with science, science, knowledge. Um in the the Greek it's it's it's kind of with uh it's it's with seeing. You're seeing things the way God sees them, right? Um and so you're aligning yourself with what's good and right in the eyes of the Lord, right? Uh and so if the Gentiles who don't have the law know instinctively what's good and right in the eyes of the Lord without the law, uh then that becomes a problem for you, right?

SPEAKER_03 34:04

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 34:04

Uh so they have the work of the law written in their hearts in their conscience, they're seeing it correctly, bearing witness, and their thoughts alternatively accusing or defending them on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men's hearts through Christ Jesus, the the secrets of men, right, that he will judge through my gospel. So if you bear the name Jew, you're without excuse, right? Every one of you, when you condemn others, you condemn yourself, right? And that raises the logical question. Well then, all right, Paul, well then what's the point of being a Jew? What what advantage has the Jew? What what what good is it to be a Jew? What benefit is circumcision? He says, Great in every respect. First, they were entrusted with the oracles of God. What then? If some of them did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithful as God, will it? Right? So who believed Paul says we believed that if you bear the name Jew and you're still relying upon the law to justify you, you're in trouble. You need to get over here.

SPEAKER_03 35:03

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 35:03

Right? Uh, because you're still condemned. Um and so um uh are the are the Jewish believers better than the unjuwish believers? Are the are are does that make uh what then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are under sin. When did he already charge it? Well, that's what he's been arguing. Chapter one, he says, look, men suppress the truth and unrighteousness, and you do the same, right? And and he's gonna say, That's what I was doing. Right? And so the law did its job to drive me to the recognition that I'm a sinner and drive me to faith. So it worked, it did its job. That's what he that's what he's going to argue.

SPEAKER_03 35:45

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 35:45

So so then he says, um, there's unrighteous, not one. Well, uh, when we go to Psalm 14, um Psalm 14, Psalm 10, Psalm, the all of these psalms are um um are so um it's important that we we understand that he's not just quoting a verse, he's pointing to the whole psalm in several of these psalms. Right. Um the fool says in his heart, this is Psalm 14, there is no God. Well, what does the fool say? The fool says there's no God. Um they are corrupt, they've committed uh, you know, unbelievable deeds, uh abominable deeds. There is no one uh who does good. So the fool who says in his heart who's doing all these evil deeds, uh he says there's no God. There's not one of those who does good. They they don't do what's good right in the eyes of the Lord. So God looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, on all the sons of men, that's the Gentiles, all to see what's going on, see if anyone understands. If anyone seeks after God, the Gentiles were never told to seek God, Israel was, repeatedly. Right? And so he looks out there in Gentile land to see if any of them are seeking after God. No, they all have turned aside, they have all become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. Do all the workers of wickedness not know who eat up my people like they eat up bread? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, where's this my people group coming from, right? And do not call upon the name of the Lord. See, see, this is the point. You are righteous because you call upon the name of the Lord. All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This is what Paul's gonna say later in Romans. Uh so these people who don't, they they do wickedness, they do evil, they don't seek the Lord, they say there is no God, they do abominable deeds, they don't call upon the name of the Lord, they're in great, uh, they're in great dread.

SPEAKER_02 37:37

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 37:38

For God is with the righteous generation. There's so in verse 5, there's there's for there's a whole generation of them.

SPEAKER_02 37:46

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 37:47

Uh for God is with the righteous generation. You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, but the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that salvation would come to Israel. Um, that salvation of Israel would come out of Zion. When the Lord restores his captive people, Jacob will rejoice. Israel will be glad. Yeah. And so there's a whole generation of righteous people, and that's his point. So all the way down through all these quotes. So he says, We know that the law is good, but it speaks to those who are under the law. And the function of the law was to condemn, right? So, what good is the law? So that's what how he raised the question in chapter three. What good is the law? Well, through the law comes the knowledge of God, through the law comes the knowledge of sin. Uh and so um, you know, all of sin, there's there's none righteous, not one, uh, apart from faith. That's the point that he's making, right? That the righteous man was always righteous through faith. Isn't that what Abraham our forefather, according to the flesh, taught us? He was righteous through faith, that David, after he broke the law, the law was given after he broke it, he was righteous through faith. And so the one who has faith has peace with God and is no longer under God's wrath, which is chapter one, right? Uh and so this whole address is to address the Jew.

