INTRODUCTION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

 

“The chief part of the New Testament, and the perfect gospel.” (Martin Luther).

 

“Every Christian man should feed upon it as the daily bread of his soul.” (John Calvin).

 

There has been no book of the Bible which has been so instrumental in changing lives and in impacting the church as much as the epistle to the Romans.

 

Augustine lived an immoral and a worldly life, giving himself over to pagan philosophy.  One day he was sitting at his meditations and he heard some children playing in the next courtyard.  One called out, “Pick up and read!  Pick up and read!”  He happened to have a copy of the New Testament nearby and he picked it up and read a portion of the book of Romans.  It was the turning point in his life.

 

A thousand years later, a monk in a German monastery was going through rigorous acts of penance, self‑sacrifice and self‑flagellation, attempting to please what he considered to be a terrifying judge with the sword of judgment above his head.  As he studies the Scriptures, he came upon verse 1:17 in Romans: “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is  revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: `the righteous will live by faith.”

 

Martin Luther realized then that, although God demands righteousness, He freely provides that righteousness to us as a gift in faith; a righteousness that is given to us through the righteousness of Christ, an alien righteousness, a foreign righteousness.  Luther later commented, “When I understood that and when the concept of justification by faith alone burst through into my mind, suddenly it was like the doors of paradise swung open and I walked through.”

 

In the 18th century, a young seminarian by the name of John Wesley heard a sermon from the book of Romans and was converted.  He became a great evangelist and the father of the Methodist Church.

 

The Greek and Roman world of Paul’s day was a world filled with despair.  The paganism of the day held no hope of a resurrection and the intellectuals had long since abandoned the popular polytheism for an unabashed skepticism.  The two popular philosophies were Stoicism and the philosophies of Plato.

 

Stoicism

Feelings are to be set aside for a blind resignation to the unalterable course of things.

Plato

All religions are merely different forms of expressing the same general truths.

 

Satisfaction could be found in neither of these philosophical systems.  It is noteworthy that the Iliad ends with funeral rites.  In contrast, Romans is a book of HOPE.

 

Romans is Paul's fullest, grandest, most comprehensive statement of  the gospel.  Paul brings together all the Bible's greatest themes:

Sin

Judgment

Faith

Grace

Justification

Sanctification

The work of the Spirit

Law

Works

The nature of Israel and the church

The Plan of Salvation

Election

The Purpose of World History

Principles of Personal Godliness

 

 

THE PLACE AND DATE OF WRITING

 

The book of Romans seems to have been written from Corinth, the city on the Isthmus connecting northern and southern Greece..

 

1.         Paul commends Phoebe to the church at Rome, saying that she had been “a servant to the church which is at Cenchrea” (Romans 16:1).  Cenchrea is the eastern Port of Corinth.  It was to Corinth what Port Everglades is to Fort Lauderdale.

 

2.         He says in Romans 16:23 that “Gaius, host to me and to the whole church, greets you.”  Gaius is seen in 1 Corinthians 1:14 to have been a member of the church at Corinth.

 

Paul was at Corinth on two different occasions.  His initial trip to Corinth was on his Second Missionary Journey.  He later returned to Corinth on his Third Missionary Journey.

 

In Romans 15:19 he says that he had already preached the gospel “from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum,: In verse 23 he says that there is “no further place for me in these regions” and that he longs to come to Rome but first is contemplating a trip to Jerusalem with funds from the churches of Macedonia and Greece.  We know from 2 Corinthians 9 that this gift was collected well after his first visit to Corinth.  This places the composition of Romans as taking place during Paul’s second sojourn in Corinth.  This took place during the early months of A.D. 57 ‑ around 25 years after Christ’s death and resurrection.

 

 

THE CHURCH IN ROME

 

When we read of the Pentecost experience which took place in Jerusalem, we see that there were present on that day “visitors from Rome” (Acts 2:10).

 

It seems to have been these visitors to Jerusalem who witnessed the birth of the church at Pentecost who returned and who started the church in Rome.  The church had been well established by the time Paul wrote them.

 

Paul had never visited the church there and the absence of any reference to Peter or the other apostles suggest that the Roman church had not experienced direct apostolic ministry.

 

Rome was considered to be the center of the world.  It had been given the epitaph of “the Queen of Cities” and “Home of the Gods.”  It was a cosmopolitan city with people from every race and nation represented.  The church in Rome would have reflected this mix.

