#12. Romans 1:14-16 - Let's Get This Thing Started

 Part II: The Conduct of Humanity

Welcome one, welcome all, to part two of the Romans series! This portion, “The Conduct of Humanity,” will consider verses 1:14-3:20. The next 68 verses will engage us in a long, elaborate argument which completely silences the human race. Paul will begin by introducing his relationship to the reader, as well as the message he would like to convey (1:14-17.) Paul will then set the stage with the claim that his argument will prove: a direct charge against humanity (1:18-19.) The rest of the chapter will then concern us with proving that claim (1:20-32.)

Once this argument is thoroughly laid out, Paul directly confronts the self-justification of man (2:1-4.) This self-justification will be contrasted with a description of the just judgments and methods of God’s corrections, spanning both the gentile and the Jew (Rom. 2:5-29.)

Once God’s righteous judgment is unveiled, a series of objections will begin to unfold – almost all of which are personified as a religious “Jew” of Paul’s time. This chain of objections will last us through chapter 11! The Jew will make four objections between Rom. 3:1-20. We will cover each in their own regard. The fourth objection will carry us into the final condemnation, and complete decimation, of man’s pride. Sin is exposed. A permanent death is imminent – and our need for a Savior will be unabashedly clear.

To both Greeks and barbarians, to both wise and foolish, a debtor am I.

What a statement! Begin the bulk of the letter by putting yourself beneath everyone else. There is a reason he does this, as we’ll find from reading the next couple chapters, but it must be made clear that before even making a claim, Paul has said so much through mere humility. By placing himself with the rest of humanity, he makes it clear that now is not the time for exaltation. Those in Christ are enslaved with the task of faith, remember? The reward comes later, not now.

Being “in debt” isn’t fun. It’s pretty irritating, honestly. Anyone who has had to pay off a mortgage, pay rent monthly, pay for car insurance, owe a favor to another, and more, understand that the word “debtor” is not a positive word. This is especially true if you, like Paul, are poor, and have very little money (Paul, in order to sustain money to keep the evangel, would simply ask other believers for the money, or would work at odd jobs in whichever town he is in – 2 Cor. 8:1-17, Acts 18:2-3.)

But this is a different kind of debt. This debt is the debt to end all debts, if you will. This debt was not financial or practical.

It was a spiritual debt. A debt we’ve… never really heard of before.

At this point, we simply don’t know why Paul introduces himself as indebted to us (they’d never even met the guy, and, in a modern context, we sure as hell haven’t met Paul!) The purpose of the letter has already been established – he wants to share some spiritual grace with them. The question must be asked: why does he seek to share anything with them? Like… at all?

The mystery of Paul’s indebted nature will be unfolded to us throughout the first eight chapters of Romans. For now, we know that it was a debt toward “Rome,” which at the time was on its way to becoming the next global superpower. It was also a debt toward the “Greeks,” whose wisdom dominated the world at that time. Paul’s overwhelming conviction toward these global superpowers led him to share this evangel in all, irrespective of its personal cost to him, physically, personally, or mentally. To him, it was a privilege to know this evangel. Paul, sharing the evangel of God, was indebted to those who had no clue Who this God was.

We will see, many times throughout this letter, just how deeply rooted this conviction was, as we come to a realization of its nature. This debt will be contrasted in Rom. 4:1-4, and considered more fully in Rom. 8:12. We will also see this debt manifest itself at various points throughout Paul’s letters, and I will do my best to point at it and go, “Look! Look! See what I’m saying?” whenever it appears. This debt comes with being given the evangel of God.

Look at the groups of people he’s indebted to. He starts by saying that he is indebted to Greeks and barbarians. To many already familiar with their Bibles, this is a unique phrase not found elsewhere (Paul only uses the word “barbarian” three times in all of his letters.) This phrase seems to contrast the wisdom of the Greek with the lack of wisdom in surrounding cultures. For the Greeks to be mentioned seems to be an honor; but for them to be mentioned with barbarians seems to be an equalizer that could lead to a prideful and/or intelligent Greek’s frustration.

He mentions the wise and foolish as well (two words that he uses far more often.) The point of this is to show that the faith Paul refers to is being inflicted on all kinds of people. It is not limited to ‘one group and not the other,’ nor is one fleshy group prioritized above the other in Paul’s evangel (Gal. 3:27-29.) The scope of the letter, made abundantly clear with his address to “Greek” and “barbarians,” stands in dramatic contrast to Jesus’ statement that He had come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 15:24.) In the evangel of the kingdom, those who have been circumcised are prioritized. Paul’s evangel is not focused on race, here, whereas Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are specifically for the Israelites/Hebrews/proselytes. The superficial distinction between cultures is nothing, here, to Paul, because Paul is tying us all together with one common quality: all of us are human.

Thus this eagerness of mine to bring the evangel to you also, who are in Rome.

This imposed sense of duty that Paul has explains his eagerness to bring the evangel to the Roman saints. This word doesn’t mean that he’s “happy” about it (though, as we study, he will indeed display a happiness about sharing the evangel, in spite of his experiences.) It means that he is ready and motivated to bring anyone the evangel.

