Romans:: Dispensationally Considered: A Grace Expositional Commentary

By Steven L. Tackett

This book is a verse-by-verse expositional commentary of Romans--dispensationally considered. It approaches Scripture as the inspired, complete, and authoritative Word of God. By understanding this foundational book on Pauline doctrine, it will bring the remainder of Paul's writings into focus.

After Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, God told Ananias, "Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). Paul's message to the Gentiles was both separate and unique from the message preached by the Twelve. An agreement was made between the Twelve and Paul that their distinct gospels would be carried to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and the Gentiles respectively. In their meeting at Jerusalem, it was stated, "When they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)...that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision" (Gal. 2:7-9). Here the word heathen refers to the Gentiles, and the word uncircumcised refers to Israel.

Of all of Paul's writings, the book of Romans is definitive. It establishes a complete legal argument for the justification of God's wrath and His plan for redemption for those who choose to believe in the finished work of His Son on the cross. All of Paul's subsequent books are built upon the Gospel of the Grace if God which was revealed to Paul by the Resurrected Lord Himself and which Paul continually refers to as "my" gospel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639033836

Book preview

1

Romans 1 (Part 1)

We are going to go through the Book of Romans verse by verse. Starting in chapter 1, we read in verses 1–2:

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

Paul opens with a statement of fact. He is a servant of Jesus Christ and he was called to be an apostle. What does it mean to be called to be an apostle? There are certain qualifications that have to be met in order to be called to be an Apostle. The first qualification is he had to have seen the resurrected Christ. He had to have been an eyewitness of the resurrected Christ. Paul was a witness of the resurrected Christ. Let us look at Acts 9:1–6:

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do

What happened here? Paul saw the glorified Lord. Luke, who is recording the story for us, states there was a light that was brighter than the sun. Who was it that Paul saw? He saw the risen Lord. Now, that is one qualification for being an apostle, but let us look at another verse to demonstrate that Paul did actually see the Lord. Look at 1 Corinthians 15. He speaks of Christ’s death burial and resurrection. Then he lists all the people who saw him and includes himself last of all, but out of different circumstances. Read verses 7–8:

After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time

Paul writes in this epistle that he, in fact, saw the Lord! Let us also look at 2 Corinthians 12. Whether another qualification or, perhaps, a verification of their credentials, if you will, an apostle must be able to do legitimate signs and wonders from the Word. Read verses 11–12:

I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds

Therefore, another qualification to be an apostle was the ability to do legitimate signs and wonders. Nobody today meets these qualifications to be an apostle. Yet, the Apostle Paul did. The word apostle means messenger in Greek or one sent as a messenger. Therefore, Paul was legitimately called by the Lord Jesus Christ to be an apostle, but what was his message?

We could all say that God has sent us to be witnesses for the gospel. That is true. However, there is a certain uniqueness about Paul. This is a special sending to be called to be an apostle. It is a very special sending when it comes directly from the Lord Himself. To say anything less would diminish the importance of Paul’s commissioning. Yet, Paul refers to himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and discloses the purpose of his commission. He starts out by stating that he was called to be an apostle separated unto the gospel of God. The word gospel means good news. However, there is more than one type of gospel or one type of good news in the word of God. Later, we will see that Paul was separated from the Twelve. He was called to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, also known as the Uncircumcision. Peter, James, John, and the others were called as Apostles to the Jews, also known as the Circumcision. This may be difficult for many of you to swallow, but we will see, without a shadow of a doubt, that Paul was to be the Apostle to the Gentiles with a message distinctly different from the other Twelve.

Paul received the Gospel of the Grace of God, the Gospel to the Gentiles. He states that clearly in the opening of his Letter to Romans saying he was separated unto the gospel of God. Now, the Gospel of God is a much broader term. The good news of God or the Gospel of God to which Paul is referring is what we can learn about the promised Messiah in the Old Testament. The Gospel of God is the good news of Jesus Christ from the Old Testament, not the revelation of the mystery which Paul explains later in this letter. That is why, in verse 2, he writes which he had promised afore by his Prophets in the holy scriptures. The revelation of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament and the facts of His death, burial, and resurrection were well-known at that time. So, the Gospel of God unto which Paul is separated is the good news of Jesus from the Old Testament. We read in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 3–4:

