Victory by Gary Witcher by Mennonite Press Inc

Victory A Study of the Book of Romans

By Gary Witcher

Yeomen Press Box 281 Walton KS 67151 www.yeomenpress.com

Internet sites cited may have changed or been removed. The author has no control over those changes.

Unless state otherwise, Scriptures quoted in the body of this book are from the New American Standard Bible: Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org Scriptures at the beginning of each section are from the Free Bible Version. Free Bible Version New Testament Published and distributed by: Free Bible Ministry P.O. Box 594, Fulton, MD 20959 Updates available at: http://www.freebibleversion.org This work is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/ Free Bible Version New Testament Version 1.1 Jonathan Gallagher. February 14, 2013

To Amy There are no adequate adjectives to describe the light and love of my life, the gift from God, my co-worker. Ephesians 5:25

Table of Contents Preface Outline of Romans Introduction Chapter 1 – Not ashamed of the Gospel ................................ p. 1 Chapter 2 – Judgment ............................................................. p. 13 Chapter 3 – All have sinned ..................................................... p. 25 Chapter 4 – Justification ......................................................... p. 39 Chapter 5 – At the right time ................................................... p. 53 Chapter 6 – Dead to sin ........................................................... p. 65 Chapter 7 – Released from the Law ........................................ p. 87 Chapter 8 – More than conquerors ......................................... p. 95 Chapter 9 – Stone of stumbling ............................................... p. 125 Chapter 10 – Beautiful feet ..................................................... p. 133 Chapter 11 – Unsearchable judgments .................................. p. 143 Chapter 12 – A living and holy sacrifice .................................. p. 153 Chapter 13 – Owe nothing but love ......................................... p. 167 Chapter 14 – Weak and strong................................................ p. 175 Chapter 15 – Nothing except what Christ has accomplished p. 183 Chapter 16 – Able to establish ................................................ p. 191 Bibliography............................................................................... p. 213 About the Author Other books by Yeomen Press

Preface One of the many blessings of being associated with the Lord’s body in McPherson, Kansas, is the opportunity to study and discuss the Bible with doctrinally sound, spiritual men and women with open minds and open hearts. Once a quarter the shepherds and ministers devote a Saturday morning to examining a scriptural topic. Then on a Sunday afternoon they meet with the deacons to continue the discussion. There is no way to measure the benefit of these times together in God’s Word. In addition, we are blessed with men such as Jason Fish, a wonderful preacher, teacher and Christian who has chosen to follow a profession of teaching middle school students the subject of mathematics. As we say in the South, “Bless his little heart.” As part of a course at Freed-Hardeman University, Jason wrote a paper about the background of Romans. He suggested that the church in Rome initially consisted of Jews and Gentiles with the former in the leadership position. When Claudius ordered all Jews to leave the city (Acts 18:2) the Gentile Christians were left behind. During this period, they naturally took over leadership of the congregation. The return of the Jewish Christians sparked friction between the two groups. This certainly fits the overall tone of the letter. Without doubt, the dynamic of Romans is one of tension between Jewish and Gentile Christians, as well as between the Old and New Laws. Paul’s letter sorts through those tensions, offering peace and harmony through God’s grace. Although McGarvey definitely does not accept F.C. Baur’s liberal analysis of the Acts of the Apostles, he does believe Baur is correct concerning the purpose of the Letter to the Romans. “The purpose of the letter is to set forth, as Baur rightly expresses it, ‘both the relation of Judaism and heathenism to each other, and the relation of both to Christianity;’ primarily, for the instruction of the Christians in Rome, and, secondarily, for the benefit of all the churches by the establishment of peace

between their Jewish and Gentile elements, and, ultimately, for the enlightening of the kingdom of God in all ages.â&#x20AC;?1 Please note: Unless indicated otherwise, all comments are based on the New American Standard Bible.

J.W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton, The Standard Bible Commentary: Thessalonians, Corinthians, Galatians and Romans (Cincinnati: The Standard Publishing Foundation, 1916) 291.

