Romans 1: 1-7 The Intro

[Rom 1:1 KJV] Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Did this verse just say that Paul is an apostle?  How could that be, there are already 12 apostles set up.  Even after Judas was done as an Apostle he was replaced soon after to make 12 again.  12 Apostles makes sense with the way Israel is set up with 12 tribes. How does Paul fit in as number 13?  Some people say he wasn't an apostle because Israel already had the 12.  If we are going to believe the scripture it says Paul is an apostle.  We will see where this leads and why Paul was called to be an apostle.

[Rom 1:2 KJV] (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
[Rom 1:3 KJV] Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
[Rom 1:4 KJV] And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
[Rom 1:5 KJV] By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
[Rom 1:6 KJV] Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
[Rom 1:7 KJV] To 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.


That about wraps up the introduction.

Romans: When was it written?

The year that Paul wrote Romans has many different points of view.  I have seen dates from AD 52 to AD 57 and there are probably more.

One thing that seems to be consistent is that was written in the Acts 20 to Acts 21 time frame while he was in Corinth.

To me it really doesn't matter when it was written and I don't think it should be something we should get hung up on.  We will leave that argument up to professors.

The important thing to me about Romans is that it is chalked full of doctrine for us today.  Chapters 1-3 are all about sin and how we got there.  It also teaches us about the grace of God and how He planned the whole thing before the world began. Romans 16:25

Ok, tomorrow we start on Chapter 1.  Enough of this into stuff.  See you tomorrow.

Book of Romans Verse by Verse

Let's go though the letter to the believers at Rome.  I want to go though this from a regular Bible believers way of studying.  By regular I mean "not someone with seminary training".  I can't say most of the 10 dollar words they are taught much less spell them.

I use the KJV and is what I will be using.  I do believe the KJV is God's perfectly preserved Word and we must trust what it says to whom it says it.  We will be studying by rightly dividing the Word of truth as per 2 Timothy 2:15.

In this study we will investigate many different ways that people interpret the scripture and why.  I will give the pros and cons of these interpretations as I see them, but I would encourage you to comment and give the things that you see. This study will not turn into an angry argument between us. I am not here to persuade you to believe like I do but to study the scripture and come to your conclusions.  Acts 17:11 tell you to study the scripture daily and verify what you are being taught.

For tomorrows study let's figure out who the letter was written to and who wrote it.

Who’s Your Teacher?

Who’s Your Teacher?

At times when I have tried to show someone why and how we need to rightly divide the word of truth the question is asked “Who is teaching you this?”  They are looking for an answer that names someone famous.  For example the Mormons have Joseph Smith, the Catholics have the Pope,  the Muslims have Mohammad,  the Christian Scientists have Mary Baker Eddie, Family Radio has Herald Camping, Rick Warren with his Mega Churches, and the list goes on. Most if not all of these people claim to have had divine revelation from God.  Some with new information and some with information clarified to be understood better. 

Let me tell you a little bit about the guy who has been teaching me what some call heresy and others call just plain craziness. 

He is a little guy that would wear glasses if he could afford them.  He doesn’t have a lot of money because he requires no tithe to keep his small assembles running.  He has a regular job on top of preaching and teaching.  He travels a lot to speak to these small groups he has taught. I haven’t actually got to see him in person yet, but someday soon I will get to meet him and the other founders that started this movement. 

This leader of the movement has had attempts on his life due to what he is preaching.  The religious groups don’t like what he is saying.  He has had messages form the Lord Jesus Christ several times.  Unlike some of the previously mentioned movement leaders who have hundreds if not thousands of books, my leader has only written about 80 to 90 pages depending on which volume of his writings you get.

It has been reported that he brought a dead guy back to life and has healed many.  He spoke in tongues several times when needed.  He has been on several missionary trips to give the gospel to the heathen and barbarians in the remote parts of the world. 

My teacher is Paul of Tarsus, the Apostle to the gentiles.  He wrote Romans thru Philemon in your Bible.  The Lord Jesus Christ came to him on the road to Damascus and gave him information that was hid in God before the foundation of the world not spoken of by the prophets of old.  Paul is our foundation that we are to build on.  Part of this mystery that was revealed to Paul was the purpose of the cross.  Since we are sinners and have no way of paying the debt, Christ paid it for us by dying on the cross taking our sins on Himself.  He (Christ) had faith that God would raise him from the dead.  By God raising Christ from the dead it showed that God was satisfied with the payment for our sins and we are now reconciled.  Believe this was done for you and you will meet the Lord in the air to go to heavenly places.

Grace and Peace

Jack Milholm

Galatians
Verse by Verse

Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

At first glance it doesn’t look like there is much to this verse other than an introduction to another of Paul’s 13 books. Here are some of the questions that can be answered.

1. Did Paul get his apostleship from Peter or any of the other apostles?
NO. Not of men, neither by man.

2. Where did he get his apostleship?
By Jesus Christ, and God the Father.

3. Who raised Jesus Christ from the dead?
God the Father

A lot of people tell me that they think that Paul and Peter preached the same message. This verse (Gal 1:1) by itself doesn’t tell us that they didn’t preach the same thing. They didn't preach the same message, but this verse doesn't prove that. Notice it is talking about Paul’s apostleship. This does raise some questions for me.

If Peter and Paul were preaching the same message, why didn’t Peter or one of the other apostle’s come to Paul and recruit him?

The answer is they were not preaching the same message. Jesus Christ appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus to give him a different message. (More on this later)

Was there room for another apostle in the Kingdom message? `

No, in Jesus Christ earthly ministry He had set up 12 apostles to rule over 12 tribes in the kingdom. Judas betrayed Him so God replaced Judas with another apostle in Acts 1 to get it back to 12. Not only did God not need another apostle for the kingdom gospel, there was no more room for another apostle. Some preachers try to explain this away by saying “man” picked Mathias, and God stepped in and chose who He wanted. Acts 1:24 says that the Lord chose the replacement.

Stay tuned for Galatians 1:2 coming soon. Please post your comments or questions. I will add them to this. Thanks Jack