Week 2 - The Simplicity of the Good News Part 1

Jul 22
4 min read

Romans - Week 2

I'm thrilled you have decided to join me on the journey through Romans. We begin with week 2, delving into the start of the letter Paul wrote to the Romans. If you haven't had the opportunity to read Romans, I suggest starting with Week 1: An Introduction to Romans. However, an introduction is not necessary for understanding Romans, but it does provide helpful context.

The following "blog" is an outline I used to create the vlog below. Either follow along or join in the study by watching the video below. Sometimes, I'll include information in the footage not contained in the blog. But it is easy to follow a long.

Thank you for joining Debbie Mama's Place.

First, open your Bible to Romans chapter 1, get out your journal and pen too!

I suggested on my FB page the other day that “What you receive, you believe. What you believe you live out.”

MY STORY OF WHAT I RECEIVED AND BELIEVED. HOW I LIVED THAT OUT

· Christian @ 5

· Raised in a faith where God was an angry, not-so-loving God

· Never felt the love of God but still believed in Jesus

· Grew to be a critical Christian.

· Some life-altering new knowledge of the NT God through the life of Jesus – full of love and mercy

· Grew into a merciful, loving Christian.

· What I received, I believed. What I believed I lived out in my daily life.

So, let me ask you this: What do you know about Jesus? Who is he for you?

Some people say he’s

- A good teacher

- A good man

- A savior

- The word, truth, and life

- The good Shepherd

- Our Caretaker

- A Saint

- The Bridegroom

- The Apostle Peter called him Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Paul talked about Jesus this way in Romans 1:1-6

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 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. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”

Jesus is not a part of the Good News; he IS the Good News.

One might think the Good News of Jesus Christ means that:

· When you believe, Jesus will take care of all your needs.

· When you believe, you are forgiven for all sins (past, present, and future) and will be with him forever in Heaven when you die

· When you believe, you are once and done – meaning you never have to think about it again. You’re place in heaven is secure.

· When you believe, you must follow the doctrine of the church to keep your salvation.

· God loves all people, so no one is really going to hell. People make poor decisions – that’s their hell.

The Gospel message is not a multiple-choice “good news” message. Christians cannot just pick and choose which message fits their lifestyle.

Let me repeat: What you receive is what you believe. What you believe about the Good News of Jesus Christ is how you live out your life – how you approach life.

The Good News is Transformational and Restorative, but people often view the Gospel in terms of

· Meeting their needs

· Only as the pathway to heaven

· DIY Christian who can choose the ways of Jesus

· A means to avoid hell

These are watered-down and distorted understandings of the Gospel. Why would Paul die for these types of “good news” messages? He wouldn’t. He didn’t. He defended the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul began his defense with a jumping off point in chapter 1, verses 16-17. After this “thesis statement,” he gets more into detail.

It reads:

"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. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Here, in his statement, are the building blocks of the gospel: Who, what, where, when, and why.

Why: It is God’s power for salvation – the good news is the answer to that lost situation that all people face. It is His grace that opens the door for salvation.

Why: For everyone who has faith – a belief in the message of Jesus Christ.

What: God’s righteousness is revealed in his son, Jesus Christ.

How: People receive the gospel by the grace of God and by our faith in his faithfulness (From faith to faith).

Conclusion

Hang on, friends! This is only part one of the simplicity of the Good News, so I didn’t dig into some of the words or phrases in our passages today. Next week, we will focus on God’s Grace, which allowed us to receive the good news, and our faith, which allows us to believe. As we seek to understand these concepts, we’ll open the door to the true meaning of the Gospel.

Week 2