Bible Study Romans Part 41-Therefore

“Therefore” is a spotlight word and we refuse to walk past it. As we finally arrive at Romans chapter 2, we slow the pace down on purpose and trace how Paul’s argument continues straight out of the dramatic ending of Romans 1. The chapter break can make it feel like a reset, but that first word tells you it’s a continuation, and it sets up a warning that lands on anyone tempted to judge other people from a safe distance.

We also talk candidly about Bible reading habits that look productive but don’t always produce understanding. Reading the Bible in a year can become a spiritual checkbox if we’re racing to the next verse instead of listening. We make the case for active, thoughtful Bible study: paying attention to context, the writer’s world, the timeline of Scripture, and even the value of Greek and Hebrew nuances when you want to grasp what the text means, not just what it seems to say at first glance.

Then the focus sharpens. We push back on the popular claim that Romans 1 is only aimed at Gentiles or “pagans,” and we show why Paul’s language points to something broader: God’s wrath against ALL ungodliness and unrighteousness. Romans 2 opens with “whosoever,” and that word pulls every reader into the frame, especially the one who condemns others while excusing the same sins in himself. The takeaway is simple and hard: self-examination is part of Christian discipleship, and our calling is to bring light and truth, not to play judge.

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Transcript

Why Scripture Matters Most

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Welcome to the program Study in the Chapel. God's Word is supreme in chapel ministries. We consider it absolutely essential to a proper relationship with God. We study it, we love it, we rely on it every minute of every day. The following program is an edited recording of the regular Bible studies we host, and we decided to share these with you in the hope that you too will be able to find inspiration, encouragement, and ultimately salvation through discovering Christ in Scripture. Our intention is to travel all the way through the Bible. It will be a challenging journey, but one that will undoubtedly bring you to a decision. Through this study, you will be faced with either believing or rejecting what God has said to us. It is our intention to provide you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision about God and his word. We strongly encourage you to listen intently and diligently, because though at the moment you may not realize it, these things are truly a matter of life and death. In fact, these are matters of eternal life and eternal death. Never treat what God has said lightly. There is truly nothing more important to you. Now join us as we seek God's will through his inspired word.

Why Romans Chapter One Took A Year

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We're finally on chapter two. It's taken us nearly an entire year to get through that first chapter. I don't think it's ever taken us that long to cover any other chapter that we've studied so far, but in our defense, we've never come across a chapter quite like that one before. It was the beginning of a very well-organized letter. In this, his correspondence with the Roman Christians, Paul was meticulous not only on the details, but the structure. And chapter one is a masterpiece of both. There is an enormous amount of detail and an exquisite level of organization. And the overriding reason it took us so long was the fact that Paul, in that first chapter, which was basically the introduction to the whole letter, in that introduction, Paul, like the masterful writer that he is, presented to us for the most part all of the major themes that will come out as this thing unfolds. And now we're going to see that he spends much of the next several chapters unwinding and unpacking each of those one by one and in more exacting detail. In fact, that begins immediately upon the commencement of chapter two. As this chapter opens, as chapter two opens, we're going to see that Paul isn't going to waste any time getting to these important topics. The very first word of chapter two serves to connect what came before with what is about to follow. There is a relationship between what was discussed in the previous 32 verses with what he is about to say. But there's nothing magical or out of the ordinary about that.

