December 7

Acts 20:1-3; Romans 1-3 (biblegateway.com)

The Gospel Revealed

Acts 20:1-3 shows Paul continuing his ministry after leaving Ephesus. He travels through Macedonia, encouraging believers in every region, and then spends three months in Greece—most likely in Corinth. It is during this time that Paul writes the letter to the Romans, preparing the church for his hope to visit them soon and giving them a full, Spirit-inspired explanation of the gospel’s meaning and power.

Acts 20:1–3 — Strengthening the Churches and Preparing for What Lies Ahead

After the uproar in Ephesus subsides, the riot instigated by the silversmiths who opposed the spread of the gospel (Acts 19:23-41), Paul encourages the disciples and prepares to continue his journey (v. 1). This moment marks a significant turning point in Paul’s ministry. It was during his extended stay in Ephesus that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, addressing problems of division, immorality, and doctrinal confusion within the Corinthian church. The painful visit and the severe letter that followed created tension but eventually led to repentance and a renewed relationship. Not long after receiving Titus’s encouraging report from Corinth, Paul composed 2 Corinthians, likely during his travels through Macedonia, to defend his ministry and urge the church toward steadfast obedience. Thus, Acts 20 intersects directly with the timeline of these letters.

His departure from Ephesus is not abrupt but pastoral. Before he leaves, he gathers the believers, offering comfort, instruction, and assurance. Paul’s pattern remains consistent: wherever he travels, his first concern is the spiritual stability of the church. He knows these believers will face pressure after he is gone, so he leaves them with both affection and exhortation, strengthening their hearts for what lies ahead.

Paul then travels through Macedonia, revisiting the churches started during the earlier stages of his mission, including Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea (v. 1). Luke notes that he gives them “much encouragement,” a phrase that reflects more than polite words; Paul pours truth into weary believers, grounding them in the gospel, reminding them of God’s faithfulness, and urging them toward perseverance. This ministry of strengthening becomes one of Paul’s defining roles. His journeys are never mere logistics; they are intentional investments in the maturity and endurance of God’s people.

From Macedonia, he travels to Greece and remains there for three months (v. 2–3). This period most likely includes his extended stay in Corinth, where he writes Romans. These months are not idle. Paul continues teaching, discipling, resolving issues within the church, and shaping leaders who will shepherd these congregations long after he moves on. His ministry shows that the gospel advances not only through evangelism but through careful formation of believers who will walk faithfully in the places where he cannot remain.

As Paul prepares to sail for Syria, a plot by Jewish opponents forces him to alter his plans and return through Macedonia (v. 3). Opposition has followed him throughout his ministry, yet it never derails God’s purposes. Paul adjusts his route, but the mission continues unhindered. God protects His servant while also directing his steps, reminding readers that the path of obedience is rarely smooth but always guided. Paul’s willingness to change plans and endure hardship reflects the kind of flexible faith that trusts God’s sovereignty more than personal preference.

Acts 20:1–3 reveals Paul’s deep commitment to nurturing the church and the steady guidance of God as the gospel moves forward. The passage reminds believers today that ministry is as much about strengthening the saints as it is about reaching the lost, and that even unexpected obstacles become the means by which God directs His people toward the next chapter of His work.

Romans 1 — The Gospel’s Power, Paul’s Mission, and Humanity’s Need for Grace

Romans was written during Paul’s three-month stay in Corinth near the end of his third missionary journey, around A.D. 56–57 (Acts 20:2–3). Unlike his letters to Corinth, Galatia, or Thessalonica, Paul writes to a church he did not establish and had not yet visited. The Roman church was a mixture of Jewish and Gentile believers whose unity was tested by cultural tension, differing backgrounds, and questions about the law. Paul longs to visit them, but until he can, he sends this letter, a carefully structured explanation of the gospel he preaches. Romans is not a reactionary letter addressing a crisis; it is Paul’s most systematic presentation of God’s saving work in Christ, preparing the church for his arrival and anchoring them in the truth that the gospel is God’s power for salvation to all who believe.

