Rom 1:16-23 | TNotes | STEP | 1:16 Paul consistently emphasizes that the Good News is for everyone . He also insists that God first chose the Jews to be his people, made promises to them, and gave them a unique place in the continuing plan of God (3:1-8 ; 9:1-5 ). They have a special responsibility to respond to the Good News and will be judged first if they turn away (2:9-10 ).

1:16 ^a Paul consistently emphasizes that the Good News is for everyone. He also insists that God first chose the Jews to be his people, made promises to them, and gave them a unique place in the continuing plan of God (3:1-8 ^b; 9:1-5 ^c). They have a special responsibility to respond to the Good News and will be judged first if they turn away (2:9-10 ^d).
1:17 ^e how God makes us right in his sight (literally the righteousness of God): This key phrase appears eight times in Romans (see also 3:5 ^f, 21 ^g, 22 ^h, 25 ⁱ, 26 ^j; 10:3 ^k; the only other occurrence in Paul’s writings is 2 Cor 5:21 ^l). The expression has Old Testament roots, where God’s righteousness refers to his character (as holy or faithful) or to an act of declaring his people sinless and perfect in his eyes (see especially Isa 46:13 ^m; 51:5-8 ⁿ). Paul uses the second meaning in this verse. The Good News has the power to save because it is the fulfillment of God’s promise to vindicate his people.

• The phrase makes us right comes from the law court. It does not mean “makes us good people”; it means “puts us in right standing before God.”

• “It is through faith that a righteous person has life”: The prophet Habakkuk had struggled to understand how God could use pagan nations to judge his own people Israel. God reminded Habakkuk that his true people—the righteous—need to live by faith (Hab 2:4 ^o). In Rom 1–4 ^p, Paul repeatedly insists that only through faith can human beings be made right in God’s sight.
Summary for Rom 1:18-3:20: 1:18–3:20 ^q Paul delays exploring the theme of righteousness through faith (see 3:21 ^r) until after he first teaches about universal sinfulness. Gentiles (1:18-32 ^s) and Jews (2:1–3:8 ^t) are equally under sin’s power and cannot find favor with God by any action of their own (3:9-20 ^u). 1:18 ^v God’s anger is not a spontaneous emotional outburst, but the holy God’s necessary response to sin. The Old Testament often depicts God’s anger (Exod 32:10-12 ^w; Num 11:1 ^x; Jer 21:3-7 ^y) and predicts a decisive outpouring of God’s wrath on human sin at the end of history. While Paul usually depicts God’s anger as occurring in the end times (Rom 2:5 ^z, 8 ^aa; 5:9 ^ab; Col 3:6 ^ac; 1 Thes 1:10 ^ad), the present tense of shows refers to God’s expressions of anger throughout human history.
1:21 ^ae To know God in Scripture usually means to have an intimate, saving relationship with him (see 2 Cor 5:16 ^af; Gal 4:9 ^ag; Phil 3:8 ^ah, 10 ^ai). Here, however, they knew God means that people knew about God. All people have some understanding of God through creation, yet they do not do what is right based on that knowledge. Rather than learn more about God, they worship gods of their own making.