Agape Fellowship · Small Group Study

Not Ashamed of the Gospel

Paul’s Greeting and the Theme of Romans

ROMANS 1:1–17

Introduction: Why Romans Matters

No letter in the New Testament has shaped the church more than Romans. It converted Augustine in a Milan garden, ignited Luther and the Reformation, and warmed John Wesley’s heart at Aldersgate. John Calvin wrote that “when any one gains a knowledge of this Epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture,” and Luther called it “the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel,” urging that every Christian should know it word for word. In our opening passage, Paul introduces himself, his message, and his heart for the believers in Rome—then states the theme of the whole letter in two verses (vv. 16–17) that changed the course of history.

Historical Background Paul wrote Romans around A.D. 56–57 from Corinth, near the end of his third missionary journey, dictating the letter to a scribe named Tertius (16:22) and likely entrusting its delivery to Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae (16:1–2). Remarkably, Paul had never visited the Roman church—it was probably founded by Jewish pilgrims converted at Pentecost (Acts 2:10 mentions “visitors from Rome”) and built up by believers who migrated to the capital. In A.D. 49 the emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome; the Roman historian Suetonius says it was because of disturbances “at the instigation of Chrestus”—almost certainly a garbled reference to disputes over Christ. That expulsion is how Priscilla and Aquila first met Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:2). When Claudius died in A.D. 54 the Jewish believers returned to a church that had become largely Gentile—a tension between Jew and Gentile that lies behind much of the letter. Nero was emperor when Paul wrote, still in the early, stable years of his reign, about a decade before he would turn violently against the Christians of Rome.

Section 1 — A Slave, an Apostle, and the Gospel of God (vv. 1–7)

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1–7 (ESV)

Study Notes

“A servant of Christ Jesus” (v. 1). The Greek word is doulos—literally a slave, one owned by a master. John MacArthur has stressed that this is the title Paul reaches for first, before “apostle”: in a city where perhaps a third of the population were slaves, Paul introduces himself to Rome as a man wholly owned by Jesus Christ. There is no self-made ministry here; Paul was called and set apart—his authority comes from God, not from himself. Notice, too, that the gospel is called “the gospel of God”: it originates with God, not with man, and verse 2 insists it is no novelty—it was “promised beforehand” in the Old Testament Scriptures. The gospel is the oldest news in the world.

The gospel is about a Person (vv. 3–4). Before Paul says anything about what the gospel does, he says whom it concerns: God’s Son. Two truths are held together—Jesus is truly man, “descended from David according to the flesh” (fulfilling 2 Samuel 7 and the messianic promises), and He is “declared to be the Son of God in power” by His resurrection. Calvin is careful here: the resurrection did not make Jesus the Son of God—He is the eternal Son—but it openly displayed and declared Him to be so, with power, before the world. The empty tomb is God’s public verdict on who Jesus is.

“The obedience of faith” (v. 5). This striking phrase brackets the whole letter (it returns in 16:26). John Piper observes that saving faith is never a mere opinion about Jesus; it is a trust that bows—faith obeys, and true obedience flows from faith. Paul’s aim in world missions is not decisions only but glad-hearted allegiance to Christ “for the sake of his name among all the nations.” Missions exists for the glory of God’s name.

“Loved by God and called to be saints” (vv. 6–7). Every believer in that Roman living room—slave or free, Jew or Gentile—bore three titles: called, loved, holy. “Saint” in Scripture is not an elite class of Christian but the ordinary name for everyone set apart to God in Christ.

John Calvin “This is a remarkable passage, by which we are taught that the whole gospel is included in Christ… If any one moves even a step from Christ, he withdraws himself from the gospel.” (Commentary on Romans 1:3)
Discussion Questions
  1. Paul introduces himself first as a slave of Christ Jesus and only then as an apostle. What would it look like this week for you to think of yourself first as someone owned by Christ—in your work, your family, your free time?
  2. Verse 2 says the gospel was “promised beforehand” in the Old Testament. Why does it matter that the gospel is not “Plan B”? How does this shape the way you read the Old Testament?
  3. What do verses 3–4 teach us about the person of Christ—His humanity and His deity? Why is the resurrection central to knowing who Jesus is?
  4. What is the “obedience of faith” (v. 5)? How would you respond to someone who says faith and obedience have nothing to do with each other—or to someone who confuses obedience with earning salvation?

Section 2 — A Pastor’s Heart for People He’s Never Met (vv. 8–15)

8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. Romans 1:8–15 (ESV)

Study Notes

Thanksgiving before requests (vv. 8–10). Paul begins not with correction but with gratitude: the Romans’ faith was “proclaimed in all the world.” A believing church in the capital of the empire was strategic news everywhere the empire reached. Notice the anatomy of Paul’s prayer life: constant (“without ceasing”), God-witnessed (v. 9), and submitted to God’s will (“by God’s will,” v. 10). MacArthur points out that verses 8–15 sketch the marks of a true spiritual servant: a thankful spirit, a praying spirit, a willing and submissive spirit, and an eagerness to give rather than to receive.

Mutual encouragement (vv. 11–12). Here is a beautiful humility: the great apostle expects to be strengthened by the Roman believers, not only to strengthen them. Calvin remarks on this verse that there is no one so poor in the church of Christ who cannot contribute something to us, and no one so mature that he cannot be helped by the faith of others—pride alone keeps us from that mutual benefit. That is a charter for the small group: we come both to give and to receive.