SPEAKER_02 39:08

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 39:09

Right. So uh, so uh the the Paul living through this time, he he's gone through all kinds of trials and tribulations, and and and so he exalts in the hope of the glory of God, the hope of Christ's return to fix it, to make it right, but he also glor uh glories in the things that produce hope, which is tribulation. And he's gonna return to that in chapter eight, so that's chapter five, right? So we have peace with God. Um, we are no longer under his wrath, Paul says, because we have faith. And so you, unbelieving Jew, you need to believe as well, right? Um and he's going to explain this. So now he's going back to his, he's gonna cement his argument back from chapter one that men suppress the truth and unrighteousness. That's what Adam did. And this was the sin. The sin of Adam was to suppress the truth in unrighteousness, uh, and um you know, and kind of go and do your own thing. It was to reject God and declaim yourself to be God and to justify yourself in your own eyes.

SPEAKER_02 40:16

Yeah, and so for our listeners too, that that's something to point out in chapter six, especially, is um, even though it says sin, you're it's not gonna say the sin in your English Bible, most likely. But what we're saying, when we're saying the sin, right, that's really what it's saying in in the Greek. Well, that is what it says. That's what it's saying behind the uh behind the English text, it's just not being translated that

The Sin, Death, And Grace

SPEAKER_02 40:40

way.

Dr. David Klingler 40:40

Yeah, so so in chap in chapter five, verse twelve, therefore, just as through one man the sin entered the world. Okay, that's five twelve. And and they don't translate it as the sin, uh they translate it as sin. But it is the sin entered in the sin of a through the sin of one man, the sin entered the world. And the sin is the suppressing the truth and unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, um, you know, claiming yourself to be wise, and you become a fool and you exchange the glove, right? That that's it, that's the sin. And that sin uh brought death, yeah. And death reigned and still does. Okay. And law was added to show the sinfulness of sin.

SPEAKER_02 41:26

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 41:26

Uh right. And so um all sin is doing one thing. It's it's saying, I'm God and God's not. I'm gonna do what's good and right in my own eyes. I don't care what you say. Yeah, right. I am my own God and there is no other. Okay. Uh, and so uh, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in the sin that grace may and grease? No. We we don't continue to suppress the truth in unrighteousness and ungodliness of men. We don't continue to claim to be wise when we're fools, we don't continue to exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for the foolishness that is man and animals and the idiocy that's going. No, of course not. We agree with the law that it's good, that it did its job, uh, and convicted us. And so it drove us to sin or drove us to faith. That was the point. And so that's chapters six, chapter seven. So, therefore, for the believer who has recognized the function of the law that you know that you know Paul's saying is that the Jew who has allowed the law to do its job and realize that I'm not justified because I'm a Jew, and I'm not justified because I quote keep the law, because I don't. The law's function was to drive me to faith. And through belief, I have no condemnation. I am no longer under God's wrath. And so, uh, what shall we say about these things? Uh if God is for us, who's against us? Uh if if he didn't spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not freely give us all things? For who will bring a charge against God's elect? Now, who's God's elect? Paul says, I'm God's elect. Israel's God's elect. His desire is for Israel to believe, which is why he's taking the gospel to the Gentiles to make them jealous. Right? Um and so uh Paul's uh Paul's saying God is going to keep his promises to Israel. Yeah, absolutely, right? Um, but we, the believing Jew, member of the believing remnant of Israel, we the Jew, um there's nothing that will separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Paul is going through tribulation, he's going through distress, he's going through persecution, he's going through famine, he's going through nakedness, peril, sword, all of it. Then he quotes Psalm 44. Uh, for your sake, we are being put to death all the day. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Uh Psalm 44 is the cry of the remnant in the midst of Israel's rebellion, because they're getting hauled off into exile. They're suffering just like all the rest of Israel. It's Habakkuk. This is the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk says, uh, Lord, you know, this Old Testament, Lord, uh, I don't know if you're paying attention, but Israel's we're wicked. And the Lord says, Yeah, I'm gonna judge you with, you know, here come the Chaldeans, the Babylonians. He said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second. What happens to me here? Oh, yo, you're going with them. You're gonna be persecuted, you're gonna suffer, you're gonna die in exile, you're gonna. Well, then how will the righteous live? Well, the righteous will live the way they always have through faith. He who is righteous through faith shall live, resurrection. So this isn't changed, right?

