ROMANS ROAD
to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration of
Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by Faith |
|
Modified from Irving
L. Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
FOR I LONG TO
SEE YOU: epipotho (1SPAI) gar
idein (AAN) humas: (2Ti 1:4 Ro 15:23,32; 2Cor 9:14; Php
1:8; 2:26; 4:1)
Long (1971)
(epipotheo from epi = intensifies
meaning of + potheo =
to yearn) (Click discussion of
epipotheo)
describes a strong desire, an intense
craving of possession, a great affection for, a deep desire, an earnest
yearning for something with implication of need. Note the
present tense
indicating Paul continually longed to see the believers in Rome. Paul
makes it clear that it is no selfish desire in the next clause. He is
not seeking to get something out of them but to give them something -
some spiritual gift.
Here are the 9 NT uses of
epipotheo - Ro 1:11; 2Co. 5:2; 9:14; Phil. 1:8; 2:26; 1Th 3:6; 2Ti 1:4;
James 4:5; 1Pe 2:2
See (3708)
(horao) literally refers to perception by sight as in this verse.
What Paul is saying in essence is
that "My heart aches to see you." The idea is that one wants something
so bad it makes your heart hurt on the inside. Have you ever wanted
something so badly it made your heart hurt when you thought about it?
Paul is saying "I want to see you so badly that it makes my heart hurt
when I think about it."
Kent Hughes writes that...
Paul’s spirit was for all practical
purposes duplicated in the life of General Booth, founder of the
Salvation Army. Once when General Booth stood before Queen Victoria and
she asked what she might do for him, the rugged old man replied, “Your
Majesty, some people’s passion is money, and some people’s passion is
fame, but my passion has been men.” (Hughes,
R. K. Romans: Righteousness from heaven. Preaching the Word. Wheaton,
Ill.: Crossway Books)
What is the passion of your life? What are you
living for? What are you indebted to? What are you eager
to do? Are you still twiddling your thumbs and wasting your life on
things that don’t really matter? Or have you gotten excited about the
most important thing in the world—sharing Jesus Christ with those who
don’t know him? Are you involved in sharing God’s love heart to heart to
heart?
Two things will last forever—the Word of God and people. Everything else
fades away. What are you doing this week that will last forever?
We see this same idea expressed by
Paul in Acts Luke recording that...
"after these things (read prior
verses for context to answer the question "what things?") were finished,
Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed
through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I
must also see Rome." (Acts 19:21)
In the end of this epistle Paul
reiterates that...
I have had for many years a
longing (noun = epipothia = earnest desire) to come to you (see
note
Romans 15:23)
Mounce notes that...
Commitment to a common Lord draws
people together. To be servants of the same master is to be in harmony
with one another. (Mounce,
R. H. Romans: The New American Commentary. Broadman & Holman Publishers)
This is the pastor’s heart
in Paul the great missionary. Some of the saints in Rome were very dear
to Paul, such as Priscilla and Aquila (Ro 16:3, 4-note),
who risked their lives for him; “the beloved Persis” (Ro 16:12-note);
and others who had labored and suffered with Paul. But he also loved the
believers that he did not know, and he longed to be able to share some
spiritual gift with them. He was looking forward to a time of mutual
blessing in the love of Christ. A mark of spiritual service is a loving
spirit (cp 1Th 2:7, 8, 9-note).
Paul wanted to visit the Roman believers in order
to serve them lovingly in God’s name. He did not want to go as a tourist
to see the famous
Appian Way or the Forum or the Coliseum or the chariot
races. He wanted to go to Rome to give of himself, not to entertain or
indulge himself.
"My heart aches to see
you." The word epipotheo
means to want something so bad it makes your heart hurt
on the inside. Have you ever wanted something so badly it made your
heart hurt when you thought about it? Paul is saying in essence "I want
to see you so badly that it makes my heart hurt when I think about it."
Pastor Ray Pritchard
relates the following story...
In one of his books Henri Nouwen talks about the time pressure he felt
when he was a university professor. Although he enjoyed teaching, he
never felt he had the time to concentrate on his work because of all the
interruptions. Even when he put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on his door, the
students interrupted him anyway. He said, "Everywhere I went, people
wanted to talk to me." By his own testimony, he was upset because he
felt like all the interruptions were messing up his work. But that
changed one day when God said to him, "My son, be at peace. Those
interruptions are your work."
