Paul's Letter to the Romans

In our present war-torn and divided world it requires considerable mental effort to appreciate the unity, peace and freedom of movement afforded by the Roman Empire.  This was in the early days of Christianity when it provided conditions very favourable to the progress of the gospel.  The hub of this vast territory, stretching from its eastern border with Persia to Spain in the West, was the city of Rome, the centre of authority and instrument of its enforcement where:

'multi-storey tenement blocks housed a proletariat of over a million, drawn from every quarter.  The aristocracy lavished the profits of three continents on suburban villas and country estates.  The Caesars themselves had furnished the heart of the city with an array of public buildings, perhaps never equalled in any capital.  The same concentration of wealth provided the overcrowded masses with generous economic subsidies and entertainment.  It also attracted literary and artistic talent from foreign parts.  As the seat of the Senate and of the Caesarian administration, Rome maintained diplomatic contact with every other state in the Mediterranean, and the traffic in foodstuffs and luxury goods fortified the links.'

We have no certain knowledge as to how the gospel first reached Rome, but Luke tells us that among the crowd which were present at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost were visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism (Acts 2.10).  It is highly probable that some of these believed the gospel of the kingdom of God and were baptised into the saving name of Jesus Christ before returning to Rome.  Once back home they would certainly spread the 'good news' to any willing to listen.  By some such means one or more 'churches', i.e. communities of Christian believers, would have been established in the capital, splitting off from Jewish synagogues and later attracting Gentile converts.

At Ephesus, during his third missionary journey, Paul declared his intention to visit these Christians at Rome (Acts 19.21).  But he wanted first to go back to Jerusalem to keep another feast of Pentecost (Acts 20. 16).  This was more than twenty years after Peter's moving address to the pilgrims as recorded in the second chapter of 'Acts.'  During this journey Paul stayed three months at Corinth, and it seems that while he was there he wrote this letter to the Romans.  In its chronological setting it therefore comes between verses 2 and 3 of Acts chapter 20.

Sent possibly by the hand of Phoebe (Romans 16.1) in the spring of AD 55, this letter is the longest of Paul's writings to be included in the New Testament canon.  It has given believers of every generation the fullest exposition of what is styled 'justification by faith'.  It is also an inspired commentary on the anomaly of Israel's temporary rejection by God after being made His chosen nation, and how finally they will be saved.  Following this comes practical advice on the Christian life, and the letter concludes, as it began, with Paul's proposal to visit the Romans in the near future and with personal greetings to the many he knew by sight or by repute.

After his opening greeting to all the believers in Rome, saying how much he longed to see them, the Apostle proceeds to pen one of the strongest denunciations ever written against the moral decadence of the ancient world (Romans 1.18-32).  God, who is the Creator of all things, has left unmistakable evidence of His existence and power in the created world of nature all around us.  Men and women are therefore without excuse when they worship man-made idols and follow perverted sexual instincts.  It is a warning equally appropriate to our own permissive and degenerate age.

There is a principle running throughout scripture, that God 'will give to each person according to what he has done', whether good or evil (Romans 2.6; Psalm 62.12; Proverbs 24.12).  It is useless therefore to condemn others for wrongdoing, (as we are all so prone to do), when we ourselves are guilty of comparable sins (Romans 2.1-4).  This was a Jewish weakness too, for they were proud of their special relationship with God, yet they failed to keep His law and consequently brought His holy name into disrepute (Romans 2.17-24).

It is in this context that Paul re-states one of the basic principles of Bible teaching.  The time will come when God's righteous judgment will be revealed - the Day of Judgment so often scoffed at by unbelievers (Romans 2.5).  On that day, but clearly not until then, those who have persevered in well-doing will be given eternal life (Romans 2.7).  Those who reject the truth (especially of God's existence and authority) and follow evil will experience the outpouring of God's anger, which is stored up against evildoers (Romans 2.8-9).  'It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God' (Hebrews 10.31 NIV).

Mankind is in fact divided into two parts, those, who sin and perish outside God's law (being ignorant of it), and those who sin under the law and who will be judged by it.  Paul's preaching of the 'good news' had included judgement 'On the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ' (Romans 2.12-16; cp. Acts 10.42).  Because all have sinned and fallen short of giving glory to God, all men, Jew and Gentile, are alike under condemnation of sin and sentence of death (Romans 3.19; 3.23).  God's law has really served to make us aware how desperately we are sinners before Him (Romans 3.20; 7.7).

Because we are quite unable to attain righteousness by keeping in full any divine law (our sinful nature is a fatal weakness in any such attempt), God in His favour (grace) has devised a different and greatly superior way to be reckoned righteous in His sight.  This is righteousness by faith in the redemption He has provided in and through His Son, whom He has given as a covering for our sins in the sacrifice at Calvary (Romans 3.21-26).  This new and living way to attain righteousness before God is freely available to both Jew and non-Jew without distinction (Romans 3.29-30; 10.12-13).

