 Yes. Okay. Welcome to class, everyone. Good morning. Sorry for the slight delay. I think in the coming days we'll be quicker and faster in running from classroom to classroom and getting connected with all the equipment that is ready for that has to be connected in the next classroom. So it's just taking us a little time and thank you for your patience. Okay. Let's begin. Can somebody lead us in prayer, please? Can anyone lead us in prayer? Okay. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this morning. Thank you for a new connection. We thank you for allowing us to meet and study your word. Yes. In the life-changing word, which will give us more insight on understanding how to grow and live as Christians. Heavenly Father, we pray for our teacher that you will guide her and she will always draw the information from you and that us as students will also be able to to learn what we have purpose to learn and that all will be for the growth of your name and for our good in Jesus' name we pray and believe and rejoice. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Charles. Good to hear your voice again. Okay. So we were looking on Wednesday at Paul's letter to the Romans. We were looking at the introduction. We saw that, you know, where Paul, the background to the whole epistle of Romans. We also saw where Paul wrote this letter from Corinth and what is the proof that we have that he wrote it from Corinth. And we looked at the church at Rome and after which we looked at a few key highlights of the book of Romans. The first one is this is, you know, in this book Paul explains very clearly to us about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this is one of the episodes where we see the clearest and the detailed explanation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the second highlight is that the Romans, you know, the book of Romans takes one through a full spiritual journey. Okay. And we saw what was that spiritual journey. And the third thing is that, you know, the book of Romans talks about the righteousness of God, which is revealed. And we see that the righteousness of God is a major theme in the book of Romans. It's used 36 times in this book. And we don't find the treatment of the subject of righteousness in any other book as we find it here in Romans. Okay. I think we stopped there, right? Yes, last week. Okay. So we'll continue at a few more highlights. Romans is an epistle that Paul writes to the church at Rome, which is, which consists of comprises of both the Jews and the Gentiles. So he speaks about how both the Jews and the Gentiles are chosen by God. And he writes about this in Romans chapter nine to chapter 11. In these chapters nine to 11, he addresses the relationship between the Jews and Gentiles or Israel and the church. And what is God doing? Where is Israel? And where does a church fit in what God is doing at that time, at that season? Like I said in the introduction in on Wednesday, that the whole of the Old Testament is basically comprising or consists of God's dealing or his work with the people of Israel. But when we come to the New Testament, it's kind of, you know, like we think it's they're forgotten because we have Jesus who comes on this scene before which we see John the Baptist and then we see Jesus ministry, then we see the church being formed, the apostles. But Paul is taking time to address here where Israel and the church, the church that is there active in that present time and season, where Israel and where the church fit in what God is doing in that time and season. And so we see Paul addressing about this in Romans chapter nine to Romans chapter 11. And we again don't see such a treatment on this subject anywhere else in the New Testament of Jews and Gentiles. And hence, it is very interesting part of our study in this book of Romans where we will be studying about the Jews, the Gentiles, Israel, and the church. Okay, so these are the key highlights in the episode of Romans. Now, why did Paul write to the believers at Rome? Okay, now we as I mentioned on Wednesday again that, you know, most of his episodes that he has written, he had written it to churches that he had established that he had founded that he was giving spiritual oversight to and also to he was writing to individuals who were directly connected with the churches, the people that he had appointed like Timothy and Titus. So he's writing to special specific individuals and he's also writing to these churches because he's founded them and he or he started them, he established them and he has direct spiritual oversight over these churches and over the individuals that he has appointed there who are directly connected with Paul. But only the epistle of Colossians and Romans are the only exception to this case. These are the only two episodes where Paul is writing his letter to churches that he had not established. That is the church at Colossae and the church at Rome. But he has a personal connect to these both of these churches, both at Colossae and the church at Rome. It is because of the leaders who were there in these churches who he had met and he had personally nurtured. So he's writing to them, for example, the church at Colossae. We know that in Paul's time there were no so-called structures or church buildings but they were home churches and so he there was a church that met at Philemon's home and so he writes to Philemon. He was one of the leaders and