Romans

Written By Bible Study Review

Introduction to the book of Romans

The book of Romans has many challenging ideas in the Bible. Many people called this epistle Paul's Ph.D. thesis on Christianity. Paul examines the core ideas or main ideas of the Christian faith, and he answers questions posed by both unbelievers and believers concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Theme & Overview

The book of Romans has been called "The Constitution of Christianity," " The Christian Manifesto," and "The Cathedral of the Christian Faith." It is noteworthy for being the most complete compendium of Christian doctrine. 
The book of Romans is the Gospel of grace. Scholars believe that Romans 1:16 tells the whole purpose of the book of Romans and the entire Bible itself. A person can only receive grace and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. " For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the Power of God unto Salvation to every one who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17)KJV.

In these two verses, Paul states his confidence in the Gospel and its reasons. Most of his epistle is devoted to explaining why and how the Gospel of Christ is God's power to save those who believe.

The Gospel is God's power to save humans, and God's grace is revealed through the Gospel. God's mercy is revealed or shown through the Gospel. People can only be saved through Jesus Christ, and humans are reconciled through Jesus's death on the cross. And, for a person to receive God's grace, they must accept Jesus as their Lord and savior. 
Paul's primary theme in Romans is presenting the good news (the Gospel) of Jesus Christ, God's plan of salvation and righteousness for all humankind: Jews and Gentiles.

Author

We know from Romans 1:1 that the author of this epistle is Paul. Also, the author made some personal references that are only applicable to Paul (Romans 11:13; 15:15-20). Therefore, Pauline's authorship is conclusive and practically unquestioned both in the history of the church and in modern scholarship. 
	Paul the Apostle, also called the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, and Saint Paul was one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with his writings forming a considerable portion of the New Testament.

Date

The Epistle of Romans was written between A.D. 56 and 58 from Corinth during Paul's third missionary journey. 

Background

Paul stayed in Corinth for three months. Paul wanted to stop by the church in Roman while on his way to Jerusalem. (Acts 20:22)(Romans 15:25, 30-32)
Also, Paul wanted the Roman church to assist him with his travel to Spain (Roman 15:24).
Rome was at the center of the Roman Empire. The Romans had a passion for road construction, so traveling was relatively easy, and the saying " All roads lead to Rome" was literally true. 
The Greek Language was common throughout the Roman empire. 
The church was primarily made up of Gentiles and had very little central organization or local church government. Small groups of believers met all over the city (Romans 16:5,10,11,14,15). 

The Purpose & Audience

This epistle was addressed to the saints because the church consisted of small groups of believers that usually met all over the city in Roman (Romans 16:5,10,11,14,15).
 Paul wrote to the church in Rome to present his basic statement of the Gospel. Paul wanted the church in Rome to understand that God's plan of salvation is for all people. Romans 1:7 says, "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." The Christian Standard Bible says in Romans 1:7, "To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
It is possible that the Gospel of Mark was written in A.D. 68 to this same group of saints. 
Paul wanted the saints to know that he desired to minister in Rome, but he could not come right away because his preaching was not yet finished in the areas that did not have the Gospel. So, that is why he was hindered from coming to see them (Romans 15:22). Also, Paul wanted to instruct them in his Gospel (Roman 16:25). Paul's Gospel was "Jesus Christ and HIM Crucified and the story of redemption through Jesus Christ").
Phoebe was in Corinth and was going to make a trip to Rome. Therefore, Paul took that opportunity to send a letter to the saints by her (Romans 16:1,2). 
Phoebe was a "servant," in Greek, which means "diakonos." A "diakonos" in English means a "Deacon" and a "Deaconess." This passage exemplifies or shows that it is scriptural for a woman to serve as a man in this capacity or this type of role. 
The King James Study Bible says that the Apostle Paul had three objectives in writing this epistle: 
  • (1) to teach them the fundamental doctrine of salvation in order to fortify them against the Judaizers (Romans 1:1-3:31).
  • (2) to explain Israel's unbelief and vindicate God's faithfulness in His dealings with Israel (Romans 9:1-11:36).
  • (3) to give practical instruction concerning Christian living in the society of his day (Romans 12:1-16:27).

Characteristics & Key Verse

Scholars believe that Romans 1:16 tells the whole purpose of the book of Romans and the entire Bible itself. A person can only receive grace and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
This letter to the Romans is the first great work of Christian theology, and It is the only part of Scripture in which a detailed and systematic presentation of the main features of Christian doctrine is found.
I could not decide which outline to use, so I gave two outlines below:

Brief Outline #1

INTRODUCTION (Rom 1:1-17)
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (Rom 1:18-11:36)
  • SIN - THE "NEED" FOR SALVATION
               1. The Need Of The Gentiles (Rom 1:18-2:16)
              2. The Need Of The Jews (Rom 2:17-3:8)
              3. The Universal Need For Salvation (Rom 3:9-20)
  • JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH - THE "PROVISION" MADE FOR SALVATION
    1. God's Righteousness Through Faith (Rom 3:21-31)
    2. Abraham As An Example (Rom 4:1-25)
  • FREEDOM - THE "RESULT" OF SALVATION
    1. Freedom From Wrath (Rom 5:1-21)
    2. Freedom From Sin (Rom 6:1-23)
    3. Freedom From The Law (Rom 7:1-25)
    4. Freedom From Death (Rom 8:1-39)
  • JEW AND GENTILE - THE "SCOPE" OF SALVATION
    1. God Chooses To Save Believers (Rom 9:1-33)
    2. Israel Chose To Trust In Their Own Righteousness (Rom 10:1-21)
    3. Both Jew And Gentile Can Have Salvation Through Faith (Rom 11:1-36)
THE TRANSFORMED LIFE (Rom 12:1-15:13)
    1. IN RELATION TO OVERALL CONDUCT (Rom 12:1-21)
    2. IN RELATION TO CIVIL AUTHORITY (Rom 13:1-7)
    3. IN RELATION TO FELLOW MAN (Rom 13:8-14)
    4. IN RELATION TO WEAK BRETHREN (Rom 14:1-15:13)
CONCLUDING REMARKS, INSTRUCTIONS, AND BENEDICTION (Rom 15:14-16:27)

Outline #2 — Grace in Romans

The Renouncing of Grace - Romans 1:1-3:20
  • The problem of universal sin.
  • Paul begins explaining the concept of grace by detailing man's fall from grace and the state of universal sinfulness.
The Response of Grace - Romans 3:20-7:25
  • The cross of Christ is God's response to man's rejection of His initial offer of grace.
The Request of Grace - Romans 8
  • Grace stimulates a response from humans that the Law cannot.
  • Grace enables man to live a "spirit-filled" life.
The Refusal of Grace - Romans 9-11
  • Why did the Jewish people stumble?
  • Paul uses the Jews as an example of what happens to "religious people" who refuse God's grace.
  • In chapters 1 and 2, he talks about those who fall from grace without religion; in chapters 9 to 11, he describes those who fall from grace but does so with all the trappings of religion.
The Result of Grace - Romans 12-16
  • The result of grace is the church of Christ.
  • Paul describes in detail what grace looks like in the lives of those who experience it.
  • In the end, the church is the collective expression of those experiencing God's grace.
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