How Chapters And Verses Got Added

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As you probably know by now, chapter and verse were not a part of any of the original books, letters, prayers, songs, documents of the Bible. Paul did not organize his letters with chapter and verse. Not even in many of the early manuscripts, the copies of the originals had these chapter and verse designations. But as literacy rates increased over the centuries and copies of the Bible became more widely available, this numbering system was added as a way to improve memorization and study as people became more interested in knowing their Bible. Then the scholars, the monks, the priests, all of the ministers realized that there had to be some way to easily help people with their study and chapter and verse was born. But that happened way back in the medieval times. Of course, we're thankful for that. It took a lot of work and it's been worth it. We owe a debt of gratitude to those hardworking scholars because scripture is now open to us in ways that would not have been possible before. Chapter and verse are vital elements in the lives of earnest Christians, but they aren't perfect. Are you criticizing God's word? No, I'm not criticizing God's word. I'm not even really criticizing anything. I'm just saying what's here has some minor flaws. If God had been the one to put in chapter and verse, if the Holy Spirit had been in charge of the placement of chapter and verse, there would be no ambiguities and no mistakes. I'm not saying there are any mistakes, anyhow. I'm not sure there actually could be, because it really comes down to personal interpretation, the interpretation of those scholars. And by the way, chapter and verse has evolved over the centuries. It has not always been the same. What we have now in our Bibles was not necessarily how they first started out. Things were modified and changed. These things weren't added to enhance or in any way change the text, but rather as matters of convenience. So right and wrong doesn't really come into play. So I said this isn't a criticism in that sense, to be specific and to go back to the reason I brought this up. As far as the change from chapter one to chapter two is concerned, I don't think I would have chosen this spot for the transition. And the main reason that I think that is this word, therefore. Chapter two, verse one starts out by saying, therefore. Whenever you see that word in any English language piece of literature, I know you already know this, so forgive me for stating the obvious, but the word therefore is purposely inserted so that the reader knows that the information that is about to be shared is related to the previous information. Therefore, see, therefore, chapter two, verse one is a continuation of at least the last few things mentioned in chapter

Slow Bible Study Over Fast Reading

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one. John, why do we spend so much time on these sorts of things? Well, first of all, it's not so much time, it's some time. And we spend some time on this sort of stuff because I want you to get into the habit of showing interest in scripture. I want you to become an active participant in your study of the Bible. Ask questions like, what is God saying to me here? Why is he saying things this way? Why did he use that word? Bible study shouldn't be a task that has to be cleared off of our to-do list. And we love that sort of thing, don't we? We love to get through things and we do so for various reasons. We're anxious to start the next thing. We want people to judge the extent of our knowledge simply by the size of our libraries. Did you read all those books? I sure did. Isn't that impressive? Well, what did you learn? How's that? I said, what did you learn from all these books? These are a lot of books. Yeah, I know, but what did you learn from them? I read them. Well, good for you. What sorts of things do you now know that you didn't know before? Well, I learned I could read fast. I don't want you to read fast through your Bibles. You've heard me come against those read your Bible through in a year and similar guidebooks, haven't you? Listen, I'm sure that if you spent even a little bit of time in an evangelical church, then you've probably either purchased under pressure, of course, or been given as a love gift from the ministry, one of these Bibles that's structured in such a way as to facilitate you getting through it in a year. There are other time increments, of course, but mostly the goal is to read a Bible in a year. That seems to be the most common and not too difficult, I suppose. But my question is, why? What possible outcome are you hoping for? And I asked that question to the one trying to read the Bible through in a year, as well as the one who suggests you do that. What are you hoping to gain by reading the Bible cover to cover in a set amount of time? Now, I suppose I could anticipate a couple of possible answers to the question. One, the reader would learn more about the Bible in that way, or the reader would learn to love the Bible more. And I say nuts to both of those suggestions. You regulars, I hope, will agree by now that merely reading a verse is not always an efficient way to get to know it, especially if you can't wait to get to the next one. Because, first of all, a large percentage of the time, the sentences in the Bible are structured quite a bit differently than what we're used to now. These are old documents. Yes, there are translations to the Bible dedicated to mitigating the negative effects of this problem, but that almost always involves rewriting not just the structure, but sometimes the meaning of the verse, just so that it can make sense to our modern ears, if only slightly so. Any diversion whatsoever from the original meaning can have a negative impact on overall doctrine. The drive for clarity very often comes at the expense of truth. Now, another reason that just reading your Bible is ineffective is because to get the full impact of what's being said, you have to take into account so many things. For instance, context is so important. Understanding the writer's culture in times helps us to properly engage with his statements. Knowing when in the biblical timeline something is written helps, the political environment, the character, or the writer's role in society, so many factors are not immediately obvious and require some time to research. But any research you do regarding scripture, I think is rewarding, and you can learn so many things when doing so. Then, of course, taking into account the original language is incredibly helpful. The majority of our standard translations do a decent job, but there's nothing like going back and looking at the sources. The subtleties of both Greek and Hebrew give us so much insight to into not only what is said, but what's meant. You can't get any of this just by reading your Bible. It's a good start, but there should be more to it than that if you want to get to know more about your Savior. So back to my point, which you probably don't remember, and I'm not sure I do either. I

