Kress Biblical Resources :: The Practice of the Gospel (Rom 12:1-15:13)

Detailed Outline of Romans

The Gospel of Salvation by Faith Unites All Believers—Jew and Greek

The Practice of the Gospel (Rom 12:1-15:13)

1. Worship God and humbly serve others in love (Rom 12:1-21)
   1. The gospel calls believers to a life of worship (Rom 12:1-2)
      1. Worship calls for the presentation of our bodies to God for His service (Rom 12:1)
         1. The reason for a life abandoned to God for worship (Rom 12:1a)
         2. The requirements of a life abandoned to God for worship (Rom 12:1b)
            1. Present yourself to God as alive to Him and at His disposal—“a living … sacrifice”
            2. Present yourself to God as set apart to Him and dead to self—“a … holy sacrifice”
            3. Present yourself to God as existing solely for His pleasure—“a sacrifice, acceptable to God”
         3. The reasonableness of a life abandoned to God for worship (Rom 12:1c)
      2. Worship calls for the transformation of our thinking unto the will of God (Rom 12:2)
         1. Stop allowing this world shape who you are (Rom 12:2a)
         2. Start allowing the Word of God to transform who you are (Rom 12:2b)
            1. The responsibility we have—constantly be transformed
            2. The route to transformation—by the renewing of your mind
            3. The result of ongoing transformation—recognizing the will of God as good pleasing and perfect
               1. God’s will is discernable
               2. God’s will is good and pleasing and lacks nothing
   2. The gospel calls believers to a life of humility and ministry within in the body of Christ (Rom 12:3-8)
      1. A life of worship and transformed thinking should lead to humility within the body (Rom 12:3-5)
         1. The proper perspective of the Apostle (Rom 12:3a)
         2. The proper perspective of self and others in Christ (Rom 12:3b-5)
            1. The proper thinking (Rom 12:3bcd)
               1. The call to humility (Rom 12:3b)
               2. The call to controlled thinking (Rom 12:3c)
               3. The content of controlled thinking—God has allotted to each a measure of faith (Rom 12:3d)
            2. The picture of our need for one another as a unified body, yet distinct in our various functions (Rom 12:4-5)
               1. The diversity and yet unity of the human anatomy (Rom 12:4)
               2. The diversity and yet unity of the spiritual reality (Rom 12:5)
      2. A life of worship and transformed thinking should lead to ministry within the body (Rom 12:6-8)
         1. The source of our diverse ministries within the body (Rom 12:6a)
         2. The sample list of our diverse ministries within the body (Rom 12:6b-8)
            1. Prophecy—proclaiming the truth to others in accordance with the faith (Rom 12:6b)
            2. Service—supporting others (Rom 12:7a)
            3. Teaching—instructing others in the doctrine (Rom 12:7b)
            4. Exhortation—coming alongside others with encouragement and admonishment (Rom 12:8a)
            5. Giving—sharing of one’s own resources with others (Rom 12:8b)
            6. Leadership—standing before or over others (Rom 12:8c)
            7. Mercy—acting in compassion toward others (Rom 12:8d)
   3. The gospel calls believers to a life of love (Rom 12:9-21)
      1. Characteristics of the life of love—manifest most often within the church (Rom 12:9-13)
         1. The life of love is marked by sincerity (Rom 12:9a)
         2. The life of love is marked by hatred of evil and devotion to what is good (Rom 12:9b)
         3. The life of love is marked by affection, loyalty, and respect for one another (Rom 12:10)
         4. The life of love is marked by eagerness to serve (Rom 12:11)
         5. The life of love is marked by joy, perseverance, and prayer (Rom 12:12)
         6. The life of love is marked by generosity and hospitality (Rom 12:13)
      2. Characteristics of the life of love—manifest most often outside the church (Rom 12:14-21)
         1. The life of love is marked by blessing, rather than bitterness (Rom 12:14)
         2. The life of love is marked by sympathy, rather than apathy (Rom 12:15)
         3. The life of love is marked by humility, rather than haughtiness (Rom 12:16)
         4. The life of love is marked by the pursuit of peace and trust in God’s wisdom, rather than personal vengeance and taking matters into one’s own hands (Rom 12:17-21)
            1. Do not retaliate—but seek to live honorably among all men (Rom 12:17)
