My Book of Romans thread.

[Pavel Mosko]

The setup for it is just what the thumbnail suggests, I had a long YouTube debate with a Seventh Day Adventist over on "Academy Apologia" channel on YouTube, the debate did not go well for our Adventist friend. His one last hope was to challenge me on the book of Romans, which he obviously believes will carry his water in certain proof text areas, but rather than just going for the whole "proof texting" thing I am going old school expository verse by verse style. It seems for me the best way to do it is in the style of the Amplified Bible (Something I became familiar with when I was in the Charismatic Movement). I will try to paraphrase things and give my sense of the original author's intent, on some passages I may have to go in-depth when it comes to longwinded commentary in a more conversational manner like a mini sermon/homily based on personal experience and Biblical lexical term meanings.


Besides this, I will be at times discussing the original Greek and maybe even the original Hebrew. I am no Biblical languages expert (did take a year of both as a part time seminary student) but the actual original Greek and it's significance was an issue discussed in the previous debate that led to this challenge in particular the way "Law" (nomos) is conflated as "The 10 Commandments when the actual Biblical language is very specific about The Decalogue, the actual language used in Greek is where we get that term from!

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Romans 1
New International Version
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life[a] was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from[c] faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Off the top of my head, personal commentary, each verse
1) Strong Sacrametnal Christian opening !! Paul identifies himself as a Sacramental "dedicated to God's service). Real power move.

2) The New Testament Gospel of Christ's coming, death for our sins and resurrection was set up long ago in the Tanach, with various types and shadows.

3) Jesus fits the Messianic profile as being a legitmate heir to the throne of David that was usurped by the Hasmondeans, Seleucidendsd (grok give me right name).

4 This verse very much looks like an Arian heresy proof text! It does confirm the proper notion of the Divinity of Christ, and sort of fits Two Power's in Heaven theology.

5) A "Salvation by Faith" passage and would fit in with talk's concerning Acts 15

6) Paul likewise points out the Romans fit into this, and of course they would Roman was one of the top empires of the World, and Rome being Christianized would shows Christ as "Lord over all".

7) A very warm welcome both personal and having Jewish qualities using "Grace and Peace" kind of a Greek version of Shalom.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

(Grok Commentary)