SPEAKER_03 44:52

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 44:52

Uh and so we are like sheep led to slaughter. That's Psalm 44. Paul um is um is convinced that there's nothing that will separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. He will keep his promises to Israel, and through Israel's rejection, the gospel has gone to the Gentiles to make them jealous. And so

Romans 9 To 11 In Context

Dr. David Klingler 45:11

in chapter 9, he's going to explain this these two groups, right? We're on the right side. Yeah. We the believing Jews are on the right side. You, the unbelieving Jews, are on the wrong side.

SPEAKER_02 45:20

Right.

Dr. David Klingler 45:20

Same lump.

SPEAKER_02 45:21

Yeah. I like that analogy. One lump of clay, two vessels.

Dr. David Klingler 45:24

Two vessels, one for honorable use, one for dishonorable use. Jacob, I love, Esau I hated. Guess what? You're uh you're in the Esau camp. Yeah, you need to get out of the Esau camp. Um uh and so um, you know, so so Paul is explaining through these uh two groups, and and and of course we get a lot of you know good theology out of this this chapter nine, but God has mercy on whom he shows mercy, he has compassion while he shows compassion. And so um, so you know, through Israel's rejection then, through the two groups, and the one lump, you know, the one lump, the two groups, uh the the one rebelling, the gospel has come to the Gentiles. So he says in chapter nine, verse thirty, what shall we say then? That the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith. But Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it was through works, they stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written. I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense, and he who believes in him shall not be disappointed. And so the Jew did not allow the law to do what the law was to do, convict him of their sin. So through their rejection, the gospel went to the Gentiles. The Gentiles are believing it through the ministry of the Spirit. Uh, and so Paul is excited for the gospel going to the Gentiles, but his heart's desire, his whole motivation for ministry, is to save his countrymen. Uh my heart's desire and my prayer is for their salvation. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. They didn't subject themselves to the righteousness of God revealed through the law. For Christ is the end of the law for everyone who believes. In other words, um doesn't nullify, exterminate, the the he is the he's the logical end. The the function of the law was to convict you of your sin and to drive you to Christ. So in chapter three of Galatians, um the law is a tutor to Christ. That's what he's saying here. Um so so this whole thing, Israel's rejection, the gospel coming to the Gentiles, was all part of God's sovereign plan, and he's able to graft them back in. So for 11 chapters, Paul is explaining his gospel. It's not just his gospel, it's the gospel.

SPEAKER_03 48:13

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 48:14

Uh, you know, so it's and then he actually does. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. That's 1, 16, and 17. Uh, then in chapter 2, he says, You're gonna be judged by my gospel, because the gospel and my gospel are the same. I'm saying the same thing. I'm telling you the Old Testament story. Israel rejects the law, didn't do its job, doesn't make the law bad, uh, but the the spirit was promised because the law failed to convict Israel of their sin, convince them of the righteousness of God, and convince them for the need for Christ. Uh, and so the new covenant uh will be given, which will do those things. Israel rejected their Christ, the covenant, uh, the spirit has gone to the Gentiles, the Gentiles are receiving it through Israel's rejection. The gospel has come to the Gentiles, and now God is able to graft them back in. And so, as the gospel's going out, how do these two groups, Jews and Gentiles, live together in one body?

Living Together In One Body

Dr. David Klingler 49:05

Yeah, good question. That's chapters 12 through 16. Yes. Right. Um, so so here's how you live together. And you, you know, you love your brother, and if you you know, here's the short version. Um obey your governing authorities, right? Uh the Roman soldiers on the corner in Jerusalem.

