Bullet Point Bible

Greeting and Apostolic Calling

¹ From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.² This gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,³ concerning his Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh,⁴ who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.⁵ Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name.⁶ You also are among them, called to belong to Jesus Christ.⁷ To all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul identifies himself first as a "slave" (doulos), emphasizing submission to Christ, before claiming the authority of an "apostle."
Being "called" signifies divine appointment, not personal ambition, for both apostleship (Romans 1:1) and salvation (Romans 1:6, 7).
The gospel is presented as rooted in God's Old Testament promises through the prophets (Romans 1:2), establishing continuity.
Jesus Christ is central: fully human ("descended from David according to the flesh," Romans 1:3) and fully divine ("appointed Son of God in power," Romans 1:4).
The resurrection is the pivotal event confirming Jesus' divine Sonship and power (Romans 1:4).
"Spirit of holiness" likely refers to the Holy Spirit, whose power was evident in the resurrection.
Paul's specific mission ("apostleship") is aimed at bringing Gentiles to the "obedience of faith" (Romans 1:5), highlighting faith as an active response.
The Roman Christians are included in this Gentile mission, affirmed as "loved by God" and "called to be saints" (holy ones).
The standard Christian greeting "Grace and peace" combines Greek (charis) and Hebrew (shalom) concepts, sourced in both God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Paul's Longing to Visit Rome

⁸ First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.⁹ For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness that I continually remember you¹⁰ and I always ask in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God.¹¹ For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,¹² that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another's faith, both yours and mine.¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.¹⁴ I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.¹⁵ Thus I am eager also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.

Paul begins his personal address with thanksgiving, a common feature in his letters, focusing on the widespread reputation of the Roman church's faith.
His service to God is deeply personal ("with my spirit") and centered on the gospel (Romans 1:9).
Paul emphasizes his persistent prayer for the Roman believers and his desire to visit them, subject to God's will (Romans 1:9-10).
His goal in visiting is mutual spiritual benefit: imparting a gift for strengthening and being encouraged by their faith (Romans 1:11-12). This corrects any impression of one-sided authority.
Paul clarifies that previous attempts to visit were hindered, showing his long-standing intention (Romans 1:13).
He views his apostolic commission as a debt or obligation owed to all people groups ("Greeks and barbarians," "wise and foolish"), signifying the gospel's universal scope (Romans 1:14).
"Greeks and barbarians" was a common way to categorize the entire non-Jewish world, encompassing the civilized and uncivilized from a Greco-Roman perspective.
This sense of obligation fuels his eagerness ("prothumon") to preach the gospel even in the empire's capital, Rome (Romans 1:15).

The Gospel's Power and Righteousness

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.¹⁷ For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, " The righteous by faith will live ."

This section serves as the thesis statement for the entire letter of Romans.
Paul's lack of shame (Romans 1:16) contrasts with potential pressures in Rome, the center of imperial power and sophisticated philosophy, where the gospel message (crucified Messiah, salvation by grace) could seem foolish or weak.
The gospel is not merely human words but God's effective "power" (dunamis) actively bringing about "salvation."
Salvation is universally available ("to everyone who believes") but requires faith as the condition for receiving it.
"To the Jew first and also to the Greek" establishes a pattern seen in salvation history and Paul's ministry strategy, acknowledging Jewish priority but affirming Gentile inclusion.
The gospel's core content is the revelation of "the righteousness of God" (Romans 1:17). This complex term can mean God's own righteous character, His saving activity, and/or the righteous status He grants believers.
This righteousness is accessed "from faith to faith" (or "by faith for faith"), emphasizing faith as both the starting point and continuing principle of the Christian life.
Paul grounds this assertion in Scripture, quoting Habakkuk 2:4 ("The righteous by faith will live"), a key Old Testament text supporting justification by faith.