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures

From the first, Paul says he delivered the facts according to the Scriptures. What Scriptures would these be? They were the Scripture that existed at that time which we call the Old Testament. This same Jesus is our Savior. That is the reason he calls it the Gospel of God. The prophecies about Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection were not fully understood by anyone. However, this is not the revelation of the mystery which Paul reveals later on. The revelation of the mystery is what Christ accomplished for us Gentiles through the cross. This was not revealed in the Old Testament. This was never mentioned in prophecy. This is why Paul refers to it as a mystery. It was something that God first revealed to the Apostle Paul. We cannot preach Christ, according to the revelation of mystery, without first understanding Who Jesus is by reading the prophecies from the Old Testament concerning His death, burial, and resurrection.

This is made clear for us in Scripture. Paul would go into the synagogues first and preach the Christ from the Old Testament. Shortly after his conversion on the road to Damascus, we read in Acts 9:10–19:

And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus

I would like you to notice where Paul goes, verses 20–22:

And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ

Paul goes into the synagogues and immediately preaches Christ, that He is the son of God. That would be the first phase of Paul’s ministry. Look at Acts 17: 1–4:

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few

Here is another reference that Paul goes into the synagogue and preaches that Jesus is the Christ from the Old Testament. He goes into detail from the Old Testament Law, Prophets, and Writings that Jesus is the Son of God; that He was crucified, was buried, and He rose again the third day. So, after Paul preaches this initial message to the Jews, what does he preach next? What is the next step of the message in his ministry to the Jews? For the answer to that question, we need to look at Acts 13: 26–27:

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him

The Jews did not understand what the Old Testament Law and Prophet said concerning their Messiah—His birth, death, and resurrection. We continue with verses 28–33:

And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee

The word begotten here refers to resurrection from the dead. In Revelation, we are told Jesus Christ Who is the faithful witness and the first begotten of the dead (cf. Rev. 1:5). Let us continue with verses 34–37:

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption

Later, Paul quotes David which makes it clear that God will one day give Israel the sure mercies of David and will remember Israel’s sins no more. That is prophetic and not part of the mystery. Note to whom Paul is speaking in the following verses as he refers to them as men and brethren. They are the Jews which Paul is addressing. Continue with verses 38–43:

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God

Paul began by explaining Who Jesus is from the Old Testament; that it was prophesied He would be crucified, buried, and rise again from the grave. Then, he begins to explain to these Jews that they could be justified by grace without the Law. He begins to teach them about the revelation of the mystery. There is something we need to understand when we are looking at Romans 1. Some people will say that Paul was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom all the way to Acts 28. That is not the case. Paul is, first, teaching the Jews to understand Who Jesus is from the Old Testament and the reason He must be crucified by the will of God to fulfill all prophecies. They needed a foundation upon which to build. That foundation was Jesus Christ and the Cross. Upon that foundation Paul would lay the revelation of the mystery—the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery which had been kept secret since the world began.

With that, let us go back to Romans 1. When Paul says that he was separated unto the gospel of God, he is talking about that gospel message that is based upon the Old Testament revelation. He is going to build upon that message with the revelation of the mystery which he received. Read verses 5–6:

By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ

Notice that he says we have received grace. Further, it is now available to all nations which means all people. How is this possible? It is available to all through obedience to the faith which means believing the gospel of grace. We have all received God’s grace through the Gospel of Grace, but we all are not apostles. They were selected and Paul one of the few. Normally, when we think of obedience, we think about a task that we must perform. However, in this case, it is not a task that we must perform, but rather the doctrine we must believe. We need to believe the Gospel of Grace: that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again for our justification on the third day. Paul writes among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ. We are called to be saints. Read verse 7:

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ

Everybody that believes the gospel is a saint. Sainthood is not something that is acquired through good deeds or by being a good person. Sainthood is something to which we are called when we believe the gospel. The word sainthood is from the term sanctification. Being sanctified is about being separated, being called-out for God’s purposes. That is what it means to be a saint. It is the saints in Roman to whom Paul is writing this epistle. He ends his greeting by blessing them with grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this is not just some greeting or salutation that was part of the culture. This goes far beyond just a cultural greeting. What we see here is Paul is teaching us something. Every one of his letters begins with this same citation: grace and peace. He is trying to emphasize the point that we are now in the dispensation of both the grace of God and peace with God. This is exactly the opposite of judgment and wrath. In other words, Paul is declaring this in each of his letters. We are living in the dispensation of God’s glorious grace and peace. We are not under wrath and judgment today. We are under grace and peace! His teaching or doctrine makes this very clear.

