Romans Introduction
Romans · Courtney Hemenway · Jan 7, 2018
Romans (2018-21), No. 01
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926611455398

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Alright, well we are going to begin by just overviews. I think Mike wanted a couple weeks of overview just before we get into the verse-by-verse analysis of the book. kind of the breakdown will probably go chapters 1 through 8 with a lot of emphasis there if we get to it then 12 through 12, 13, and 14 the interim verses 9, 10, and 11 are mainly focused on Israel and then 15 and 16 generally are kind of the greetings to all the people who are in Rome so that's kind of how we'll hit it but we're going to go over some of the basic overview of Romans.

Today we don't have any question sheets, so unfortunately you're going to have to listen to my voice many times, which I don't like. I have a few questions in there, but I really just want to go over some of the background on Romans. As I was preparing for this, I wanted to do something, and I don't know if we've done it in other classes, so smack me if this is out of line or whatever. The question is, why are you in this class? Why Romans versus Ephesians or the unfathomable riches of Christ? I think they all share different and similar things, but as far as knowing that you are saved and always saved through Christ Jesus is so clear in this book. Are you raising your hand gently?

Well, I just wanted to begin the class with just the first Romans class I've been in. Wow. I've been in 1st and 2nd Corinthians, I've been in whatever it was before that. Yeah. Good. Others? Why Romans? Just curious. Maybe even out. You expressed interest in Romans. I hate to call you out, but I know you wanted Romans. We might go through it on our own study and it would be kind of nice to do as a group. Other thoughts?

Come on. The teachers. See, we get swirled heads when you say the answers. That's not good. That's not good at all. Thoughts? I think there's so much in there that's necessary to be able to intelligently share it with other people. information that you've been studying.

I don't think I can ever go through enough to really get it. You know, that's one of the ones actually when I, you know, I think I tell you my routine, not that it's a law or whatever. I just, what I do, you know, I read the, I read the Hungry Heart, and then I read one chapter a day, starting with John, going through Jude. And I'm amazed each time I go through, and I read it through, I find something different. I'm highlighting something else in my Bible. You know, each time I go through it, it's like, wow, It just hits me differently. So I hope that's the case with Romans too. We've been through it on a few different occasions.

So I totally agree that, you know, find something else out and it's just, I don't think you can study any of these books too much. So it's, you know, to me it comes back, it's a living document. You know, it's something like you can't, you can read another book and know everything about it. But you read God's Word and it seems something different or alive each time you read it. Other thoughts?

As I say, Jesse McCauley has a 125 lesson in one of his Roman series. And I'd read it and I'd go, wow, wow. And I'd just go, man, oh, man, oh, man. And then when I got to the end I said, what? My head is spinning. There's so much information like you're saying. Other thoughts? Your family?

We've been wanting to go through the Book of Romans. When I first moved to Denver and joined Ollie Hills, Vern had just finished Romans, I think at the Matthews, and so I was really looking forward to going through the study and having the advantage of of the teaching the teachers in this particular class teaches. Others? You know, for me, Romans have been rather, I don't know, aggressive in my announcements about trying to get people to sign up for Romans.

The reason is, I think Romans, you know, we think, you know, there are incredible truths in there. 101. This is the basics. There are incredible truths, and we'll go through a lot of these things today, and the other epistles. But this is the foundational material that is for all of Paul's other epistles. I have them up here. We'll get to some of the discussion on this.

But to me, I not law-based, but I wish everybody would either go through the Romans class or the identification class. Because without those, I don't see how you understand a lot of scripture. Now, I speak from experience. I was 20 plus years in the Brethren and went through all this stuff. I read through Galatians, I read through Ephesians, I read through this, and I did not see what the Brethren had taught many, many, many, many years ago. the truths that are in Romans about identification. Hal actually came to our group many times. I was always involved with kids, so I never got his teaching for many years, and Roger was there, so I never got that.

So when finally various things, we decided to come to Holly Hills, it was like all the gears just came together. And it was basically because of the identification truths. Once you understand that, it seems like everything else just falls into place. And I'll give you some examples. How do you read this without knowing the identification truths?

Galatians 2.20, very familiar verse.

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me." How did I read that and say, I have been crucified?

