When one comes to Romans he comes to the loftiest mountain in a range of noble peaks. Each peak offers rare and spectacular vistas; but Romans leaves the reader breathless, wide-eyed, and full of wonder. No wonder that Martin Luther, whose life and future changed dramatically after studying and applying it, said of Romans: "This Epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest Gospel, and is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul." He continued in his Preface to Romans, "It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes" [J. Theodore Muller, translator, Commentary on Romans, (Grand Rapids: Kregel Classics, 1954), xiii, reprinted from vol. VI, The Works of Martin Luther, pp. 447-462)]. Luther explained that Paul gave in brief fashion "the whole Christian and evangelical doctrine, and that, Romans served "to prepare an introduction to the entire Old Testament." Then he concluded, "For, without doubt, he who has this Epistle well in his heart has the light and power of the Old Testament with him. Therefore let every Christian exercise himself in it habitually and continually" [xxvi].
The remarkable preacher of the fourth century, John Chrysostom of Constantinople, thought Romans to be of such importance and wonder that he had it read aloud to him twice every week, just so that he might hear the words and better grasp its message [Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Gospel of God: Exposition of Chapter 1:1-32 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985), vol. 1, 6]. Augustine, as a proud and immoral fourth century scholar, found himself under conviction when he heard the voice of a child, "Take and read." He picked up a New Testament that sat on a table in the garden, as it fell open to Romans 13. He read, repented, and cast himself upon Christ. John Wesley returned from a mission to the Georgia Colony in the New World, distraught and broken over his failures. Though disciplined and religious, he did not know the assurance of salvation in Christ. He stood and listened to someone reading Luther's Preface to Romans when he "felt his heart strangely warmed"; Wesley believed the gospel of Christ and was converted. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the notable English poet and philosopher of the early 19th century, said of Romans, "it is the profoundest piece of writing in existence" [ML-J, 7].
Yet, all of these historical recommendations aside, we study Romans because it is God's Word; and therein, alone, do we understand the Creator as Redeemer. We can grasp something of God as Creator by observing the beauty and symmetry in the creation. But only through the Revelation of Scripture do we come to the profound wonder of the gospel as "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The gospel of Christ affects every detail of life for those who believe. I believe that Paul builds a good case for this in the Epistle to the Romans.
What was the Apostle's strategy in this epistle? In short, he sought to thoroughly expound the gospel in its applications and implications. We find the prologue (1:1-17) introducing the primary subject, the righteousness of God by faith in Christ through the gospel. But to understand why we need this righteousness and what it is about, we must understand our sinfulness. So, Paul begins in 1:18 through 3:20, showing that none of us is righteous or good, and therefore, we stand in desperate need of Another's (alien) righteousness to be accepted and forgiven by God. He opens this in one of the most profound texts of Scripture in 3:21-31, what Martyn Lloyd-Jones calls "the classic passage about justification by faith only, and also about the doctrine of the atonement" [ML-J, 25]. What Paul unpacks is not unrelated to the Old Testament message but flows right out of it, as he shows in chapter 4 concerning justification by faith. But suffering from the struggle with indwelling sin, observing our own unrighteousness, and being naturally antithetical to the grace of God, we wrestle with the certainty of assurance of salvation. So, the Apostle illustrates, explains, exhorts, instructs, and then leads us in a grand crescendo of assurance in chapters 5-8. But how can this be? How can God do this apart from any merit on our part? Here he takes us into the mysteries of God's grace in chapters 9-11, showing us that salvation is all of God from start to finish. He leaves us staggered at the "unsearchable…judgments and unfathomable…ways" of God (11:33). Then Paul takes the balance of the book, chapters 12-16, aside from closing remarks, and shows us how this grace-alone-through-Christ-alone-imputed-righteousness that belongs to the Christian is applied to the whole of life.
But we must start the book! Or better, begin reading and studying the letter to the Roman Christians. An epistle is an instructive, authoritative letter written to particular people dealing with particular issues in a particular timeframe. The remarkable nature of New Testament Epistles is that while addressing particular people in a given historical setting, their message applies to every age.
Ancient letters would have been written on scrolls rather than note paper and sealed in an envelope. While normal letters in the first century began with the identity of the writer, the recipients and a greeting (e.g., "John to Joan, greetings"), Paul expands and Christianizes the typical form. He does identify himself but with greater detail since he addressed a people that he did not, as a whole, know. He also fleshes out his understanding of the Roman believers as well. Paul didn't plant this church or churches in Rome. He'd not yet been to Rome but planned to go there (1:15; 15:28). Judging from some of the personalities Paul mentions in closing (16:21-23)—particularly the mention of Gaius and Erastus whom apparently lived in Corinth—and the fact that his practice was not to build on another man's labor (15:20-21), he was probably writing from Corinth during his 3rd missionary journey, somewhere around 57-58 A.D. Shortly after this, Paul traveled to Jerusalem, as he mentions his intention to do so in 15:25, and came under arrest due to agitation from a segment of Jews (Acts 21:15-40). He spent considerable time in prison before appealing his case to Caesar (Acts 22:1-26:32). He didn't know that his journey to Rome would be as a man under Roman arrest (Acts 27:1-28:31); he just wanted to meet these brethren and obtain some spiritual fruit among them (Romans 1:13) as he made his way to Spain for further missionary work.