We will continue with verse 8:

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world

It says your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. Their faith in which they believe the Gospel of Grace of God is being spoken about throughout the whole world. Here is a very important dispensational point I want to make. Please turn to Matthew 24. Look at verses 1–3:

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Notice the theme here is concerning the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. Therefore, it has to do with the Tribulation at the end of the world. Let us jump down to verse 14:

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come

Do you see a potential problem here? Christ says the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world; then the end will come. The problem comes when someone tries to make the Gospel of Grace the same gospel as the Gospel of the Kingdom. Paul says in Romans 1:8 that the gospel that he is preaching, by which they are saved, is spoken of throughout the whole world. If Paul is talking about the Gospel of the Kingdom in Romans 1, then why did the end not come? He is stating that the Gospel he is preaching was made known in all the world. Let us look at a couple more verses on this. We will start with Colossians 1:1–2:

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

As a side note, notice this salutation also includes the words Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us read verses 3–6:

We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth

Speaking of the truth of the Gospel of Grace, it has come to both the Colossians as it is in all the world. So, the gospel that Paul preached was made known throughout the whole world during his lifetime. Therefore, it cannot be the Gospel of the Kingdom. The Lord said in Matthew 24 that the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached in all the world; then the end of the world would come. The context of which is the Tribulation. That was not the context with Paul. He was not preaching concerning the Tribulation. He is saying in multiple epistles that the gospel he preaches is already known throughout the whole world. Obviously, Paul’s message was very different from the Gospel of the Kingdom in Matthew Chapter 24.

Let us go back to Romans 1. In verses 9–11, we read:

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established

Paul states here and in other letters that he prayed without ceasing. What does it mean to pray without ceasing? People have different ideas. Some people think it has to do with prayerful thoughts; not actually speaking to the Lord verbally, but I think what Paul is really communicating here is the idea that we should never stop praying. He writes making request, because when he has something on his mind, he is continually in prayer about it. He wants a prosperous journey with the result of coming to Rome. Unfortunately, there are some charismatic preachers that will take this verse saying that Paul’s prayer for a prosperous journey is about his desire to get rich and it is about money. That is not what he is talking about at all. Here the word prosperous is used in a spiritual context with the sense of success of spiritual purpose and not in an earthly sense which is physical or material. Paul wants a successful journey according to the will of God and to see those believers in Rome that they may be established. The word established here means to achieve permanent acceptance or recognition.

Let us look at Romans 16:25–26:

Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith

Let us return to Romans 1. When Paul says that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established, he is talking about a spiritual gift to them that would establish them or stabilize them in their faith by the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. He says to the end which would be similar to us saying for the final goal or for the purpose that all of them may be established. Look at verse 12:

That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me

Paul says that I may be comforted together with you. In the Gospel of John, the Lord says that the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, is a Comforter, but what does the Holy Spirit use to bring comfort? He uses the Scriptures as His number one source of comfort. Look at Romans 15:4:

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to bring comfort and the way He brings comfort is through the Word of God. Our comfort is through the hope we receive from the Scriptures. Paul wants to be comforted from the Scriptures together with the believers in Rome by their mutual faith in the Gospel of Grace. Another way the Holy Ghost brings comfort is through the fellowship of other like-minded believers. The encouragement, admonishment, and sharing one receives from other believers is another way the Holy Spirit works today.