How did I read that before? Or how do you read it without understanding what that means? How would you interpret, I have been crucified, as a believer? Does this fit into accepting Jesus into your heart? Or some of the other common salvation pleas? How would you interpret, I have been crucified? I think growing up, I used to think you have to continue to die on a daily basis. Take up your cross daily. Struggle. So that's how you were crucified daily? I think so, yeah. Okay. Alright, others? Were you going to say something, Cheryl?

Well, I was just going to say you really can't get a grasp on it. Yeah, or the true meaning of what it means. You know, because like I said, I confess, you know, years I've read this and how did I get by that? How did I gloss over? And again, I have been. That's not future. That's past. I have been crucified. Do you remember when you were crucified? You read that and how do you interpret that now? I have been crucified. How do you understand that without the truths of Romans?

Christ lives in me. I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. Christ lives in me now. So I think the way you contort that is you're accepting Christ into your heart so now he lives in my heart.

So these are the things that I think a lot of teaching gets around the basic truths of what we're going to find in Romans by contorting it enough to say okay accepting Jesus and oh that's he lives in me but I don't know how you get by I've been crucified you know is that for somebody else or was that how does that fit with the believer this is Paul you know speaking yeah For me it was more like the Bible is a mystery and I'm reading another mystery. I guess I'm in the same boat.

That's how I must have. Or I just gloss over it like that's for somebody else. That's just a superfluous verse or something. It's too hard for me to grasp somehow. As I understood the identification truths, I'm going back trying to figure out how I got by those verses. And I don't know. I really don't.

Negligence, whatever. Years ago, we had something in Rome that was before, way back in the last century. It was nothing about being crucified. It just kind of went over and that was it. It didn't really explain it. It wasn't really explained. You know, and we'll get to it, is how do you get through Romans 6? How did I ever get through Romans 6 without really understanding the identification truths? I mean, I think Mike's done that. I think when I was first here, Mike had relayed on.

I started going to his Tuesday class. Yeah, men's class. And, you know, kind of putting some of these things together. And like I said, all of a sudden, with identification truths, all this started to just click. And it was, you know, just I remember him saying something.

Well, one, the important thing, which I would give him credit for is that I read the Bible to know him. Don't know facts, don't know anything. I don't do to memorize. I do to know Christ. That was one of the biggest things you told me right off the bat and I appreciate that greatly. The second was talking about the identification. Read Romans 6. Well, read it. Read it out loud. Read it and then try and read what it says and then figure out what that means.

Co-crucifixion and all these things. So, again, a lot of these things, without the Romans basis, I don't think you can interpret some of these verses. Also, the Galatians, I think, is It's important to understand position and condition. Positionally, we have been crucified and are seated in the heavenlies and all that positionally. So I think the corollary to what we learn in Romans is also going to be position and condition, so you understand that. Because otherwise you get very confused, I think, when things are talking about conditional things versus positional. In with Romans, I think position and condition is another important concept to understand to rightly divine scripture. So, another one.

How did I get by Colossians 3.3?

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Explain that to me, without Romans. How do you read that without understanding the identification truths? You have died. Is that accepting Christ in my heart? My heart exploded or something? I don't know. And I died? What? How do you get by? You have died.

It's hard if you don't know it means separated. Yeah. I mean, that concept, separated, what our co-crucifixion means, we've been separated from what? You know, and so, I have been separated, I have died. Wow, I've died? And what's this? And your life is hidden with Christ in God. Huh. How do you interpret that without understanding Romans? How do you understand my life is in Him? Is that the typical salvation about being accepted in Christ or accepted in your heart or now my life is hidden with Him? How do you understand that?

I'm asking questions that I don't know the answer to because I did it myself. And I don't know how. The basis for the importance of this class and the Romans or the identification is critical to all these epistles, the later epistles of Paul. And so, again, the reason for being here, I think, is the bedrock for understanding all these things.

I get when Verne's in teaching and some of the things he says, well, it was crowded on the cross. If you're a visitor, and you're here, and you have no concept of identification, what do you think when that is brought out? You may not be a visitor, maybe you're here and you've never taken identification or romance class, and you don't understand it. What when Vern says, it was crowded on the cross, what do you think?

Somebody besides Christ was there. So, who was that? It was crowded. Well, a lot of people think, he crazy. You know, because, and that's why I try, I think I've talked and I can maybe run too, just when that's brought out that there's some some note about identification that when you say it's crowded on the cross what that means going a reference to Romans 6 some of those things because I think it's very confusing to somebody if you say the cross was crowded and you were there if you don't know Romans or the position conditions I think it's it's very confusing or which is good I'm not saying that that's not a bad thing because then people begin to ask questions which is a good thing So, when some of those statements are made, I'm sure some people are going, huh? What does that mean?

