Paul’s letter to the Romans is arguably the single most important piece of literature in the history of the world. Show
Paul’s letter to the Romans is relatively short (it takes about sixty minutes to read aloud), and it is profound. It explains and exults in and applies the greatest news we could hear. RomansAndrew David NaselliScholar and author Andrew David Naselli traces Paul’s argument for the gospel throughout this concise guide to the book of Romans, providing accessible commentary and unpacking the text verse by verse. Why Did Paul Write Romans?Some argue that Paul wrote this letter primarily to address a specific problem in the church at Rome (Rom. 14:1–15:13). Paul rebukes two groups: the “weak in faith” (probably mainly Jewish Christians) and the “strong” in faith (probably mainly Gentile Christians). Gentile Christians were becoming arrogant toward the minority of Jewish Christians. But Paul likely did not write this letter primarily to heal the Jew-Gentile division. (1) Why would Paul wait to address the issue until near the end of the letter (chap. 14)? (2) Why doesn’t Paul address specific needs in the church at Rome the way he does in his other letters? Instead of specifying one main purpose for Paul’s letter, it is better to recognize several purposes that arise from Paul’s missionary situation. He wrote the letter to: (1) apply lessons from his recent conflicts in Galatia and Corinth; (2) prepare for the looming crisis in Jerusalem; (3) secure a missionary base for his work in Spain; (4) unify the church in Rome around the gospel; and (5) defend his theology against accusations that he is anti-law and even anti-Jewish (see Rom. 3:8).6 What Is the Theological Message of Romans?7The gospel reveals how God is righteously righteousing (i.e., justifying) unrighteous individuals—both Jews and Gentiles—at this stage in the history of salvation.8 How does that happen? By faith in Christ apart from the law covenant. Why does that happen? Ultimately for God’s glory (Rom. 11:33–36). The word gospel (Greek: euangelion) and its related verb evangelize (Greek: euangelizō) are prominent in the letter’s introduction and conclusion (see Rom. 1:1–2, 9, 16–17; 15:16, 19–20; 16:25), where we expect to encounter an overarching topic.9 And gospel is foremost in Romans 1:16–17, which states the letter’s theme. What is the gospel?10 Gospel means “good news.” What do you do with news? You announce it. You proclaim it. So the gospel is news that we can announce. But what kind of news is it? It is good news that presupposes corresponding bad news. The bad news is very bad news for us for two reasons: (1) because of who God is and (2) because of who we are. God is the holy Creator who owns us and cannot simply overlook sin, and we are sinners whom God must condemn for our spiritual adultery, our rebellion and treason against God the King. But the good news is very good news for us for two reasons: (1) because of what Jesus did and (2) because of what will happen if we trust Jesus. Here’s what Jesus did: Jesus lived, died, and rose again for sinners. This is God’s solution to our predicament (i.e., that we are sinners and thus deserve God’s wrath). Jesus lived and died instead of sinners, in the place of sinners, as a substitute for sinners. He lived a perfect life and took our punishment. That’s why theologians describe his death as penal substitution. Jesus died for sins. But he was not guilty of a single sin. God punished him for our sins. He took our place. “For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus removes our guilt (expiation) and satisfies God’s righteous wrath against us (propitiation) (see Rom. 3:21–26). Our fundamental problem is our sin against God and that we are condemned under God’s wrath, and the heart of Jesus’s death is that Jesus paid our penalty (penal) in our place (substitution). All other pictures of what Christ’s death accomplished depend on his penal substitution.11
The good news is very good news for us not only because of what Jesus did. It’s good news for us because of what will happen if we trust Jesus: God saves sinners who turn and trust Jesus. Turn (i.e., repent) and trust (i.e., believe, exercise faith). This is where you come in. This is where it gets personal. This is why the gospel is good news for you. The response God requires from you is repentance and faith. Turn from your sin and trust Jesus alone to deliver you. Trust that God will substitute Jesus’s perfect record—his perfect life and sacrificial death—for your record and thus declare you to be righteous (i.e., justified). As the hymn says, “God the just is satisfied / to look on him [Jesus] and pardon me.”12 God will save you if you trust Jesus. We can summarize the bad news and good news with four words: God, man, Christ, response.
Those four points do not appear in every Bible passage that talks about the gospel or about Jesus’s cross-work, but they’re often at least implied (see Rom. 1–4; 1 Cor. 15:1–5). So what exactly is the gospel? Here’s one way to define the gospel succinctly, capturing its very core: Jesus lived, died, and rose again for sinners, and God will save you if you turn and trust Jesus.13 Unfortunately, many Christians might think that once they become Christians, the gospel is completely behind them. So rather than focusing on the gospel, they assume the gospel and focus on relatively peripheral issues. But the gospel continues to be central good news for Christians—not merely because God will rescue you from hell and because you can enjoy the pleasures of heaven. It’s good news because you can enjoy God himself like you never could in your shackles of sin.14 And you don’t need to try to earn God’s favor. You can’t. You should live a certain way (Titus 3:1–2) because of the gospel (Titus 3:3–7), not to placate God or put him in your debt. As Jerry Bridges shrewdly observed, “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”15 The glorious message of Paul’s letter to the Romans is that the gospel reveals how God is righteously righteousing unrighteous individuals—both Jews and Gentiles—at this stage in the history of salvation. Notes:
This article is adapted from Romans: A Concise Guide to the Greatest Letter Ever Written by Andrew David Naselli. Andrew David Naselli (PhD, Bob Jones University; PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of systematic theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis and one of the pastors of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Related ArticlesDoes God Single Out the Sin of Homosexuality? (Romans 1) Robert W. Yarbrough While in recent years same-sex relations have been glamorized in some sectors of society, Jesus confirmed that God’s will for marriage has always been lifelong heterosexual monogamy. What Does Romans 6:23 Mean? Robert W. Yarbrough Life is complex. Gray areas abound. Yet Jesus taught that we all face a simple but fateful either/or: a wide way leading to woe, or a narrow way leading to life. The Gospel in Romans Robert W. Yarbrough Romans explains the saving work of Jesus reported in the Gospels, and unpacks many of the teachings that were foundational to the churches that arose in Acts. Why You Shouldn’t Read Isaiah Like You Read Romans Peter J. Gentry All believers should seek to learn how to read and understand the biblical prophets on their own. They are a different kind of literature from Romans, as much so as comics differ from the front page of a newspaper. What is the purpose of Paul's writing his letter to the Romans?Paul understood the situation and wrote the letter to both the Jewish and the Gentile Christians in Rome in order to persuade them to build up a peaceful and close relationship between their house churches.
Who was the letter of Romans written to?The epistle was addressed to the Christian church at Rome, whose congregation Paul hoped to visit for the first time on his way to Spain.
|