 

 

OCCASION FOR WRITING

 

1.         To commend Phoebe to the church at Rome (Romans 16:1).

 

2.         To prepare the way for Paul’s eventual coming to Rome and to explain why he is not coming at this time.

 

3.         To set forth a detailed study of the righteousness of God as it relates to the world, to the church, to justification and sanctification, and to the nation of Israel.

 

 

OUTLINE AND LAYOUT OF THE EPISTLE

 

The epistle is divided into two major parts.  The first 11 chapters form the first section.  They set forth Paul’s teaching on the righteousness of God, particularly as it relates to salvation and to the people of God.

 

The second section (chapters 12-16) gives us the practical ramifications of the doctrines presented in the preceding section.  This part tells us how we ought to live and conduct ourselves on the basis of the salvation provided on our behalf.

 

Prologue

DOCTRINAL

PRACTICAL

Epilogue

1:1

1:17

3:19

6:1

9:1

12:1

15:14

Forward

Man’s Sinful State

Justified: Reckoned as righteous

Sanctified: Living holy

Israel and the Church

Instructions in Living Righteously

Final Word

 

Sin

Salvation

Sanctification

Sovereignty

Service

 

God’s Justice

In the Law

Imputed

Obeyed

In Election

Displayed in Life

 

Life By Faith

Service By Faith

 

Need of Salvation

Way of Salvation

Life of Salvation

Scope of Salvation

Service of Salvation

 

Penalty deserved

Pardon granted

Power given

Promises fulfilled

Partnership in ministry

 

 

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EPISTLE

 

1.         The book is the most doctrinal and the most systematic of all of Paul’s writings.

 

There are personal notes in chapter 1 and in chapters 15-16, but virtually none in the central part of the epistle.

 

2.         The first seven chapters are characterized by an argumentative style as seen by the repeated expression:  “What shall we say then?”

Romans 4:1

Romans 6:1

Romans 7:7

Romans 8:31

Romans 9:14

Romans 9:30

 

Paul anticipates objections that will be posed by his readers and then he answers them.  This gives the book a “question and answer” format.  Such a format is designed to have you think along with the author and to follow his train of arguments.  This means the book of Romans must be taken in context if it is to be understood.

 

An interesting pattern is seen when we examine the “God forbid” Statements in Romans:

 

Transcendence – Romans 3:1-4

 

 

Hierarchy – Romans 3:5-30

 

 

Ethics – Romans 3:31-5:21

 

 

Oath – Romans 6:1-14

 

 

Legacy – Romans 6:15-7:6

Legacy – Romans 7:1-11

 

Oath – Romans 7:12-9:13

 

 

Ethics – Romans 9:14-10:21

 

 

Hierarchy – Romans 11:1-10

 

Transcendence – Romans 11:11-36

 

 

 

ROMANS IN RELATION TO OTHER NEW TESTAMENT BOOKS

 

1.         Romans and the Epistles of Paul.

 

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

Philemon

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Prophetical

Polemical

Philosophical & Personal

Pastoral

Hope

Faith

Love

Church order

Christ & second coming

Christ & the cross

Christ & the church

Christ & the congregation

Perfecting salvation

Plan of salvation

Privileges of salvation

Purpose of salvation

Consolation

Conflict

Conquest

Consistency

Eschatological

Soteriological

Christological

Ecclesiological

Future

Past

Present

Anticipative

Controversial

Contemplative

Administrative

Conflict

Conquest

 

2.         Romans and Galatians Compared.

 

Romans

Galatians

...as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (1:17).

Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” (3:11).

...because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight (3:20).

...since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified. (2:16).

For what does the Scripture say?  “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” (4:3).

Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. (3:6).

...our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should not longer be slaves to sin (6:6).

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me... (2:20).

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba!  Father!” (8:15).

...that we might receive the adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba!  Father!”  Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son... (4:5-7).

...he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (13:8).

For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (5:14).

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts (13:14).

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (3:27).

So then each one of us shall give an account of himself to God (14:12).

For each one shall bear his own load (6:5).

 

Both focus upon the truth of salvation by grace through faith and apart from the keeping of the law as a merit for salvation.

 

Galatians

Romans

Tells us what the gospel is not.

Tells us what the gospel is.

Negative

Positive

What Galatians picks up controversially...

...Romans puts down systematically.

Deep emption

Calm reflection

More personal - local

Less personal - lofty

Comes from the heart of Paul.

Comes from the head of Paul.

Tone:  Intensity & tumult of a battlefield

Tone:  Calmness of surveying the field after victory

 

These two epistles are to us what the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are to our nation.  Galatians is our Declaration of Independence from the law which bound us.  Romans is our Constitution as citizens of heaven (there are no amendments in this constitution).

 

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