ROMANS

Hello! I m Paul. In the first seven verses of my letter to the Romans I introduce myself and what I want to write about.

Exposition of the Word of God is an arduous task. It is also great joy. No undertaking is more sacred. For that reason it is demanding. But by the same token it is rewarding. John Murray

An Introduction

I o l like o i o ce yo o e os eologic l ook i e Bi le. T is y sc e yo off, i e lly s o l .T Ro s is eologic l i i s co e e s oe isc ssio of Go . T is ook isc sses lo o Go is o ks cs o si e s. T is sec io of eology is c lle so e iology, e oc i e of s lv io . T e efo e e e ol e e Go ispl ys is s vi g po e o e e i gi o si e s. S ely exci i g p ospec fo y of s So le s fi o fee i es lis i g ee poi s o is g ifice ook.
  

1. T e A
  

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Who o e Ro s is q es io hat nee not be debated. The e is little do bt o co nte evidence conce ning the apostle Paul as the autho of Ro ans. Neve theless Paul s autho ship is wo thwhile to look into.
       

Paul s resume: It seems from the outset that the subject Paul is going to deal with in this letter is one that he has had close experience of; when he says simply at first Paul we should take notice.The fact that Paul names himself in v1 and shows how he is connected to these great subjects shows Paul s usual manner of autobiographical writing. Take notice of these words: Paul, a s van of Jesus Ch is , called to be an apostle, sepa ated unto the gospel of God. What great and
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challenging words to open the letter. Paul binds himself to the subject he is embarking upon! Paul was a Jew and a missionary to Gentiles. This causes, it would appear, a special appeal to the gentile and Jewish relationship throughout the book s explanation of the gospel. Obviously this matter of Gentile/Jewish divide is a matter with the Romans. But his personal detail of Israel and affection for them shows his willingness and ability to comment on these matters. Rom2-3 shows his knowledge of their faulty understanding of salvation (note the personal terms used e.g. 2:9). Again Rom 4:1 reveals his awareness of the Old Economy and how Abraham was viewed (watch for the personal terms again). Rom 10:1 shows his inner desire for Israel as a people group to be saved from their sin and self-righteousness. Therefore Paul has personal experience to the Jewish view of the gospel by birth, and so he clearly carries a personal agenda in writing on the issues surrounding Justification and how it relates to the Jews. Yet is not Paul a missionary preacher sent to the gentiles? 15:16. Paul is a dynamic preacher, carrying a heart for Jew and Gentile. Paul s theological position: The theology of Romans centres on Justification, and how the Law and Grace fit into this saving act of God. John Murray says something striking which sums up what I want you to take from this point: When Paul unfolds the antithesis between g ace and law, faith and wo s, he writes of an antithesis which had been reflected in the contrast between
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two periods in his own life history periods divided by the Damascus road. Murray hits the nail on the head. I f we in studyin Romans could et this truth into our first ste s we will find it easier to understand the reat and wei hty truths of this boo . I want us to wal u and down the Damascus road u and down Law and race as we o throu h Romans. Ref: cts 9:1-8. So we have a ractical e am le of much of the teachin in Romans.
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Justification by faith (Rom 5:1) spread out into justification by grace through faith ( see 3:22-24; cfEph 2:8) is clearly the theme of Romans. 2
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Paul s lace and time of writin :

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he time of writin in Paul s life was on his 3 rd missionary journey. If we note Romans 15: 24 -26 he was on his way to Jerusalem collectin for the church there. In cts 20:1 -6 after s endin 3 months in reece Paul travelled to Jerusalem for Pentecost. So it is robable that it was in Corinth or around that area in reece that the letter to the Romans was enned. So Paul is on his way to Jerusalem the seat of the Jewish church and even the n est of the influential Pharisees and their law doctrine of justification. he lace and timin is therefore im ortant as Dou las Moo tells us
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It is Paul s intention to ta e this os el that sits u on free justification to the Roman church (Rom 1:15). e is totally convinced and consumed by this os el of free race in justification. nd as we see the zeal that Paul has for reachin this messa e when he says I am ready we are a ain lead bac to the Damascus road. When he o ens the letter with his name Paul, he trans orts us and himself bac to the dusty and dry journey of sin, embar ed u on to im rison those who reach the os el of Jesus Christ. his journey was suddenly sto ed by the Jesus Christ who in just a moment made Paul a justified sinner. Now, we could say that his life s journey on the second half and after the Damascus road is not of sin but the evan elisation of the Roman world. Poetically, this second journey was comin to a reat clima in a letter to the reat city itself, a letter in which Paul o enly, from his e erience and with deli ht, e lains the os el of free race and justification throu h Christ alone.
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For almost twenty-five years Paul has planted churches in the eastern Mediterranean. Now he prepares to bring to Jerusalem a practical fruit of that work one that he hopes will heal the most serious social -theological rift in the early church- the relationship between Jew and Gentile in the people of God. 1
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William endri sen P29