somebody who you know Paul nurtured, brought to the faith, built him up and who was a leader at the church at Colossae. So he's writing to him and also you know Epiphris who was another leader at Colossae also whom Paul had nurtured in the faith in the world who he had a strong relationship to. So he feels the necessity to write to them because he personally nurtured them and also he writes the book of Philemon because Philemon is living in Colossae and he writes it because of his runaway slave Onissimus whom you know Paul meets during his first Roman imprisonment. Onissimus Philemon's runaway slave comes in contact with Paul and Paul shares the gospel with him. He accepts Christ and he becomes very useful to Paul in the ministry and Paul knows that it is his responsibility to send back Onissimus back to Philemon so he writes the letter. So we see all of these letters are written because of their personal connect with Paul, the people he had personal connect with even though he had not established the church at Colossae and so also similarly with the church at Rome. We know that he had met Aquila and Priscilla when he was in Corinth they had come to Corinth because of the edict that Emperor Claudus had issued that all the Jews have to leave and go to they have to leave Rome so Aquila and Priscilla this couple came to Corinth they worked along with Paul in his tent making business they also did ministry along with him and Paul imparted into their lives he spiritually nurtured them build them up in the faith in the word and they went back to Rome and they you know they continued to build the church there and we see that during their time you know they also share the faith of the Roman church the Roman believers to Paul okay so that is why he writes this letter to the church at Rome is because of his personal connect even though he did not establish the church there and also we see that he passionately was praying for them so another very important commonality in Paul's relationship with the church at Colossae the church at Rome was although Paul had not been to these places he was passionately praying for them like we read in Colossians chapter 1 verses 3 to verse 4 and verse 9 Colossians chapter 2 verses 1 to 5 Romans chapter 1 verses 8 to 10 I like y'all to take some time later on to just read that and it was why is he writing this letter is also because it is his desire to impart to minister to them to impart spiritual things into their lives and also to fellowship with them and how do we know that Romans chapter 1 verses 8 to 15 I think we read this on venice day did we read this in the venice day class Romans chapter 1 verses 8 to 15 over at Romans chapter we didn't read that okay so can somebody read Romans chapter 1 verses 8 to 15 there in your notes one minute can can y'all hear can y'all read are you able to read here no they're not able to hear you read can go okay can somebody else read then okay can I read yeah sure please thank you yeah Romans 1 8 58-15 our first I thank my God to Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world for God is my witness who might serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son that without seizing I make mention of you always in my prayers making making request if by some means now at last I may find a way in the will of God come to you for I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established that is that I may be encouraged together with you by this mutual faith both of you and me now I do not want you to be unaware brethren that I often planned to come to you but was hindered until now that I might have some fruit among you also just just as among the other Gentiles I am a debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians both to wise and to unwise so as much as in me I'm ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also thank you so much so be I like to just highlight a few phrases here verse 9 it says Paul says I make mention of you always in my prayers verse 11 he says impart to you some spiritual gift also like to bring to your notice Romans chapter 15 verse 23 where Paul says I have a great desire these many years to come to you okay so some of the other reasons why Paul was writing to believers at Rome is we can see in the statements because he shares a long standing desire to minister to them he wants to impart to them some spiritual gifts he makes mention of them in that in his prayers and he's why does he do this because he's heard so much about the church at Rome the faith they have from Aquila and Priscilla and possibly others and as he mentions in this letter that the news about their faith has been spreading okay so the the church at Rome was very strong in their faith and so we can say I mean what's so great about that but we need to understand that the time and season that they were living in the church at Rome was going to severe persecution okay but in the midst of the severe persecution the believers at Rome were strong in their faith they were not giving up their faith so that is what was greatly you know Paul was pleased with with the faith of these people in spite of the persecution in spite of the troubles and the hardships and so he says you know the the news about their faith has been spreading so this letter could be an expression of the gospel also of a gospel that he was passionate about and that he was so desiring to communicate or to impart to the church at Rome and