We continue with verse 13:

Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles

Paul does not want the believers in Rome to be unaware of his attempts to come to them for a visit. He says he was let hitherto. The verb to let is an old English word meaning the power or authority to allow or prevent. Then there is the word hitherto which means up until this point in time. So, Paul, up until this point has been prevented or hindered to coming to them each time he proposed to do so. He desired to have some fruit among them as he had with other Gentiles. That he might have some fruit among them in the same way as he had fruit among other Gentiles. Paul had started his ministry focusing on the Jews first, but that will change. Continue with verse 14:

I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise

Paul wants the believers in Rome to understand that he needed to deal with the Jews first. There is a group of unbelieving Jews who are always trying to hinder Paul’s ministry. He is making it clear that his ministry is to the Jew first because God instructed him to go to the Jew first. However, God gave Paul the task of being the Apostle to the Gentiles. With that in mind, Paul writes I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians. Then, he continues both to the wise and to the unwise. Paul is using two sets of words for the purpose of a comparison. The Greeks were known for their human wisdom and the barbarians were uneducated and profane. So the wise would be the Greeks because the Greeks worshiped human wisdom and philosophy, although they were not wise spiritually. The Greek culture idolized education and human wisdom. The Barbarians were just the opposite. They were unlearned and uncivilized. To both of these distinct groups of Gentiles, Paul says he is their debtor concerning the Gospel of Grace. We continue with verse 15:

So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also

Paul reaffirms his commitment to come to Rome thereby not leaving them out. His missionary journeys are his hallmark for preaching the gospel. He plans to go to Rome, but he must first go by way of Jerusalem to fulfill his pledge to support the saints in Jerusalem, the Kingdom Church, who are destitute and in need.

2

Romans 1 (Part 2)

As we start the second portion of Romans, we left off with Paul planning his journey to Rome via Jerusalem. We will remember Paul’s concern for his fellow Jews and that in the beginning Paul would preach to the Jew first. With that in our memory, let us begin with verse 16:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek

This verse is connected to the verses discussed in the previous chapter. Why does he write For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ? The idea here is that he is not ashamed to present the Gospel of Grace to different people irrespective of who they are. What I believe Paul is saying is that he is not ashamed to take the Gospel of Grace concerning Christ to anyone including all Gentiles. He was not ashamed to speak to them because he also was a Jew. As a Jew, it would have been considered a scandal to associate with the Gentiles. Some people read and interpret this verse to mean that Paul was not afraid to stand on the street corner and preach the gospel to people as they walked by. It is true that he was neither ashamed nor afraid to proclaim the good news of the Gospel of Grace to anyone. He is saying that he is so confident that the truth of the gospel can save anyone. He is not ashamed to go to the Gentiles with this message because it will save them if they believe. It is the power unto salvation to both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Paul knew full well from experience that he would be going against the current Jewish establishment. He would be their enemy. He was not concerned what anyone would think of him. Continuing verse 17:

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith

The Gospel of Christ is the righteousness of God. How is it revealed? It says from faith to faith. If we go back to the Old Testament, we know that God declared Abraham righteous by faith. Noah was also justified by faith and God declared him righteous. He declared David righteous, not by works, but by faith. As we go through the Old Testament, we see different people who were declared righteous by God because of their faith. Here is a question: Did they know the Gospel of Jesus Christ? No, they did not. The prophecies about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ were not understood. Well, now let me make this clear. We are not talking about the revelation of the mystery, which God kept secret since the world began, but is now revealed to the Apostle Paul. There is no evidence in either the Old Testament or the four Gospels about the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery. However, there are prophecies in the Old Testament which are explained in the Gospels about Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection that were not understood by anyone, not even the Twelve. Did Adam and Eve understand the Cross? Did Noah understand the Cross? Did Abraham understand the Cross? No. David did not understand the Cross. Even the Twelve did not understood the Cross when Jesus told them He was going to go suffer and die. Why? The Cross had nothing to do with the Gospel of the Kingdom. The point here is this. There are people in the Old Testament that had faith in what God had revealed to them at the time, but they did not fully understand. God honored their faith and saved them on the basis of the Cross, even though they knew nothing about the Cross. God, in his sovereign knowledge knew Christ would go to the Cross and die for their sins and He would justify them on the basis of the Cross when they put their faith in what God had revealed to them at that time. That is what Paul means when he writes therein is the righteousness of God, the Gospel of Christ, which is revealed from faith to faith. Then Paul refers to a Scripture written by the prophet Habakkuk, but the just shall live by his faith (Hab. 2:4). Later in the Book of Hebrews, dispensationally written to the Jews, it says again, Now the just shall live by faith (Heb. 10:38).

