Introduction to

Romans

Author

The letter to the Romans was written by the apostle Paul (1:1). No co-author is mentioned, although Tertius was the man who served as Paul’s scribe, or amanuensis, writing down Paul’s words as he dictated them (16:22).

Occasion, Date, and Place of Writing

Paul gives us considerable information about his situation in 15:14–33. He suggests that he has reached an important turning point in his ministry. He speaks of having “fully proclaimed” the gospel “from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum” (15:19)—the territory where he planted vibrant churches during his first three missionary journeys. The next focus of his missionary effort is all the way at the other end of the Mediterranean basin: Spain (15:24). Before going to Spain, however, he has two important stops to make. His immediate plans are to travel to Jerusalem in order to deliver to the Jewish Christians there some money from many of the Gentile churches he planted (15:25–27). After Jerusalem, Paul hopes to pass through Rome to visit this important center of Christianity and to enlist their support for his new missionary venture (15:23–24). When we add to this information to Paul’s reference to a woman from Cenchreae (16:1), a city very close to Corinth, the setting of Romans becomes pretty certain: he was writing from Corinth during his three-month stay there toward the end of his third missionary journey (Acts 20:3–4). The date of this stay was probably AD 57. Romans, then, was the third letter Paul wrote on this missionary journey (after 1 Cor in perhaps AD 54 and 2 Cor in AD 55–56).

Recipients

Paul writes to all the believers in the city of Rome (1:7). The NT tells us nothing about how Christianity first came to Rome, but a plausible scenario is that Jewish believers who were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10 says that “visitors from Rome” were there) brought their new faith back to their home city. The early Christian given the name Ambrosiaster (late fourth century), then, was probably right in claiming in his commentary on Paul’s letters that the Romans “embraced the faith of Christ, albeit according to the Jewish rite, without seeing any sign of mighty works or any of the apostles.”

Several passages in Romans suggest, however, that most of the Roman Christians were Gentiles when Paul wrote (1:6–7, 13; 15:15–16). Some Gentiles were probably attracted to the faith from the beginning, having heard about the message of Jesus as “God-fearers” (Gentiles who attended the synagogue without converting to Judaism). The Gentile element in the Roman church received a significant boost in AD 49 when Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome (see Acts 18:2). Jewish Christians would have been included in this eviction order, so the Christian movement would have become almost entirely Gentile overnight. By the time Paul wrote the letter to the church in Rome, however, Jews had been allowed back into the city. Thus, Paul’s audience included Jewish Christians such as Priscilla and Aquila (16:3–5; cf. Acts 18:2).

Purpose

Paul has several purposes in writing to the Romans.

1. Paul hopes to enlist the support of the Roman Christians for his new ministry in Spain (15:24). Spain is a long way from his original “sending” church in Antioch, and he needs a ministry base closer to Spain to provide monetary and logistical support. Paul writes Romans, then, partly to introduce himself to a church that he did not found and has never visited (1:13; 15:22).

2. While Romans is justly famous for its deep theology, Paul is also concerned, as he is in all his letters, to address the situation of his readers. Of course, we must avoid the mistake of thinking that very deep theology might not be of very fundamental practical importance! But 14:1—15:13 reveals that Paul does have an eye on a particular issue in Rome. The believers are divided into two factions, which Paul labels the “weak” in faith and the “strong” in faith (15:1). These factions were quarreling over whether Christians must continue to observe certain Jewish practices derived from the law of Moses. Paul hopes to heal this unfortunate division.

3. The conflict between the “weak” and “strong” in Rome was a microcosm of the major theological issue in Paul’s day. As the Christian movement became increasingly Gentile over the decades, the relationship between Christianity and its OT and Jewish roots became more and more controversial. Some, mainly Jewish Christians, were arguing for a great deal of continuity: Christians were a Jewish Messianic sect that should continue to observe the law of Moses (this was the view of the “agitators” whom Paul combats in Galatia [Gal 5:12]). Others, mainly Gentile Christians, wondered why they should have anything to do with the OT or the law at all. As Paul writes to the Romans about the division there between these two general positions, he develops a theology of universal significance that seeks a middle position between these views.