God's Wrath Against Ungodliness

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness,¹⁹ because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.²⁰ For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.²¹ For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.²² Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

Parallel to the revelation of righteousness (Romans 1:17), God's "wrath" is also being revealed (Romans 1:18). This isn't arbitrary anger but God's settled, righteous opposition to sin.
God's wrath targets "ungodliness" (offenses against God) and "unrighteousness" (offenses against humans).
The fundamental human problem is identified as actively "suppressing the truth" through wicked behavior (Romans 1:18).
Paul argues for general revelation: essential knowledge about God is inherently "plain" or accessible to all people because God Himself has revealed it (Romans 1:19).
This revelation occurs through the created order ("what has been made"), which clearly points to God's "invisible attributes," specifically His "eternal power and divine nature" (Romans 1:20).
Consequently, humanity is "without excuse" for failing to acknowledge God (Romans 1:20). Ignorance is not the root issue; willful rejection is.
The rejection involves failing to "glorify" God or "give him thanks," leading to intellectual ("futile thoughts") and moral ("senseless hearts darkened") decline (Romans 1:21).
This rejection leads to a profound irony: claiming wisdom while embracing foolishness (Romans 1:22), specifically the foolishness of idolatry.
Idolatry is presented as exchanging the infinite value ("glory") of the immortal Creator for worthless representations of created things (Romans 1:23).

Consequence 1: Impurity and Idolatry

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.²⁵ They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

"Therefore" links this consequence directly to the rejection and idolatry described in Romans 1:21-23.
"God gave them over" (paradidomi) is a key phrase repeated three times (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). It signifies God removing restraint and allowing people to experience the natural consequences of their sinful choices, acting as a form of divine judgment.
The first consequence is being given over to "impurity" (akatharsia), specifically involving the dishonoring of their bodies. This often relates to sexual sin.
This moral decline is rooted in a foundational spiritual error: exchanging God's truth for "the lie" (often understood as the fundamental lie of idolatry, denying the Creator His rightful place).
Worshiping and serving the "creation rather than the Creator" is the essence of idolatry, reversing the proper order (Romans 1:25).
Paul concludes this point with a doxology ("who is blessed forever! Amen."), affirming God's worthiness of worship in stark contrast to the idols.

Consequence 2: Dishonorable Passions

²⁶ For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones,²⁷ and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

"For this reason" reiterates the causal link to the previous verses (rejecting God, idolatry).
God's second "giving over" is to "dishonorable passions" (pathē atimias), indicating degrading desires.
Paul provides specific examples of behavior he deems "contrary to nature" (para physin): same-sex relations among both women (Romans 1:26) and men (Romans 1:27).
"Natural relations" (physikos) likely refers to the created order as Paul understood it, particularly heterosexual relations within marriage.
The language used ("inflamed," "shameless acts") emphasizes the intensity and moral assessment of these actions within Paul's framework.
The phrase "received in themselves the due penalty for their error" suggests that the consequences of sin are inherent in the actions themselves, leading to degradation and brokenness, distinct from but related to God's ultimate wrath.

Consequence 3: Depraved Mind and Vices

²⁸ And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.²⁹ They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips,³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents,³¹ senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless.³² Although they fully know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.

The third instance of "God gave them over" (Romans 1:28) is linked to the refusal "to acknowledge God" (literally, "did not approve to have God in knowledge").
This results in a "depraved mind" (adokimos nous), a mind that is rejected, worthless, or disqualified from discerning properly, leading to morally reprehensible actions ("what should not be done").
Paul provides a lengthy list (a "vice list," common in ancient moral philosophy) illustrating the comprehensive nature of sin resulting from this depraved state (Romans 1:29-31).
The list covers a wide range of sins against God and others, including attitudes (envy, arrogance), speech (gossip, slander), and actions (murder, deceit, disobedience).
This catalogue demonstrates the pervasive breakdown of relationships and character when God is rejected.
Paul concludes by highlighting the full culpability of sinners: they are aware of God's standard ("righteous decree") and the consequence ("deserve to die"), yet they persist (Romans 1:32).
The final indictment is perhaps the most severe: they not only sin themselves but actively "approve" (syneudokeō) of others who do the same, indicating a complete embrace of the rebellion against God.
This sets the stage for Chapter 2, where Paul will argue that everyone, including the seemingly moral and religious, is guilty before God.

The Bullet Point Bible

Romans 1