Paul begins his epistolary greeting in verse one, expands upon it by exulting in Christ and the gospel in verses 2-4, identifies his recipients in verses 6-7, and then concludes with a prayer-wish greeting of grace and peace. I want us to focus in this first study on the "book ends" and then, Lord willing, we'll consider the fuller explanation of the Christ that Paul preached in verses 2-4 next week.
If you were addressing people that you did not know personally, and you had a very important message to deliver, how would you introduce yourself? As you think on that for a moment, you feel something of Paul's quandary. He wanted to ask a favor of the Roman Christians—to help him along his way to Spain (15:24). At least that was the plan. Meanwhile, he wanted to lay groundwork for his visit by giving these brethren a fuller explanation of the gospel and the doctrine of justification by faith alone—to use language of the 16th century reformers. Yet what he intended to state might be considered impertinent and arrogant unless he had special authority to deliver such doctrinal details. So, Paul recognized the need to explain his qualifications as the epistle's writer and offer something of his point of reference in addressing these Christians in Rome.
Paul sums up his qualifications in a three-fold manner. "Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God."
First, Paul identifies himself as "a bond-servant of Christ Jesus," just as did Moses, Isaiah, David, and the nation of Israel. We're familiar with the language of a servant or slave from some of the other epistles (Gal. 1:10; Phil. 1:1; Titus 1:1). But the Roman Christians, many of whom likely were slaves, may not have been as familiar with this Christian use of the term. Scholars estimate that over half of the Roman Empire bore the title of "slave." That's the term that Paul uses quite intentionally. Though he had no hesitancy in identifying his apostolic authority, he first approached the Romans through the humblest means—identifying that chiefly, Christ was his master and he Christ's slave. Whether Paul had in mind the idea of servant or the voluntary attachment of a bond-servant (or an indentured servant) or a slave that had been captured by another, he looked to Christ as absolute Master while he committed himself to whole-hearted obedience.
Theologically, Paul fills out this concept in Romans 6 where he explains that all of us are slaves: "either to sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness" (6:16). But that's getting a bit ahead of his argument. Paul could communicate with these Roman believers because His Master was Jesus Christ. So, in the humblest terms, he wanted them to understand that he did not write as one lording over them but rather as one walking side-by-side with them as fellow-servants of Christ.
Do you find that term, "bond-servant of Christ Jesus," aptly identifying you? It implies that you have no greater loyalty or allegiance than you have to Christ. It implies that you intend to whole-heartedly obey all that He commands. It implies that you do not see yourself as better than others but their servant for Christ's sake (2 Cor. 4:5).
Second, Paul next sets forth his apostolic authority, though he carefully explains that he did not claim the title but rather Christ called him as an apostle: "called as an apostle," "not an intruder or interloper, driven by ambition, like a false apostle," as Luther put it [Works (St. Louis: Concordia House Publishers, 1972), vol. 25, p. 4] The Greek is simpler: called apostle or commissioned an apostle. What he conveys is that Christ assigned this apostolic office to him [cf. Barclay Newman & Eugene Nida, A Handbook on Paul's Letter to the Romans (New York: United Bible Societies, 1973), 7]. The apostolic title weighted the authority in Paul's letter. The New Testament reserves that title for only a few who met the strictest qualifications: (1) they were taught directly by Christ; (2) they were eye-witnesses of the resurrected Christ; and (3) they were commissioned directly by Christ to speak on His behalf (the noun "apostle" literally means "sent out one" or "one sent out authoritatively"). Paul had to go to great lengths with the Corinthians and Galatians to explain this apostolic authority since he was not numbered with the original Twelve. He recounted to the Galatians that Christ instructed him in the wilderness of Arabia after he left Damascus—thus meeting the apostolic qualifications (Gal. 1:13-17). He then traveled to Jerusalem fourteen years later, finding that his views on the gospel squared completely with those of "high reputation" in the church (2:1-6). He used a Greek construction that we call a "divine passive" to explain his calling that the Lord had "entrusted" him with the gospel to the Gentiles (2:7). He further told the Corinthians of visions and revelations of the Lord that he could not disclose which added apostolic credentials (2 Cor. 12:1-6).