SPEAKER_02 49:24

Or put there for a reason.

Dr. David Klingler 49:26

Not not because Rome's God is so strong, right, but because Israel is under judgment. Yes. Um, and uh and uh until they repent, there's gonna be a Roman soldier on the corner. Uh until Israel repents, Satan's still gonna be running the joint. So don't be shocked when your government is still, you know, making a mess of things. But uh your hope is not in fixing the government, so obey them. Uh your hope is in heaven with Christ, and when Christ returns, that's gonna fix your problems, right? Uh and so uh pay your taxes, right? Don't cause your brother to stumble, right? Um, if uh you know if eating causes my brother to stumble, now you say, well, why would eating cause my brother? Well, back then, you know, there was the Jew, the clean, the unclean, and the gentile. He said, So as a Gentile, I don't want to offend my believing Jewish brother, uh, or vice versa, right? So, so I'm I'm doing all things for the expense of uh of the other, so that uh for the building up of the faith of the brethren, uh, live in you know in in unity with one another, uh and until I come, Paul says, right? So I mean I'm coming, and I'm gonna be I'm gonna come to y'all, and y'all are gonna help me on my way to Spain. So I'm gonna come and I'm gonna hang out, and then off we're gonna go, right? Uh, and so that's the book of Romans. So so Romans is a very um uh occasional letter. In other words, it was written to address a specific situation. Uh we read it as a theological treatise, which you know, I guess it is. But it was written to address Jewish unbelievers and their accusations against Paul in the midst of him not coming to Rome and answering those questions, and in answering the questions of why he's not coming to Rome, give them a very clear uh defense of his ministry, his gospel, and why they stay stand condemned before. Why he's going to Gentiles. And why he's going to Gentiles. That's it. And so so that's the book of Romans.

Closing Notes And Next Steps

Dr. David Klingler 51:30

It's a it's a whopper, uh, and we went extra long today, but uh, but it's certainly worth uh worth the walk down the trail.

SPEAKER_02 51:37

Absolutely. And so I I want to remind our listeners too that um we have other book studies on our website, teachmethebible.com. Our our mission is helping the people of God understand the word of God, and we want to do that absolutely free to you. And and if this piqued your interest, if you said, Wow, that that that's different. I want to I want to learn more. Uh we have a Roman study on the website, I believe, that goes a lot more we don't yet.

Dr. David Klingler 52:05

We have First Corinthians. Okay. So uh but but Romans is one that we will uh we're that we're we're going to get to. Okay. Obviously we we need to get to Romans, that's a big one, but it's it's huge. Um the the problem with your reading of Romans, and just just in closing, uh is going to be tracking the pronouns, the singular to the plural.

SPEAKER_03 52:26

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler 52:26

Uh, and then the point that you pointed out, Alex, in chapters six and seven, uh, with the the sin. And that that that those are the two kind of debated chapters, what's going on in chapter six and chapter seven. Uh, and and they're missing the the sin that is being uh discussed to start in chapter really chapter one, yeah, uh, and then referred to again in chapter five, verse twelve. And so so if you got those you know a couple things in your you know back pocket, so to speak, you you can walk your way right through the book and it'll make sense to you.

SPEAKER_02 52:59

Well, then I'll I'll recant my statement, but keep an eye out for a future release of romance. Absolutely. Um, and uh and yeah, we hope that'll be a blessing to you. And so uh, but don't hesitate. If you have questions to get on there, you can submit questions and and uh doc will be happy to answer those and help you kind of get on the trail and and wrestle with anything you might see in here. But uh, we hope it's been helpful to you. Um and we're gonna pick up next week with, I believe, first Corinthians.

Dr. David Klingler 53:29

First Corinthians. And so and in First Corinthians we do have a extended study.

SPEAKER_02 53:34

Yeah, oh, that's right. So, yeah, so you'll be able to listen to the short version and then go right into the long version if you please. And so uh so join us next week. That's where we're gonna pick up. First Corinthians. We'll see you then.

SPEAKER_00 53:44

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