Therefore Connects Romans 1 And 2

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was trying to say that the word, therefore, being the first word of the second chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans tells us that whatever is about to follow is a continuation of some sort of what went before. And as you remember, chapter one closed out in rather dramatic fashion. Paul was talking about what happens to those who are operating without the guidance of God. It was a very long list of awful sins that mankind regularly commits and regularly makes excuses to commit. In fact, Paul told us that those that commit these awful things actually enjoy doing so to the point that they encourage others to be wicked and actually take pleasure when they find willing co-sinners. I believe I called it the Brotherhood of Sin. The point Paul was making was that all of these things were invoking God's wrath. He said that God's wrath was revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness. One more time. Therefore, found at the very beginning of chapter two means that Paul is going to continue with what he had been saying just a moment ago, or at least use the foregoing as the basis for the upcoming. Strictly speaking, the therefore means there's going to be some analysis or conclusion offered. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're wondering why we don't just get on with it and read the chapter. Well, we're almost ready for that, but before we do, I want to make sure that you understand that Paul's focus and delivery is about to sharpen.

Paul Turns Toward Self-Righteous Hearers

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He is now going directly at his fellow Jews. Some scholars will say that chapter one's awful list, as we just characterize it, was just what the Gentiles or heathens do exclusively, and that previous part was not meant for the Jews. That is what scholars say. And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why. Now, I suppose that conclusion is due to Paul's reference to making images and idols to represent God. That is something you'd routinely associate with the heathen, especially in Paul's day. But listen to me, the Old Testament makes clear that one of the reasons the Jews were in constant trouble. In fact, I think the primary reason the Jews were in constant trouble with God was because they would from time to time slip into, you guessed it, idol worship. They wanted to be like their neighbors. All of their neighbors worshiped idols and they wanted to as well. The record is full of instances where the Jewish people, God's own people, would also change the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. A direct quote from the previous chapter, which some say was exclusively for the pagans. As I said, I disagree. Yes, chapter two is meant for the Jews, but that doesn't mean chapter one wasn't. In fact, I believe that is precisely what Paul is driving at here in the beginning of chapter two, and I'm going to remind you of that week after week. As we go through this, I'm going to remind you that that was Paul's intention. One of the things Paul is so good at is understanding his own people. He will demonstrate that throughout by anticipating the reaction to what he has to say. Now, we'll point those things out as we come across them. Here in chapter two, he just knows the Jews crowded around the person reading this letter to those ancient congregations had not been paying attention to the lengthy rebuke found in chapter one. They too thought these things were just the description of the typical non-Jew. And because Paul knew they were thinking that way, he sort of snapped his finger to wake them up. That's how chapter two starts. He's letting them know that they should have been paying attention all along because everything that was written before was written for everyone.