New Testament revelation is grounded in the earlier Old Testament revelation. Apostles explained, interpreted, and clarified what God had "promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son." Paul spoke with divine authority giving revelation to the church concerning Christ and the work of redemption. The early church depended upon apostolic letters and gospels. Peter refers to Paul's "letters"—plural—and counted them with "the rest of the Scriptures" (2 Pet. 3:15-16). While we may continue to have those with the same missionary spirit shown by the apostles—and indeed, we do—those individuals do not carry the same authority as apostles. For that reason, we don't call them Apostles. That title is reserved for those called and named by Jesus Christ, and identified in Scripture.
Third, Paul also explains his qualifications in relationship to the gospel: "set apart for the gospel of God." Though later Paul calls it "my gospel" (Rom. 16:25; cf. 2 Tim. 2:8; and 2 Thess. 2:14 & 2 Cor. 4:3 where he calls it "our gospel"), he never took over! It was God's gospel! And God's gospel owned Paul! It is God's good news of salvation, forgiveness, and adoption through His Son's life, death, and resurrection. In the 16th century, William Tyndale explained that the gospel "signyfyeth good, mery, glad, and ioyfull tydings, that maketh a mannes hert glad, and maketh him synge, daunce, and leepe for ioye" [quoted by Curtis Vaughan & Bruce Corley, BSC: Romans (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 17]. The Apostle's theme is the gospel—not just in Romans but throughout his life and ministry. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel (1:16). He saw that only in the gospel is the righteousness of God revealed by faith and not by the works of the law (1:17). The gospel that Paul taught did not originate with Paul or even with the other apostles. It was "promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures," i.e. the gospel continued and amplified all that the prophets had revealed for hundreds of years. Paul claimed continuity with the Old Testament message.
He had been "set apart for the gospel of God." That word means to mark off or to separate by a boundary or to appoint [Cleon Rogers, ELKGNT, 315]. It's used in Acts 13:2 as the Holy Spirit spoke to the prophets and teachers in the Antioch church: "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them to." That setting apart initiated the first missionary journey followed by more. The use of the passive voice in our text indicates that Paul didn't mark himself off for the gospel but it came by the gospel's Divine Author. Paul intended to explain that he was what we might call a "gospel man." Everything about him, his goals, ambitions, journeys, relationships, and labors would find their bearing in relationship to the gospel of God.
At this point in his introduction, Paul exults in the details of Christ in the gospel; then he returns to his purpose (v. 5) as one set apart for the gospel of God: "through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake." A clarification was needed just to make sure that the Roman Christians didn't think that Paul laid claim to the apostolic mantle for the gospel on his own. It was through Christ that he "received grace," that is, the grace or favor of God by which Christ laid hold of him. Augustine explains, "Paul preserves the main point of his case very well, so that no one would dare say that he has been led to the gospel because of the merits of his previous life. How could one claim this, when even the apostles themselves…could not have received their own apostleship unless they had first…received grace, which cleanses and justifies sinners?" [Gerald Bray, editor, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Romans (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998) vol. VI, 12, quoting from Augustine's Rudimentary Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans]. As a recipient of saving grace, Paul now declared that same grace to others. The same grace he needed to believe and receive the gospel, we need as well. That's why the same apostle could write to the Ephesians, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). Grace is God's action from start to finish. That's why we must never presume upon grace; it is God's gift that He gives as He wills.
The same grace that saved Paul also effectually called him to his apostolic office. Grace doesn't discuss options! That's quite evident in Acts 9 where Paul's conversion and calling is recorded. When God acts in grace effectually, He turns the most stubborn, recalcitrant sinners to humble faith and obedience. That's the implication in "called as an apostle" as well as in Paul receiving "apostleship." No wonder he told the Corinthians, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me" (1 Cor. 15:10). Grace, grace, grace!
Paul's apostolic gift had an aim: "to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake." Paul did not preach a cheap grace by which one signs on as a Christian with no responsibilities or demands. The gospel calls us to "the obedience of faith." That phrase offers an antidote to much of the weakened evangelism and truncated discipleship in our day. Some offer faith in Christ that has no call for obedience. Others offer a discipleship aimed at obedience that is not grounded in faith. Doug Moo strikes the right balance as he explains what Paul had in mind.
This obedience to Christ as Lord is always closely related to faith, both as an initial, decisive step of faith and as a continuing "faith" relationship with Christ. In light of this, we understand the words "obedience" and "faith" to be mutually interpreting: obedience always involves faith, and faith always involves obedience. They should not be equated, compartmentalized, or made into separate stages of Christian experience. Paul called men and women to a faith that was always inseparable from obedience—for the Savior in whom we believe is nothing less than our Lord—and to an obedience that could never be divorced from faith—for we can obey Jesus as Lord only when we have given ourselves to him in faith [NICNT: Romans, 52-53].