Therefore, everyone who had faith in God’s promises, God imputed His righteousness to them on the future work of the Cross. Now, they were not saved by grace through faith in the Cross for they did not know anything about being saved by grace through faith. There are people which claim that everybody in every age was saved by grace alone. That is not true. In times past, people had to express their faith by doing certain works. Their works were not saving them; what was saving them was their faith.

He continues with verse 18:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness

There are two things I want to point out about the Cross of Christ concerning these verses. Paul writes For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. God imputes righteousness today to us when we put our faith in what Christ did for us on the Cross. That in itself, the act of going to the Cross was a demonstration of God revealing His righteousness. God is a righteous God and sin must be judged. God is a righteous God and we are unrighteous. Therefore, our sin must be judged. On the Cross we have God’s righteousness being revealed because He is punishing sin on the Cross. He is the One being punished for our sin. The Lord Jesus Christ is taking our sin and our punishment upon Himself. There, we see the righteousness of God and the wrath of God because He is pouring out His wrath upon His only Son at the Cross. He is revealing His righteousness by having Jesus go to the Cross and, at the same time, revealing His wrath by sending Jesus to the Cross.

Let us take a look at the Gospel of John 18:11–14:

Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people

This is when they were in the garden and the soldiers had come for Jesus. The cup which Jesus is talking about is the cup of the wrath of God. Look at Revelation 14:8–10:

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb

When Christ was suffering upon the Cross, the wrath of God was poured out upon His Son. God will impute the righteousness of His Son to us and we will never experience the wrath of God because we believe. Look at Ephesians 2: 1–3:

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others

So, we were by nature born as the children of wrath. All of us were born as children of disobedience and, therefore, deserve the wrath of God. Now, look at Romans 5 and read verses 8–9:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him

Remember that. He took God’s wrath upon Himself at Cross. Let us go back to Romans 1. Read verses 18–19:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them

Where is the wrath of God being revealed? Look at the cross. That is where the wrath of God is revealed. One could ask, What about God’s wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah? Wasn’t that God’s wrath? What about the flood? Yes, that was God’s wrath. However, the ultimate picture of the wrath of God is the Cross.

The Cross demonstrates to the world that God’s wrath had to be poured out because of God’s righteousness. He poured His wrath out on His Son at the Cross. No one knew at the time, but it is now revealed to us through the letters of the Apostle Paul. Christ revealed these things to Paul and now we can understand because Paul wrote them down. In other words, when Paul writes who hold the truth in unrighteousness, the words to hold means to suppress. They would strive to contain it and keep it from being exposed or made known. Those that choose to reject Christ do that in their own minds and hearts. They try to avoid it. They try to deny the truth or choose to ignore it. They do this by pretending that God does not exist and there is no God to Whom we are accountable. They make up all kinds of things because they want to suppress or hold back the truth. Look at 1 Timothy 6:20:

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called

See what men do when they do not want to hold the truth of God’s righteousness? When they do not want to acknowledge the truth? They use the word science, which means knowledge, man’s knowledge. Paul says that this science is falsely called so. They make up things and try to cover up the truth. We return to Romans 1. Those who hold the truth in unrighteousness, in other words in unbelief, are willfully disobedient to a gracious God. Why? Because of all the evidence which God has made known to them. His creation is self-evident. He has showed them His creation, and they choose to ignore it.

Let us briefly talk about what God has made manifest or made known to all men. What about someone who never read a Bible, never heard a sermon preached, never attended a church service, how could this person still know God? Man should know God inherently. In other words, man should know there is a Creator. They should know there is a God, but they choose to ignore or reject it. What else did they also know? Let us go to Romans 2:13–16:

(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel

Remember, the Gentiles were never given the Law of Moses. However, all show the work of the law written in their hearts. How is this possible? It is because God gave all men a conscience; the ability to know the difference between right and wrong. Everyone knows there is a God. They know it naturally; they know it inherently. No one can look at creation and say there is no God. The other part of inherently knowing the difference between right from wrong is knowing there are consequences to their actions. We know inherently that there