The Letter to the Romans I.

Introduction (1:1-17) A. written by (1:1-5) B. written to (1:6-7) 1. the congregation a. Acts 2:10 b. Acts 18:2 c. Acts 28:16-31 d. Romans 16:3-4 2. Gentiles a. Romans 1 :13 b. Romans 11:13 3. Jews a. Acts 28:21 b. Romans 2:17ff C. circumstance 1:8-15 1. not because of error Romans 1:8, 16:19 D. theme (1:16-17) E. when written (56-58 AD) 1. from Corinth a. Gaius - Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 1:14 b. Erastus - Romans 16:23; 2 Timothy 4:20 2. carried by Phoebe - Romans 16:1 3. written down by Tertius - Romans 16:22 4. three years before Paul's visit - Acts 24:27 & 28:16

II. Condemnation (1:18-3:20) A. Gentiles condemned (1:8-32) B. Jews condemned (2:1-3:8) C. all condemned (3:9-20)

III. The righteousness and justice of God (3:21-8:39) A. promised (3:21-4:25) 1. through faith (3:21-31) 2. according to the promise (4:1-25) B. obtained 5:1-8:39 1. in peace with God through Christ (5:1-21) 2. in newness of life (6:1-23) 3. freedom from the Law (7:1-25) 4. in the Spirit without condemnation (8:1-39) IV. The vindication (9:1-11:36) A. Jews rejected because they counted on their own righteousness (9:1-10:21) B. all have access through the same way: faith (11:1-36) V. The new life (12:1-15:13) A. with brothers (12:1-21) and all (14--21) B. with the government (13:1-7) C. with neighbors (13:8-14) D. with the weak (14:1-15:13) VI. Conclusion (15:14-16:27) A. explanations (15:14-29) B. appeal for prayer (15:30-33) C. greetings (16:1-16) D. warning against heretics (16:17-20) E. closing (16:21-27)

Introduction Paul, the bond-servant of Christ Jesus, was proud of two things: his power and his weakness. His power was in the message he preached. His weakness was whatever he could accomplish by his own talents. As long as Paul was able to distinguish between the two, he could minimize the latter in order to leave room for the former. Thus Paul allowed this message to put to use its power without being overshadowed by his own personality. Because Paul recognized the fact that his weakness was his strength and his strength his weakness, he could boast only about the Gospel of his Lord and that which the Gospel accomplished through him (Romans 15:18,19; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 3:5; 4:5; 10:17,18; 11:30; 12:5-10; Galatians 6:14; Colossians 2:8). The Lord told Paul this very thing in 2 Corinthians 12:9. This gospel and the privilege of preaching it were of first importance to Paul, as we note from Romans 1:14-16, Romans 10:14,15 and other passages (1 Corinthians 9:1618; 2 Corinthians 5:11,20; 1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:2). Two Covenants Are the writings of the Old Testament of any use to us? After all, we ARE under the new covenant. But we often make the mistake of confusing the Old Testament with the old covenant. The first contains the second, but they are not the same. Here in verse two of Romans chapter one Paul appeals to the Old Testament. He will develop more fully the relationship between the old and new covenants, but it should be mentioned here that Paul does not consider the Old Testament to be just so much excess baggage. He talks in 2 Timothy 3:14-17 about sacred writings which are able to give wisdom that leads to salvation through faith. These writings are profitable for the equipping of the man of God. But Paul says Timothy has known these writings from his youth. What could they be if not the Old Testament? Perhaps two things should be clarified here at the