Paul begins his letter by identifying himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God” (v. 1). His identity, authority, and purpose all flow from God’s initiative. The gospel he proclaims is not new but promised beforehand through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures (v. 2). At its center stands God’s Son, descended from David according to the flesh yet declared to be the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead (v. 3–4). Christ’s humanity and divinity stand side by side, and His resurrection vindicates His identity as Lord.

Through Him, Paul has received grace and the apostolic ministry with the purpose of bringing about the obedience of faith among all nations (v. 5). The gospel is not merely information to believe but a call that produces a life of faithful obedience. Paul greets the believers in Rome as beloved of God, called to be saints, with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 6–7).

Paul expresses thanksgiving for the Roman believers because their faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world (v. 8). Their witness has become a source of encouragement to the wider church. He assures them that he prays for them consistently, asking that God would grant him the opportunity to visit them according to His will (v. 9–10). Paul longs to see them, to strengthen them with spiritual gifts, and to encourage them together through their shared faith (v. 11–12). His desire is not one-sided; he expects to receive as much encouragement as he gives.

He also explains that he has often intended to come to them but has been hindered, showing that even apostolic ministry unfolds according to God’s timing rather than human control (v. 13–14). Paul feels a deep obligation to preach the gospel to both Greeks and non-Greeks, to the wise and the foolish, because the message belongs to all people without distinction (v. 14–15).

He declares his eagerness to preach the gospel in Rome because he is not ashamed of it (v. 16). The gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” first to the Jew and also to the Greek. Salvation is not rooted in human effort, heritage, or morality but in God’s power working through faith. In the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, a righteousness provided by God and received through faith. As Scripture says, “The righteous shall live by faith” (v. 17). The life of the believer begins, continues, and is sustained by faith, never by law or human merit.

Paul then turns to humanity’s desperate need for this saving righteousness. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness (v. 18). God’s judgment is not arbitrary; it responds to the suppression of truth available to all. Creation itself reveals God’s eternal power and divine nature so clearly that people are without excuse (v. 19–20). The problem is not a lack of revelation but the rejection of revelation.

Although they knew God through what He made, they did not honor Him or give thanks. Their thinking became futile, and their hearts were darkened (v. 21). They claimed wisdom but became foolish, exchanging the glory of the immortal God for images resembling created things (v. 22–23). Idolatry always degrades worship and reshapes the heart into the likeness of lesser things.

Because people rejected God’s truth, He gave them up to the lusts of their hearts and to impurity, allowing their desires to run without restraint (v. 24). When people trade the glory of God for idols, they eventually trade God’s design for their own desires. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever (v. 25). God then gave them over to dishonorable passions, including sexual practices that depart from His created design (v. 26–27). These behaviors are not isolated sins but symptoms of a deeper exchange, turning from the Creator to self.

Paul explains that because they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them over to a debased mind, resulting in a life filled with unrighteousness (v. 28). He lists the expressions of this brokenness: envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, hatred of God, insolence, pride, foolishness, disobedience, lack of love, and lack of mercy (v. 29–31). These sins reveal the widespread corruption of the human heart apart from grace. Even more sobering, though people know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve judgment, they not only do them but also encourage others to do the same (v. 32). Sin, when embraced, becomes celebrated; rebellion becomes normalized; darkness is called light.

Romans 1 exposes the deepest issue of the human condition: sin is not merely wrong behavior, it is misplaced worship. When people turn from the Creator to created things, their desires, thinking, and identity unravel. The chapter reveals why the gospel is necessary: no amount of morality, knowledge, or religious effort can fix a heart that has exchanged God for idols. The righteousness God provides in the gospel is not a reward for the good but a rescue for the lost.

This truth carries both comfort and confrontation. Comfort, because salvation rests not on human strength but on God’s gift of righteousness received by faith. Confrontation, because every person must examine what or whom they worship. The idols Paul describes may appear differently today—success, identity, pleasure, control—but they follow the same pattern: they promise satisfaction yet deaden the soul.

Romans 1 challenges believers to resist the slow drift of misplaced worship and to anchor their lives in the God who saves. The gospel is not merely the way into the Christian life; it is the way the Christian lives, by faith from beginning to end. Those who trust God’s righteousness will reject lesser gods, stand firm in a culture that celebrates rebellion, and live with confidence that the power of God is still at work to save. The question Romans 1 leaves us with is not merely, Do we believe the gospel?, but also, Does our worship reflect the God who has given it?

