TEXT [Commentary]

  I.   The Good News of Salvation (1:1–8:39)

A.   Introduction (1:1-17)

1.   Greetings (1:1-7)

1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. 2 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be[*] the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.[*] He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege[*] and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

6 And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

NOTES

1:1 This letter is from Paul. Paul always refers to himself as Paulos [TG3972, ZG4263], the Gr. form of his Roman name Paulus. Saul was his Jewish name, used only in Acts (cf. Acts 13:9).

a slave of Christ Jesus. This implies that Paul was wholly claimed by Christ and utterly devoted to his service, as one who belonged entirely to him. The phrase may have positive connotations: in the OT, “slave of the Lord” (or its equivalent) was a title of honor for people who served God, such as Abraham, Moses (e.g., Deut 34:5), Joshua (e.g., Josh 24:29), David, the prophets, and the psalmists (Cranfield 1980:50); similarly, in some languages of the Middle East, the title “slave of the king” was used of important officials (L&N 1.741). For background on slavery in the Greco-Roman world, see Rupprecht 1993:881. Instead of “Christ Jesus,” some Gr. mss (26 א A) have “Jesus Christ.”

chosen. Lit., “called” (klētos [TG2822, ZG3105]). Not in the weaker sense of “invited” (“Many are called, but few are chosen,” Matt 22:14), but in the stronger sense of being especially designated or appointed, either by God or by Jesus himself. The calling came at the time of Paul’s conversion (Acts 26:12-18; Gal 1:1). Cf. 1:6-7; 8:28-30; 9:12, 24; 11:29; 2 Thess 2:14; comments on 8:28-30.

apostle. One especially commissioned by the Lord to proclaim his word. Though it often refers specifically to the Twelve (esp. in Luke–Acts), the word may also refer more widely to others (cf. 1 Cor 15:5, 7, 9).

sent out to preach his Good News. Lit., “set apart for the Good News of God”—i.e., set apart for the service or proclamation of the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, which Paul spells out in chs 1–8.

1:2 through his prophets. This may refer generally to the inspired men of the OT (including Moses and David, who were called prophets, Acts 2:29-31; 3:21-24), not simply those associated with the section we know as “the prophets.”

1:3 In his earthly life. Or, “From a human point of view”; or, “On the human level”; or, “As a human.” Lit., “According to the flesh” (kata sarka [TG2596/4561, ZG2848/4922]). The phrase stands in contrast to the parallel phrase “according to the spirit of holiness” (kata pneuma hagiōsunēs [TG4151/42, ZG4460/43]) in 1:4 (cf. note). Verses 3-4 may come from an early confession of faith (Cranfield 1980:57-58; Moo 1996:45-46).

he was born into King David’s family line. Lit., “who came from the seed of David.” The fact that Paul uses the verb “came” (genomenou [TG1096, ZG1181]) instead of the more common “was born” (gennēthentos [TG1080, ZG1164]) may imply that he was familiar with the tradition of Jesus’ unusual birth (Moo 1996:46). There was a widespread expectation among Jews that the Messiah would come from the family line of David (Isa 11:1-11; Jer 23:5-6; 33:14-16; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25). Jesus’ Davidic descent rests on Joseph’s acceptance and legitimization of Jesus as his son, even though Joseph was not his natural father (Cranfield 1980:58-59).

1:4 and he was shown to be the Son of God. Or, “and he was designated the Son of God”; cf. orizō [TG3724, ZG3988].

by the power of the Holy Spirit. Or, “from the viewpoint of the Holy Spirit”; or, “from the viewpoint of his divine holiness.” Lit., “with power according to the spirit of holiness.” The phrase “with power” (en dunamei [TG1411, ZG1539]) may be understood as modifying either “shown” or “Son of God.” The phrase “according to the spirit of holiness” (kata pneuma hagiōsunēs [TG42, ZG43]) is a reference either to the Holy Spirit (Bruce 1985:69; Dunn 1988a:14-15) or to Christ’s own inner spirit (Mounce 1995:62). Note the contrast in 1:3-4: “on the human level, . . . but on the level of the spirit—the Holy Spirit” (REB); “as to his humanity, . . . as to his divine holiness” (TEV). Stott (1994:50-51) understands it rather as a contrast between Jesus’ pre-Resurrection and post-Resurrection ministries, “the first frail and the second powerful through the outpoured Spirit.” For a discussion of the complexities of this verse, see Cranfield 1980:61-64. The NLT rendering is accurate.