beginning. The Bible (both Old and New Testaments) is the inspired Word of God. This includes Paul’s writings, meaning that the things he expresses are from God and are not his own personal opinions. The few times that the Word of God through Paul is in the form of a suggestion and not a command, Paul makes this clear. See 1 Corinthians 7:6,26,27,35. Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 7:10 and 12 do not mean that Paul is stepping out on an opinion that is not in agreement with what has been stated by the Lord. He is simply saying that there are certain things about which the Lord did not comment, but about which he is now making a statement. Paul’s opinions, at least those which the Holy Spirit chose to give us through the Bible, are the Word of God (1 Corinthians 7:40). Those who doubt either that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, or that Paul has the authority to speak for God, should consider the following verses: 1 Corinthians 14:37; Galatians 1:11,12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 1:11; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:20,21 and 3:15,16. We must be honest with ourselves and with the Bible. Either we reject the Bible entirely or we accept it for what it claims to be. It is dishonest to view the Bible as lying somewhere between these two extremes. The Bible makes great claims for itself. If it cannot live up to these claims 100 percent, then it is worthy of nothing. No good book makes such lofty claims if they are, in reality, lies. Knowledge “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” 2 Peter 1:2,3 offers, “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” A common error in the religious world today is the belief that the Bible does not provide us with everything we need. So countless humans meet together and pool their own thoughts in an attempt to take care of what they feel are deficiencies in what the Bible has revealed. By doing this,

they say, they will be able to arrive at compromises and achieve unity among the various denominations. What actually happens is that more division is created and we wind up with additional religious bodies. Unity is not found in compromise. Unity is found in following only what the Bible teaches. Author One of the New Testament books that provides a good overview of Christian doctrine is Paul’s letter to the Romans. In fact, this epistle is general considered the most complete statement of New Testament belief. The first verses of the book of Romans tell us that it was written by the apostle Paul to the church in Rome. The writer identifies himself as someone who has been called as an apostle or as “a called apostle.” Acts 2:10 reveals that people from Rome were present when the church was established in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Acts 18:2 introduces us to Aquila and Priscilla, natives of Pontus who were members of that congregation, and Acts 28:16-31 records Paul’s first visit there. This congregation contained both Jewish and Gentile converts, as we note from Romans 1:13, 2:17 and 11:13 and Acts 28:21. Paul explains one of his reasons for writing in Romans 1:8-15. He wants to prepare the way for a visit there. The theme of the letter is contained in verses 16 and 17 of the same chapter. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel,” Paul writes, “for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous shall live by faith.’” References to Gaius in Romans 16:23 and 1 Corinthians 1:14, and to Erastus in Romans 16:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20

indicate that the letter was written while Paul was in Corinth, probably between 56 and 58 AD. From the book of Acts we learn that this was about three years before Paul’s visit to Rome as a prisoner. According to Romans 16:22 the letter was written by the hand of Tertius. Romans 16:1 states that a woman named Phoebe delivered the letter. Paul’s authorship is accepted even in liberal circles. It is verified by quotes or references by a number of early church figures2, including Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, and by its inclusion in the Muratorian Fragment3 (AD 170). Basic Outline When we outline the book we find that Romans 1:18 through 3:20 contains a condemnation. The Gentiles are condemned, the Jews are condemned and, finally, all are condemned. As we shall see, though, this is not the message of the book. This merely prepares the way for the message. From chapter three verse 21 through chapter four verse 25 the justice of God is promised. The following section down through Romans 8:39 explains how this is obtained. The vindication is presented in Romans 9:1-11:36. This ends the first part of the epistle, which we would probably call “theoretical.” The latter part of the book deals with application. We would call this “hands-on.” Romans 12:1-15:13 tells how to live the new life with our brothers, with the government, with our neighbors and with the spiritually weak. The rest of the letter contains a conclusion. In Paul’s letter to the Romans we find an in-depth Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1986) 289. 3 http://www.bible-researcher.com/muratorian.html 2

discussion of Christian doctrine. As we examine this book together, you will find that references are made to many passages without printing them out. So it is essential to have an open Bible in front of you as you follow along. Now letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look at this great book.