What about 2 Corinthians 5.17, another one of my favorite verses. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come. How do you explain that without Romans?

I'm in Christ. How did I get in Christ? I thought Christ came into me. I'm in Christ? How did that happen? Was this a typo? How did you get in Christ? When did that happen? I accepted Jesus into my heart. How did I get into him? How did that happen? What is this thing?

I'm a new creature? Oh, that means now I have the Holy Spirit that I'm now empowered in my Adamic self. I can now do new things. I'm a new creature. I'm supercharged now, right? Is that how you interpret that now? I'm a new creature because the Holy Spirit indwells me now. So I'm just a new creature. I can do, I can now, now I can maintain all the laws because the Holy Spirit's in me. I'm a new creature, I'm supercharged now. Is that what this means?

No. But how do you know that? How do you know that without Romans? How do you know that without these foundational verses that tell us we have been crucified, died, separated from what? All the Adamic life and placed into Christ, baptized into his death, baptized into, placed into Christ.

That's how the transaction was made. So we can say we are in Christ, we are new, the old things have passed away and new things have come. So a lot of these are just some of the verses where I think it's critical to understand Romans and all that's included in Romans because this isn't Roman's graduate-level class Christianity.

This is the basics. This is the how-tos. How we got to where we are in Christ. These are the basics. So... Go ahead. I just need to clarify a statement that I made before. This goes way back to the 50s. Ron Merriman taught identification for his children. That's what you referenced at the last century? Yes.

And again, the amazing part for me from a Brethren, just the confessions, Brethren and understanding this, the Brethren Church has gone a long ways away from the teaching of the original Brethren. you know, with Coates and Darby and Stoney and Newell and all these people. They've gotten away from it, which is sad because these truths are, you know, again, I don't know how we got to the position where we can teach and go through a Galatian study and not be able to succinctly or directly say the identification truths.

So again, I think it's critically important that this class, and again I wish it was a requirement, that everybody comes either to the Romans or the identification class. Because I think when Verne says those things, or you go to an Ephesians class, or you go to Colossians, or any of the epistles, you understand the basis of Paul's teaching.

And the basis is what's contained in Romans. So, again, I just stress the importance of why you're here and it's good to be here if you don't know the unifications or just you'll learn something new. I think the Lord brings something new each and every time you go through the word. So, a little background on the book. So, a couple of these things.

Peter and Paul apparently were both martyred in Rome, but neither of them started this church. So there's a lot of discussion on the church in Rome. Who started it? Some of the theories are that it was people who had traveled back after the day of Pentecost. and started the church there. It could be converts from Paul or another apostle. Paul in the churches around the region formed this church or another apostle may have started this church. They really don't know. I think the most likely one is that these were some of the people who were at Pentecost, came back to Rome and started the church there. Paul wrote this to the church in Rome, and if you look at some of the things, this was a well-established church.

If you look in Romans 15.23, he had desired to visit them for many years. So, this church was in place for quite a few years when this letter was written.

So, it wasn't a brand new church. It wasn't one that Paul probably planted because neither of them had been there or had started the church there. They don't say that. So, again, it had been well established. It's in Rome. They are also not called beginners or early converts or recent converts.

They are not treated as having been improperly instructed, but seem to have been organized in a well-grounded congregation. In 1514, he says, you are filled with all knowledge, able to admonish one another. So this was a well-established church that seemed to be functioning pretty well. They knew the word and they were filled with all knowledge and able to admonish one or administer the church there in Rome very well. They've been handling it very well. You also know that this epistle deals with no major error in the church, nor does it have to deal with organizational principles.

In a lot of the other epistles, it's you Colossians, you Corinthians, you. And they may be praising him, but it was like, OK, these five areas you need to work on, or I'm coming, or we're going to do this, or whatever. Romans has none of that. Romans doesn't say, you guys are great, filled with all knowledge, but there's none of that.

