http://concordant.org/version/CLNT_Intro.htm
I also use the Greek Interlinear, found here:
http://scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/Greek_Index.htm
Finally, I use Strong's Concordance with Hebrew and Greek Lexicon, found here:
http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html
BPM Preface notes:
Paul was a Jew, of course, who was
a believer in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus). He
is writing in the first century, supposedly around AD 56 (give or take a year
or two). He is writing to fellow
believers living in Rome. These
believers are of both Jewish and Gentile background. It seems as if he is writing portions of his
epistle predominantly to Jewish believers, some of whom it seems may have been
“having an issue” with promoting their “Jewishness” among their fellow brethren
(both Jewish and gentile), and thus Paul is not only writing to correct their
theology, but also to give them input as to how they should be living from day
to day with the Roman persecution that he knows (via the Holy Spirit) is
approaching them. There may also be
reference to the AD 70 judgment that is (was) also (soon) approaching Jerusalem.
It seems doubtful (on its surface)
that these Roman Christians would have had any of Paul’s other letters that he
wrote to other Christians living elsewhere. While
I am not a Jewish historian, it seems possible that some of the Jewish
Christians residing there may have had access to Old Testament scriptures (if
there were any synagogues in Rome at the time – I do not know). At the very least, they would have been
familiar with portions of the Old Testament narrative, as well as the elements
of Old Covenant “law”.
One of the issues that I see is that
if Paul is referring to the AD 70 judgment of OC Israel in Jerusalem, what
direct effect would it have had on Christians (Jewish or otherwise) living 1000
miles away in Rome? However, Nero’s
persecution of the Christians in Rome was also on the horizon, and so perhaps
there are some references to that in the letter.
Another issue that I see is Paul’s
recurring contrast of “flesh” vs. “Spirit”(i.e., Old vs. New). I feel he is contrasting systems: the “old system” of sin and death (or "The Sin" and "The Death") vs. the
“new system” of Spirit and Life. This would be the Old Covenant vs. the New Covenant.
My notes below are italicized in maroon, and sometimes referenced to words used in the verse itself, which are underlined and highlighted in maroon as well. I could not easily figure out how to do footnotes or comments here.
My notes below are italicized in maroon, and sometimes referenced to words used in the verse itself, which are underlined and highlighted in maroon as well. I could not easily figure out how to do footnotes or comments here.
Chapter
1
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, severed for the evangel of God
Christ, The Jewish Messiah, The Anointed One
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, severed for the evangel of God
Christ, The Jewish Messiah, The Anointed One
2 (which He promises before through His prophets in the holy scriptures ),
Reference : Old Covenant Israel
3 concerning His Son (Who comes of the seed of David according to the flesh,
Reference : Old Covenant Israel
4 Who is designated Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead),
5 Jesus Christ, our Lord, through Whom we obtained grace and apostleship for faith-obedience among all the nations, for His name's sake,
6 among whom are you also, the called of Jesus Christ:
7 to all who are in Rome, beloved by God, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, indeed, I am thanking my God through Jesus Christ concerning all of you, that your faith is being announced in the whole world.
G2889 "world": kosmos “orderly
arrangement” or “system”.
Taken together with the Hebrew context, it seems that Paul may be
referencing the Old Covenant “system”, along with its covenant people (the
Jews), NOT every person living on planet Earth at that time.
Here is a note I found on the internet:
“John 3:16 For YAHUWAH Alahym so loved the righteous (orderly people). Hebrew: tsavah. Greek: kosmos. Isaiah 38:1 that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
“Note that all Christian translations have corrupted the blessed words “the righteous (orderly people. Hebrew: tsavah or Greek: kosmos to instead read ‘the world’. Strongs #2889 Greek concordance confirms that the Greek word “kosmos” means “orderly arrangement”."
Link: http://greekandhebrew.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/john-316-21-grammatical-analysis/ (scroll all the way down to the bottom of the article for the comment posted by "malakh1960update" for the complete comment. )
9 For God is my Witness, to Whom I am offering divine service in my spirit in the evangel of His Son, how unintermittingly I am making mention of you always in my prayers
10 beseeching, if somehow, sometime, at length I shall be prospered, in the will of God, to come to you.
11 For I am longing to see you, that I may be sharing some spiritual grace with you, for you to be established:
12 yet this is to be consoled together among you through one another's faith, both yours and mine.
