Romans 1-4 and Galatians

What is the main theme of Galatians 1-3

Abraham was counted righteous, before the Torah even existed, by his faith in God so others that believe may also be counted as sons of Abraham (righteous by faith)

What did Paul do when he traveled to new cities?

He went to the synagogues and taught the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah using their own scriptures

How did Christianity grow throughout the book of Acts?

Almost all Christians were Jews at first but soon the Christian population was predominately Gentiles

What happened in Acts chapter 15?

Peter explained that God approved of the Gentiles and gave them the Holy Spirit allowing their hearts to be cleansed by faith and saved by grace, telling the Jews not to place an “unbearable yoke” upon them

Why is Paul unhappy in Galatians 1:6-9?

Some are teaching a gospel other than the “true gospel”- the Jews were telling the Gentiles that they had to abide by Jewish laws (ie. circumcision)

What can we learn from the Old and New Testaments together?

The scriptures give us principles to live by that teach of God’s character and through it we learn what our own character should be

Following Jesus involves…

obedience

Love=

desiring what’s best for someone

Why did Paul confront Cephas (Peter) in Galatians chapter 2?

Peter was eating and associating with the Gentiles until “certain men came from James” and then he stopped, not only being hypocritical but also leading other Christians (like Barnabas) astray

What’s a Judaizer?

Jewish Christians who believe the Gentiles must keep the Torah

Who expelled the Jews from Rome in 49AD?

Claudius

What is a diaspora?

dispersed people (ie. the Jews were scattered and living outside Judea)

Who was emperor at the time Roman’s was written?

Nero

What allowed Christians to go for some time without being persecuted in Rome?

Christianity was seen as a subset of Judaism which was recognized as a legal religion

Why were Christians eventually targeted for systemic persecution?

they were disturbing the peace in Rome, which was a crime

During what point in the timeline of the Bible was Romans and Galatians written?

New Covenant

What are the 3 main Jewish identity markers?

Kosher food laws, circumcision, and Sabbath keeping

What does Galatians 2:15-16 say?

Christians are justified by faith not by works of the law

Works of the Law=

ordinances of the Torah

What is faith?

allegiance, submissive trust

What verse is quoted from Genesis to say that Abraham was saved by faith?

Genesis 15:6

What does Galatians 3:23-27 say?

the Torah was our Pedagogue

What’s a pedagogue?

a slave assigned to care for, teach, and train a small child, or even be a disciplinarian

What was the purpose of the Torah?

originally, the Torah was supposed to be life giving but was only able to give mankind awareness of their sin and could only bring death

What does Galatians 4:21-31 say?

Hagar and Sarah represent the Old and New Covenants respectively

Galatians 5:1-4

there is freedom in Christ, his yoke is easy and his burden is light

What would it mean for the Gentiles if circumcision was required for salvation?

if circumcision is required, so is the whole Torah

What is the Christian Code of Conduct?

to love your neighbor as yourself, fulfill the law of Christ, be under the law of Christ, and have faith working in love

Galatians 5:16-21

talks about works of the flesh, which is the aspect of humans tainted by sin that will eventually decay

Works vs. the Fruit of the Spirit

works are what we do but the fruit of the Spirit is what we allow God to do in us

Galatians 5:25

we can choose to “keep in step with the Spirit”

What was the condition of the church in Rome?

it was ethnically mixed with Jews and Gentiles and the Jews have recently returned from being expelled from Rome

Why were the Jews expelled from Rome?

due to continuous disturbance at the instigation of a certain Chrestos

pax romana=

roman peace

When was Romans written?

55-57 AD

What is Romans all about?

it’s a deep and detailed presentation of the gospel in order to help the Christians in Rome deal with ethno-religious differences (Jews vs Gentiles)

What is the theological summary of Romans?

Ch. 3:23-24 “For all have sinned…”

Theme of Chapters 1-4

Justification by Faith

Theme of Chapters 5-8

Christian Living

Theme of Chapters 9-11

Israel’s role in God’s plan

Theme of Chapters 12-16

Christian Relationships

What is an Apostle?

a messenger sent with the authority of the sender

What is Christ’s dual nature?

he is both physically descended from David and the son of God incarnate

Who are the saints?

those sanctified or set apart as holy to God

What does Romans 1:8-15 say?

Paul prays for the Roman Christians constantly and wishes to visit but thus far has been unable, desires to impart a spiritual gift to them, and eager to preach there

Recite Romans 1:16-17

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. In it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘the righteous shall live by faith.’”

Righteousness=

the quality of rightness or correctness against a certain standard

What does Habakkuk 2:4 say?

“the righteous shall live by faithfulness” or the act of living out their faith

Emunah (Heb.)=

steadfastness, trustworthiness, faithfulness

Pistis (Greek)=

faithfulness, reliability, fidelity, commitment

What is faith really about?

not about the Torah but rather having a right relationship with God

What is the wrath of God?

the inevitable, logical response of God’s perfect justice toward all injustice

General revelation=

what can be directly observed by anyone through what’s made

special revelation=

God speaks specifically about His will through prophets, miracles, Jesus, etc.