So it appears this was a well-established, well-focused church in Rome. and it also says it was widely known in verse 1 verse 8 that this church was widely known so very good so this letter is going to a church that is very well established been there many years seems to be functioning very well and then he's giving him these principles these doctrinal foundational verses, or these foundational principles throughout the Book of Romans. So it's kind of a, you know, you guys are doing great and here's the basics, keep going. And again, from the long-term perspective, this was given to us as believers to start the road map off. Where do you start? Christianity 101.

The Roman Church was primarily Gentiles. You can see that in verses 1, 13, 11, 13, and 15, verses 15 and 16. But it was also filled with Jewish converts, and they were both free and slaves attending. According to the end book, there were several congregations meeting in the city. And this is based on when the Nero started the persecutions.

It's written in Tacitus, I think it's historian, says that the Christians in Rome were, quote, an immense multitude. So, at this time when Nero starts the purge, there are several congregations, there are a very strong church in Rome, and so again, Rome was, the Roman church was very well established, a very strong church. So again, I had to thought about this, there is no correctional things in the book of Romans for the church of Rome. So everything shows that this is a very well established, well focused church. So, regarding the biblical order of Paul's epistles versus the chronological order of Paul's epistles, it's kind of interesting to look at that. And we'll get into it a little bit.

So, over here, this is the chronological order of Paul's epistles. So, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Galatians, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Romans, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, Philemon, 1st Timothy, Titus, and then 2nd Timothy. That's in time, I believe in chronological order, if I got it right, is how he wrote them in time. So, does that match with the biblical order? No. That's the biblical order. So, we have Romans first. even though he wrote that after several other epistles. In our Bible, it is Romans first. Interesting. The basis for all of his epistles is in our Bible.

When they put this, canonized it, and put it together, they didn't do it chronologically, amazingly enough. Gee, did God have something to do with that? We have it, Romans, the basics, and then Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, and Philemon. So, if you look at it on the board, the differences between it, they are mixed up from chronological.

The Bible didn't just lay it out the way Paul wrote it chronologically, which I think is just one of the things, again, divinely inspired, this word. is because he put it in order so you have 101 first if you read through Romans is the basic for all of Paul's other epistles that's why I went through those verses at the beginning how do you understand that if Galatians 2.20 is before Romans how do you understand what Paul said in 2.20 if Romans so again divinely organized, I think, when they canonize the scriptures.

This is a logical way rather than a chronological way. So, just something to think about when you read it. It's not based on chronological. Paul just read it and we put it in file number one, file number two, file number three, and we're going to print it out that way. It wasn't, yeah.

I think it's interesting, too, between Romans and Ephesians, which is 101 and 102, you have churches with issues that popped up. Oh, yeah. First Corinthians had a lot of now concerning, and then Galatians, of course, the law and the issue of law coming back in. And then we go back to Ephesians, which is who we are in Christ again. Yeah.

No, there's a lot to this, and actually I'm going to go through what each of these epistles and what their principle focus is. If you have Newell's book on Romans, Romans verse by verse, which is probably the best book on Romans, I think, in the back, and this is where I'm going to get some of this, he had the spiritual order of Paul's epistles.

That's a good way of summarizing how This makes a whole lot of sense, rather than just laying it out chronologically. So we'll get to that in a little bit. Well, actually, I'll get to it now. So, the biggest thing is that it wasn't chronological. When you read the Bible, it wasn't the way Paul wrote it, just in chronological order. It's a logical order for Paul's epistles to be understood. So, basically coming out of Newell's book, his order, and I hate to do this, I'm reading some of it, but it was so good, and I'm cutting out some of it, but I encourage you to read all of it, and how the progression of Paul's epistles. So, this reading from some of the ones in Newell's book. In Romans, man is shown with righteousness. There is none righteous, no not one.

This involves man's fundamental relation to God. Christ has set forth a propitiation, meeting all divine claims, and by his death, releasing man from the necessity of a righteousness and holiness of his own. Christ became his righteousness, and a believer has the witness of the Spirit that he is God's child. a synopsis of what we'll see in Romans. Next step in 1 Corinthians. Here the subject is not righteousness but wisdom. The words wisdom and wise occur in the first four chapters 25 times and the words foolish and foolishness some eight times.

