Class Notes: 5/26/2022

The book of Romans part 49 Romans 1:16

https://youtu.be/aruyHXTm1Yc

In our verse-by-verse study of Romans we take up Rom 1:16; today. We will use the word order of the NASB in our analysis. This verse puts the focus on salvation adjustment to God's justice. "For I am not ashamed" is the first phrase.

The first word is a strong particle "gar" translated "for" preceded by the negative "ou" translated "not." "Gar" is used as an explanatory conjunction for the mental attitude of the apostle throughout his entire life,

This participle shows us that the person who has proper motivation in life has capacity for life and the ability to meet any situation in life. This principle is taught in Prov 9:10; and many other passages. Paul's motivation is the Lord Jesus Christ.

When a person is ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ, afraid of being ridiculed, or of being considered a little strange, he obviously doesn't have enough Bible doctrine to know what God's purpose for life on this planet is.

The verb "epaischynomai" in the middle voice, indicative mood is translated "to be ashamed" literally means to be "above being ashamed" or to be "beyond being ashamed."

In other words, the whole mental attitude in life is totally free from ever being ashamed of anyone or anything with whom you are associated, or with what you are associated.

Not being ashamed means lack of subjectivity. So this means being above being ashamed and it is a reference to Paul's maturity adjustment to God's justice.

The present tense is a descriptive present describing what is presently occurring, or in this case not occurring. The indirect middle voice tells us that in which the agent, Paul, is producing the action of the verb.

The indicative mood is declarative for unqualified assertion of a person who has been consistent in the acquisition of doctrine and has grown in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ to the point of becoming a mature believer who doesn't care what people without doctrine think.

The next two words are "ho" translated "the" and "euangelion" translated "gospel." The KJV adds the words "of Christ" that are not in the original so the correct translation is "the gospel." The accusative singular direct object from the noun "euangelion" that means "good news."

The salvation message of the work of Christ on the cross is a part of the gospel but it is not all of it. Technically this is good news of victory, and good news of God's grace policy, it refers to something of intrinsic value, and it always refers to the whole realm of doctrine.

Only one part of that doctrine is applicable to the unbeliever, therefore we have come to associate the gospel only with what is given to the unbeliever. But it actually refers to the entire realm of doctrine that is just good news for unbelievers but even better news for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Literally it the first phrase is "For I am not ashamed of the good news." This statement reflects the attitude of a believer who has attained maturity adjustment to God's justice and as a result understands what it means receive God's blessing as a mature believer in time and eternity.

The principle here is that the mature believer is never ashamed of doctrine regardless of its category because doctrine is truth. Whether it is the doctrine of salvation or any other facet of God's Word of truth.

Doctrine in resident the soul through the function of God's GASP system removes shame and all other negative mental attitudes. Poise, confidence and courage come from the divine viewpoint that is the produced by maximum metabolized doctrine resident and circulating in the believer's thinking.

The good news message refers to the entire realm of doctrine that is necessary for adjustment to God's justice. In this case specifically it is that doctrine that is related to the salvation adjustment to God's justice of God because "the gospel" is targeted at unbelievers.

"for it is the power of God unto salvation" refers to that portion of the good news or the gospel whereby a person makes salvation adjustment to God's justice. Again, the particle "gar" used to introduce the reason for not being ashamed of good news.

Then the verb to be, the present active indicative of "eimi." The present tense is a static present, that represents a condition that perpetually exists that is to be taken for granted as a fact. The active voice: it is gospel doctrine that produces the action. The indicative mood is declarative dogmatic truth.

"For if the gospel is (keeps on being)." This is a dogmatic and unqualified assertion of fact, that there is a certain portion of doctrine which when properly communicated results in eternal salvation for those who believe it.

Next is a predicate nominative from the noun "dynamis" translated power." The original meaning of this word was ability or capacity. It is derived from the Greek stem dyna that has the basic meaning of ability. The word is transliterated "dynamite."

All spiritual and intellectual life was traced back to "dunamis", to the IQ of the individual. The noun means power in the sense of competence or capacity. With this noun is the possessive genitive of "theos" translated God."

It is the power or the capacity or the ability, so this can be translated, "For the gospel is the ability of God." When you communicate good news you communicate God's ability to save, God's ability to bless, God's ability to provide. And it all goes back to His perfect unfailing loved backed up by, His justice.

God's relationship with mankind is made possible and therefore is based on His justice. All blessing, all discipline, all condemnation comes from God's justice. Justice is therefore the dunamis or the ability of God.

A prepositional phrase follows through on the principle: the preposition "eis" plus the accusative singular of "soteria " is translated "with reference to" or "for the purpose of salvation."

"To everyone who believes" dative singular masculine indirect object from the adjective "pas," that means "anyone." It can be translated "anyone" or "all." The dative of indirect object indicates the entire human race that is the target for Jesus' work on the cross because on the cross God's justice was satisfied.

It is equivalent to a dative of advantage; it is to the advantage of the human race to have Jesus Christ being judged for our sins. Sin is never an issue in the gospel because sin was eliminated as an issue by Jesus' work on the cross.

Sin never has been an issue in salvation. Sin is not an issue now; sin is not an issue at the last judgment. Sin is not an issue ever. Jesus is the issue.

All sins were judged in Jesus on the cross, there is no exception. Because of that anyone who believes in Jesus will be saved.

The present active participle of the verb "pisteuo" is the mechanics of salvation that results in instant positional adjustment to God's justice because of God's imputation of His righteousness and eternal life.

The present tense is a static present that describes the only way to adjust to God's justice for salvation. The static present indicates something that dogmatically exists as an immutable reality unchangeable from the beginning of time to the end of time.

From Adam until the last believer in the Millennium believing in Jesus Christ is the basis of salvation for everyone who is saved. The only difference is that Jesus Christ is revealed in a different ways throughout history.

The active voice: the person performing the instant adjustment to God's justice on the basis of faith in Christ produces the action of the verb. The participle is circumstantial, so it should be translated "to all who believe" or "to anyone who believes." The word "everyone" means " all."

"to the Jew first" -the word "Jew" translated from "Ioudaios," is a dative singular indirect object. Referring to the racial Jew and the national Jew, the custodian of doctrine when the priest nation of Israel was formed.

The identity and function of the Jewish race places them into the position to have the first opportunity to adjust to God's justice by believing in Jesus. This is after the pattern of Abraham in Genesis 15:6;. So the dative of indirect object indicates that the Jews are the ones for whom Jesus was judged, as well as the Gentiles.

The word translated "first" is the superlative adverb "protos" that means first in time, first in number, first in sequence, first in rank or degree. This is an accusative singular so it also means first in privilege therefore a better translation would be "foremost;" so the phrase is "to the Jew foremost."

The particles for "both" and "and" are "te" and "kai" are enclitic "both to the Jew foremost, and also to the Greek (Gentile)."

Enclitic means that the later word is dependent on the former. In this case the former is Jew and the later is Greek so the salvation of the Greeks and all other gentiles is dependent on and predicated by the salvation of the Jews.

Rom 1:16; Expanded Translation: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the capacity and ability of God for providing salvation to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ; both to the Jew foremost, and also to the Greek (Gentile.)"

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