we also see from what was just read from Romans chapter 1 verses 8 to 15 that he you know often Paul often planned to come to them to visit them so that he could impart spiritually to the believers he writes about this in Romans chapter 1 verse 11 we also read it in Romans chapter 15 verse 29 and so this epistle which is writing is one way where he is actually beginning to impart spiritually into their lives even before he comes and imparts more into their lives okay so he says that he's preparing to visit them and he will visit them after he goes to the church visits the saints at Jerusalem gives them the offering that he's collected from the churches at Macedonia and Akia because the famine they were facing and then he plans to go to Spain and on his way to Spain he plans to stop at Rome and plans to spiritually impart into the lives of Roman believers fellowship with them also enjoy their company and he says you know in verse 24 of the of chapter 15 he says that he would also be like to be helped by the believers at Rome even as he continues his journey on to Spain so these are some of the minor reasons that why he's writing the letter to the church at Rome to the believers at Rome now some things we need to keep in mind as we you know study the book of Romans we learn the book of Romans a few things is firstly is this book is like the rest of the books in the Bible rest of scripture this is also divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit we see how do we know this we know that all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit and Paul himself says that he has received revelations from the Lord Jesus Christ and that is what he is teaching preaching and that is what is written for us in this episode and the other episodes now however you know God gives uses the freedom the style the presentation of the individual to write what they have received as revelation yes Paul received his revelation from from the Holy Spirit from God but he uses his own style his presentation of what he has received and there is no doubt in doubting that the revelation that he has received is intact is perfect because Paul himself you know was a scholar and a very intellectually trained person he was trained under the best Hebrew teachers one of them was Gamaliel so we know there is both a divine inspiration and also sound logic or reasoning that comes through Paul's writings and why can we say that there is sound logic and reasoning that comes through his writings is because that he was you know intellectually trained he was taught he was very scholarly because he was taught under you know great Hebrew teachers including Gamaliel himself so Romans is a very scholarly material an episode that Paul has written it's like you know someone choose on something most scholarly you need to really mull on it chew on it spend time on it because there's lot if you look if you read the book of Romans there's lot of logic and reasoning we find in every chapter and also in the book of Romans there is a lot of reference to Old Testament scripture concepts of Old Testament concept in the episode of Romans again this is because you know Paul is a very scholarly person he's a scholar of Old Testament scriptures of course he's writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is bringing out things from the Old Testament and helping us as New Testament believers as those people who are on the other side of the cross helping us to understand the meaning of of the prophecies of what was mentioned in the Old Testament of Israel their position now where they are in in the present time and season in the context of the church so you will find a lot of Old Testament references that Paul mentions in the book of Romans okay and another reason that another thing that we need to keep in mind is when we're looking or studying the book of Romans or reading it is the local context okay church at Rome had many Jewish and Gentile believers like I said now the Jewish believers were thinking you know I have embraced Jesus but what about Judaism what about Israel okay what about the laws what about the circumcision what about the rituals that we have so you know they were thinking on those lines they have accepted to Christ they've embraced Jesus but what about Judaism what about Israel okay because we know that Judaism and Israel holds a very key position a key identity in the lives of Jews as a people their nation holds a very important place in their identity in their calling in their purpose that God has for their lives now the Gentile believers are saying you know I've even embraced Jesus but what about our Jewish brothers are we becoming part of Judaism so what is this whole relationship or this whole connect so they were also a little bit confused so Paul feels it necessary to address both the Jews and the Gentiles and he's as he's writing to them he's helping them addressing them the Christian faith and helping them to grow together in the Christian church together as one and the last thing that we need to keep in mind even as we study the book of the episode of Romans is that it's a single letter okay now you remember that all of the episodes that Paul writes are letters but we have just added chapter and verse for our convenience for our understanding but we need to understand that this is one continuous letter and it's not any it did not come with the chapter and the verse so the chapter and the verse is