In verse 130 we are seen as of God. we that are in Christ Jesus who was made unto us wisdom from God, which indeed includes righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. But Christ is looked at as our wisdom. Indeed in verse 216, we have the mind of Christ. Those declared righteous in Romans, so we've been declared righteous, and become children of God are now brought to school as children should be. So, we've been to righteousness now, and a lot of things that were in Corinth, and teaching them, and foolishness, and wisdom, and all this, we are now getting the mind of Christ. But it's based on, we've been placed into Christ, our righteousness is His righteousness. So, moving on, 2 Corinthians, here we find Christ our sufficiency.

Declared righteous in Romans, instructed by the Spirit in 1 Corinthians, The believer has yet to learn his utter weakness. The key verses here are chapter 12, verses 9 and 10. When I am weak, then I am strong, and my grace is sufficient for thee. Many believers never find that God alone is their strength.

Along with every line, Paul found it. So again, Romans righteousness, first Corinthians wisdom and knowledge, and now the weakness I have allows the power of Christ to be manifest. So, this progression of how it goes down, this is again how Newell brings it out, and I think it's great. We now move to Galatians. The epistles are linked together, each leading on to the following.

So, in 2 Corinthians 13.11, Paul exhorts, Be perfected. And you can compare that to verses 6.14 to 7.1. Now the Galatians are seeking to be perfected. but is by turning back to religion, by observing days, seasons, months, years. Are ye so foolish, having begun the Spirit, and ye now perfected in the flesh?

But Paul goes clear back to Romans 6 and testifies to these Galatians, I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me, and the life of which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up to me.

He goes back to 2 Corinthians 5.17. If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, a new creation. The old things are passed away. Behold, they have become new.

And he sets before us the proper rule of life of the believer in words which completely set aside religious life, whether Jewish, Roman, Romish, Protestant. Neither is circumcision anything nor circumcision Neither is circumcision anything, nor circumcision, but a new creation. As many as shall walk by this rule, peace be upon them, and mercy, and when the future time comes, for blessing for Israel, upon Israel of God." So it's basically talking about Israel and the kingdom, and that there is no distinction right now.

So thus far we've seen righteousness without works in Romans, wisdom without education in 1st Corinthians, power without strength in 2nd Corinthians, perfecting without religion in Galatians. So now we move to Ephesians. What is it with Ephesians usually, what we talk about? What is Ephesians? Galatians is always, to me it's always a court testimony. It was a great prosecution of grace versus law. So what do we know in Ephesians? What do we typically say Ephesians is? What do we generally say is kind of the view of Ephesians? Heavenly view. Heavenly. We're in heaven. That's where we are. And we have that perspective from heaven.

That's what Ephesians is. So, Ephesians, men on earth seated in the heavenlies, for although named as the saints that are on Ephesus and all true faithful believers in Christ Jesus, Yet that marvelous secret is opened out by which we are made alive with the raised and glorified Christ, raised up with him and made to sit in the heavenlies, no longer in the earthlies, as were Israel, and made indeed to become the fullness of Christ our head, who filleth all in all." So again, now we have this education, the righteousness, all these things. Now he's saying, okay, not only that, you're seated in the heavenlies because of what?

Romans 6. We've been crucified, placed into Christ. Where is Christ? In the heavenlies. So now he's saying, get that perspective. Where are you? You're in the heavenlies, positionally. So have this view. So then we move on to Philippians. Philippians.

Here we see Paul as a sample believer of all the glorious truths, running the wonderful course toward the coming day of Christ. saying as he runs, to me to live is Christ and to die is gain, exhorting, have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus, crying as he runs, I count all things to be lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and who count them but refuge, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, and not having a righteousness of my own. So again, now the running We're in the heavenlies and now how are we to run or go through? Philippians starts saying, run, as the mark before you and all the different things exhorting. Count everything lost except for the excellency of Christ.

So, we get to Colossians. Oops. So what is Colossians? Again, what is the view typically of Colossians? Jesus the creator. Yeah, I mean, from our perspective or positionally, what is that? Ephesians was heavenly, what is Colossians? Typically it's us here looking at Christ. I'm hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3.3. So, Colossians basically is heavenly men on earth. That's the perspective. Yet holding fast the head in heaven and becoming filled with his fullness is what we see here.

I always think that we always see where we rooted. The analogy is that it's an upside down tree. Our roots are in heaven and our branches are down here. Our roots are where we planted. We're planted in the heavenlies. This is kind of Colossians. We're the branches down here now. But our heavenly roots, which were established in Ephesians.