Historically, Abraham is the great example of someone 'justified (reckoned righteous) by faith'.  When old and still childless (for his wife Sarah was infertile) he fully accepted God's promise that he would become the father of a multitude of people as numerous as the stars in the sky (Romans 4.18-21; Genesis 15.4,5).  This implicit faith in God's assurance 'was credited to him as righteousness' (Romans 4.22 Genesis 15.6 NIV).

Because this event in Abraham's life took place before he received the covenant of circumcision (Genesis 17.7-14), Paul reasons that Abraham was made the spiritual father of all the faithful, of both circumcised Jews and uncircumcised Gentiles (Romans 4.9-17).  This faith-righteousness, he continues, can be credited to us too, if we exercise faith in the efficacy of the sacrifice of Jesus and in his resurrection from the dead (Romans 4.23-25).

God has demonstrated in the most decisive way His love for us in that He gave His Son to die for us, even while we were still hostile to Him (Romans 5.10).  Having now been reconciled to God by this sacrifice (Paul is of course writing to baptised believers in Christ) and having been justified by our faith in this means of salvation, we have every reason to rejoice in the hope of sharing in the glory to be revealed (Romans 5.1,2; 5.11; 8.18-25).

God's favour towards those who have faith in His promises is next illustrated in the consequences of the actions of the two sons of God (Romans 5.15-19).  Through the first man, Adam, sin and death entered the world.  Because all mankind have descended from him (no room here for the theory of evolution!) the disobedience of that one man has brought condemnation and sentence of death upon the whole human race (Romans 5.12-14).

God in His mercy, however, has given His Son Jesus as the firstborn of a new creation (Colossians 1.18).  Because of Jesus' absolute obedience to his Father he has become a 'second Adam', and the spiritual progenitor of all those who exercise faith and obedience to God.  They are thereby 'justified' (i.e. counted righteous) and promised eternal life.  This is the exact opposite of the condemnation and sentence of death inherited from the first Adam (Romans 5.21).

If we are to receive God's grace, Paul adds, we must be united with Jesus, not only by recognising the facts of his sacrifice and resurrection, but also by sharing in them by baptism into his death.  When we are symbolically buried in water we renounce our former way of life in which we were slaves to sin, and become subjects of a 'spiritual resurrection' to a new life in Christ.  In this new life we are 'slaves to righteousness' (Romans 6.1-7,15-18).

It must be obvious on reflection that there can be no acceptable substitute for this essential act of union with Christ in baptism, which is elsewhere described as 'a washing away of sins' (Acts 22.16).  By obeying this and all other commands of Christ we show that we really love him (John 14.21), and prove the genuineness of our faith by our actions (James 2.20-24).

The union with Christ is divinely regarded as a spiritual marriage.  Having died to the obligations of the old Law, we are united with a new 'husband', Jesus Christ (Romans 7.1-6).  Does this mean we are no longer under any influence of sin?  Alas no, as Paul graphically proceeds to describe in a personal analysis of his inner motives (Romans 7.7-20).  He realises certain things constitute good conduct and wishes to do them, but he finds he cannot carry them out.  In contrast, the evil he hates he keeps on doing (Romans 7.15).  He discovers in himself two opposite and warring principles:

'In my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members'(Romans 7.22-23 NIV).

All who have struggled to resist this innate tendency to sin - the real devil within us, which deceives and kills us (Romans 7.11) will echo Paul's anguished outburst:

'What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!' (Romans 7.24,25 NIV).

The Apostle concludes this section with the powerful argument that once we have been baptised into Christ Jesus and become related to salvation we must 'live in accordance with the Spirit,' because 'the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.'  Those who allow themselves to be controlled by their sinful natures cannot please God (Romans 8.1-8) and will not enter God's kingdom (Rom 14.17).  This power which must rule our lives is called in turn 'the Spirit of God', 'the Spirit of Christ', and simply 'Christ in you' (Romans 8.9,10).  It is a disposition of sonship and obedience, which emboldens us to address God as 'Abba' - the Jewish intimate word for 'dear Father' (Romans 8.14-16; Galatians 4.6,7).

The close association of these three parallel terms teaches us that our motivation as Christians must spring from 'the mind of Christ'.  This is formed within us by the influence of the Word of God - the Scriptures (Galatians 4.19; Colossians 3.16).  Today the Bible is the only inspired and reliable source of instruction on how we must imitate the heavenly pattern of godliness perfectly displayed in Jesus.

Further, the equivalence of 'mind' and 'spirit' so plainly taught here is endorsed throughout the Bible (cp. 1 Corinthians 2.10-16 with Isaiah 40.13).  Recognition of this fact will save us from the mistaken notion that there is a third person referred to (in a Trinity), in addition to God and Christ.  This is not so; a man or woman led by the Spirit of God is directed by the mind of God as taught by Christ and revealed in the 'Word of Truth.'

