Exalting Jesus in Romans

Tony Merida

• Publisher: Holman Bible Publishers
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781535961080
• Topic: Théologie et religion
• Subtopic: Commentaire biblique

Exalting Jesus in Romans is part of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series. Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida, this commentary series, to include 47 volumes when complete, takes a Christ-centered approach to expositing each book of the Bible. Rather than a verse-by-verse approach, the authors have crafted chapters that explain and apply key passages in their assigned Bible books.

Readers will learn to see Christ in all aspects of Scripture, and they will be encouraged by the devotional nature of each exposition presented as sermons and divided into chapters that conclude with a "Reflect & Discuss" section, making this series ideal for small group study, personal devotion, and even sermon preparation. It's not academic but rather presents an easy reading, practical, and friendly commentary.

The CCE series will include 47 volumes when complete. The author of Exalting Jesus in Romans is Tony Merida.

Romans

Introduction to Romans

When people read, study, and hear the book of Romans, big things happen.

Soon after surrendering my life to Jesus Christ while in college, I participated in a Bible study on Romans. It set me on fire. I have since read many commentaries on this epistle, listened to a number of sermons on it, and recently preached through it at my local church. One could certainly spend years studying it. I told our church before our last sermon on it, “We are finishing this series today, but we are not finished with Romans.” You never really finish Romans. I know it is not finished with me.

Many Christian leaders in church history trace their conversion back to Romans. The great North African church leader Aurelius Augustine of Hippo (354–430) traces his conversion back to an encounter with Romans 13. He left home at age sixteen, and his life was characterized by lust, immorality, and heretical philosophy. His mother, Monica, was a Christian, but Augustine was not. She prayed for him constantly. Eventually, when Augustine was almost thirty-two years old, the light of the gospel broke through to his heart. He describes his remarkable experience in Confessions:

I flung myself down beneath a fig tree and gave way to the tears which now streamed from my eyes. . . . In my misery I kept crying, “How long shall I go on saying ‘tomorrow, tomorrow’? Why not now? Why not make an end of my ugly sins at this moment?” . . . All at once I heard the singsong voice of a child in a nearby house. Whether it was the voice of a boy or a girl I cannot say, but again and again it repeated the refrain “Take it and read, take it and read.” At this I looked up, thinking hard whether there was any kind of game in which children used to chant words like these, but I could not remember ever hearing them before. I stemmed my flood of tears and stood up, telling myself that this could only be a divine command to open my book of Scripture and read the first passage on which my eyes should fall. . . . So I hurried back to the place where Alypius was sitting . . . seized [the book of Paul’s epistles] and opened it, and in silence I read the first passage on which my eyes fell: “Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites” (Romans 13:13-14). I had no wish to read more and no need to do so. For in an instant, as I came to the end of the sentence, it was as though the light of confidence flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled. (Confessions, 177–78)

Augustine was a new creation. He never turned back to his old life.

Years later Martin Luther, an eventual leader in the Protestant Reformation, greatly wrestled with his guilt before God until he grasped the meaning of Romans, particularly Romans 1:17. Earlier in his life he said Romans 1:17 made him “hate God” because it speaks of God’s righteousness. Being perfectly righteous seemed like an impossible demand. But when Luther discerned that there was a righteousness outside of himself—a righteousness that is received through faith in Christ, not earned by religious works—everything changed. Luther said that this passage opened the “gateway to paradise” for him. Luther’s preaching, teaching, and writing changed the world as he showed others how to enter the gateway to paradise. One such person was John Wesley, who was apparently converted when hearing someone read Luther’s preface to his commentary on the book of Romans!

Big things happen when we understand Romans. These are but a few testimonies. May the Lord’s grace flood your heart as you read this commentary, and may he use you as you teach the life-changing gospel.

I want to make two final introductory comments. First, my section divisions basically reflect our sermon series at Imago Dei Church. I often expound large passages of Scripture in my weekly preaching, and it seems to me that studying the larger unit of thought is particularly helpful in Romans in order to understand the flow of the arguments. I also decided to keep it at twenty sections to make the commentary more inviting to those who may be overly intimidated by Romans. Many feel like Romans is too complicated to study and too difficult to preach or teach. While it is challenging, I encourage you to dive in! I have compressed it to try to make it inviting and to make it as close to a semester-length study as I could. If you feel like you need a longer commentary, there are plenty out there.

Second, speaking of commentaries, I am indebted to some particular scholars. I hope I have adequately cited them. These scholars include Douglas Moo, Thomas Schreiner, Leon Morris, Michael Bird, David Peterson, F. F. Bruce, Robert Mounce, John Stott, Tim Keller, and John Piper. If you want more in-depth study of particular passages in Romans, I would direct you to their commentaries and expositions.

Tony Merida

January 1, 2020

The Gospel: The Power of God for Salvation

Romans 1:1-17

Main Idea: Paul magnifies the gospel, summarizing key aspects of it, expressing his eagerness to share it, and conveying his steadfast confidence in it.

I. The Significance of Romans

A. Romans is a gospel-saturated letter.

B. Romans is a community-building letter.

C. Romans is a missional letter.

II. A Summary of the Gospel (1:1-7)

A. The gospel is God’s good news (1:1)

B. . . . Promised in the Old Testament (1:2)

C. . . . Centered on Jesus (1:3-4)

D. . . . Designed to bring all peoples to the obedience of faith for the sake of Christ’s name (1:5)

E. . . . Transforming everyone who believes (1:6-7).

III. A Servant of the Gospel (1:8-15)

A. Communion with God (1:8-10)

B. Concern for the church (1:11-13)

C. Commitment to preach to everyone (1:14-15)

IV. A Steadfast Confidence in the Gospel (1:16-17)

Paul wastes no time getting to his major theme: the gospel. He provides a gospel-drenched greeting and eventually arrives at his thesis in verses 16-17.

Paul’s gospel focus not only prepares us for the content that follows, but it also inspires and instructs all of Christ’s servants. It inspires us as we consider Paul’s resolute confidence in the gospel, a confidence not weakened by the intimidating Roman Empire. We too must have an unwavering confidence in the gospel in order to make a missional impact in the world.

Paul’s gospel focus is also instructive for our maturing believers. Remember, Paul is writing to Christians, yet he spends chapters unpacking the gospel. For Paul, the gospel is not just what tips a person into the kingdom, only to then leave them on their own to straighten up and fly right. Rather, the gospel shapes the very life of the believer and empowers the believer for service. Many have historically thought of Romans as only about personal salvation, but Romans is also about spiritual growth. And the way Paul goes about cultivating growth is by doing what Professor Michael Bird calls “gospelizing” (Romans, 32). That is, Paul wants every facet of the believer’s life to be soaked in the gospel so that his or her days will reflect the realities that the gospel announces and imparts to a believer: life, hope, peace, joy, faith, obedience, righteousness, love, and more.

Our confidence in the gospel is increased when we consider who is writing this grand letter: Paul. The former persecutor of the church is now the servant of it and herald of God’s grace in Chris...