The Book of Romans from 30,000 Feet

Introduction

Romans is the longest of Paul’s letters and, along with Galatians, his most theological.

It is placed first among his letters in the NT not because it was his earliest letter but because of its length and importance.

The significance of the book of Romans historically

Reading Romans led to the conversion of and helped launch the Reformation in Europe. This led to the establishment of believing churches throughout the world.

Martin Luther’s writing on Romans led to faith. He was the father of Methodism which had such an impact on England and the US in the 1700’s.

One modern author states: Probably no book in the New Testament has been so influential in the history of the Christian church as the Letter to the Romans. Autobiographical accounts tell us how it was decisive in the initial conversion of, or the renewal of living faith in, such significant figures as Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Karl Barth, and through them in the lives of many more.^[1]

The significance of the book of Romans theologically

John Calvin: “When any one understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him to the understanding of the whole Scripture.”²

J. I. Packer: “All roads in the Bible lead to Romans, and all views afforded by the Bible are seen most clearly from Romans, and when the message of Romans gets into a person’s heart there is no telling what may happen.”³

John Piper: Romans is “the most important theological, Christian work ever written.”⁴

Our love of the book of Romans

Many of you love the book of Romans, at least parts of it, if not all of it.

You’ve memorized verses from the book of Romans.

Romans 1:16

Romans 6:23

Romans 8:28

You’ve used the Romans Road to lead someone to faith in Jesus.

You may recall much of the sixth and eighth chapters of Romans and the impact those chapters have had on your life.

You’ve enjoyed the truths and promises found in the book of Romans.

Romans 5:8

Romans 8:1

Romans 8:16

Romans 8:26

Romans 8:31

But the Book of Romans is much more than a book of favorite chapters or great promises. It is a book of , a book about the life-giving God who graciously made a way for all of us to experience his forgiveness and new life free from the downward pull of sin on our lives and oriented to eternal purpose and meaning. Its message has transformed the world and can transform how we see the world, how we relate to the world, how we treat others, how we think about ourselves, how we handle troubles and suffering, and how we feel about the future. It’s a transformative book, a life-giving book.

Today we will be doing what I call viewing the Book of Romans from 30,000 feet. You get the metaphor. We’ll be looking at the book as a whole, and try to place it in its setting.

The Setting of Romans

Author

Who: 

Qualifications:

His relationship to the Roman church:

Date

When it was written: (Paul’s third missionary journey)

Where it was written:

Timeline: (download from the web site: Media/Downloadable Documents)

Recipients: the Roman church/Roman Christians

Founding of the church

Unknown. Not , not

Likely started by converts who visited Jerusalem, perhaps on the Day of Pentecost, or another holy day and encountered the gospel there. (See Acts 2:10.)

Make-up of the church

Jews and Gentiles, though mostly Gentiles

Jews: Romans 2:17, 3:1, 3:9, 3:20, 16:3-5

Gentiles: Romans 1:6, 1:13, 15:15-16

There may have been thousands of Christians in Rome in the time of Nero and Paul.

Challenges facing the church

The expulsion of Jews from Rome (Acts 18:1-2) likely had put the Gentiles into greater leadership in the church. When the Jews were allowed to return a few years later, they may have had some problems adjusting to a church now led by Gentiles. ??

There may have been confusion about the teaching of salvation by grave alone through faith alone in Jesus alone, perhaps as a result of Jewish believers still zealous for the Law.

There was some division in the church over the observance of days and foods, and other such things. It was causing some to feel superior and others to feel pressured to do things against their conscience.

Regardless of what was going on inside the church, what was going on outside it produced its greatest challenges.

The Roman Empire

History

Rome was founded in about 750 BC.

It gained control of the Italian peninsula in 272 BC. From there it conquered all the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Extent

In Paul’s day the Roman Empire surrounded the Mediterranean Sea. It included Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, Spain, and Western and Southern Europe.

Leadership

Since the days of Augustus Caesar (27BC) the Roman empire was ruled over by an emperor, ostensibly along with a body called the Senate made up exclusively of the wealthy class. The Emperor was considered to be divine, a son of god.