13 Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that often I purposed to come to you (and was prevented hitherto) that I should be having some fruit among you also, according as among the rest of the nations.
14 To both Greeks and barbarians, to both wise and foolish, a debtor am I.
He is bringing the evangel to the Greeks and
barbarians also, who are in Rome. in
addition to the saints who are in Rome to whom he addressed the letter (v.
7). Those saints are the “you” of
v. 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8 (“all of you”), 7 (“all [the saints] who are in Rome”), 6 (those in v. 5 among who “obtained grace and apostleship” through Jesus Christ).
16 For not ashamed am I of the evangel, for it is God's power for salvation to everyone who is believing -- to the Jew first, and to the Greek as well.
Salvation G4991: deliver (from what?)
ALL who believe , Jew FIRST, then Gentile
17 For in it God's righteousness is being revealed, out of faith for faith,
Out of belief into belief. Out of OC belief into NC belief?
according as it is written: "Now the just one by faith shall be living."
This is a reference to Habakkuk:
Hab. 2:4: “Behold, it is made presumptuous:
according as it is written: "Now the just one by faith shall be living."
This is a reference to Habakkuk:
Hab. 2:4: “Behold, it is made presumptuous:
his soul is not upright in him.
Yet the just one
Yet the just one
by his faith shall live.”
What writings are these, and who would have known them?
What writings are these, and who would have known them?
Answer: OT writings, and it would have been known and relevant to
Old Covenant Jews (and those of them who had converted to New Covenant Christianity and were reading this letter that Paul had written to them). Certainly, "gentiles" would not know about these writings nor care one whit about them.
Who are these men who are retaining the truth?
What “truth” are they retaining in injustice? How are they doing so?
How was God's indignation in the process of "being revealed from heaven" back then when Paul wrote the epistle? (Note: Not a "mello" verse, but certainly a present tense verse).
What “truth” are they retaining in injustice? How are they doing so?
How was God's indignation in the process of "being revealed from heaven" back then when Paul wrote the epistle? (Note: Not a "mello" verse, but certainly a present tense verse).
19 because that which is known of God is apparent among them, for God manifests it to them.
Them: The men who are retaining the truth in
injustice of v. 18 (whoever “they” are). Could it possibly be the (then) leaders of Old Covenant Israel, and perhaps all those who persisted in that system as well?
“beheld fully”
from the creation of the world,
creation
of the world = “Fabrication of the system” (Which "system"? How about the Old Covenant "system"? See comments on "world/system" on Verse 8 above.)
being apprehended by His achievements, besides His imperceptible power and
divinity, for them to be defenseless,21 because, knowing God, not as God do they glorify or thank Him, but vain were they made in their reasonings, and darkened is their unintelligent heart.
What men “knew God”?
Gentiles? Or Jews? Certainly Christians were not "made vain" in their reasonings, for in Chapter 12, Paul exhorts them to be of "renewed mind" and to thus "know God's will". It seems to me this is referring to OC Jews who rejected Messiah Yahshua.
22 Alleging themselves to be wise, they are made stupid,
23 and they change the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of a corruptible human being and flying creatures and quadrupeds and reptiles.
Verse 23 is describing idolatry. Was not Old Covenant Israel committing idolatry by rejecting Jesus in favor of their religious"system"? How could someone outside of OC Israel change the glory of God into anything when they didn't know God to begin with and therefore, could not know, or point to, or be involved in any way with " the glory of God"? Was not the OC system designed to reveal the glory of God?
24 Wherefore God gives them over,
Because of their idolatry, God gives them over (again: who is "them" in the text?)
24 Wherefore God gives them over,
Because of their idolatry, God gives them over (again: who is "them" in the text?)
moral impurity
of dishonoring
G818: maltreat: --despise, dishonour, suffer shame
25 those who alter the truth of God
Again, who are the people who had the “truth of God”? Would this not have been “Israel"? What was the “truth of God”? Were they not the only ones to alter it, since they were the only ones that had it?
into the lie, and are venerated, and offer divine service to the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed for the eons! Amen!
Creature: 2937. ktisis ktis'-is from
2936; original formation (properly, the act; by implication, the thing,
literally or figuratively):--building, creation, creature, ordinance.
v. 22-24 obviously point to idolatry; is it possible that Paul/Holy Spirit is including the Old Covenant system within this description of “the creature”? Would those who insisted upon worshiping the Old Covenant “system” while vehemently rejecting Messiah Yeshua be aptly described by Paul here (not necessarily exclusively)?
