Bible Study With Jairus -Romans 1

Bible Study with Jairus - Romans 1 I asked everyone at our Bible study to think about Romans chapter 1 and ask questions about what they didn't understand. There was silence around the room. I jokingly said that this made sense for those who have been Christians for a long time. When you have diligently read the Bible for many years, you become so familiar with it that you feel like you completely understand it. Unfortunately, this can be a dangerous place to be because you may have the knowledge and Biblical truth but could lack in new spiritual insight given by the Holy Spirit. God's word should be a living (Rhema) Word to us. Romans 1:17 says, "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." St. Augustine was said to be so inspired after reading this verse that he repented and was saved. Martin Luther restored the truth of justification by faith after this verse inspired him. We focused on Romans chapter 1 in mid-May, 2020. I told everyone that the Holy Spirit would illuminate this chapter and speak a timely word to us. Our intention isn't to explain the chapter verse by verse or word by word, but to enter into fellowship with the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to speak. The book of Romans was written during Paul's three months in Corinth. Why did he write the book of Romans in Corinth? Romans is a long letter with sixteen chapters. The letter was probably written on parchment because Paul obviously didn't have a computer back then. Can you imagine the burden he must have had to write such a long letter to the church in Rome? Paul wrote the book of Romans in Corinth, having never been to Rome, so more than likely, the church in Rome wasn't established by him. It seems strange that he would write such an intimate letter to people he wasn't close to. As an example, if you were Paul today and established churches in Los Angeles and New York, you would naturally want to stay connected by writing or visiting those that the Lord had burdened your heart for. Wouldn't it seem odd if you suddenly wrote an incredibly long, personal letter to a church in Texas that you never even visited? There must have been some sort of hidden connection that Paul had to the Roman church for him to send this letter. If we can understand why he had the burden to write the book of Romans, we might have a better understanding of how it applies to us today. The Holy Spirit will often disrupt our thoughts with questions because he wants to speak to us through them.