The City of Rome

Population/demographics

By New Testament times the city had grown to a population well over (some have placed it as high as ), the majority of which were slaves.^[2]

Economic

Rome consisted largely of freedmen of three classes: the wealthy (less than ½%), the military (slightly over ½%), a middle class of unknown size, and the poor who made up most of the population. In addition to these were slaves who vastly outnumbered the others.

Religion

As the center of the Roman empire, it attracted all kinds of people and religions. There were an estimated temples there, dedicated not only to the gods of the Romans but also to the gods of the people that the Romans had conquered.^[3]

Civic life

The Roman Emperor (at this point Nero) was considered the giver and keeper of the peace which all citizens and slaves enjoyed. It would be natural to be grateful and loyal to a leader who maintained the peace and made travel and commerce safe for everyone. He was considered divine, a son of god. To claim a different Lord than the Emperor and to refuse to give a token offering to his statue every year was an expression of deep ingratitude and even rebellion.

Regard for the poor and for life were very low in the Roman world. Unwanted babies were routinely disposed of by exposure, women were considered of little value, slaves were mistreated, and the Romans used crucifixion to rule by fear and intimidation. The Christians regard for the equality of all people and concern for the weakest and most vulnerable put them in stark contrast to their Roman neighbors.

Add to this the moral corruption of a huge polyglot city and the hundreds of shrines and temples clamoring for attention, and the challenges facing the church in Rome were significant.

The theme and purpose of Romans

Paul’s purpose in writing

To formally to the church

Some of them knew him personally (Aquila and Priscilla and others on the list in chapter 16). Other knew him only indirectly. Since he would be visiting them he would want to first write them and be sure they all knew the message that he shared.

To remind the Roman Christians of the

Roman 15:15

The extent to which Paul goes into the gospel indicates his concern that the Romans understand that what he preaches and what they believe are one and the same. At the same time he may be addressing an issue he is aware of within the church, perhaps introduced by Jewish believers, over exactly how a person was saved and whether his gospel of free grace encouraged immoral behavior. (Romans 3:8)

To encourage Christian growth and

Romans 1:11

Romans 14:19

To alert the Roman believers of his plans to when he traveled to Spain

Romans 15:24

Romans 15:28

Theme

Found in Romans 1:16–17

The Gospel reveals God’s redeeming and transforming .

Contents

It is a book of

It is a book of

It answers essential questions:

What is the ultimate ?

What God is like?

What is life’s and meaning?

What is the in the world and what is the answer to this problem?

It answers questions Jesus raised but did not answer:

How can our righteousness that of the scribes and Pharisees?

What is the and how do I go through it?

What is the life?

It is a book of

It tells us how people who have died in their relationship with God because of turning from him and his commandments and who deserve his judgment can be forgiven and have eternal life.

It tells us how God redeems and transforms flawed and fallen human beings turning them into his perfect sons and daughters, giving them lasting hope and a life worth living.

Outline of Romans

(Download the detailed outline on the web site under Media/Downloadable Documents)

1:1-15 – Opening

1:18-4:25 – The Gospel

5-8 – The Gospel

9-11 – The Gospel

12:1-15:13 – The Gospel

15:14-16:27 – Closing

Conclusion

The gospel that is revealed in the book of Romans is life- and world-transforming. This book has changed millions upon millions of lives and helped change the course of history. It is well worth our time to study and to learn how to live out the gospel in our own lives.

Here is the gospel:

We are all sinners and deserve eternal condemnation, but Jesus died for us and rose again so that we can be forgiven and have eternal life with God. We get eternal life by receiving it by faith as a free gift from God.

 

1. Howard Marshall, Stephen Travis, and Ian Paul, Exploring the New Testament: The Letters and Revelation, vol. 2 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2011), 111. ↑
2. Robert G. Gromacki, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1974), 179–180. ↑
3. Robert G. Gromacki, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1974), 179–180. ↑