for our convenience for our reference so the letter is continuous development of Paul's thought and revelation which means that you know there is a forward look and a backward look okay forward look means now there are some things that Paul is writing in chapter one chapter two maybe chapter three as well or you know going on which he starts off to explain but you know he goes on to explain that in much detail in the later chapter so something that he begins to explain in chapter one he will go on maybe to explain in chapter nine or chapter 10 or chapter 11 so we need to have this forward look where we are trying to interpret or understand what he is saying in each chapter by looking forward in what he's mentioned in the previous in the you know in the ongoing chapters or when we look at chapter 10 chapter 11 we might have to go back to chapter one and two to see what the thought that he has established there and the whole thing is so that we can stay aligned to the truth that has been presented and we don't misinterpret and remove these verses in isolation and out of context and try to understand it and you know and as a result misinterpret it and look at it in the wrong way that it was not intended and you know get deviated or sidelined from the right revelation that Paul wants to reveal to us so the forward look is we're looking at chapters one two three or the preceding chapters we will always have to look at chapters that you know 9 10 11 that he has written on the same topic which will give us more clarity understanding of the revelation the truth and hence staying in aligned to the truth that he's presenting or maybe it's a backward look where we when we're studying chapters eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen we might have to come back to chapters one two three four whatever wherever he's speaking about that specific topic so that we can understand the truth the revelations as Paul wants us to understand as stated by him and not grooming some of these verses in isolation and trying to you know create our own theology our own understanding our own perception and trying to discern it in our own way okay so that is some key things that we would like to keep in mind as we progress as we study as we read the epistle of Romans now what do we expect through this study of Romans the first thing is a clear understanding of the gospel the studying or studying of this epistle of Romans will give us a clear understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ we will clearly understand what the gospel of Jesus Christ is the second thing that we can expect to our study of the book of Romans is the revelation of life and transforming truth the truths that are written here which we will receive which we'll understand and receive will re-transform our lives especially what Paul is teaching about grace righteousness the power of the cross the work of the spirit you know will have a life transforming effect for us as believers if we understand this for our lives and we will allow the word of God to transform us so yes there is doctrine there is teaching but this teaching which Paul gives to us in the epistle of Romans is going to change our lives and we need to look forward to that okay not just as like attending a class or going through a learning experience or doing a course for the sake of doing a course but allowing those truths those revelations to really allow it to change our lives and the whole purpose is to bring about transformation which will happen when we really study this book of Romans in the light of the revelation the truth that has been revealed to us okay and the last thing is Paul personal transformation by the power of the holy spirit like we expect God to speak to us when we read his word we can expect the holy spirit of God to reveal or to use these revelations that he has given to Paul you know that we can receive it through the study so that our lives can be transformed personally and we need to and we understand that holy spirit is the source and the inspiration behind the scriptures so even as we go through the study soak in it and just apply it in your lives and you will see your lives being transformed okay so this is about the introduction anyone has any questions to what was mentioned so far in the introduction any questions can unmute your mics and ask or you could even type it in the chat section you're there with me yes yes ma'am okay okay so no questions everything is clear no it's clear ma'am okay okay there's no questions let's move on to Romans chapter one okay so can how many verses are there in Romans chapter one there are 32 verses okay so let's begin by just reading the first first six verses so can somebody read Romans chapter one verses one to six and like all of us to follow in our Bibles anyone would like to read Romans chapter one verses one to six yes please thank you a born servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle separated to the gospel of God which he promised before through his prophets in the holy scriptures concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the son of God with the power according to the Holy Spirit holy the spirit of holiness but the resurrection from the dead through him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name among whom we also are called of Jesus Christ thank you thank you just like to mention something there is a lot of extra material or notes that I would