            2. Seek peace with all men—if possible, and as far as it depends on you (Rom 12:18)
            3. Never take your own revenge—but trust in God’s righteous retribution, as promised in His Word (Rom 12:19)
            4. Seek the welfare of your enemy—for in doing so he may repent (Rom 12:20)
            5. Do not be conquered by evil—but conquer evil with good (Rom 12:21)
2. Walk in submission to civil authorities and walk in love (Rom 13:1-14)
   1. Walking in submission to civil authorities (Rom 13:1-7)
      1. The command and cause for submission to civil authorities (Rom 13:1)
         1. The command: Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities (Rom 13:1a)
         2. The core reason: For there is no authority except from God (Rom 13:1b)
      2. The consequences of resisting authority (Rom 13:2)
         1. Standing against the ordinance of God (Rom 13:2a)
         2. Standing in the place of condemnation (Rom 13:2b)
      3. The commentary on the role of government in society (Rom 13:3-4)
         1. The general purpose of civil authorities (Rom 13:3)
         2. The God-ordained ministry of civil authorities (Rom 13:4)
      4. The constraint of conscience in submission to God (Rom 13:5)
      5. The connection between paying taxes and honoring God (Rom 13:6)
      6. The charge of every believer in regard to all in positions of authority (Rom 13:7)
   2. Walking in love (Rom 13:8-14)
      1. Owe nothing to anyone except love (Rom 13:8-10)
         1. The gospel perspective on debt (Rom 13:8a)
         2. The gospel perspective on fulfilling law (Rom 13:8b-10)
      2. Order your life in light of Christ and the glory to come (Rom 13:11-14)
         1. Walking in love demands the proper perspective—shaking off spiritual slumber and focusing on the approaching glory (Rom 13:11-12a)
            1. Understand your need to wake up spiritually (Rom 13:11a)
            2. Understand that salvation is actually nearer than when we believed (Rom 13:11b)
            3. Understand that the day of the Lord is near (Rom 13:12)
         2. Walking in love demands the proper practice—laying aside sin and purposely pursuing Christ (Rom 13:12b-14)
            1. Put off the deeds of darkness (Rom 13:12b)
            2. Put on the armor of light (Rom 13:12c)
            3. Proper behavior described by simile (Rom 13:13a)
            4. Proper behavior described by what it is not (Rom 13:13b)
            5. Purposely pursue Christ (Rom 13:14a)
            6. Purposely refuse to mentally coddle the desires of the flesh (Rom 13:14b)
3. Willingly accept one another and walk in love—in spite of divergent personal convictions on how to apply biblical principles to culture (Rom 14:1-15:13)
   1. Refuse to condemn other believers’ opinions/personal convictions on how to personally apply the faith (Rom 14:1-13a)
      1. The exhortation introduced: Receive the one who is weak in faith—without passing judgment on his opinions/personal convictions (Rom 14:1)
         1. Welcome those who are not strong in the faith (Rom 14:1a)
         2. Without passing judgment on his reasonings (Rom 14:1b)
      2. The example regarding food—and the appropriate response (Rom 14:2-4)
         1. The person who believes that he may eat all things (Rom 14:2a)
         2. The person who is weak eats vegetables only (Rom 14:2b)
         3. The proper perspective for both (Rom 14:3-4)
            1. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat (Rom 14:3a)
            2. The one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats (Rom 14:3b)
            3. The One to whom each is ultimately accountable is his own Master, the Lord (Rom 14:4)
      3. The example regarding special days—and the appropriate response (Rom 14:5-9)
         1. The possible conflict concerning special days (Rom 14:5a)
         2. The proper perspective (Rom 14:5b-9)
            1. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind (Rom 14:5b)
            2. Each person is accountable to the Lord for his personal conviction on the matter (Rom 14:6-9)
               1. Can you genuinely give thanks to God for how you live out the faith in this matter (Rom 14:6)
               2. Do you understand that you belong to the Lord and He is sovereign over your entire life (Rom 14:7-9)
      4. The explanation of who is Judge (Rom 14:10-12)
         1. The questions that rebuke (Rom 14:10ab)
         2. The truth that should correct us all (Rom 14:10c-12)