Grok in the Romans Bible study confirms my Biblical literary instincts are solid on all accounts, including the Arian proof text. Grok goes in depth on the Greek original text. The best insight I got was this. "Correct. Paul immediately anchors the gospel in prior promise (“which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures”). The gospel is not a novelty; it is the fulfillment of what was already spoken. Types and shadows language is a later theological development, but the textual claim itself is straightforward: the same God who spoke in the Tanakh has now acted in the Son." This kind of commentary strengthens my approach on Soteriology and Economy talking about Divine Economy rather than other familiar Western themes of "God's justice" or whatever.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[d] that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[f]
A! = As it Sounds, plain literal reading but with expansive thoughts.
Romans 8: the first thing that leaps out to me in relistening to this is "a Benediction" / Blessing and that comes to me from my Chairsmatic movement days. This theme very much comes in context from listening to the passage and doing so in the context of the previous one cited. And I love this because it also is what I do not just a Jewish thing, but an ancient Jewish practice going back to the ancient Patriarchs no less, before the Kingdom of Israel!
(Unlike the previous setup in the OP, my style reaction I think fits being inspired by "The Charismatic Voice" analysis of popular music done through the ear of an opera singer trained in music theory etc. I suppose I may need to edit the OP if this becomes common place)
9) This points to Paul in his very bones so to speak talking about feeling the weight of divine inspiration that bolsters and compels him because he knows he is heading into controversial territory, especially when it comes Judaism, it assumptions and expectations and those that will fight him when it comes to the Revelation of the Gospel. (As an author, side note in parallel while doing this study, I by way of Providence began reading Tovia Singers work, "Let's Get Biblical" which is the antithesis of this a Biblical polemic and Apologetic from an Orthodox Jew against Christianity).
10) A! Letters are good but being there in real life for extended indepth and personal conversations are so much better.
11) Back to Blessing Sentiments, have felt the same at times and I believe this is a definite thing as far as the laying on of hands goes.
12) A! Coals in a fire is a good analogy for this phenomenon, Christians are better together that kind of fellowship mutually supports and reinforces each other.
13) A! but a sad personal disclosure. This reminds me of the Joehari window where it is important to let people in on your thoughts and experiences unless they begin to assume the worst! At this point, I will just refer to the term gentile being derrived from the term "Nations" in the original Hebrew, the Greek term being "ethnos" where we get the word "ethnic" from. Essentially the Hebrews were the one tiny people group that God plucked out of the other ones to be his unique representatives, kind of like the Apostles of the New Covenant, but on a wider national level.
14) A! Paul is setting up what we would call today "Catholicity" aka Universality. Unlike the other Apostles in Christendom where one went to a particular place like saint Mark went to the Egyptians etc. Paul's ministry is more wide spread than that of saint James in Jerusalem etc. it is meant to have a wider impact, and this incidentally is also for the reason of all his study in Judaism.
15) A! This is a continuation fo the the former vs. point. This little detail blows me away, because I got the Universal vibes from the earlier vs. but for the last millennium Rome and Catholicism go to together aka Roman Catholic, but this vs. put that together in the obvious way that Rome "was the center of the world" as far as the people of the New Testament are concerned, so it interesting that metaphorical and literal go together, due to not just the Roman empire but also Charlemagne too etc.
16) Reading Tovia Singer while reflecting on the book of Acts and this book really makes me aware of the stigma of being a believer. Tovia talks about how Jewish Christians "are seen as traitors by Jews". And all this reminds me of the famous Raca passage in the New Testament for scorning someone as being worthless, derived from spitting in contempt like how Christ was abused and reviled on Good Friday prior to be being killed,
17) We get a right standing with God by trusting God for our salvation and a right standing with Him, this has been true a crossed all of time from Adam to the people of today in spite of the past specific covenants and dispensations, simple trust and reliance on God is at the root of it all across time.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
18) This topic deals with a familiar theme in Western Christianity but one that is less prominent among the Greek Fathers, and admittedly a kind of necessary evil for me. God’s wrath and justice are important biblical themes, yet they are often handled poorly and can do more harm than good when presented as the dominant note of the Gospel. Even so, the passage echoes an Old Testament precedent for measured divine patience:
Genesis 15:16 — “And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” (ESV)
Judgment is real, but it is not hasty; iniquity is allowed to reach a certain fullness before the decisive response.
19) Here we begin the verses Adventists often lean on heavily. Many will immediately hear “the law written on the heart” and move straight to the Decalogue, with Sabbath-keeping as the decisive point of contention. The text itself, however, points in a different direction. What can be known about God is plain because God has shown it to them. This looks less like a reference to the Ten Commandments and more like a foundational statement about the human constitution itself.
This is one of those places where the charge of “Christian Platonism” or “Hellenic corruption” tends to overreach. The verse speaks of a knowledge of God that is already available and suppressed — something built into the way human beings were made. In biblical terms this sits naturally with the claim that we are created in the image of God. In certain Greek philosophical traditions it sits near the idea of the Logos as the rational, ordering principle in which human reason participates. The overlap is real: two different conceptual worlds converge on the recognition that human beings are not blank slates with regard to the divine. There is a built-in capacity for recognizing truth about God that can be acknowledged or resisted. That shared insight does not require us to baptize every later Platonic development, but it does mean the Venn diagram between the biblical and the philosophical categories is larger than the “pagan corruption” slogan usually allows.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.”
The Greek is precise here. Paul uses τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ — “that which is knowable / the knowable thing of God.” It is not “the law” or “the commandments.” It is the portion of knowledge about God that is accessible and has been made φανερόν (manifest, evident, plain). The verb that follows, ἐφανέρωσεν, is the same root: God Himself has rendered it visible / clear to them.
This is the language of general revelation and human constitution, not the language of the Decalogue. Adventist readings often move quickly from “written on the heart” (a phrase that appears later, in 2:15, and in a different context) to the Ten Commandments and especially the Sabbath. But the grammar of 1:19 does not support that leap. Paul is talking about a knowledge of God that is already available in the created order and in the way human beings are made — something that can be suppressed, but not something that is identical with the Sinai legislation.
This is also why the charge of “Christian Platonism” is only half-right. The verse does sit near the idea that human beings possess a built-in capacity to recognize divine reality (the Image of God in biblical terms; participation in the Logos in certain Greek terms). The Venn diagram is real. But the text itself is not importing a full Platonic system; it is making a more restrained claim: what can be known of God has been made plain, and the refusal of that knowledge is the beginning of the downward spiral Paul is about to describe.