How does Paul introduce gospel, desire to visit and his argument about idolatry?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Salutation and mutual-faith comfort precede gospel justice, revealed wrath and an account of exchanged glory and vices.

Chapter breakdown

Paul identifies himself as Jesus Christ’s servant, called to be an apostle and separated for God’s gospel, promised through the prophets in the holy scriptures. It concerns God’s Son, made of David’s seed according to the flesh and predestinated the Son of God in power according to the spirit of sanctification by Jesus’s resurrection. The annotation explains Christ as man predestinated to be God’s Son, declared by power through stupendous miracles, by spirit through infinite sanctity, and by resurrection or raising himself.

Through him Paul received grace and apostleship for obedience to faith among the nations for his name, including the Romans called to belong to Jesus. To those beloved of God and called saints, Paul wishes grace and peace from the Father and Jesus. He thanks God through Jesus that their faith is spoken of throughout the world. God, whom he serves in spirit in his Son’s gospel, witnesses his constant remembrance and prayers for a prosperous journey by God’s will. He longs to impart spiritual grace to strengthen them and receive mutual comfort in their shared faith. He has often intended to come but been hindered, seeking fruit among them as among other Gentiles. A debtor to Greeks and barbarians, wise and unwise, he is ready to preach in Rome as much as lies in him.

He is unashamed of the gospel, God’s power to salvation for everyone believing, the Jew first and the Greek. God’s justice is revealed from faith to faith, as the just man lives by faith. Wrath is revealed against ungodliness and injustice detaining God’s truth. What is known of God is manifest because God shows it. His invisible things, eternal power and divinity, are understood through created things, leaving people inexcusable. Knowing God without glorifying or thanking him, they become vain and their foolish hearts darkened. Professing wisdom, they become fools and exchange incorruptible glory for images of corruptible man, birds, fourfooted beasts and creeping things.

God gives them up to their hearts’ desires and uncleanness, dishonouring their bodies as they exchange truth for a lie and serve the creature instead of the eternally blessed Creator. Women change natural use for that against nature, and men leave women’s natural use, burn for one another, commit filthy acts and receive the recompense of their error. The annotation says God is not the author of sins: he withdraws grace and permits shameful sins in punishment of pride.

Unwilling to retain God in knowledge, they are delivered to a reprobate sense and inconvenient acts. Paul lists iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers, detractors, those hateful to God, the contumelious, proud and haughty, inventors of evil, disobedience to parents, foolishness, dissoluteness and lack of affection, fidelity and mercy. The printed final verse distinguishes knowing God’s justice from not understanding the deathworthiness of these acts, and includes consent to those doing them.

The story inside

Both full annotations are distinguished; final verse’s did not understand clause is preserved. No faith-alone/sole-path formula or medical meaning is imported.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The predestination annotation supplies miracles, sanctity and resurrection.
2
Paul was hindered from prior intended visits.
3
Printed final wording distinguishes known justice from not understanding deathworthiness.

Test your recall

How does annotation explain God delivering them up?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 127354–127365
1:1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. 1:2. Which he had promised before, by his prophets, in the holy scriptures, 1:3. Concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh, 1:4. Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead:
Lines 127408–127413
1:16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first and to the Greek. 1:17. For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith.
Lines 127419–127434
1:19. Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them. 1:20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. His eternal power also and divinity: so that they are inexcusable. 1:21. Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God or given thanks: but became vain in their thoughts. And their foolish heart was darkened. 1:22. For, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. 1:23. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man and of birds, and of fourfooted beasts and of creeping things.
Lines 127455–127471
1:28. And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient. 1:29. Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness: full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity: whisperers, 1:30. Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 1:31. Foolish, dissolute: without affection, without fidelity, without mercy. 1:32. Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death: and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them.