            1. All will stand before the judgment seat of God (Rom 14:10c)
            2. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess to God (Rom 14:11)
            3. Each one will give an account of himself to God (Rom 14:12)
      5. The exhortation summarized: Stop passing judgment on one another (Rom 14:13a)
   2. Refrain from allowing your personal opinions/convictions on how to apply the faith to become a stumbling block to others (Rom 14:13b-23)
      1. Be careful to consider your brother’s well being as more important than your liberty [Don’t let your freedom cause your brother to stumble] (Rom 14:13b-15)
         1. The Apostle’s inspired command concerning the use of our liberty (Rom 14:13b)
         2. The Apostle’s inspired conviction concerning food and conscience (Rom 14:14)
         3. The Apostle’s inspired commentary concerning food/liberty and love (Rom 14:15a)
         4. The Apostle’s inspired command concerning liberty and love (Rom 14:15b)
      2. Be careful to consider your witness to others about what is really important [Don’t let your freedom obscure your witness] (Rom 14:16-18)
         1. The command against bringing reproach upon God’s kingdom (Rom 14:16-17)
            1. The care we ought to have about our testimony (Rom 14:16)
            2. The characteristics that reveal the reality of the kingdom of God (Rom 14:17)
         2. The concern for our testimony will bring pleasure to God and be revealed as genuine to men (Rom 14:18)
      3. Be careful to constantly edify one another rather than tear down the work of God for the sake of your liberty [Don’t let your freedom tear down the work of God—rather build up one another in the Lord] (Rom 14:19-21)
         1. Keep pursuing the things that make for peace and the building up of one another (Rom 14:19)
         2. Keep from tearing down the work of God for the sake of your liberty (Rom 14:20-21)
      4. Be completely convinced about your freedom rather than violate your conscience and partake, but not in faith [Don’t let your freedom violate your conscience] (Rom 14:22-23)
         1. A clear conscience before God issues in contentment (Rom 14:22)
         2. A conflicted conscience is a source of condemnation (Rom 14:23)
   3. Reflect the same perspective and purpose as Christ (Rom 15:1-13)
      1. Christ assisted others in their weakness, and came to glorify God the Father—not to please Himself (Rom 15:1-6)
         1. The exhortation (Rom 15:1-2)
            1. Bear the weaknesses of the weak (Rom 15:1)
            2. Fit together with and build up one another (Rom 15:2)
         2. The example of Christ and the encouragement of the Scriptures (Rom 15:3-4)
            1. The example: Christ did not please Himself—but suffered for the good of others and the glory of God (Rom 15:3)
            2. The encouragement: The Scriptures offer instruction and hope in following Christ (Rom 15:4)
         3. The entreaty to God for Christ’s perspective and purpose among His people (Rom 15:5-6)
            1. The Person of God [the God of steadfastness and encouragement] (Rom 15:5a)
            2. The petition [for like-mindedness according to Christ in regard to one another] (Rom 15:5b)
            3. The purpose of this Christ-like unity [the glory of the One true God] (Rom 15:6)
      2. Christ accepted us, unto the glory of God among both the Jews and the Gentiles (Rom 15:7-13)
         1. The exhortation (Rom 15:7)
            1. The mandate (Rom 15:7a)
            2. The Model (Rom 15:7b)
            3. The motive (Rom 15:7c)
         2. The example of Christ and the encouragement of the Scriptures (Rom 15:8-12)
            1. Christ became a servant to the Jews as promised in the Scriptures—to the glory of God’s truth and faithfulness (Rom 15:8)
            2. Christ became a servant to the Gentiles as promised in the Scriptures—to the glory of God’s mercy (Rom 15:9-12)
               1. For the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy (Rom 15:9a)
               2. Psalm 18:49; cf. 2 Samuel 22:50 (Rom 15:9b)
               3. Deuteronomy 32:43 (Rom 15:10)
               4. Psalm 17:1 (Rom 15:11)
               5. Isaiah 11:10 (Rom 15:12)
         3. The entreaty to God for joy and peace in the faith, and abounding hope (Rom 15:13)
            1. The Person of God [the God of hope] (Rom 15:13a)
            2. The petition [fill you with all joy and peace in the faith] (Rom 15:13b)
            3. The purpose/result [so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit] (Rom 15:13c)