Romans 1.1-7

As we have moved through the week I hope that you have continued to read Romans 1 everyday.  This Sunday our focus will be on vv. 1-7 in chapter one (1).  I want to post a few questions for you to engage your mind and then I want to ask some questions to engage you in the text.  It is so important that as you read a text of scripture that you bombard the text with questions, it is a useful tool to understanding the concepts that you are reading, also it helps with retaining what you have read.  Ok...


In your mind, why has God chosen to save us?(Please answer this before reading the next questions)














What is the aim/purpose of the gospel?
















What does Paul tell us about the gospel of God? (v. 2)




Who is the gospel about? (v. 3&4)




What has the gospel done for us? (v. 5)




For what purpose have we been saved? (v. 5)




I want you to notice a phrase in verse 5.  "...we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations..."

"for the sake of His name".  The goal of missions/gospel is the glory of God.  God has set into motion the wheels of salvation in order to make His name great and glorious.  This is His ultimate purpose.  Let me quote on of my favorite men of God, John Piper in his book on missions, Let the Nations Be Glad!:

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church(what?!?!, its ok, keep reading).  Worship is.  Missions exists because worship doesn't.  Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.  When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. 

...Worship is therefore the fuel and goal of missions.  Its the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God's glory.(compare with Romans 1.5)  The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. (see Ps. 97.1; 67.3-4)   

But worship is also the fuel of missions.  Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching.  You can't commend what you don't cherish.  Missionaries will never call out, "Let the nations be glad!" who cannot say from the heart, "I rejoice in the Lord...I will be glad and exult in You, I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High." (Ps. 104.34; 9.2)  Missions begins and ends in worship.

I know that was really long, but did you see that the ultimate purpose of God in the gospel is to be glorified above all others.  This will be our discussion on Sunday.  I encourage you to read Romans 1 as many times as you think about it, answer these questions and lets have a wonderful discussion on Sunday. 

Rickey