Major Themes

Romans is one of the most important theological documents of all time. Its influence on the course of Christian history and the development of Christian theology is inestimable. It offers several themes:

• fundamental insights into the nature of the human predicament (1:18—3:20);

• God’s response to that predicament in the new standing with God offered to all humans through the work of Christ, the utterly gracious character of God’s provision, and the consequent requirement of faith as the only way to experience that provision (3:21—4:25);

• security for this life and the future day of judgment that Christians enjoy (5:1—8:39);

• the mysterious and wonderful plan of God to include both Jews and Gentiles in his people (9:1—11:36); and

• the transformed thinking and living that God expects of his redeemed people (12:1—15:13).

Perhaps the single overarching theme of Romans is the gospel, which the letter prominently mentions in both its opening and closing (1:1, 2, 9, 15; 15:16, 19) and which is the lead term in Paul’s statement of the letter’s theme (1:16). The gospel, or Good News, is that God has intervened in our history in order to reestablish his lordship over a created world that has rebelled against him. Paul especially emphasizes that God has offered the opportunity to all human beings, through simple faith in Christ, to be placed in a right standing before God.

Because the division between Jew and Gentile is so important an issue in both Rome and in the broader Christian world, Paul focuses often on the way the gospel includes both groups. On the one hand, the gospel provides for the fulfillment of all God’s OT promises to Israel (1:2; 9:1—11:36). On the other hand, the gospel opens the door to Gentiles so that they can become equal participants with faithful Jews in God’s new covenant people.

Outline

I. The Letter Opening (1:1–17)

A. Prescript (1:1–7)

B. Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome (1:8–17)

II. The Heart of the Gospel: Justification by Faith (1:18—4:25)

A. The Universal Reign of Sin (1:18—3:20)

1. God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity (1:18–32)

2. Jews Are Accountable to God for Sin (2:1—3:8)

a. God’s Righteous Judgment (2:1–16)

b. The Jews and the Law (2:17–29)

c. God’s Faithfulness (3:1–8)

3. No One Is Righteous (3:9–20)

B. Justification by Faith (3:21—4:25)

1. Righteousness Through Faith (3:21–31)

2. Abraham Justified by Faith (4:1–25)

III. The Assurance Provided by the Gospel: The Hope of Salvation (5:1—8:39)

A. The Hope of Glory (5:1–21)

1. Peace and Hope (5:1–11)

2. Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ (5:12–21)

B. Freedom From Bondage to Sin (6:1–23)

1. Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ (6:1–14)

2. Slaves to Righteousness (6:15–23)

C. Freedom From Bondage to the Law (7:1–25)

1. Released From the Law, Bound to Christ (7:1–6)

2. The Law and Sin (7:7–25)

D. Assurance of Eternal Life in the Spirit (8:1–39)

1. Life Through the Spirit (8:1–17)

2. Present Suffering and Future Glory (8:18–30)

3. More Than Conquerors (8:31–39)

IV. The Defense of the Gospel: The Problem of Israel (9:1—11:36)

A. Paul’s Anguish Over Israel (9:1–5)

B. God’s Sovereign Choice (9:6–29)

C. Israel’s Unbelief (9:30—10:21)

D. The Remnant of Israel (11:1–10)

E. Ingrafted Branches (11:11–24)

F. All Israel Will Be Saved (11:25–32)

G. Doxology (11:33–36)

V. The Transforming Power of the Gospel: Christian Conduct (12:1—15:13)

A. A Living Sacrifice (12:1–2)

B. Humble Service in the Body of Christ (12:3–8)

C. Love in Action (12:9–21)

D. Submission to Governing Authorities (13:1–7)

E. Love Fulfills the Law (13:8–10)

F. The Day Is Near (13:11–14)

G. The Weak and the Strong (14:1—15:13)

1. Do Not Judge Each Other (14:1–23)

2. Accept Each Other in Christ (15:1–13)

VI. The Letter Closing (15:14—16:27)

A. Paul the Minister to the Gentiles (15:14–22)

B. Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome (15:23–33)

C. Personal Greetings (16:1–27)