1:5 God has given us. The word “us” refers either to Paul and the other apostles or to Paul himself (as in REB, TEV, CEV).

the privilege and authority as apostles. Or, (preferably) “the grace [divine gift] of apostleship.” Lit., “grace and apostleship” (cf. 15:15-16)—not two separate things; the divine gift of being an apostle (Moo 1996:51).

Gentiles. A Jewish term for people who are not Jews. Though ethnesin [TG1484, ZG1620] may be translated “the nations” or “the pagans,” the word is better translated “Gentiles” in most of its occurrences in Romans. This verse and those immediately following may imply that the letter is addressed primarily to Gentiles (cf. 11:13-14; 15:15-16) or that the church in Rome is predominantly Gentile. See, however, “Audience” in the Introduction.

so that they will believe and obey him. Lit., “for the obedience of faith” (eis hupakoēn pisteōs [TG4102, ZG4411]), a phrase that could mean either “obedience that results from faith” (cf. “obedience inspired by faith”; Williams 1952:328) or, more probably (in the context of chs 1–8), “obedience that consists of faith” (Cranfield 1980:66 n.3; cf. 10:16; 11:30-31; 15:18; 16:19—all of which speak of people’s response to the Good News as an expression of their obedience to God; cf. 16:26; Schlatter 1995:11). The NLT leaves the relationship between the two terms ambiguous (so also REB, TEV).

bringing glory to his name. Lit., “for the sake of his name,” i.e., for the sake of glorifying either Christ or God.

1:6 called to belong to Jesus Christ. Or, “called by Jesus Christ” (klētoi Iēsou Christou). The word “called” (klētoi [TG2822A, ZG3105]) implies “chosen, selected”; cf. note on 1:1; cf. 8:28, 30; 9:12, 24; 11:29.

1:7 I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God. The words “in Rome” are omitted in a few ancient authorities (G 1739mg Origen). Instead, these manuscripts read, “to all those in the love of God.” G also omits “in Rome” in 1:15. This raises questions about the destination of the original letter and its later recensions (see “Canonicity and Textual History” in the Introduction).

called to be his own holy people. Lit., “called to be saints,” i.e., chosen to be God’s holy people—those set apart for him. For the meaning of “called,” see note on 1:1.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. A common invocation often found at the beginning of Paul’s letters, which may represent a combining and Christianizing of the traditional Greek greeting (chairein [TG5463, ZG5897G]) with the traditional Jewish greeting (shalom [TH7965, ZH8934], “peace”). “Grace” (charis [TG5485, ZG5921]), the keynote of the Good News, refers to God’s blessing, love, and kindness, always undeserved. “Peace” (eirēnē [TG1515, ZG1645]), when used generally as here, probably refers to a state of well being and contentedness embracing the whole of one’s life, deriving from the Good News (see comments on 15:13). In some of Paul’s invocations, the word “mercy” (eleos [TG1656, ZG1799]) is added (1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; cf. Gal 6:16), just as the combination “mercy and peace” is found in some earlier Jewish invocations (Dunn 1988a:20; Käsemann 1980:16).

COMMENTARY [Text]

The beginning section of Romans (1:1-17) serves as a general introduction and is best divided into three paragraphs. In these paragraphs, Paul introduces himself and greets the church (1:1-7), speaks of his desire to come see them in the near future (1:8-15), and states the main theme of the letter (1:16-17).

Paul introduces himself as a missionary apostle called by God to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, the resurrected Son of God and Lord of the universe, so that people all over the world will come to believe and obey him. Paul then invoked God’s blessing and peace upon those in Rome who belong to Jesus. This unusually long beginning paragraph (1:1-7), a single complex sentence in Greek, represents a Christian expansion of the typical way of beginning ancient Greek letters. Most letters from this period begin by simply listing the names of the sender and recipient and giving a brief greeting: “Person A to Person B, greetings” (Bruce 1985:67).

