ADDRESSES ON ROMANS
are first measured according to God's standard and are found to be a total failure, as touching righteousness. Then the Jews are declared to be unrighteous. Thus "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3: 23). Then it is that the unfolding of God's righteousness opens up before us, and the explanation follows of how guilty sinners may become righteous in the sight of a holy God. My Christian friend, if you want to render a real service to people who are trusting in their own righteousness for sal~ vation, then urge them to read the book of Romans, to "listen in" on these broadcasts, and to study to find out what God says concerning the question raised by Job centuries ago, and sounded down through the ages: "How then can man be justified with God?" (See Job 25:4.) The answer is fully given by the Holy Spirit through Paul in the letter to the Ro.mans, wherein He shows that justification is by faith alone, by'the gra~e of God in the gift of His righteousness. ' I THE INTRODUCTION TO THE EPISTLE 1:1~17 The first seventeen verses of the first chapter are intro~ ductory. "In the first fifteen verses Paul briefly presents three topics. He tells us: ( 1) Y/..J!.o-=!!e i~; (2) who Christ is; and (3) something regarding the Church at Rome. Then in verses 16 and 17 he states the theme of his letter, which we have ·touched on briefly. 1. WHAT PAUL SAYS OF HIMSELF, 1 : 1. (a) From "Saul" to "Paul." Paul had two names: Saul of Tarsus; and Paul the Apostle. On the road to Damascus, a s he was on his way to that city to persecute the Christians, God met him; and from this time on, he was a changed man. He ceased to be "Saul" and became "Paul." Have you ever wondered why his name was changed? "Saul" was probahly the name given-to-him b¥ his parents. It means "great," and it is likely_t_!iat tlu~y gave him- this name oecause they hoped for him to become a great man. "Paul." however, means [Page 9
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