An Observational Study of Romans: Chapter 1, Verse 2
1. "which He promised..." God promised people His gospel. The gospel of God is not a last minute fix to a problem just sprung up. It is a promised and prophecied message. We see this over and over again in Genesis, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Exodus, and in every book in which there is prophecy. It could ver well be said that all prophecy is pointing to the gospel!
2. "...promised beforehand..." One might be inclined to wonder what beforehand means. What it seems to indicate is that this gospel was prepared before the foundations of the world were even laid. The Fall, and thus the need for the gospel, was no surprise or accident to God.
3. "...through..." God used a channel through which He promised this gospel. God didn't just make a promise quietly; He declared it somehow through a channel of sorts!
4. "...His prophets..." These prophets through which God made the promises were totally sold out to God. What is a prophet? A prophet, unlike the people of today, was a man of God which is used of God to both forthtell God's message to the nation of Israel and to foretell the prophecy of the Messiah's coming. The modern day "prophets" who babble in tongues and make specific "prophecies" for specific individuals are nothing but charlatans and fortune tellers! Prophets did not babble on, but spoke clearly and powerfully. Prophets did not act as personal fortune tellers, but spoke to and about nations. Prophets did not merely foretell, but always had a call for repentence!
5. "...holy..." This word is charged with theological significance. The word holy means set apart; unique. Holy also tends to carry a connotation of righteousness and blamelessness. This word is used over and over to describe God. In Isaiah 6 the angels sing "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty." God is supremely holy in that He is compltely different in essence and nature from any other thing. Not only this, but God calls His people to be similarly holy.
6. "...holy Scriptures..." The Scriptures are completely unique and set apart from any other writing. No other piece of literature in all of history is as life-changing, as fluid, as composed as our Scriptures are. If one is to study the history of the books of the Bible, it should be impossible to not develop an awe for these monumental works! 66 books from around 40 authors from different backgrounds covering around 3000 years of history, and yet there is amazing continuity and agreement within its pages. And that is why these are called holy! What this verse is now saying is that God promised this gospel through His prophets in writing. God promised in writing to send a gospel of good news to people!
2. "...promised beforehand..." One might be inclined to wonder what beforehand means. What it seems to indicate is that this gospel was prepared before the foundations of the world were even laid. The Fall, and thus the need for the gospel, was no surprise or accident to God.
3. "...through..." God used a channel through which He promised this gospel. God didn't just make a promise quietly; He declared it somehow through a channel of sorts!
4. "...His prophets..." These prophets through which God made the promises were totally sold out to God. What is a prophet? A prophet, unlike the people of today, was a man of God which is used of God to both forthtell God's message to the nation of Israel and to foretell the prophecy of the Messiah's coming. The modern day "prophets" who babble in tongues and make specific "prophecies" for specific individuals are nothing but charlatans and fortune tellers! Prophets did not babble on, but spoke clearly and powerfully. Prophets did not act as personal fortune tellers, but spoke to and about nations. Prophets did not merely foretell, but always had a call for repentence!
5. "...holy..." This word is charged with theological significance. The word holy means set apart; unique. Holy also tends to carry a connotation of righteousness and blamelessness. This word is used over and over to describe God. In Isaiah 6 the angels sing "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty." God is supremely holy in that He is compltely different in essence and nature from any other thing. Not only this, but God calls His people to be similarly holy.
6. "...holy Scriptures..." The Scriptures are completely unique and set apart from any other writing. No other piece of literature in all of history is as life-changing, as fluid, as composed as our Scriptures are. If one is to study the history of the books of the Bible, it should be impossible to not develop an awe for these monumental works! 66 books from around 40 authors from different backgrounds covering around 3000 years of history, and yet there is amazing continuity and agreement within its pages. And that is why these are called holy! What this verse is now saying is that God promised this gospel through His prophets in writing. God promised in writing to send a gospel of good news to people!
posted by Charlie | 2:02 AM
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