Paul’s Missionary Calling. The beginning of the letter focuses immediately on the main point—the Good News of Jesus Christ, the most important message in the world. What Paul said about himself is entirely subservient to this: He was a missionary apostle specifically chosen by God to preach the Good News, one who was wholly claimed by Christ to serve his cause (1:1, 5; 15:15-16). He knew that Christ had been revealed to him in order that he might make him known to the world (Gal 1:16). In a most unusual way, recounted three times in Acts, he seems to have sensed his missionary calling from the earliest days of his conversion (Acts 9:3-6, 15-16; 22:14-15; 26:16-18). So he wrote as one who was passionately convinced that he had been given a crucial role to play in the most important work in the world, the proclamation of the Good News of salvation.

He clearly understood that it was God himself who had commissioned him for this work (1:1). Writing to the Galatians, he speaks of having been appointed directly by Jesus Christ himself and by God the Father (Gal 1:1; cf. the words of the risen Lord, “Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles,” Acts 9:15). Indeed, he was convinced that God ordained him for this work long before he was ever born (Gal 1:15). F. F. Bruce (1985:67) concludes, “All the rich and diversified gifts of Paul’s heritage (Jewish, Greek, and Roman), together with his upbringing, were fore-ordained by God with a view to his apostolic service.”

Though we can see a number of ways in which Paul’s heritage and upbringing served him well in his missionary work, it is not clear how much Paul thought of these as “fore-ordained by God with a view to his apostolic service”—or, for that matter, how much he thinks of any Christian’s background as fore-ordained by God with a view to his or her special calling in the service of Christ. True, Paul acknowledges that God “chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan” (Eph 1:11). But generally speaking, his foreordination language is limited to the idea of God choosing his people for salvation (8:29; 11:2, 5; Eph 1:4-5, 11; 2:4-6, 8-10; Col 3:12; 1 Thess 1:4; 5:9; 2 Thess 2:13). His understanding of an individual’s ministry seems to be shaped more by the notion of charismatic giftedness than by considerations of natural heritage (12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:4-11, 28; Eph 4:11). Nonetheless, because here and there in the Old Testament clear traces of God’s providential hand can be seen in the background of the people he chooses to use (as in the cases of Joseph, Moses, Samuel, Ezra, Esther, and Daniel, for instance), it is not unreasonable to assume that such notions may be in Paul’s thought, as well. Nor is it unreasonable for us to look for traces of God’s providential goodness in our own individual backgrounds, preparing us for our own specific callings in the service of Christ.

As a “slave” of Christ (1:1), he knows that his life is no longer his own—no longer to be lived for himself but for his master (Phil 1:21). He has been “bought . . . with a high price” (1 Cor 6:20), and every part of his life now belongs to Christ and must be devoted to his work in the world. Nothing else is ultimately important. As a slave of Christ, Paul viewed himself as a slave of Christ’s people also (2 Cor 4:5). Furthermore, in his missionary evangelism, he regarded himself as a slave of all those to whom he preached (1 Cor 9:19-22)—in the sense that his whole life was devoted to the spiritual welfare of others.

And so it is for every Christian, in Paul’s thinking: as redeemed people, our self-identity is defined by our conversion to Christ. Loyalty to Christ transcends the importance of everything else in our lives. Like Paul, all of us who confess Christ as Lord are to consider ourselves “slaves” of Christ; we too are claimed by Christ—“bought with a high price”—to serve his cause. Though not all of us are called to a life of pioneer evangelism as Paul was, all of us are called to be witnesses for Christ in everything we say and do and to be devoted ministers of God’s grace to the body of Christ. Like Paul, every serious follower of Christ must say, “For to me, living means living for Christ” (Phil 1:21). Because Christ died for us, we recognize that we, too, are called to live no longer for ourselves but for him (2 Cor 5:14-15). And if we take seriously our “slavery” to Christ—if we really mean what we say when we confess Christ as our Lord—then every part of our life must be devoted to his service because we belong to him. The whole of our life must be considered his, not ours. Slaves do not have the privilege of living for themselves like everyone else.

Here Paul’s words reflect a strong and radical understanding of Christian discipleship that challenges the softer, more comfortable view of the Christian life so common in the modern world. Paul knows that we only “find” our life by “losing” it, that dying is the necessary prelude to living. As slaves of Christ, we must constantly die to ourselves in order to live for the one who has claimed us, body and soul. This kind of commitment will never be easy to live out, but it is the life to which all true disciples know themselves to be called.