This eagerness, per our long study, is transferred from Paul to a believer. When you hear and believe this evangel, you will find yourself eager to share it with anyone, being indebted to the evangel in its nature.

I want to make it clear that keeping this faith is no easy task. It can be a brutal suffering, recognizing many of the lies people tell themselves concerning God and their so-called “meaningless” life. What’s more is that you must remember that you’re no exception. To believers: you’re a part of the same world as unbelievers, and are susceptible to the same diseases, afflictions, and pain. Recognizing where that comes from, instead of relying on your perception, comes with keeping this faith.

What’s worse? Satan recognizes those that recognize that he is currently the god of this eon (2 Cor. 4:2.) Don’t think for one moment that you are not on his radar. Paul certainly understands this notion, which is why his letter begins with “I am in your debt.” It wasn’t until he started speaking these truths that his afflictions multiplied tenfold. No longer is he dealing with food, water, taxes, lodgings, and clothing. Now it’s food, water, taxes, lodgings, clothing, and Satan. However, he relentlessly continues to clarify that the only way to combat the wicked principles of today’s world are by keeping this faith.

George Rogers makes a great point in his study of Romans, pointing out that Paul was literally bringing God’s evangel to the principal power on the planet. “All roads lead to Rome” was a common phrase. Yet Paul was so confident in God’s evangel that he wrote this letter to all Roman believers. As he hadn’t even gone to Rome yet, it’s amazing to consider that God’s evangel reached the ears of anyone in Rome, so much so that they would gather together to share wisdom in Christ!

For not ashamed am I of the evangel…

Paul had every reason to be ashamed of the evangel. The evangel, prior to Paul’s writing, had only ever gotten him into a physical trouble or turmoil. Rome was a great and powerful city, and they would indeed clash against Paul’s message of the Scriptures, but it was not solely the Roman empire that disliked Paul’s message. Indeed, it was the circumcisionists – the religious Pharisees – that handed Jesus off to Rome, and left Him for dead (Paul even goes as far in his arguments to call them the maimcision, a perfectly insulting term used to discredit their lies – Phil. 3:2.)

The evangel, for as highly regarded as it is in my mind, possibly yours, and Rome, is shameful and humiliating by nature. It does not offer a solace to our flesh. It won’t give us a million dollars. It won’t teach you how to open a 401(k). At most, it will teach you grace under pressure, and boy, is that a necessary concept to learn after learning this secret evangel, known to only a few and hated by some of the few that do know it.

In summary: you get very little in the name of fellowship, and, when you share this truth with others, you get even less in the name of rationale. It’s very difficult for someone who has already made up their mind to listen to the original text, nor is it easy for someone who hasn’t made up their mind to give the text their time. There is so small a middle ground here, in fact, that as we study, we will find that one’s belief is contingent entirely on God, and not themselves (per the rest of this verse, but I’ll dwell more on that in the next article.)

The evangel does not speak of a grand, mighty God, though this is its Source and quality. The evangel speaks of the grotesque and shameful murder of this God’s only-begotten Son. The message, in summary, will cover the justification of you, the individual, on the basis of this shameful murder. In this, we will first read of the unrighteousness of man. We will then read of the righteousness of God, which is the evangel itself. We will read of our irrational enmity toward God, and God’s rational love toward us. In this evangel, we will not read of ourselves giving to God, but God giving to us.

This directly opposes the religious suppositions many of us have grown up with. One of my least favorite songs is Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel.” The implication, in the very title, is that man is trying very hard, but can’t do it alone, so “Jesus, I must finally ask you to take over.” In Paul’s evangel, however, the message is that “man has failed in every attempt to ‘become’ righteous, in trying to do the entire law. Thankfully, Jesus’ accomplishment on the cross means that you are being justified anyway.”

You will hear this from God, not from man.

This aspect of the evangel, the shameful death of the only righteous One in the universe, is not a reason to be ashamed of the evangel. Discussing something inherently shameful is not the same as feeling your own personal shame over it. By this logic, if I discuss themes of trauma in a movie I watch or a story I hear, I must be correlated with the trauma victim.

However, that the experiences of our Lord will, in measure, be handed to believers as well (Rom. 5:3-5, 8:18, 2 Cor. 4:17,) would, to most, be a reason to be ashamed. If you are being shamed, why wouldn’t this impact you?

This leads us to a bit of a situation; we’ve studied and found that “evangel” has the Greek elements “WELL-MESSAGE.” If so much shame is considered in this well message, then how is it a ‘well’ message? Even regardless of the fact that God roused His Son, isn’t it rather disturbing to the average reader that God must first kill His Son through the act of murder from His chosen people and gentiles alike? Surely we don’t need to jump to the idea that Paul is just stupid, so… what’s happening? Is he just putting on a face in light of horrifying news?

May it not be coming to that! The death of His Son has been subverted into the basis by which salvation (as we will cover in the next few clauses) even exists! The reason for His death is for your sake, and we will be covering as many aspects of this sacrifice as we can throughout this study.

With this, we exit the notion that Paul is eager to bring them the evangel, and transition into Paul’s reasoning as to why the evangel isn’t shameful to us, in spite of the fact that shame is a central contrast to its nature.

- GerudoKing