What kept him motivated in such gospel work among people that had no desire for Christ or the gospel? For that matter, what motivates you to talk about the gospel with others? We might say, "God commands it," and that is true; or we might say, "The lost need Christ," and that is true. Yet a higher motivation is found in the last words of verse 5. "For His name's sake" is another way of saying "for His glory" or for the glory of His person and majesty. Paul's missionary motivation flowed out of his desire to see Christ glorified and magnified and worshiped among all peoples (which is a better translation, in my opinion, of ethesin or Gentiles). Only when the honor of Christ and the desire to see Him glorified among all people burns in our hearts will we know the proper burden for the gospel that will propel us out of our comfort zone and into gospel conversations. Think upon His honor; think upon the worthiness of Jesus Christ; and then spread the gospel!
When seeking to understand a biblical text, you need to investigate the original recipients. That informs your grasp of what the text means and helps you understand how to properly apply it. Right applications always come out of contextual interpretation. We'll seek to do this as we work through Romans (as well as any other book). What do we know about the Roman church?
Paul was not addressing an anonymous people. He literally fills the last chapter with greetings to particular people that he knew personally or had met along the way in his missionary labors. Unlike the Epistles to Timothy or Philemon, Paul addresses a church or group of churches in the capitol city of Rome. Here was the heart of the Empire, the crossroads of 1st century civilization, economics, politics, and religion.
How did they get started? We don't know for certain because the book of Acts does not tell of a church planting mission to Rome. However, it does indicate that citizens of the capitol were in Jerusalem at Pentecost (e.g. Acts 2:10, "visitors from Rome"). Quite likely, some of the converts traveled back to Rome and began the first church in that city. Added to this, soldiers and merchants traveling throughout Asia Minor, the Middle East, and Europe coming in contact with Christians, may have come to faith in Christ and returned to begin a church or churches or add to the small gathering of believers in the city. This actually gives us a good model for mission work in major cities throughout the globe. As international visitors come to our city and we have opportunity to teach them the gospel, we may have part in eventually beginning new churches as those visitors (students or businessmen or even tourists) return home. Never think lightly of the opportunity to talk of Christ with those from other nations! Gospel work begins somewhere; why not with us in our regular day-to-day lives?
Being a real church also meant that the Roman Christians would have had normal problems that every church has. They would have struggled with the flesh and the world—Paul addresses that. They would have struggled with judging others, legalism, disunity, and garden-variety selfishness—Paul deals with these things. They would have struggled with a right understanding of the gospel and Christian doctrine due to the competing voices in their city—Paul certainly dealt with these things. He had real people in a real church in mind when he wrote to them—not some kind of ivory tower idealism. So, we must look at understanding and applying the book with reality in our lives.
Notice what Paul says of these believers because what was true of them is true of us 2000 years later. "Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ." Paul had already spoken of his calling as an apostle. By that, he meant that God initiated this apostolic office and effectively brought it about. He insists on the same truth when it came to the salvation of the Roman believers. They were the "called of Jesus Christ," that is, by the grace of God and the work of the Spirit through the proclamation of the gospel, they were effectually called into relationship to Jesus Christ (cf. chapters 8-11 for more of this truth). Chrysostom rightly pointed out that Paul reminds them that all were called, "For since it was likely that among those who believed there would be some consuls and rulers as well as poor and common men, Paul cast aside inequality of rank and writes to them all under one common heading"—"the called of Jesus Christ" [Bray, Ancient Commentary, 14].
He further clarifies, "to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints." How do they explain that they were called by God to Christ, while others were not called? It had nothing to do with merit on their part but rather it came about due to God's special love for them. While it is appropriate to speak of God's love for the world in general, it is equally appropriate to speak of God's special love for those whom He chooses to redeem and call His very own. Paul did not address the city of Rome in his letter but rather "all who are beloved of God in Rome." That's just another way of pinpointing Christians—beloved of God. Additionally, these believers—everyone of them—are "called as saints." That word, saint, literally means "holy ones." It refers to those whom God has set apart by the effectual calling in the gospel, the regenerating work of the Spirit, and the application of justification through faith in Christ. To be saved is to be called a saint. That title is not reserved for a select few canonized by the Catholic Church; such teaching is found nowhere in Scripture. Rather believers—just like you and me—are called saints, holy ones. If God calls us saints because of the effective work of Christ in our hearts, then let us live like it in daily life!
Romans is a gospel book: for those that do not know the gospel there's light to point you to Christ; for those that do know the gospel there's direction to live out the Christian life.
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