Christ as the Fulfillment of the Scriptures. In the second verse of this introduction, we discover that the amazing Good News that Paul was called to preach was predicted—indeed, promised—in the Hebrew Scriptures themselves (1:2). This was a key element in the early Christian apologetic. This messianic way of reading the Old Testament is reflected throughout Paul’s writings (1:17; 3:21; 4:3-25; 10:5-20; 15:8-12, 21). As he testifies to King Agrippa, “I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike” (Acts 26:22-23). Though it is primarily the servant texts of Isaiah that Paul seems to have been thinking of here (Isa 42:6; 49:1, 5-6; 52:13–53:12), he clearly understood the Old Testament as a whole to point to Christ and the Good News, and read it in that light—as did the entire early Christian community. After all, didn’t Jesus himself say, “The Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39)? Luke especially, one of Paul’s converts and long-term missionary associates, highlighted Jesus’ endorsement of this perspective:

Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. . . . Then he said, “. . . everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled. . . . Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.” (Luke 24:27, 44, 46)

From a Christian point of view, then, the Old Testament must always be read, interpreted (judiciously), and taught in light of its fulfillment in Christ and the New Testament. Christians do not read the Old Testament in isolation or merely as the Hebrew Scriptures but as part of a larger canonical whole.

In the New Testament, the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah is viewed as the fulfillment of all the deepest hopes and dreams of the Jewish people and the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises under the old covenant (cf. esp. Heb 8:1–10:18). Paul went even further when he spoke of Jesus as the fulfillment of the deepest hopes and dreams of human beings universally: he is the ultimate reality, to which all other religious aspirations and teachings point, and of which they were but “shadows” (Col 2:17).

Jesus Christ is from the family line of David—a “Son of David” (a requirement for the Messiah, from a Jewish point of view)—yet at the same time he is the Son of God, sharing the nature of God himself, as the miracle of the Resurrection attests (1:3-4). This dual emphasis on Jesus as both human and divine anticipates the creeds of the early church, in which the early Christians struggled to put into words their understanding of who Jesus is and how he relates to God. Among the New Testament writers, it is the writer of Hebrews who places the greatest emphasis on the humanness of Jesus (considered essential for his work of atonement and intercession; Heb 2:10, 14-18; 5:8). And it is John, Paul, and the writer of Revelation who place the greatest emphasis on his deity (John 1:1-4, 18; 20:28; Col 1:15-19; 2:9; Rev 5:6-14). (There are three places where Paul seems to speak of Jesus as “God”: 9:5; 2 Thess 1:12; Titus 2:13; cf. Rom 1:7.) Though the early Christians thought it was essential to have a genuine appreciation of both the human and divine aspects of Jesus (he is always to be understood as simultaneously “fully human and fully divine”), the overall emphasis in this passage is on his divine power and authority as the Son of God, shown above all in the Resurrection.

The Resurrection was a historical event; it shows that God was clearly at work in Jesus’ life (1:4) and confirms that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God—the Lord and ultimate Judge of every human being. The historical fact of the Resurrection, then, played a central role in the proclamation of the Good News by the early Christians (Acts 2:31-33; 3:15; 5:30-32; 10:40-41; 13:30-31; 17:3, 31-32; 23:6; 24:21; 25:19; 26:6-8, 22-23; 1 Cor 15:1-8). It must also be a central element in the proclamation of the historic faith today, when skepticism abounds. Unlike other religions, the Christian faith is founded on a crucial historical event, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and all else flows from that.

The historicity of the Resurrection also plays a vital role in our understanding of the Good News, focused as it is on the promise of life beyond death. The resurrection of Christ assures us not only that there is life beyond death but also that we who belong to him will one day fully share in that resurrection life (1 Cor 15:20). To deny the historicity of the Resurrection, then, is to deny the heart of the Good News itself, leaving us with no sure hope of anything beyond this life (1 Cor 15:12-19).

The Resurrection plays another role in Paul’s thinking: it opens the door for believers to begin to experience the age to come. As a result of the Resurrection, believers can experience, here and now, something of the life and power of the Kingdom of God—“resurrection life”—by the power of the Holy Spirit (6:4-11; 7:4-6; 8:2-4, 9-14). This is nothing less than the power of the resurrected Christ himself at work in his people (Gal 2:20; Col 1:27). One of Paul’s deepest desires is to experience the full extent of this power in his own life—to “know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead” (Phil 3:10). In the same way, he prays that the Ephesians will come to know the incredible greatness of this power at work in their own lives—“the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead” (Eph 1:19-20). So the resurrection of Christ not only confirms the truth of Jesus, the Good News, and the Christian hope, it also makes it possible for us to experience the living Christ and his power in our lives today.

