1. THE ROAD TO ROME

2. PAUL’S THIRD JOURNEY (ACTS 20)

3. THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS

4. 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

5. ORGANIZATION OF THE LETTER
Paul’s basic gospel message (1-8)
The nature of the gospel (1.16, 17)
The seriousness of sin ( ; 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; )
Practical implications of the message (12-15)
Relationship between believers
Relationship with society
Personal relationships

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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)

9. 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 ( )
Made no distinction in how one is saved (10.12,13)
For Paul, it remained a “mystery”.

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

11. LIFESTYLES OF THE REDEEMED
Living sacrifices (12.1-2)
Love is the theme ( )
Recognition and submission to authorities (13.1-7)
Living to gratify the Lord ( )
The question of judging ( )
Personal greetings ( )

12. PAUL’S THIRD JOURNEY

13. 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

14. 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 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.

15. PAUL’S TRIP TO ROME

18. 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 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.

19. 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