Paul ended the description of his spiritual struggle by asking, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Immediately he answered, “Thanks be to God (He will)—through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Then he explained what that means and how it works.

Israel’s rejection of the gospel, if not rightly understood could lead people to doubt God’s faithfulness or to conclude Paul’s gospel was false. Paul explores the issue further.

After the Sadducees failed to master Jesus in argument, the Pharisees tried to trip Him up. They brought up a hot topic concerning the greatest commandment in Matthew 22. Jesus’ answer “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” is crucial for all time. But what does that look like?

Paul knew that statements can be taken to an extreme. For example, some may decide that when he instructed them “not to conform to the pattern of the age” (Romans 12:2) that meant they had no obligations to secular government. He may also have been eager to present an alternative to the “vigilantism” he rejected in Romans 12:19. Or perhaps believers were joining in an anti-taxation movement (Romans 13:6f). Whatever his reasons, he explained that government has its ordained role.

Paul concludes his exposition of “the gospel” by combining a number of the epistle’s key themes in a plea and prayer for unity in the Roman church, and then he addresses his future plans.