Romans 2 — God’s Righteous Judgment and the True Marks of Obedience

Romans 1 exposes the visible sin and idolatry of the Gentile world, showing that humanity has rejected God despite the clear witness of creation. It would be easy for religious people to read Paul’s indictment and assume they stand above such wickedness. But Paul will not allow anyone to take refuge in comparison. In Romans 2, he turns from the obvious sins of the nations to the hidden sins of those who judge others while practicing the same things. God’s judgment is perfectly righteous, impartial, and rooted in truth. Neither heritage nor religious privilege exempts anyone from accountability. By exposing moral hypocrisy and false confidence in religious identity, Paul directs both Jew and Gentile to the same conclusion: all stand equally in need of God’s grace and the righteousness He provides. No one escapes divine accountability, not the openly rebellious nor the outwardly respectable.

Paul begins by addressing the one who judges others while committing the same sins (v. 1). Such a person condemns himself, for he passes judgment on others while failing to practice what he demands. God’s judgment is not based on appearances but on truth. He sees the heart, the motives, and the life. Paul warns that those who think they will escape God’s judgment simply because they judge others misunderstand God’s righteousness (v. 2–3).

God’s patience, kindness, and forbearance are meant to lead to repentance, not to provide comfort in sin (v. 4). To presume upon that kindness without turning to God is to store up wrath for the day when His righteous judgment is revealed (v. 5). Paul presses the point that God’s judgment is never impulsive or harsh, it is the perfect expression of His holiness applied to human choices.

Paul then explains that God “will render to each one according to his works” (v. 6). This does not teach salvation by works, but that God’s judgment takes into account what a person actually does with the truth he has received. Those who “by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality” demonstrate a life oriented toward God and the things that endure (v. 7). To such as these, “He will give eternal life.” Their perseverance does not earn salvation; it reveals the direction of a heart shaped by God’s grace. In contrast, those who are self-seeking, who refuse the truth and follow unrighteousness, will face wrath and tribulation (v. 8–9). Paul emphasizes again that this standard applies to both Jew and Gentile, “for God shows no partiality” (v. 10–11). Religious privilege cannot shield anyone from God’s righteous assessment

Those who sin without the law perish without the law, and those who sin under the law are judged by the law (v. 12). It is not hearing the law that makes one righteous but doing it (v. 13). Paul’s point is not that obedience earns salvation, but that true faith is evidenced by obedience. He is not promoting works-righteousness; rather, he shows that the law condemns those who rely on it but fail to keep it perfectly. The law reveals God’s righteous standard but provides no power to meet it, thereby exposing the sinner’s need for grace. Hearing the truth without responding to it only increases accountability.

Gentiles, though without the written law, often show a sense of right and wrong because the work of the law is written on their hearts (v. 14–15). Their conscience, though imperfect, bears witness to God’s moral imprint. Even when their conscience accuses or excuses them, it testifies that moral awareness is universal, not cultural or accidental. This inward witness shows that all people are responsible for the light they have received. Their problem is not ignorance but response: they know enough to obey, but, like all humanity, they fall short.

On the final day, God will judge the secrets of everyone through Jesus Christ according to the gospel Paul proclaims (v. 16). Judgment reaches beyond actions to the hidden places of the soul. Nothing escapes God's evaluation, not motives, thoughts, or desires. Salvation is by grace through faith, yet judgment confirms whether that faith was genuine, producing a life shaped by obedience. God’s justice is perfect because He sees what humans cannot: the true condition of the heart.

Paul then turns to the Jew who boasts in the law. The Jewish believer has the privilege of knowing God’s will, being instructed in the law, and serving as a guide to the blind and a light to those in darkness (v. 17–20). But privilege brings responsibility. If one teaches others yet fails to live according to that teaching, he dishonors God (v. 21–23). The law, which should have revealed God through Israel’s obedience, instead becomes a testimony against them when they break it. Paul quotes Scripture to show that God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of such hypocrisy (v. 24). Religious identity without obedience is empty.

