THE ROAD TO ROME

PAUL’S THIRD JOURNEY (ACTS 20)

THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

THE REASONS FOR THE LETTER The opportunity Paul apparently took advantage of a trip that Phoebe was making from Corinth to Rome (Rom.16:1-2) Greeting old friends List of friends in chapter 16 The need to introduce himself Paul wanted to visit Rome on his way to Spain The church in Rome had heard of Paul but never met him The importance of the church at Rome Capital of the empire No apostle had visited Rome yet The desire to give the church a solid foundation

ORGANIZATION OF THE LETTER Paul’s basic gospel message (1-8) The nature of the gospel (1.16, 17) The seriousness of sin (1.18-32; 3.23, 6.23) The nature of salvation (5.1-8) Life in the Spirit (8.1-39) Certain questions brought up by the message What about the Jews? (9.6; 10.1; 11.1-36) Practical implications of the message (12-15) Relationship between believers Relationship with society Personal relationships

THE NATURE OF THE GOSPEL Who was Jesus? (1:1-7) Promised beforehand A descendant of David The divine Son of God The resurrected Lord The one by whom we receive grace and calling What is the gospel? The power of God for the salvation of everyone The revelation of the righteousness of God through faith

THE UNIVERSALITY OF SIN Who God is can be know, in part, from creation. (1:18-32) All are guilty and are without excuse (2:1-3:8) No one lives up to God’s standard of righteousness. (3:9-20) All can be made righteous through faith in Christ Jesus. (3:21-31) The example of Abraham (4:1-25)

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SAVED Justified through faith (5.1) Dead to sin; alive to Christ (6.1-2) The wages of sin and the gift of God (6.23) The illustration from marriage (7.1-6) The struggle with sin (7.7-25) Life through the Spirit (8.1-39)

WHAT ABOUT ISRAEL? (9-11) A complicated question that involves God’s covenant relationship with Israel in the Old Testament Paul “redefined” what it means to be “Israel”. Not all who are blood descendants of Abraham are “Israel” (9.6). The example of Abraham’s descendants Made a distinction between believing Israel and unbelieving Israel (9.30-33) Made no distinction in how one is saved (10.12,13) For Paul, it remained a “mystery”.

HOW SHOULD GOD’S RIGHTROUSNESS BE APPLIED? To fellow believers To the State To both the strong and weak in the faith

LIFESTYLES OF THE REDEEMED Living sacrifices (12.1-2) Love is the theme (12.9-21) Recognition and submission to authorities (13.1-7) Living to gratify the Lord (13.8-14) The question of judging (14.1- 15.22) Personal greetings (16.1-24)

PAUL’S THIRD JOURNEY

PAUL RETURNS TO JERUSALEM Probably left Corinth in 57 AD Wanted to get to Jerusalem for the Passover and deliver funds collected for the church there Greeted churches in Troas and Ephesus Arrived in Caesarea before traveling on to Jerusalem A riot ensued when Paul was falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the Temple Put into Roman custody after giving his testimony in which he mentioning his mission to the Gentiles Jews vow to kill him

PAUL IN ROMAN CUSTODY Transferred to Caesarea and placed in custody by the Roman governor Felix for two years, hoping Paul would offer him a bribe. Festus replaced Felix (ca.59-60 AD). Later, Paul appeared before Herod Agrippa II (grandson of Herod the Great). Festus sought to resolve the question with Herod’s help. During his defense, Paul appealed to Caesar and was sent to Rome.

PAUL’S TRIP TO ROME

Unsuitable for Wintering Fair Havens would have been the westernmost harbor Paul’s ship could reach while staying under the lee of Crete. Beyond the cape west of Fair Havens, the shore turns north dramatically, exposing the ship to the winds they were trying to avoid. The fact that the harbor was “unsuitable to winter in” was confirmed in 1853 by an explorer named Captain T. A. B. Spratt, who observed that winter winds from the east and southeast blow right into the harbor. But the decision to make a run for Phoenix was not wise. Vegetius (4th century AD) records that sailing in the Mediterranean after September 15th was dangerous, and after November 11th was impossible (De re militari 4.39). When they decided to sail after the Day of Atonement (Acts 27:9), it was the middle of the “dangerous” period.

PAUL SAILS TO ROME Set sail in 59 AD from Caesarea to Sidon From Sidon sailed to Crete by way of Asia Weather delayed the voyage and confined them to port in Crete The crew decided to risk the trip to Italy in spite of winter A storm forced the ship aground on the island of Malta When Paul survived a snake bite, the population took him to be a god Paul ministered to the needs of many After two years Paul reached Rome where he remained for two more years