So again, All the fullness of God hath dwelling in bodily in Christ, with whom believers' lives are hid in God, in Christ. Christ becomes the object of all the believer's thoughts and affections. Since you are raised together with Christ, set your mind on things that are above, not things that are upon the earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

So the believer awaits Christ's coming content not to be known or manifest till his glory comes. For desperate foes oppose this mystery of faith of holding fast the head in heaven while walking on earth." And you can see that in verses 2, 4, 8, 16, and 18.

So again, Colossians, we're running the race, we're doing this. We're heavenly men on earth. Our roots are in heaven, but we're heavenly men, people on the earth. That's what Colossians does. 1 Thessalonians. This Thessalonian epistle sets forth the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ, the end of the earthly path of God. 1 Thessalonians gives the church hope, the rapture. The believer who knows himself righteous in Romans, having the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians, who has learned to glory in his weakness, 2 Corinthians, and to walk by the rule of a new creation, knowing that he was crucified with Christ, who is now living in him, Galatians, and who sees with spirit-enlightened eyes the heavenly character and calling of the church, Ephesians, and is really becoming an imitator of Paul in the race, running the course unto Christ, the day of Christ, Philippians. who is really holding fast the head, paying no attention to those who would delude him with pervasive speech and make a spoil of him through philosophy and would judge us in religious things, or robs us of our prize by turning us to self-humility that fails to hold fast the head, Colossians.

Such a believer is ready indeed for 1 Thessalonians, and he is sincerely eager in daily, hourly watching for his coming for the rapture of the church." So again, a very logical progression as you really put this together. That's why I like what Newell did here. It really makes sense on how this is laid out now. 2 Thessalonians, I'm going to get both here in a minute.

2 Thessalonians gives a second phase of our Lord's return, the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God and to them that obey not the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a great day of wrath of Revelation 19, 11 through 21. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul guards the saints from confusing the rapture with the day of wrath, called the day of the Lord. The church at Thessalonica was being tempted by its troubles to confuse the coming of the Lord Jesus and the gathering together unto Him, the rapture, with the day of the Lord, which sees the manifestation of the Antichrist, which terrible days, thank God, the church is not appointed to see.

So again, the progression is very, very good. You see how it goes now? In 1 Thessalonians, they were confused about what happened to believers who had died. So there was a bunch of confusion. Then they started saying, well, if raised, then the raptures happened. So in 2 Thessalonians, it goes and it says, no. Here's the rapture.

Don't confuse that with the Day of Judgment. So, again, the logical progression is incredible in here. Does that make sense as far as how the chronological order versus the logical order in scripture, why God allowed it to be canonized in that order. It really makes a good thing. So if you have Newell's book, I encourage you, I cut out a bunch of stuff, but look in the back and look at the logical progression.

Again, the key for us is where does it all start? Right here, in Romans. All of Paul's epistles are based on this foundational Christianity 101. So again, I encourage you to start, we'll get over some of the Orvius and what is included in Romans. We'll get into all the different kind of sections of it. Chapters 1 through 3, and 4 and 5, and then 6, 7, and 8. Very powerful verses for us to know. And again, for sharing to non-believers, again walks it through very clearly about 1 through 3, no not 1, no you're not righteous, nobody. And then salvation, justification, all those different things that come out in 4 and 5 gets us to Romans 6 and our co-crucifixion.

7. I can do it on my own. I don't need this stuff. Paul, I know what to do. I can do it myself.

And then Romans 8, there is no condemnation. And all the beauty of so many truths in Romans 8 too. So, anyway, hopefully that's a beginning outline for this class and reason that this is a very, very important class. And what we learn here is foundational and will help in sharing with believers the right foundation for coming to know Christ. It's not accepting it in your heart. It just doesn't make sense when you read some of these verses. Alright, let's close.

Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for this time. We thank you for any time we can study your word. We just thank you for just Paul. And as we realize, without Paul and the epistles, we would not know anything about the church and us as believers. it would be impossible for us to understand all these truths without the epistles of Paul. So we realize just the importance of your word and we thank you for your lining it up the way you did, so logically, so perfect in the progression of knowledge as we read through the scriptures and realizing that Romans is not the end all but it is the beginning. of our life in Christ. And we just again thank you again for your word in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and that convinces us of the truth of your word. So we just thank you for this time to open up your word. We just pray for Vern as he brings us the word in the next service. Just prepare our hearts to receive it and we thank you for this day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.