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Romans Development is around the gospel While there are many critical works about what kind of gospel Romans teaches, I don t think we need to prove them wrong. But in our own investigations, we prove the orthodox or reformed position as already being a correct one. By this we prove all other attempts to explain the salvific views of the New Testament wrong. Simpler again, let s let the Bible speak for itself. It is evident that Romans takes up the subject of the gospel and explains it. Ref: Rom 1:1-2, 9, 15-17. These are universally agreed as the banner verses or starting points of Paul s intentions; also note 15:16, 19. In taking the gospel as the over-arching framework, then it is understandable why so many subjects are covered, from the condemnation of the law to sanctification and even election. In Romans we get a full view of the gospel; Paul doesn t hold back explaining what it means to be a Christian, and it s a wonderful picture he paints. Romans Central Topic or theme is therefore Justification Specifically, the central theme is Justification by grace through faith, and not through the works of the law. William Hendriksen readily and dogmatically agrees,
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The writing of this letter has a critical theological scene, a controversial backdrop. The setting for Paul is the question ofsalvation, namely, how can sinners be saved. 2. The Church at Rome As we have looked at the Author of the letter, let s take a look at the Romans to whom it was written. As the author makes an interesting study, so do the recipients of his theological letter. Two questions are at the forefront of establishing an understanding of the Roman church. How did the church begin? A major factor is often assumed. That from the massive intake of foreigners into Christianity by salvation at Pentecost, that because many from Rome (Acts 2:10) were there, that they took this message back and saw a church established. Obviously, this is quite possible. Rom 15:20 makes it impossible for another apostle to have been involved in the Roman church, even Peter could not have had a hand in the founding of this church. So the Jewish visitors at Pentecost mean that the synagogue may have been the starting point for Christianity in Rome. Another possible factor that is propounded by John Murray who in turn borrows it from Sanday and Headlam, is described in short: Never in the course of previous history had there been anything li e the freedo of circulation and movement which now existed in the Roman Empire. Therefore through the various channels of road, mail
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andcorners of the jigsaw, it s sensible to get those in quickly. A the military connections, word travelled easily and place combination of both Jews and Roman travel seems the most first. It is difficult admittedly to brand t his book with a single sensible conclusion.danger is to straightjacket Paul and try to theme, thereby the make his thoughts fit in with ours rather than ours with his. In Were words weor Gentile? to make up a theme for Paul and other they Jew don t want then make his a scholar to that. the grasp a theme of It doesn t takewords fit intopick upet tofact that both Jew and some kind is present Gentile werehelpful ! to some extent in the Roman church. However, funnily enough, scholars lean on different evidence Romans Foundation is Christological from Romans to prove that the audience was Jewish or Gentile. One a great startingeven claims that different parts of I think this is commentator point for understanding Romans the letter areis clear at a total outset Rom 1: 1 -7, that Jesus more fully. It aimed from the of five groups in the church.1 However, Messiah isaway from the unity of theis to be said. Christ the this takes the foundation for all that message as it was prescribed to To all that be in Rome, Christ in of God, There are no lengthy e planations of Jesus beloved his person and saints: Grace is you and peace from letter. called to bework, but this to not necessary for thisGod our Christ was known and loved already through the church . Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ Rom 1:7. So it seems that there were simply Jewish and Gentile Christians at Rome who In the words again the essence of the were being taught of Douglas Moo, Gospel which by result united them as one to the Lord.
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God s act in Christ is the starting p oint of all Paul s 3. The reason for the letter to Rome thinking and is so basic to the early church that he could assume writing Roman Christians precursor to his arrival Paul was that the to the Romans as ashared this conviction with which visit he desperately longed is Rom 1:11. there,him. In this sense while Christologyfornowhere in Romans the expressed topic it is everywhere the Moreover, we could well ask the question, why is this letter 1 underlying point this letter about? This is probably the most written or what isof departure.
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important point in introduction. We need to know the general teaching of Romans if we are to investigate the doctrines that fit into that general teaching. We could call this
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Douglas Moo p12 ref: Paul Minear