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romans Chapters 1 - 5.

1. THE COURT HOUSE OF GOD …….
 Here we see GOD’S WRATH, 
His condemnation and the miracle of Justification is explained.

              romans CHAPTER ONE.

  Paul, the inspired author of the book of Romans, is rather like a court reporter in God’s official Court House, as seen in the introduction to the book. 

He is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
He sets the scene for the drama 
of the Court House. 

(Romans 1:1).
1 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called [to be] an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”  Paul was a chosen and called apostle of God. 
To be an apostle he had to have TWO qualifications: 

1. He had to have seen Jesus Christ 

1 Cor. 9:1;   
1. “Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?” 

 1 Cor. 15:8,9  
8. "And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.9 “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”                                                                                           

2. HIS call had to come from God Himself, not from mere man.

John 6:70;
70 “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, … ?”

 Acts 9:15. 
15 “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”

No man or woman can enter into ministry unless God calls them, but in a real way everyone who is saved has a calling from God to witness to what they have seen and heard of God’s saving Grace in Christ Jesus.

Acts 1:8;
8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 

The Gospel is explained in brief by Paul in Romans1:2-5.

2. "(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures)  3. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;  4. And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:  5. By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: " 

Paul says the Old Testament prophets spoke of it! In Romans he quotes from the O.T. sixty one times, so the Gospel is not really new to the N.T., it was in shadow form right from the book of Genesis. Paul quotes from no less than fourteen books of the O.T. to bring his message of Romans. The Gospel is about JESUS CHRIST and His death for fallen mankind. 

THE FIRST DEFENDANT IN THE COURT.

 The first defendant in God’s Court Room is seen in chapter 1:18-32.

This is the heathen or pagan, who declares he must be found not guilty because of his defense of ignorance. The charge against him is HIGH TREASON against the Ruler of the Universe Romans3:23.
 23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

God lays down his indictment against the whole of mankind, ignorant or not, in a TENFOLD expression of TRUTH:

1. They hold down the truth

Romans 1:18;
18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;”

2. They know God but do not honour Him as God

Romans 1:21;
21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

3. They are unthankful (1:21)

Compare Romans 1:8
 8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.”

And 1 Thess. 5:18;
18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 

4. They allow themselves to have foolish speculations

Romans 1:21;
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” 

5. They permit their hearts to become darkened, it is deliberate

Romans 1:21;
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” 

6. They think themselves wise, but become fools

Romans 1:22;22 
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” 

     The Greek here is horrible! The word is moraino, a verb form of moris, we get our word MORON from this word! Those who are “too clever and wise” to turn back to God are MORONS, God says so! 

7. Men can prefer idols to the living God, and can actually exchange His glory for images of men, birds, beasts and creeping things – the pagans worship snakes, our aboriginals worship the Rainbow Serpent!

Romans 1:25
25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” 

8. They give their bodies over to sexual perversions.

Romans 1:26,27.
"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. "

 Homosexuality is usually the last rung in the downward slide of any society or nation. It is a perversion of death, for no offspring can come from it. It is as though the Lord lets the society die away, decrease into oblivion. We are now seeing the rapid decline of Australia as the nation turns  far away from God, and plunges into homosexuality being accepted, with “Gay” Mardi-Gras celebrations in the very streets of our cities! 

9. They are FILLED with unrighteousness. See here the dreadful list!

Romans 1:29-32. 
"Being filled with all unrighteousness, 

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. " 

10. They know in their hearts the serious nature of their crimes against the Ruler of the Universe, but do not repent. They not only sin and rebel against God, they also encourage others to do the same

Romans 1:32.
32 “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

They gain pleasure at the evil, sin and godlessness of others. See also

Mark 14:10, 11;
10 “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them.”
11 “And when they heard [it], they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.”

Revelation 11:10. 
10 “And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”

God gives them over to a “reprobate” mind

Romans 1 :28. 
28 “And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;”

This mind is one which is incapable of a rational judgment.

See PROVERBS 1:24-33 ;

"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." 

and reread 

Romans 1: 24, 26, 28.
24"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; "

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