That’s a key to heart to
heart ministry—understanding that the interruptions of life are part of
the work God has given you to do. But some of us are so driven, so
work-focused, so goal-oriented, so workaholic that we resent people
because people keep us from what we call "our work." If only we could
see that people are our work. Have you ever known anyone
who came to the end of life and said, "I wish I had spent more time at
the office" or "I wish I had been away from my family more" or "I should
have been more of a workaholic." I doubt it. But we've all known men and
women who said, "I should have spent more time with the people who
really mattered to me." "I wish I hadn’t been so obsessed with working
that I forgot to build some relationships." What would they say
about you if you died today? "He was busy." "She got her degree." "He
climbed the ladder." "She made it in a man’s world." "He was too busy
for people." "We’re glad she’s gone." (Romans
1:8-15 A Heart to Heart Ministry)
Be imitators of Paul. Long
to see those whom God has given to you as your field of ministry.
The Christian who looks on his service to the Lord as a means of
receiving appreciation and personal satisfaction is inevitably subject
to disappointment and self-pity (cf Matthew 6:1-note).
But the one who focuses on giving never has such problems. Remember the
old maxim
"No one cares how much you know, ‘til they know how much
you care."
Real ministry
is heart to heart, or it is not real ministry at all.
Paul was no shallow sentimentalist. The deepest theology ever written
flows from his pen. But don’t ever think Paul didn’t care about people.
Everything he did, he did for people. Paul’s
ministry goal was to “present
every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor,” he
said, “striving according to His power, which mightily works within me”
(see Col 1:28-note,
Col 1:29-note).
SO THAT
I MAY IMPART SOME SPIRITUAL GIFT TO YOU: hina ti metado (1SAAS) charisma
humin pneumatikon:
So that (3708)
(hina) marks a purpose for something, in this case the purpose of
Paul's coming personally to see the Roman saints. His purpose was to
share some spiritual gift.
I may impart (3330)
(metadidomi from metá = with suggest the idea of sharing as distinguished
from giving + dídomi = to give) means to share, give a part of.
It carries the additional meaning of sharing and imparting that
which is one’s own.
Paul uses metadidomi later
as he encourages the Romans to live out the truths of Romans 1-11,
writing that...
he who exhorts, in his exhortation;
he who gives, (metadidomi) with liberality; he who leads, with
diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (see note
Romans 12:8)
John the Baptist when asked by the
multitudes what they should do to
“bring forth fruits in keeping with
repentance" said “Let the man who has two tunics share (metadidomi)
with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise (Luke 3:8,
11).
Here are the other uses of
metadidomi in the NT:
Ephesians 4:28 Let him who
steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his
own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share
with (metadidomi) him who has need. (Comment: And in his
letter to Ephesus he makes clear that, whether or not a believer has the
gift of giving, he is to have the spirit of generosity that
characterizes this gift.)
1 Thessalonians 2:8 Having
thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart (metadidomi)
to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you
had become very dear to us. (Comment: So deep was his
affectionate concern for them, he was anxious to share with them rather
than to receive from them.)
Metadidomi is found 5 times
in the NT (Lk
3:11;
Ro 1:11 12:8;
Eph 4:28;
1Th 2:8)
(Lk. 3:11; Rom. 1:11; 12:8; Eph. 4:28; 1 Thess. 2:8) and is translated: gives, 1; impart, 2; share, 2. There are two
uses in the
Septuagint (LXX)
- Job 31:17, Pr 11:26
Spiritual (4152)
(pneumatikos from pneuma
= spirit + -ikos = speaks of the willingness to do that which the
spirit stands for. -Ikos means adapted to or fitted for the
spirit. It conveys idea of pertaining to the spirit or with the
characteristics of the Spirit) relates to the human spirit, as the part of man which is akin
to God and serves as his instrument or organ. It refers to that which
belongs to the supernatural world as distinguished from what belongs to
the natural world.
Here are the 26 uses of
pneumatikos in the NT - Rom. 1:11; 7:14; 15:27; 1 Co. 2:13, 15; 3:1;
9:11; 10:3f; 12:1; 14:1, 37; 15:44, 46; Gal. 6:1; Eph. 1:3; 5:19; 6:12;
Col. 1:9; 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:5
Gift (5486)
(charisma
from charis = grace + the ending --ma in Greek indicates the result of something, in this case the result of grace)
means “gift of grace” or
“free gift,” and in sixteen of its seventeen New Testament uses is
connected to God as the Giver. In this verse charisma refers to that
which is imparted through Paul's instruction.
Here are the 17 NT uses of
charisma in the NT - Rom. 1:11; 5:15f; 6:23; 11:29; 12:6; 1 Co. 1:7;
7:7; 12:4, 9, 28, 30f; 2 Co. 1:11; 1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6; 1 Pet. 4:10
Morris comments that
"spiritual gift" in this verse is used
in the more general sense of anything
that builds up the spiritual life. Paul wanted the Roman Christians to
be strengthened in the faith as a result of the gift God would give them
through his ministry. He speaks of strengthening them (and gives that as
the purpose of his proposed visit—he was not aimless in anything he
did). Life was not easy for first-century Christians. At Rome, as
elsewhere, it was important that they be strong. (Morris,
L. The Epistle to the Romans. W. B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press)
Paul was burdened for the physical
welfare of the Roman believers, but his overriding concern was for their
spiritual well-being, and therefore his principal purpose for longing to
see them was that he might impart to them some spiritual gift. What is
the spiritual gift?