The whole world is without excuse because creation reveals:

God’s eternal power and divine nature

Whats the main problem in Romans 1:18-32?

idolatry

God “gave them over” to their desires because:

they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped creatures instead of the Creator

Chaos follows when:

idolators enthrone their own desires and as culture degrades, it begins to give approval to sin

the list of sinful behaviors in Romans 1:18-32 shows?

how far humans drift without the true God to anchor them

how is homosexuality addressed in the Bible?

it is discussed alongside adultery, incest, and bestiality as sexual sins

desire…

doesn’t equal sin, temptation offers a choice to sin or not

despite sexual sins, forgiveness and repentance are made possible by what?

the blood of Christ and the help of the Holy Spirit

Stewardship of the world includes?

our own bodies, honoring all of God’s design

What are the 3 points Trueman makes regarding the modern self in “Strange New World”?

1. the modern self prioritizes feelings

2. authenticity becomes defined as expressing one’s subjective feelings

3. the sexual revolution replaces long-standing sexual codes

What is the Christian Response to the sexual revolution?

1. Jesus is Lord

2. God’s Word has authority over my own feelings

3. His grace cleanses and helps me

4. the church provides me with a long-term, primary community

The main theme of Romans 2 is what?

the sinfulness of the Jews

What’s a diatribe?

a debate with an interlocutor, or imaginary opponent

Romans 2:4 says…

the Jews are “storing up wrath for [themselves]” because they think they are more righteous than the Gentiles through their works

What does Paul convict the Jews of in Romans 2?

they are guilty of the same sins that the Gentiles are

our deeds are evidence of…

the state of our hearts (is it devotion, faith, and love?)

Romans 2:6 claims:

obedience matters and it’s about direction more than perfection

Romans 2:9-11 says

God’s judgement isn’t based on ethnicity but rather the obedience of faith

one is NOT made righteous by:

simply knowing the law but rather we are made righteous by fulfilling the law

the alternate translation of Romans 2:14 says

“Gentiles who do not have the law by birth, do what the law requires”

What are some of the boasts the Jews may make

we know, we guide, we instruct

How does Paul show the Jews their guilt?

by using their own scriptures

if circumcision is required…

then so is the whole Torah

What is sanctification?

the process of being transformed into the holy character of Christ

What does Romans 3:1-8 address?

questions about Israel’s special role

If Gentiles can be saved without Torah observance, what’s so great about being Jewish?

they were entrusted with the oracles of God, given much special revelation

Does faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? If God’s chosen people are unfaithful, have God’s promises failed?

“by no means!”, God has and will continue to keep his promises even using unfaithful Israel to fulfill them

If unfaithful Israel helped God achieve His purposes, is it fair for Him to be angry with them?

God holds all people accountable for their choices though what they intend for evil, He can use for good (Gen. 50:20)

What does Romans 3:9-20 talk about?

a rapid-fire list of Jewish scriptures that prove God’s point, predominately from the Psalms

What conclusion does Romans 3:19-20 draw?

“By works of the law, no human being will be justified”

In regards to righteousness, God…

gives righteous status to those who commit in faith to Christ and He is righteous because he upholds justice

What is the result of God’s righteousness?

Christ’s penalty redeems us so there is no penalty remaining for us

Why is there no distinction between Jew and Gentile?

all have sinned and all are justified by his grace as a gift

propitiation=

sacrifice that removes wrath

How does the crucifixion of Jesus show God’s righteousness?

God doesn’t violate his promises or character nor does he ignore sin and he also gives mercy to those who have faith

Romans 3:27-31 says there is no reason to boast because…

each is equally guilty as the other as well as equally justified with Christ

Gospel shorthand:

1. Jesus is Lord

2. God is father, son, and holy spirit

3. Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised 3 days later

4. The church is the body/bride of Christ

5. We are weak in need forgiveness in Christ, washed in baptism

6. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

7. We live in hope of the resurrection

Romans 4 mostly talks about…

Abraham’s story of righteousness by faith before circumcision and the Torah

Genesis 12:1-3 states 3 promises from God to Abraham:

1. the promised land

2. his descendants will become a nation

3. God will bless all nations through him

When is Abraham commanded to be circumcised?

After he is counted righteous through his faith in chapter 17

Abraham is justified…

not by works of the law but the “father of the faithful”

meritous works=

we regard our obedience as accumulating credit to buy/earn our salvation

grace=

unmerited favor and undeserved mercy

Romans 4:5-8 tells us…

David was forgiven beyond what he deserved supporting the idea of righteousness by faith in the Old Testament

Why is Abraham the “father of many nations”?

since he was counted righteous by faith, the Gentiles too may be counted as righteous by faith, identified as the faith of Abraham