be sharing which is not there in the PDF in the notes so y'all can listen and receive and of course you know these videos will be posted on the stream page you can go back and take notes but I'm not just going to be following the notes or repeating what is just there in the content because all of you can you know can read that take time so I'm just going to give you some a lot of extra additional material which will help us in our study and benefit us rather than just following the notes okay so Romans chapter one like every other you know letter that Paul writes we see that you know he has a basic style or format of an open open introduction from whom is the letter and then he addresses the audience which is to whom the letter is written and an introduction of the subject of the letter or the reason for the letter being written okay so verse one Paul writes Paul a born servant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle separated to the gospel of God now a born servant is a concept that Paul is actually borrowing from the Old Testament so what do we understand of born servant from the Old Testament a born servant is actually another word for born servant is a slave okay so a slave who is in is in bondage so a servant who is in bondage who has no rights who has no freedom and they come to this position because of their financial situation their social standing social status so a born servant or a born slave is actually subjected to their master to whom they work but every seventh year or in the year of Jubilee which is the 50th year a born servant was free to go and in the law that God gave to Moses he also made this provision for the slaves who are born servants that the seventh year they're free to leave their masters and you know they can receive freedom they're free to go or in the year of Jubilee the 50th year born servants are free to go but if someone you know chooses to stay back with their master they like their master their master's treating them well you know their master is taking care of their life of their family they feel a connect to the master to their family and they want to stay back then they're willing to stay to stay back as a servant as a born servant as a slave for the rest of their life with their master so a born servant is willing to subject himself to their master for the rest of their life he has decided to stay with their master and once they make that decision then you know they put a ring on the year of that born servant to show that this born servant is a slave to their master for the rest of their life so it is something that the person chooses to submit themselves to their master for the rest of their life and it's they choose to take that mark of that yearning upon their year to show that they are a born servant in this life to their master and so it's very interesting here Paul is saying he's a born servant of Jesus Christ which means that he's not made he's not been made a slave because of his position in Christ but we we know that you know once we are in sin we are on the Satan he makes us a slave to sin to Satan and to Satan himself but the amazing thing is when we receive salvation you know God does not treat us as slaves but he treats us as sons and daughters okay that is our position that is our identity in Christ and Paul is saying here that he's a born servant a born slave of Jesus Christ which means that he is willingly you know submitted himself for the rest of his life and he's willingly taken this mark of being a slave of Christ Jesus born servant of Jesus Christ to serve his master to serve him for the rest of his of his life okay so a born servant is something Paul chose for himself but there is something else that God gives him okay so something that he has chosen is he is chosen to be a born servant but he also goes on to mention that there's something else that God has given him and he says God has called him to be an apostle okay he is an apostle not because he has chosen to be an apostle but he is an apostle because that is what God has given to him has called him to has entrusted him to so what is the meaning of an apostle what's the meaning of an apostle who is an apostle okay thank you uh yes an apostle is a sent one okay and so Paul is saying that he's sent to represent Christ okay so he's been sent to represent Christ and Paul is saying that Christ is also sent him to represent his kingdom so Paul is saying he's a representative of Christ he's here or not to represent Jesus Christ and also to represent his kingdom okay and then he mentions very something very interesting he says he's separated to the gospel of God okay in Paul's writings you will find these three words which are very very important the three words are a born servant being called and being separated so if you look at Paul's letters or his episodes you will find these three words which are very important the first one is born servant the second one is being called and the third one is being separated so Paul really saw himself as separated as somebody who set aside for the gospel of God okay now this word separated we must understand it in the context of Paul okay for Paul being separated was a very big thing we might look at it as something very small or simple because we all feel that we're separated from the world because we're believers we're born again we belong to the kingdom of God we're children of God but for Paul when he writes this word being