“I am under obligation” (vv. 13–15). Paul calls himself a debtor—not because the Greeks and barbarians had loaned him anything, but because Christ had entrusted him with a message that belongs to them. “Greeks and barbarians, wise and foolish” spans every cultural and social boundary of the ancient world (to Greek ears, a “barbarian” was anyone whose speech sounded like bar-bar—an uncultured outsider). If we possess the gospel, we owe it to those who don’t yet have it.

Historical Insight Paul says he was “often” prevented from reaching Rome (v. 13). Ironically, when he finally arrived about three years later, it was in chains—as a prisoner appealing to Caesar (Acts 28). God answered Paul’s persistent prayer, but not in the way he planned. Even the delay served the gospel: had Paul reached Rome earlier, we might never have received this letter.
Discussion Questions
  1. Paul prays “without ceasing” for a church he has never visited. Who are the believers you regularly thank God for—and pray for? What can we learn from how Paul prays here?
  2. Verse 12 says even the apostle expected to be encouraged by ordinary believers’ faith. Have you ever been strengthened by someone you expected to be the “teacher” of? What keeps us from both giving and receiving encouragement in this group?
  3. Paul was repeatedly “prevented” (v. 13), yet kept praying and planning. How do you respond when God delays or redirects your good plans? Can you share a time a “closed door” later made sense?
  4. In what sense are Christians “debtors” (v. 14) to the people around them? Who in your life might God be sending you to as one who owes them the gospel?

Section 3 — The Theme of Romans: Righteousness by Faith (vv. 16–17)

16For 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. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16–17 (ESV)

Study Notes

“Not ashamed” (v. 16). To sophisticated Rome, the Christian message sounded absurd: a crucified Jew from a backwater province as the Savior of the world. Crucifixion was so shameful that polite Romans avoided even mentioning it—Cicero said the very word “cross” should be far removed from the thoughts, eyes, and ears of Roman citizens. Yet Paul is eager to preach this message in the capital itself, because he knows what it carries: “the power of God” (Greek dynamis) “for salvation.” The gospel does not merely offer good advice or moral improvement; it is God’s own power that raises the spiritually dead. MacArthur notes that people are ashamed of things that fail or embarrass—but the gospel never fails anyone who believes it.

“To everyone who believes” (v. 16). The one condition is faith—not pedigree, performance, or intellect. “To the Jew first” reflects God’s historical order of promise (the Messiah came through Israel, and Paul preached in the synagogue first in city after city), while “also to the Greek” throws the door open to the whole world.

“The righteousness of God… from faith for faith” (v. 17). This is the phrase that once terrified Martin Luther. As a monk he understood “the righteousness of God” only as the justice by which God punishes sinners—and he confessed that he hated the phrase, for it seemed only to condemn him. But wrestling with this very verse, Luther saw it: the righteousness revealed in the gospel is a righteousness God gives—a perfect standing credited to the sinner who trusts Christ. “Here I felt that I was altogether born again,” he wrote, “and had entered paradise itself through open gates.” The Reformation was ignited by Romans 1:17. Piper presses the wonder of it: in the gospel, God remains perfectly just and becomes the justifier of the ungodly (cf. 3:26; 4:5)—our standing rests not on our righteousness but on God’s, received “from faith for faith,” by faith from first to last.

“The righteous shall live by faith” (v. 17). Paul anchors his theme in Habakkuk 2:4—spoken to a prophet bewildered by God’s ways as Babylon loomed. Justification by faith is not a Pauline invention; it is the Old Testament’s own doctrine (Paul will prove it from Abraham and David in chapter 4). The whole letter of Romans is essentially the unpacking of these two verses.

Martin Luther “I began to understand that the righteousness of God is that by which the righteous lives by a gift of God, namely by faith… Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.” (Preface to his Latin Writings, 1545)
Discussion Questions
  1. Where are you most tempted to be quietly “ashamed” of the gospel—at work, with family, online? What convictions in verse 16 free us from that shame?
  2. Paul says the gospel is the power of God, not merely good advice. How does believing that change the way we evangelize—especially with people who seem “too far gone” or too hostile?
  3. Luther hated the phrase “the righteousness of God” until he saw it as a gift received by faith. In your own words, what is the difference between trying to achieve righteousness and receiving it? Which one are you living in day to day?
  4. “From faith for faith”—faith from first to last. What does it look like to live by faith not only at conversion but this week: in a trial, a temptation, a decision?
  5. Looking over all seventeen verses: what has this passage shown you about God, and what is one concrete response for the week ahead?

Bringing It Home

Big idea: The gospel is God’s power to save everyone who believes, because in it God gives His own righteousness to sinners through faith in Jesus Christ. That truth made a slave of Paul, a missionary of a persecutor, and a Reformer of a terrified monk—and it is still the power of God today, in Rome, in Denver, and in your living room.

Prayer focus: Thank God that the gospel is His power, not ours. Confess any quiet shame or self-reliant righteousness. Ask for Paul’s eagerness (v. 15)—and name one person each to pray for and reach with the gospel before the group meets again.

Memory Verse “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.”
— Romans 1:16 (ESV)