Later, in Chapter eight, the Spirit which intercedes (verses 26,27) is identified as Jesus himself (verse 34), for there is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2.5).  With such an intercessor, and with God Himself working for our ultimate good in all things, who can be against us (except our own rebellious spirits!)?  We will be more than conquerors through him who loved us! (Romans 8.31-39).  Meanwhile we wait patiently for the glory of the kingdom to be revealed, and the transformation of our sinful, mortal bodies to spirit nature, free from frustration, decay and death (Romans 8.18-25).

Paul now turns his attention to his own nation, the people of Israel, and deplores their failure to recognise God's righteousness as revealed in Christ.  Instead, he says, they have tried to establish their own righteousness by keeping the Law of Moses - and have signally failed! (Romans 9.1-5; 10.1-3).  However God's purpose has not failed, for He foresaw and predicted their disobedience.  In His foreknowledge He chose in advance a mere remnant of His nation, allowing, for the time being, the majority to stumble and fall (Romans 9.6; 9.27-33).

There was mercy even in this, however, in that because Israel rejected the divine favour, a door of faith was opened to the Gentiles (Romans 11.11; 11.17-21).  Further, once the full complement of Gentiles has been called to the same hope of the gospel, the hard hearts of the Jews will be softened, so that in the long run all Israel will be saved (Romans 11.25-32).

Is God arbitrary in thus choosing some and rejecting others?  Far from it!  Just as a potter has the right to make out of the same lump of clay pottery for both special occasions and everyday use, so God has every right to pick and choose between the vessels He has shaped out of the mass of human clay (Romans 9.16-21).  He bears patiently with the obstinacy of wicked people like Pharaoh, in order to show His great kindness on the objects of His mercy.  These are they whom He has called from among both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 9.22-24).  How infinitely great, concludes the Apostle, is God's wisdom and knowledge - far beyond our comprehension! (Romans 11.33-36).

Now follow what should be the practical and logical consequences of God's mercy towards us.  As God has shown us such great love, we on our part have a moral obligation to offer ourselves as 'living sacrifices' to Him.  In other words we should be devoting ourselves to His service, and should no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world.  Rather we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds in the divine image (Romans 12.1-2).  We are to be humble, diligent in the work of the Christian community, showing genuine love to all, and as far as possible we are to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12.3-18).

This last precept also requires us to be obedient to the authorities in whatever country we live, for rulers are where they are by God's overruling providence (Romans 14.1 - 15.2).  Only in the comparatively rare case in which we are ordered by them to do something against God's law are we to disobey as, for example, when the Jewish rulers forbade the Apostles to preach the gospel (Acts 4.18-20; 5.29).  Peaceable and helpful co-operation among Christians also required forbearance between two groups of believers.

There were those who felt it essential to observe the dietary laws and other precepts of the old Mosaic Law, and there were those whose consciences were clear on such issues and were therefore inclined to be critical of their 'weaker brethren' (Romans 14.1 - 15.2).  This is because believers in Christ are now freed from the Mosaic obligations.  The weak must not condemn the 'strong', while the latter are not to parade their convictions (however well-founded) to make a stumbling block for the over-scrupulous.

Jesus himself set us the example in this.  He did not please himself but bore with the failings of the weak (Romans 15.3).  This is true Christian love in action.  Failure to follow this Christian way is a likely cause of rifts within the community and people guilty of such selfishness are to be avoided (Romans 16.17-20).

Paul's intention, after sending this letter, was to take to Jerusalem the relief funds collected in Greece, and then travel as far as Spain, visiting Rome on the way (Romans 15.23-29).  As far as we know he never did see Spain, and even his arrival at Rome was as a prisoner under guard, not as a free agent (Acts 28.16).  He seemed to be somewhat apprehensive about the kind of reception he might experience.

However, news of his coming reached the Roman church in good time and some of them travelled towards the coast to meet him.  Luke tells us that at the sight of these brothers, Paul thanked God and was encouraged, as well he might be (Acts 28.15).  The sterling character of the Roman Christians is revealed by the warm commendation Paul gives many of them in the final chapter (Romans 16.1-16).  Note how many women helpers are included in this greetings list - nine at least!

The foregoing summary highlights a few of the doctrinal matters expounded in this important letter.  In a short article much has inevitably been omitted or compressed from a document which represents a quarter of all that has been preserved of Paul's writings.  We trust the points touched upon will help both to underline some of the Apostle's teaching and whet your appetite for a closer reading of the letter as a whole.  We hope that you too may be justified by your faith in God's redemptive work through His Son, and be adjudged worthy of eternal life in the Day of Judgment.