separated it means something very very big for him because in the first 30 years of his life he was trained in Judaism he was trained in the Old Testament he was grounded in the Jewish laws the Torah he knew everything about the Old Testament and Paul says in Philippians chapter 3 that you know he says I was a Pharisee or for Pharisee which means he was the most eminent student as an upcoming Pharisee and his whole life and identity was in that and he was a Pharisee he was a Jew he was well trained in the Torah and the law he was so zealous for the Old Testament law and to see the Jewish laws being pursued and that is why he goes on to persecute the Christians so his whole life and identity like any other scholar like any other Jew was grounded and founded in the Old Testament laws the Torah and Judaism but he says you know yet he gives up all of that to proclaim a different message and that is something which is a big thing for Paul because he says in Philippians 3 he says I everything that I have gained everything that I con that I've gained I consider it as loss I consider it as rubbish for one reason that I might gain Christ so he's saying that you know all of this studying this law his whole identity as an as a Jew as an Israelite with something so great knowing the Torah the law you know he says that all that he has gained he is considered it as loss he considers it as rubbish for one reason that he can that he can gain Christ so the word separated for Paul was a very big thing and he's he knows that he's someone who separated called out set aside and set apart for the gospel of God now it's very interesting to know what I don't know if you've seen this if you're following through he mentions the gospel of God okay this phrase gospel of God and look how he is referring to the gospel here and also in this letter he shares about this gospel in many different contexts which has been listed out for us in the notes in the PDF he in the book of Romans itself he refers to gospel in in in varied contexts he talks about the gospel of God here in Romans chapter one verse one and also in Romans chapter 15 verse 16 he talks about the gospel of his son in Romans chapter one verse nine he talks about the gospel of Christ in Romans chapter one verse 16 Romans chapter 15 was 19 and 29 he refers it to also as my gospel which is something very unique and different in Romans chapter two verse 16 and Romans chapter 16 verse 25 now why does he say my gospel because he's referring this to as my gospel because he received this message as a direct revelation now we need to understand that you know Paul was not he you know is not trained or learned received his revelations or the gospel from the apostles but he received this as direct revelation from God himself from the Holy Spirit himself and that is why he takes you know he uses this word my gospel because it is something that he received as a direct revelation direct message from God and not something that he was trained or taught like the Old Testament scriptures like the other believers who were trained and taught under apostles like Peter and and John and the others and he also mentions this as the gospel of peace in Romans chapter 10 verse 15 okay now we know that the gospel is the good news and so when we think about the gospel what comes to our mind is the gospel is what we share with people or we share with sinners to lead them to salvation or as a means or a way for salvation but for Paul when he's talking about gospel he's actually thinking about it in a very comprehensive way now for Paul the the gospel of Jesus Christ the gospel of God the gospel of peace or my gospel is a message from where everything starts so everything for him just begins with the gospel of Jesus Christ and it's a gospel or it's a message of God for him it's a gospel or message of of his son Jesus Christ it's a gospel of the or the message that he's preaching and it's the gospel the message that brings peace in the lives of people so for him gospel is not something that for us is you know what we think is you know we just think about it as sharing it to people or sinners as a way or as a means for them to receive salvation but for him it's a very comprehensive way that he looks at it that he understands it now in your notes we've already also written listed out a few other ways gospel is is mentioned a few other titles in the way the gospels is mentioned or is referred to or how it's shared in context the gospel of the kingdom Matthew chapter 4 verse 23 the gospel of Jesus Christ mark chapter 1 verse 1 gospel of the grace of God which we read in Acts chapter 20 verse 24 the gospel of the glory of Christ second Corinthians 4 4 in the gospel of the uncircumcised or the gospel of the circumcised in Galatians chapter 2 verse 7 so what we understand here is it's not just a limited phrase for him gospel of Jesus Christ but it's a comprehensive word a comprehensive way that he looks at it it encompasses so many different facets which is so meaningful and so enriching for Paul when he mentions that it's the gospel of Jesus Christ or the gospel of God or gospel of his son or my gospel or the gospel of peace okay we'll stop here at verse 1 anyone has any questions no questions okay if there are no questions then I hope things were clear we'll end class now thank you for joining class everyone have a blessed friday and a and a blessed and a refreshing weekend and see you all next week