John MacArthur
says
"The
gift Paul wanted to impart was spiritual not only in the sense of being
in the spiritual realm but in the sense that it had its source in the
Holy Spirit. Because he was writing to believers, Paul was not speaking
about the free gift of salvation through Christ about which he speaks in
Romans
5:15-16.
Nor could he have been speaking about the gifts he discusses in Romans
12, because those gifts are bestowed directly by the
Spirit Himself, not through a human instrument. He must therefore have
been using the term spiritual gift in its broadest sense, referring to
any kind of divinely-empowered spiritual benefit he could bring to the
Roman Christians by preaching, teaching, exhorting, comforting, praying,
guiding, and disciplining.
Whatever particular blessings the apostle had in mind, they were not of
the superficial, self-centered sort that many church members crave
today. He was not interested in tickling their ears or satisfying their
religious curiosity." (MacArthur,
J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press)
MacDonald adds that...
There is no thought here of his
conferring some “second blessing” on them, nor did he intend to impart
some spiritual gift by the laying on of his hands (though he did this
for Timothy in
2 Timothy 1:6 - note).
It was a matter of helping their spiritual growth through the ministry
of the word. (MacDonald,
W., & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
THAT YOU MAY BE ESTABLISHED: eis to stericthenai (APN) humas:
(Ro 16:25; 2Chr 20:20; Lk 22:32, Acts 16:5; 18:23, 2Cor 1:21; 1Th 3:2
,13 2Th 2:17; 3:3; Heb 13:9;James 5:8, 1Pe 5:10,12; 2Pe 1:12; 3:17,18,
Re 3:2,
Torrey's Topic Steadfastness)
The purpose of Paul's visit to
Rome was not for personal advantage or pleasure but to strengthen the
saints.
Matthew Henry writes that...
He received, that he might
communicate. Never were full breasts so desirous to be drawn out to the
sucking infant as Paul's head and heart were to be imparting spiritual
gifts, that is, preaching to them. A good sermon is a good gift, so much
the better for being a spiritual gift.-
To the end you may be
established. Having commended their flourishing he here expresses his
desire of their establishment, that as they grew upward in the branches
they might grow downward in the root. The best saints, while they are in
such a shaking world as this, have need to be more and more established;
and spiritual gifts are of special use for our establishment.
Established (4741) (sterizo
from histemi = to stand)
means to make firm or solid, to set
fast, to fix firmly in a place, to establish (make firm or stable), to
cause to be inwardly firm or committed, to strengthen. The basic idea is
that of stabilizing something by providing a support or buttress (a
projecting structure of masonry or wood for supporting or giving
stability to a wall or building), so that it will not totter. Clearly
Paul's use here is figurative - he does not want these saints to totter
in their faith.
Here are the 13 uses of sterizo
- Lk. 9:51; 16:26; 22:32; Rom. 1:11; 16:25; 1 Thess. 3:2, 13; 2 Thess.
2:17; 3:3; James. 5:8; 1 Pet. 5:10; 2 Pet. 1:12; Rev. 3:2
Paul had performed a similar work in
the churches he had planted on his first missionary journey Luke
recording that on the second missionary journey...
the churches were being
strengthened (related verb
steroo from stereos = solid or stable)
in the faith, and were
increasing in number
daily. (Acts 16:5)
Vincent observes that ...
The modest use of the
passive voice
leaves out of view
Paul’s personal part...The word shows that he had in view their
Christian character no less than their instruction in doctrine.
Paul wanted his spiritual brothers and sisters
“to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ”
(Eph 4:15-note).
In the last chapter of Romans Paul
elaborates on how they were to be established writing...
Now to Him Who is able to
establish (sterizo) you according to my gospel and the preaching of
Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been
kept secret for long ages past (see note
Romans 16:25)
Romans 16:25
(note) shows that it is God Who
strengthens and He uses the gospel and the proclamation of Jesus
Christ. God uses Paul's good news of Romans to stabilize them and make
them resolute. Has the pattern for strengthening saints changed over the
last 2000 years?
Vine adds
"To
establish is to cause to lean by supporting. Ministry of God’s Word
which leads us into fuller dependence on God, is ministry which
establishes us. The Hebrew word for “believe” literally means “to lean
upon” (2Chr 20:20
-- “put
your
trust
{believe -- Hebrew word "aman"}
in
Jehovah your
God and you will be
established,” where “believe” and
“established” represent the same word ("aman"). The means of this constant confirmation, then, is the impartation of
spiritual benefit, and the response of faith."