Paul’s way of thinking about the Christian life was radically shaped by his awareness that the Spirit of the resurrected Christ lives in those who belong to him. It is the Spirit of the living Christ within—not simply our own efforts—that produces in us Christlike qualities and character (Gal 5:22-23). Further, because our body is a sanctuary, we must do nothing that would offend the living presence of Christ within (1 Cor 6:18-19; Eph 4:30; 1 Thess 4:8). The awareness of Christ’s presence in believers also influences Paul’s way of thinking about Christian ministry, for here, too, the real power and effectiveness lie with Christ (the Spirit of Christ) and not with us (1 Cor 2:4-5, 13; 2 Cor 4:7, 10-11; 12:8-10). So in both Christian living and Christian ministry, the real power lies with the living Christ within; believers are simply channels through which the power of the resurrected Christ flows. The awareness of Christ’s presence working in and through us assures us that we will one day share in his full glory (Col 1:27).

Believing and Obeying. Paul then tells his readers that he was given his apostleship in order to proclaim the Good News so that people would “believe and obey” (1:5; 16:26). Though the exact relationship between believing and obeying is ambiguous in the text, Paul probably means “obey by believing” in this context (cf. note on 1:5). Elsewhere he makes it clear that it is our faith in Christ, not our works, that saves us (1:16-17; 3:22-26; 4:3-8; 5:1; 9:30-32; 10:9-10; Gal 2:16; 3:2, 6, 11, 26). Salvation is always to be understood as a gift of God’s grace that we receive solely by faith, not as a reward for our efforts (Eph 2:8-9). At the same time, however, true faith will always be expressed in obedience, for true faith can never be divorced from a serious attempt to live it out. That is why Paul speaks of “faith expressing itself in love” (Gal 5:6). So, although we are saved by faith, we are paradoxically judged by works. This is a point made throughout the New Testament—by Jesus (Matt 7:21-27; John 5:29), Paul (2 Cor 5:10), John (1 John 1:5-6; 2:4-6; 3:4-10), and especially James (Jas 2:14-26). Though our works can never save us, the lack of them can damn us—by putting the lie to our claim to believe—if we are not serious about living out our faith. So although we are saved by faith alone, true saving faith is never alone. Authentic faith is always life-changing faith that is reflected in our works, i.e., in how we live (Eph 2:10). That is the point emphasized in the seemingly contradictory passage, James 2:14-26, which ends with the statement “Faith is dead without good works”—a statement with which Paul would agree. (For the relation between faith and works, see the comments on 4:1-8; 6:15-23; 8:5-14; see also “Salvation by Faith and Judgment by Works” in the Introduction.)

The Roman Christians were among those who had obeyed the Good News. As such, they were those whom God himself had “called” (or chosen) to belong to Jesus Christ. They are called to be “saints,” God’s own holy people, those whom God has specially chosen and set apart for himself. They are the ones specially loved by God (1:6-7). So even saving faith must be understood ultimately as a gift of God, the result of God’s sovereign work in the hearts of those he has mercifully selected to become part of his family. Behind all true faith in the living Christ, then, lies the gracious work of God, calling people to himself and making such faith possible (Eph 2:8-10; cf. Matt 11:25-27; John 6:44; 15:16). That is why, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God’s people are spoken of as the “elect,” those who by God’s mercy are chosen and predestined to belong to him. (For election and predestination, see the comments on 9:6-29; see also “Predestination and Human Responsibility” in the Introduction.)

With a privileged calling come great responsibility and a sense of infinite indebtedness. Those who by the grace of God are rescued from his anger and judgment and chosen to be his people should dedicate their lives to him and live the rest of their days in joyful, grateful devotion to his service (12:1-2). As his people, they are to be holy, just as he is holy (Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 1 Pet 1:15-16). Everything Paul writes about the Christian life presupposes a sense of total indebtedness to God, who in sheer mercy grants believers their salvation.