Circumcision, the outward sign of the covenant, has value only if one keeps the law; if one breaks the law, circumcision becomes meaningless (v. 25). In contrast, if an uncircumcised person keeps the righteous requirements of the law, his uncircumcision is counted as circumcision (v. 26). This is Paul’s argument for the inward nature of true obedience. The outward sign does not guarantee a right heart. The one who obeys from the heart, even without outward markers, will stand in judgment over the one who possesses the law but does not obey it (v. 27).

Paul concludes by redefining the true identity of God’s people. A true Jew is not one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something merely external (v. 28). True circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter (v. 29). This inner work of the Spirit is what God always intended. Those who live by the Spirit’s work seek God’s approval, not human praise. Paul shows that the distinguishing mark of God’s people is not ritual but a renewed heart responding to grace.

Romans 2 presses deeply into the human condition. Whether moral, religious, or irreligious, every person stands accountable before God. Outward observance, religious heritage, and moral judgment cannot compensate for an unchanged heart. The chapter exposes the hypocrisy of assuming that one group is less in need of grace than another. Paul levels the ground before the cross, showing that all must come to God through faith in Christ and the transforming work of the Spirit. God’s standard is not external conformity but inward renewal, and no amount of religious activity can substitute for a heart surrendered to Him. True obedience flows not from self-effort but from the Spirit’s work within, reshaping desires and directing one’s life toward God’s will.

This truth demands personal reflection. It is easy to see the sins of others while excusing our own, but Paul calls believers to examine themselves with honesty before the Lord. Do we rest in outward identity, tradition, or comparison, or are we allowing the Spirit to produce genuine obedience from the heart? Romans 2 reminds us that God is not impressed by religious labels. He delights in a life that reflects His character.

The challenge is clear: Will we allow God’s truth to expose the hidden places of our hearts, or will we hide behind external markers of spirituality? God’s kindness leads us to repentance, not complacency. Those who respond to His conviction with humility find freedom and transformation; those who resist it remain trapped in self-deception. Romans 2 prepares readers for Paul’s sweeping conclusion in the next chapter: all have sinned, and all need the righteousness God gives through Christ alone. The way forward is not denial but surrender, while trusting the God who judges justly and saves graciously.

Romans 3 — All Are Under Sin, and Righteousness Comes Through Faith in Christ Alone

Paul continues his argument by showing that neither Jewish privilege nor Gentile morality can remove the universal problem of sin. Romans 3 brings the first section of the letter to its climax: every person stands guilty before God, and only the righteousness God provides through Jesus Christ can save. This chapter is the turning point where human inability gives way to divine grace.

Paul begins by addressing an anticipated objection: If Jewish disobedience does not nullify God’s faithfulness, then what advantage is there to being Jewish? He answers that the Jewish people possessed a profound privilege, as God entrusted them with His very Word (v. 1–2). Their unbelief does not cancel God’s faithfulness, for God remains true even if every human being proves false (v. 3–4). Paul quotes Scripture to affirm that God is righteous in all His judgments. Human unfaithfulness highlights God’s character, but it never excuses sin. 

Some might argue that human sin highlights God’s righteousness and therefore should not be punished, but Paul rejects this reasoning as both illogical and irreverent (v. 5–8). This distorted logic suggests that if sin somehow enhances God’s glory by contrast, then God would be unjust to judge it. Paul exposes this as a misuse of grace and a denial of God’s character. God’s righteousness does not increase because humanity sins; His holiness is constant and eternal. Our sin only reveals our need for Him; it never excuses rebellion.

Paul notes that some had falsely accused him of teaching, “Let us do evil that good may result" (v. 8). Rather than engage in such slander, Paul states plainly that those who hold this view stand under rightful condemnation. To claim that God should reward sin because He can use it for good is not theological insight; it is moral corruption. Such reasoning implies that God approves of evil, which is contrary to His nature. God’s justice does not bend to human logic. His grace never nullifies accountability, and His patience is meant to lead people to repentance, not complacency.

This same flawed reasoning resurfaces later in Romans 6:1, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” Paul responds with the same force: By no means! The gospel never turns sin into something harmless. God’s holiness requires that sin be confronted, not rationalized. Grace is God’s remedy for sin, not permission to continue in it. Therefore, any argument that minimizes sin or uses grace as an excuse for disobedience is itself evidence of a heart resisting God.