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Chapter One

This letter comes from Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. I was called to be an apostle by God. God appointed me to announce the good news that he had previously promised through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. - Romans 1:1,2

As is the case with most of Paul’s epistles, the letter to the church in Rome begins with a brief introduction. The writer identifies himself as a called apostle set apart for the Gospel. The message of a Scripture is sometimes indicated in repeated words. Notice “comfort” in 2 Corinthians chapter one and “promise” in Galatians chapter three. The first part of Romans chapter one repeats the words “gospel” and “called.” “Gospel” literally means “good news” or “good message.” This message was promised long before in the Scriptures through the prophets (Titus 1:1-3). The good news is salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus, a descendant of David. Paul is honored to be a proclaimer of this Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:16-18). The Scriptures contain everything we need for salvation (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Paul reminds Timothy that from childhood he has known the writings that provide the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus. As Paul points out in Romans 1:2, God promised the gospel through His prophets and the (Old Testament) Scriptures. Philip used Isaiah 53:7,8

Chapter One—Not ashamed of the Gospel

to preach Jesus to the Ethiopian. Paul is called as an apostle (verse one). The Christians are the called of Jesus Christ (verse six). The believers in Rome are called as saints. This word means to “invite” or “appoint.” The apostle will continue to develop this designation of the “called” in chapters eight and nine.

Son of God The good news is about his Son, whose human forefather was David, but who was revealed as God’s Son by his resurrection from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. It was through him that I received the privilege of becoming an apostle to call all nations to obedient trust in him. You are also included among those who were called to belong to Jesus Christ. I’m writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his special people. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Let me begin by saying that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because the way in which you trust in God is spoken about all over the world. I’m always praying for you, as God can confirm—the God I serve with all my heart as I share the good news about his Son. In my prayers I’m always asking that I might eventually come and see you, if that’s what God wants. I really want to visit you and share with you a spiritual blessing to strengthen you. In this way we can be encouraged together by each others’ trust in God, both your trust and mine. I want you to know, my brothers and sisters, I often planned to visit you, but I was kept from coming up till now. I want to see some 2

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good spiritual results among you just as I’ve seen among other people. For I have an obligation to work for both the civilized and the uncivilized, both the educated and the uneducated. That’s why I’m really keen to come to Rome and share the good news with you. I’m certainly not ashamed about the good news, for it’s God’s power to save everyone who trusts in him—to the Jewish people first, and then to everyone else as well. For in the good news God is revealed as good and right, trustworthy from start to finish. As Scripture says, “Those who are right with God live by trusting him.” - Romans 1:3-17

Jesus was declared with power to be God’s Son through the resurrection. Through the prophecy of David in Psalm 2:7, God makes the statement, “Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee.” Paul notes that this statement is fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 13:32-37). Jesus became the son of man in Bethlehem. It was critical that He become human so He could offer the perfect sacrifice. But Jesus was not begotten as the Son of God in Bethlehem or in Nazareth. He was declared to be the Son of God at His resurrection. The sonship of Jesus does not result from some inferior status. He is a Son because of His voluntary submission to suffer in the flesh (Hebrews 5:7,8). Verse five makes a statement about the Christians’ “obedience of faith.” Paul commends his Roman brethren in verse eight for their well-known faith. He praises them again at the end of the book (16:19), but there he mentions their obedience. Could it be that faith and obedience are related?

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John seems to think so (John 3:36) as does Luke (Acts 6:7). Paul says so not only in these two verses but also in Romans 15:18 and 16:26. James agrees (James 2:14-26). Hebrews 3:18 says the adult Israelites who left Egypt were not allowed to enter Canaan because of disobedience. The next verse states they were not allowed to enter because of unbelief. Hebrews 4:2 indicates they were not allowed to enter because of a lack of faith. Verse six claims it was because of disobedience. Those who attempt to pit faith against obedience do it with total disregard for New Testament teaching. In reality, all of the things that lead to salvation are actions, and thus involve obedience. Hearing, as intended by the New Testament, is active (Matthew 7:24-27). We have just seen that biblical faith is active. So are repentance (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20) and confession (Matthew 7:21-23; 25:3146; Luke 6:46; 2 Corinthians 9:13). Baptism by its very definition is an action, but Acts 8:36-39 should serve to point this out to anyone who is skeptical. For those who insist that we cannot do anything to impact our salvation, though, we should point out that hearing, believing, repenting and confessing are all things that we do. But baptism is something that is done to us. It is the only link in the process that cannot technically be labeled a “work.” In verse seven Paul refers to the Roman Christians as “saints.” It doesn’t take much in-depth reading of the New Testament to understand the biblical use of this word. These are not “holier” people who have died and earned a high position in heaven. They are living Christians FOR whom, and not TO whom, prayers are to be offered (Ephesians 6:18). What epitaph would you want to have carved on your

