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BOOK 45 OF 66 · PAULINE EPISTLES · KING JAMES BIBLE

Romans 1

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REVIEWED OVERVIEW

Romans 1 Overview

Paul introduces himself as a servant and apostle separated unto the gospel of God concerning His Son, promised beforehand in Scripture and declared Son of God with power by resurrection. He states the theme: the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, revealing righteousness by faith. He then begins the case for universal guilt by showing God’s wrath against Gentile ungodliness, suppression of truth, idolatry, and the downward consequences of exchanging the Creator for created things.

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1Chapter
32Verses
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Before you read Romans 1

Coming from

Acts ended with Paul in Rome preaching the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ unhindered. Romans now gives the doctrinal content of the gospel Paul had been preaching across the empire.

In this chapter

Romans opens Paul’s fullest sustained explanation of the gospel: who Christ is, why all people need righteousness, how God justifies by faith, and how justified believers should live.

Leads into

Romans 2 turns the indictment toward moral and religious judges, showing that possession of law and circumcision does not exempt anyone from impartial judgment.

Key understandingExplore deeper

Romans 1:16–17 functions as a thesis for the letter. Salvation is connected with believing, and the righteousness of God is revealed ‘from faith to faith,’ with Habakkuk 2:4 supplying the scriptural summary.

The chapter’s description of idolatry is an exchange: people know enough from creation to be accountable yet suppress truth and worship created things rather than the Creator. The moral collapse that follows is presented as judgment, not as proof that some sins place people beyond gospel grace.

Major truths in this chapterExplore deeper

The gospel centers on God’s Son

Paul defines his message by Jesus Christ’s Davidic humanity and resurrection-power identity.

The gospel saves believers

Paul is not ashamed because God’s power unto salvation is directed to everyone who believes.

Creation leaves humanity accountable

God’s eternal power and Godhead are sufficiently displayed that suppression of truth is without excuse.

Idolatry disorders both worship and life

Exchanging God’s glory leads to darkened thinking and degrading passions.

God’s wrath is revealed against sin

The letter begins the justification argument by establishing real divine judgment.

Connections to the rest of ScriptureExplore deeper

Habakkuk 2:4

Paul explicitly quotes “The just shall live by faith” as the scriptural frame for righteousness by faith.

Psalm 19:1–4

Creation’s revelation of God provides Old Testament background to Paul’s accountability argument.

Acts 17:22–31

Paul’s Athens sermon likewise moves from Creator knowledge and idolatry to accountability and judgment.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11

Paul can name serious sins plainly while also insisting that sinners can be washed, sanctified, and justified in Christ.

What is clear, and where care is neededExplore deeper

Do not read the vice list as teaching that certain sinners are beyond salvation

Romans is about the gospel’s power to save guilty people through faith.

Do not use “given them up” to claim God forces innocent people into sin

The sequence follows persistent suppression and exchange of known truth.

Do not turn creation revelation into a claim that people can be justified apart from Christ

Creation establishes accountability; the gospel reveals saving righteousness.

Do not isolate sexual sins from the chapter’s broader indictment of idolatry, pride, envy, deceit, and many other sins

Paul is establishing universal guilt, not a hierarchy of untouchable sinners.

Read Romans 1 watching for…

Paul’s description of the gospel and the Son.

The words believe, salvation, righteousness, faith, and wrath.

What creation reveals and how people respond.

The repeated exchange language.

The progression from idolatry to moral disorder.

The broad scope of the closing vice list.

TWBC REVIEW STANDARD

Plain language. Scripture first. Fact distinguished from inference. No filler. No fake certainty. Designed to help you read the Bible itself.

Chapter outline4 sections
1-7Paul introduces himself, the gospel, and the believers at Rome8-17Paul longs to visit Rome and declares the gospel as God’s power to salvation to everyone that believes18-23God’s wrath is revealed against people who suppress truth and turn from the Creator to idols24-32God gives people over to sinful desires and a reprobate mind as they reject him
1

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

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:

6

Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

7

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

9

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

10

Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

11

For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

12

That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13

Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

14

I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

15

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

19

Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

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.

22

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

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And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

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.

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:

27

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.

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;

29

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30

Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31

Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

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.

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Romans 1:24

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