The Gospel Revealed in a World Under Wrath (Romans 1) | W. Harold Mare

Deep Dive into New Testament Background Commentary: A New Dictionary of Words, Phrases and Situations in Bible Order by W. Harold Mare - Romans 1Paul, born a Roman citizen in the university city of Tarsus and trained as a strict Pharisee under Gamaliel in Jerusalem, initially lived a zealous life persecuting the Christian church. Following his conversion near Damascus, Jesus called him to preach the gospel to both the people of Israel and, primarily, the Gentiles. Although Paul did not originally establish the early church in Rome, he wrote his letter to the Romans from Corinth around AD 57 to express his desire to minister there, hoping to eventually travel through Rome on his way to Spain.During this period, Rome was a thriving, affluent metropolis that had been architecturally and commercially expanded by Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus, who established a lasting period of peace known as the Pax Romana. The Roman church likely originated from Roman Jews and local proselytes who heard Peter preach in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. Consequently, the Roman church's membership comprised both Jews and a much larger contingent of Gentiles. Historical records, including writings by Josephus, along with local inscriptions, confirm a remarkably strong Jewish presence in Rome, with at least ten synagogues functioning even after the Emperor Claudius had previously expelled the Jews in AD 49.Paul felt a deep obligation to minister to all types of people, including Greeks, barbarians, wise intellectuals, and the common, foolish people. His established missionary strategy, supported by Luke in Acts, was to bring the gospel first to the Jew, and then to the Gentile. When visiting towns with mixed populations, Paul typically went straight to the local Jewish synagogues to preach because the attendees, which included God-fearing Gentiles, already understood the Old Testament. However, in predominantly pagan cities like Athens or Lystra, Paul adapted his approach and addressed the local people directly from their pagan backgrounds. Eventually, Paul did reach Rome, where he continued his witness and saw more Jews saved while under house arrest.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerWorship Music: https://suno.com/playlist/3a498d0f-c90e-4981-8aa7-59834e7239f7https://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730