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headstone? Paul notes in verse eight that the faith of the Roman Christians is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. One of the reasons that Paul wanted to personally visit Rome was to impart some spiritual gift to the Christians there. Had they not been baptized and therefore received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)? The answer is “yes” (Romans 6:3). But the gift of the Holy Spirit which is promised in Acts 2:38, and therefore is received by all Christians, is not the same as the ability to perform miracles. There was a similar situation in Acts eight when many in Samaria were baptized by Philip, but some of the apostles were called from Jerusalem to impart special gifts of the Holy Spirit. Simon got one thing right: he observed that the ability to perform miracles was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands (Acts 8:18). When the apostles died, so did the possibility to convey the power to perform miracles. In many translations, verse 15 reads “I am ready to preach the gospel” in Rome. That does not really communicate Paul’s desire. The New American Standard says he is “eager.” Part of the Greek word used here means “passion.” Verses 16 and 17 are among the greatest in the Bible. We should never be ashamed of the Gospel. Paul has more to say about this in chapter 10 as well as in 1 Corinthians chapter one.

Chapter One—Not ashamed of the Gospel

Condemnation of the Gentiles God’s hostility is revealed from heaven against those who are godless and are not right, those who suppress the truth through the evil that they do. What can be known about God is obvious, because he has made it very clear to them. Ever since the creation of the world, the invisible aspects of God—his eternal power and divinity—are clearly visible in what he has made. Such people have no excuse, because even though they knew God, they did not praise him or thank him, but instead their thinking about God turned into complete foolishness, and darkness filled their empty minds. Even though they claimed to be wise, they became foolish. They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for idols, images of mortal human beings, birds, animals, and reptiles. So God abandoned them to the evil desires of their depraved minds, and they did shameful, degrading things to each other. They exchanged God’s truth for a lie, worshiping and serving creatures instead of the Creator, who deserves praise forever. Amen. - Romans 1:18-25

It must be remembered that the first three chapters of Romans are not the message of the book, any more than condemnation to hell is the message of the New Testament. The majority of Christ’s teaching was not rebuke. And the New Testament is not equally divided between negative (sinners are going to hell) and positive (Christians are going to heaven) teaching. The message of the gospel is SALVATION. The message of cancer research is CURING, but no one is

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going to go to a doctor (much less go through surgery or chemotherapy) unless he or she is convinced there is something wrong. The message of Romans is presented in 1:16 and explained in chapter five, but neither the Jews nor the Gentiles are ready to listen. So Paul must convict first the Gentiles (1:18-32) and then the Jews (2:17-3:16) that EVERYONE is lost (3:9,23). At first sight, God’s attitude toward the Gentiles in the Old Testament might seem harsh, especially in light of the fact that “God abandoned them” (Romans 1:24,26 and 28) while He placed in the hands of the Jews a special system for following Him. Among the things that help us understand better the situation is the realization that God also abandoned the Jews (2 Kings 17:18-20 and 21:14), as Paul points out in chapters two and three. And, if the Jewish system was a blessing (for those who managed to follow it: Romans 3:10,11), it was also a great responsibility and therefore a curse for those who did not follow it perfectly (James 2:10,11; Galatians 3:10 ff, 5:3). God’s promises have always been combined with nearness for those who draw near to Him and abandonment for those who abandon Him (Deuteronomy 4:25-31; James 4:8; Matthew 10:33). What happens, then, is always the result of a free, personal choice.

