(30 minutes)
Teacher Note: Paul begins his letter by introducing himself as a servant of Christ. The word “servant” in the Greek New Testament also means slave or bondservant. Paul was compelled by the grace of God to offer himself as a servant messenger of the Gospel to the Gentiles. He saw his calling as an opportunity to show God’s love and obedience. For this reason, he wanted to share the Gospel with everyone.
1. Ask for student volunteers to take turns reading Romans 1:1-17.
How does Paul begin his letter to the church at Rome?
Paul’s letter began with the typical introduction and greeting. This introduction allowed his readers to know who wrote the letter and the authority that it carries. Paul refers to himself first as a servant or slave to Christ. He also refers to himself as an apostle, giving him equal authority with the original 12 disciples.
What greeting does he offer them in verse 7?
This is a standard greeting from Paul. He offers grace and peace to them. Grace is God’s unmerited favor, and peace is harmony in life through a life lived under God’s authority.
What was the first thing he was thankful for and why?
Paul is thankful that they have taken the Gospel message seriously and lived it out in their city. Their faithfulness has been an inspiration to other churches all over the Roman Empire and would be a fulfillment of Paul’s ultimate goal of spreading the Gospel message around the world.
What did Paul do that showed he cared for their spiritual well-being?
In verses 9-10, Paul writes that prayers for them “without ceasing.” In addition, he has asked God to allow him to come to them so that he might encourage them and impart spiritual wisdom to them.
What declaration did Paul make in verses 16-17?
These verses are Paul’s manifesto of faith. Here he explains why he does what he does and how other Christians should conduct themselves. The central tenet of his message is that one should not be ashamed to declare the Gospel to everyone. It is through this Gospel that God reveals Himself to us leading to salvation through faith.
2. Ask for student volunteers to take turns reading Romans 1:18-23.
According to these verses, why has the wrath of God been poured out on mankind?
By wrath Paul means that God is personally angered by our sins. His anger is directed to all of the ungodliness and unrighteousness committed by mankind. Because of their sin, they have suppressed and ignored God’s words and authority.
How does Paul say that God has revealed Himself throughout history?
Paul says that everyone is without excuse because God has revealed Himself through His created world. We can look around at nature and see that there is a God at work. God has written His majesty and beauty in every beautiful sunset and mountain view. His existence is not a mystery to mankind.
According to verse 20, what responsibility does mankind have to God?
Because God has revealed Himself to us, we are without excuse. We cannot say that God doesn’t exist or He is unknowable. He has not left us with that option.
Even though God has revealed Himself to humanity, how did they respond to Him?
In short, they have ignored Him. Even though they knew there was a God, they chose to ignore Him. Even those that are considered smart are foolish before God because they have rejected Him.
What did they replace God with?
Paul says that humanity has replaced God with idols. He mentions many different things like images of birds and animals. People are willing to worship anything and anyone but God.
In Paul’s letter to the Christians at Rome, he offers them a heartfelt greeting and gives thanks to them because their faith has been told around the world. They have endured great persecution from the government and yet they did not waver in their faith. Paul quickly moves from his greeting to the reason for his letter. The book of Romans is Paul’s explanation of the faith. In this first chapter, he deals with the problem of sin, namely the fact that everyone is in the same boat. Because God has revealed Himself through His creation, we have no excuse to say we did not know there is a God. Therefore, everyone must make a choice. We must either serve God or reject Him. God has left us with no other option.