(Romans 1:16-17 KJV) 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. {17} For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

In the first three chapters of Romans, we find our training material for presenting the gospel of Christ.

1. Wrath Consciousness (Romans 1:18-32)
   We are all worthy of God's wrath, not necessarily because of the things we have done but because of who we are in Adam. The issue in these verses is that as a member of the human race we deserve God's wrath and if it were not for the grace of God we would have received it already.
2. Self Defense Tactics (Romans 2:1- 3:20)
   No one can escape the wrath of God by anything they do, can do or will do. When one understands the wrath of God is inevitable, one will try to excuse themselves and try to justify oneself in God's sight. Paul lists the reasoning that people will use and how you can respond to them:
   1. Relative Righteousness (Romans 2:1-11)
      1. I am not as bad as some other people.
         1. God's standard is Christ's righteousness. You may not be as bad as some other people but how do you measure up when compared with Christ?
   2. Extenuating Circumstances (Romans 2:12- 29)
      1. It is not fair to hold one worthy of God's wrath if God gave up the nations. (Romans 1:12-16)
         This response is particular to Gentiles. Romans 1:24,26 and 28 reveal that God gave up the Gentiles. One would feel that since this is so then it would be unfair for God.
         1. Even though the Gentiles were not given the Law, they knew what was right and wrong, with their conscience they accuse or excuse one another.
      2. I am a Jew, not by nature a sinner as the Gentiles. (Romans 1:17-29)
         This response is particular to the one that is born a Jew.
         1. There is no such thing as natural holiness.
         2. There needs to be a proper understanding of the purpose of the law.
         3. After a Jew understands his condition before God can you go on to explain that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah so that they will be able to fully comprehend why their Messiah had to suffer.
      3. Continued Negative Response to the Gospel (Romans 3:1-8)
         The example is given with some in the nation of Israel did not believe God but that did not make the faith of God without effect. God is true to His word even if not all believe.
         1. No matter what God said, I do not deserve the wrath of God
         2. They slander the grace of God.
            1. At this point, you can acknowledge that their damnation is just.
            2. They have judged themselves unworthy of the everlasting life (Acts 13:46)
      4. Recognition That They Deserve Wrath Of God And That There Is Nothing They Can Do To Make It Right. (Romans 3:19-20)
         1. If I only had a second chanceI'll take God's law and keep it the best I can."
            1. The ones that God gave the Law to were not able to keep it. We need to understand that we cannot do what God requires by ourselves. We are all guilty before God.
3. Good News - God's redemptive work. (Romans 3:21-26)
   In our hopeless state, God has provided the means to take care of the sin issue. The justice of God has been satisfied by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God justifies those who believe.