Why The Wrath Passage Applies To All

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Now you may be wondering why I keep bringing this up. Why do I keep harping on the fact that there's no reason to believe that the end of chapter one was for the Gentiles and all of chapter two is for the Jews? Because the reason I'm bringing that up is because that's how it is almost always taught. Pick up just about any commentary or published sermon on this section of scripture, and you're going to find that the writer wants you to believe that Paul, from verse 18 on through the end of chapter one, was addressing the Gentiles. Some of the older commentaries referred to them as the heathen. In fact, the inference is that all Gentiles act this way all the time, that these things are their normal mode of behavior. And when they're using the word Gentiles in these Christian New Testament commentaries, they're really talking about those who have not been saved. So you'll hear the word Gentile or pagan or heathen, and really what they're talking about is not us Christians, of course, but all the great unwashed out there. And you know, I admit that sometimes this things, these sorts of things wind me up because this nearly unanimous opinion has no basis in scriptural fact. There is nothing in these verses that can bring me to a confident conclusion as to this assumption. In fact, the opposite. Two things tell me that the standard interpretation is wrong. Number one, Paul says God's wrath is coming against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. All. And then it says, all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Now, if you ask me, that would have been a great place for Paul. To clarify who he's speaking to, if it weren't all. He could have used the word all ungodliness and unrighteousness, but if he wanted to further filter the all, he should not have said of men. He should have said of the heathen, all ungodliness and unrighteousness of the heathen. That isn't what he said. If that was his intention, he should have said that. If he was speaking directly to a specific group of men, this is not the way to do that. And yet, the scholars consistently say Paul was talking to and about the pagan. And this is what baffles me. Where's the reference to the pagans? How does that standard opinion get formed? John, is any of this vital at all to my understanding of my of the gospel? In my opinion, yes. And I believe so for two more reasons. Number one, I don't want anyone confused about who Paul is factually speaking to or about, because he's speaking to and about everyone. And number two relates to number one. When studying any portion of scripture, there is something there for all of us, and we should never stop listening or studying because we think for some reason a certain portion of it doesn't apply to us. Listen, certain scripture may have been written to a specific group. Yes, that happens all the time, but that doesn't mean it wasn't written for everyone else. It may have been written to a group, but it's for all of us. In fact, clearly God meant for all of us to pay attention to chapter one, Jew or Gentile, and He's made that clear from the outset.

Whosoever Judges Condemns Himself

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He says this at the beginning of chapter two. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man. Who's thou? Therefore you are inexcusable, O man. Who's this speaking of? Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man. Here's who this is going to. Whosoever thou art that judgest, whosoever thou art, whoever you are, no matter who you are, Paul is saying. He's not saying Jews, Gentiles, he's saying, whoever you are, if you're judging someone else and not yourself, this is for you. Paul has something to say to his fellow Jews, yes, and he's saying it. But God has something to say to the Jews and everyone else. Everyone else who's sitting back and judging others as if he is excused, as if he has nothing in himself to be judged. How do I know? The word whosoever tells me that. Whosoever you are that judges. Does that cover the Jews of Paul's day? Sure does. Whosoever is whosoever. But that doesn't mean the rest of us are exempt, because if you're honest with yourself, you know, just like I know of myself, that I'm judging others all of the time as if I have a right to do so. Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest, for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnst yourself. For thou that judgest, do the same things. Written for the Jews, I agree with that. But that doesn't mean Christians can sit back and wait until Paul gets around us. That's exactly what the Jews did while Paul was in the first chapter, and that's what he's rebuking them for here. Let's not make their mistake. Let's not risk a similar rebuke directed at us. And besides, as I've said to you many times before, the Christian church is largely in the same place today with God as the Jews were in Paul's day. Much of the criticism leveled against the Jews at that time can be brought against the church today. The modern Christian church has adopted many of the negative, unproductive, rebellious, self-serving traits once associated with the nation Israel. Now, I'm not going to spend any time proving that to you, but instead go back to my overall premise, which is we all need to pay attention to Paul. We all need to self-examine to make sure we're properly following good, God-centered doctrine, living lives that move the cause of Christ forward, bringing light and truth to a world that desperately needs it. That is our calling, not judging others. That's not our calling. Sharing the light is our calling, judging others is not. Leave that to the one who's equipped to and worthy of it. The Christian church is in dire need of spiritual correction, exactly of the kind we see all through Scripture. All

Closing Encouragement And Ways To Support

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right. Rambling weak introduction over. So rambling, in fact, I took up all of our time. Next time, we'll really get started on chapter two. Please join us. I promise it'll be better than it is this week. See you then.

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We hope this study has blessed you. God's word is a great treasure, and it's our belief that a thorough, purposeful study of it will bring all of God's children to an understanding of his eternal plan of redemption. It is our prayer that this will be so for all of our listeners. Please join us again soon. New content is being added all the time, so make sure you check back often. For more information on Chapel Ministries, including our YouTube channel and podcasts, please visit www.chapelontheweb.com. And if God has laid it upon your heart to share materially with us, we encourage you to follow the links to our secure giving page. Please note, Chapel Ministries is not an IRS registered nonprofit organization, and your donations to this program are not tax deductible. It's our hope that you do not rely on taxing authorities to decide for you who is worthy of your generosity.