Did OC Israel not offer divine service to the OC cultic system (i.e., "world"), the "creature", forsaking Yahweh and rejecting His Son for the futility of that ineffective system?
v. 22-24 obviously point to idolatry; is it possible that Paul/Holy Spirit is including the Old Covenant system within this description of “the creature”? Would those who insisted upon worshiping the Old Covenant “system” while vehemently rejecting Messiah Yeshua be aptly described by Paul here (not necessarily exclusively)?
Did OC Israel not offer divine service to the OC cultic system (i.e., "world"), the "creature", forsaking Yahweh and rejecting His Son for the futility of that ineffective system?
26 Therefore God gives them over to dishonorable passions.
“For this cause [i.e., worshipping
the system instead of worshipping God] God gave
them
up unto vile affections."
For their females, besides, alter the natural use into that which is beside
nature.
27 Likewise also the males, besides, leaving the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their craving for one another, males with males effecting indecency, and getting back in themselves the retribution of their deception which must be.
For verses 24-27, please refer to this in-depth analysis by the author Philo Thelos (link follows). Note that he is not a preterist, so he does not see this passage in reference to Old Covenant Israel that was about to be judged in AD 70. Nonetheless, I think his analysis bears serious consideration with regards to addressing the topics addressed by Paul in these verses.
Link to excerpt from "The New Testament and Homosexuality"
28 And according as they do not test God, to have Him in recognition, God gives them over to a disqualified mind, to do that which is not befitting,
Because they are ignoring God, He gives them over to do these things, the dishonorable passions of v.24-27.
29 filled with all injustice,
G4202: idolatry, prostitution
wickedness, evil,
G4189: malice
greed, distended with envy, murder, strife, guile, depravity, whisperers, 30 vilifiers, detesters of God, outragers, proud, ostentatious, inventors of evil things, stubborn to parents,
31 unintelligent, perfidious,
G802: “covenant-breakers” (What covenant, and who broke that covenant? Surely not "gentiles"! Who was the covenant with - Yahweh?)
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
God gives them over to this disqualified mind (v. 28), resulting in all of these sinful behaviors listed.
32 those who, recognizing the just statute of God, that those committing such things
The things listed in v. 26-31. Note that these things are NOT limited to (supposedly) homosexual behavior.
are deserving of death, not only are doing them, but are endorsing, also, those who are committing them.
Being envious, or proud, or causing strife, deserves death.
How about that? Do we know any present-day Christians who are deserving of death because they are envious, or proud, or cause strife?
To be continued...
27 Likewise also the males, besides, leaving the natural use of the female, were inflamed in their craving for one another, males with males effecting indecency, and getting back in themselves the retribution of their deception which must be.
G808: an
indecency; by implication, the pudenda:--shame, that which is unseemly.
For verses 24-27, please refer to this in-depth analysis by the author Philo Thelos (link follows). Note that he is not a preterist, so he does not see this passage in reference to Old Covenant Israel that was about to be judged in AD 70. Nonetheless, I think his analysis bears serious consideration with regards to addressing the topics addressed by Paul in these verses.
Link to excerpt from "The New Testament and Homosexuality"
28 And according as they do not test God, to have Him in recognition, God gives them over to a disqualified mind, to do that which is not befitting,
Because they are ignoring God, He gives them over to do these things, the dishonorable passions of v.24-27.
29 filled with all injustice,
G4202: idolatry, prostitution
wickedness, evil,
G4189: malice
greed, distended with envy, murder, strife, guile, depravity, whisperers, 30 vilifiers, detesters of God, outragers, proud, ostentatious, inventors of evil things, stubborn to parents,
31 unintelligent, perfidious,
G802: “covenant-breakers” (What covenant, and who broke that covenant? Surely not "gentiles"! Who was the covenant with - Yahweh?)
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
God gives them over to this disqualified mind (v. 28), resulting in all of these sinful behaviors listed.
32 those who, recognizing the just statute of God, that those committing such things
The things listed in v. 26-31. Note that these things are NOT limited to (supposedly) homosexual behavior.
are deserving of death, not only are doing them, but are endorsing, also, those who are committing them.
Being envious, or proud, or causing strife, deserves death.
How about that? Do we know any present-day Christians who are deserving of death because they are envious, or proud, or cause strife?
To be continued...