Paul then brings both Jews and Gentiles into the same courtroom. “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all” (v. 9). He declares that all, without exception, are under sin. To establish this universal guilt, Paul weaves together a chain of Old Testament quotations. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God” (v. 10–11). Left to themselves, people do not drift toward God but away from Him. Their words are marked by deceit, bitterness, and destruction (v. 12–14). Their paths are filled with ruin and misery, and the fear of God is absent from their eyes (v. 15–18). These verses offer a devastating portrait of the human heart untouched by divine grace. Sin affects every part of who we are, including our minds, will, speech, and behavior.

Paul explains that the law speaks to those under the law so that “every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God” (v. 19). The purpose of the law is not to save but to expose. It reveals the seriousness of sin and silences every defense. “By works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (v. 20). The law functions like a mirror, showing us our need for cleansing but unable to cleanse us. The law reveals sin, but only grace removes it. Its role is to lead sinners to recognize their need for a righteousness that they themselves cannot produce.

Into this dark backdrop, Paul introduces the brilliant light of the gospel. “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (v. 21). This righteousness, though witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, comes not through human effort but through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe (v. 22). There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (v. 23). Yet the gospel’s power shines in the next truth: believers “are justified by His grace as a gift” through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (v. 24). To be justified is to be declared righteous by God, not because of our works but because of Christ’s work for us.

Paul explains that God put Christ forward as a propitiation, an atoning sacrifice, by His blood, to be received by faith (v. 25). The cross reveals both God’s justice and His mercy. In former times, God passed over sins in patience, but the death of Christ demonstrates His righteousness in judging sin once and for all (v. 26). In the cross, God remains just—punishing sin—and the justifier—declaring righteous those who believe in Jesus. The gospel upholds God’s holiness without diminishing His grace; neither is sacrificed to preserve the other.

Because righteousness comes by faith and not by works, boasting is excluded (v. 27). Human pride has no place in salvation. One is justified by faith apart from works of the law (v. 28). This truth applies equally to Jew and Gentile, for there is one God who justifies both through faith (v. 29–30). Faith is not a loophole or a new method of earning righteousness; it is the means by which sinners receive what Christ has done. Paul concludes that this doctrine does not abolish the law but upholds it (v. 31). The law’s purpose, to lead sinners to Christ, is fulfilled when people trust in the Savior the law pointed to.

Romans 3 stands as a watershed moment in Paul’s argument. It strips away every excuse, silences every boast, and exposes the bankruptcy of self-reliance. Humanity’s greatest problem is not ignorance but inability, as no one can produce the righteousness God requires. Yet where human effort ends, divine grace begins. God provides what the law demands and what sinners cannot supply: righteousness through Jesus Christ.

This truth calls for a personal response. We may acknowledge sin in theory yet cling to pride, comparison, or religious performance. Paul challenges every reader to abandon false confidence and rest fully in Christ. The gospel does not make good people better; it makes dead people alive and guilty sinners righteous. Faith becomes the doorway to a new identity, not because faith earns salvation, but because faith receives what Christ has accomplished.

The question Romans 3 presses upon the heart is simple and unavoidable: Will we trust our own goodness, or will we trust the God who justifies the ungodly? Those who embrace Christ find forgiveness, freedom, and a standing before God that no accusation can overturn. Grace does not excuse sin; it overcomes it. In Christ alone, sinners are justified, redeemed, and made right with God.

Conclusion

Acts 20:1–3; Romans 1–3 show the gospel’s necessity, beauty, and power. Paul’s travels strengthen the early church, but his letter to the Romans strengthens believers for all generations. Romans 1–3 reveals the universal problem, which is sin, and the divine solution, which is righteousness through faith in Christ. Every person stands guilty, but God offers grace to all who believe.

For believers today, these chapters remind us that salvation is not earned by effort, heritage, or morality. It is a gift of God’s grace received by faith. The gospel exposes our sin, humbles our pride, and points us to the Savior who alone makes us righteous. As Paul proclaimed, the gospel is God’s power for salvation, and it remains the message the world most desperately needs.