They served the creature rather than the Creator That’s why God abandoned them to their evil desires. Their women exchanged natural sex for that which is unnatural, and in the same way the men gave up sex with women and 7

Chapter One—Not ashamed of the Gospel

burned with lust for each other. Men did indecent things to each other, and as a result they suffered the inevitable consequences of their perversions. Since they didn’t consider it worthwhile to get to know God, he abandoned them to their worthless, distrustful way of thinking, doing things that should never be done. They filled themselves with all that’s wrong: evil, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malice, and gossip. They’re back-stabbers and God-haters. They’re arrogant, proud, and boastful. They devise new ways of sinning. They rebel against their parents. They don’t want to understand, they don’t keep their promises, they don’t show any kindness or compassion. Even though they realize exactly what God requires, they do things that deserve death. Not only do they do such things themselves, they also support others in doing them. - Romans 1:26-32

Note that God “gave them up” because of their desire to ignore Him and pursue unrighteousness (verse 26). This cannot be twisted to mean the opposite: that they were lost because God gave them up. God “gave them up” in verse 28 because they refused to have God in their knowledge. What a list follows! But surely the Holy Spirit didn’t mean to include “full of envy, whisperers, backbiters, insolent, haughty, boastful and disobedient to parents” along with “murderers, hateful to God and without natural affection” in the same list. Or did He? Maybe OUR lists are the ones that need to be revised. It is chilling to notice that the last part of Romans chapter one could have been written yesterday. Nature itself shouts the existence of the Creator. In denial of God’s eternal power 8

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and divine nature, though, our “modern” society has determined that the universe exists solely as the result of billions of years of random accidents. If this is true, then we are nothing more than mere animals, free to do whatever we wish. And, if there is no God, we are free to worship ourselves. A casual glance at movies, television and advertising is sufficient to verify this observation. Because of the situation in our society today, we would do well to make special note of the condemnation of homosexuality in verses 24-27. This is not an alternate lifestyle and it is not an uncontrollable condition. It is a willful sin. In spite of what our society dictates, verses 26 and 27 clearly condemn homosexuality, as do 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10. Attempts to make these passages say anything other than their clear meaning simply highlight the desperation of those who oppose God’s teaching. Humans create our society and they may be able to dictate what is and is not acceptable here. God created heaven, and He dictates what is and is not acceptable for those who enter there. Oh, we have many so-called experts who argue to the contrary. “Professing to be wise,” verse 22 points out, “they become fools.” The last two verses say that these are people who know (or should know, vss. 20,21) that these things are wrong and worthy of punishment. These are not only people who do these things, but are also people who consent with those who practice them. Do we give our consent when we don’t inform someone that something is wrong? How sad it is when a society does not even know how to

Chapter One—Not ashamed of the Gospel

blush at sin. "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done?” God admonishes is Jeremiah 6:15. “They were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be cast down." God repeats the same warning in Jeremiah 8:12. “The expression of their faces bears witness against them,” Isaiah 3:9 notes. “And they display their sin like Sodom; they do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.” “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife,” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:1,2. “And you have become arrogant, and have not mourned instead, in order that the one who had done this deed might be removed from your midst.” The church in Corinth was actually proud of their tolerance for immoral behavior. Does that sound familiar?

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Chapter One Questions 1.

What does Paul say about the Scriptures?

What does Paul say about Jesus?

What is a saint?

What kind of faith do the Roman Christians have?

What is Paul’s prayer?

What are Paul’s plans?

Does God answer Paul’s prayer? Does the answer match Paul’s plans?

How does Paul feel about the Gospel?

How is the situation described in verses 18-23 different from today?

10.

What happens to those who insist on rejecting the truth?

11.

Is it acceptable to approve of sin if we do not participate?