The Book of Romans

In the first eleven chapters Paul explained the doctrine of Christianity. In the following four chapters he showed practical implications of Christian living. But in the final chapter he concluded with personal greetings, which are as instructive as they are illuminating.

The desire to please ourselves is a powerful motivational factor. It can lead to all kinds of selfishness and inappropriate independence. Because the Christian follows Christ, he or she exhibits a different attitude—the ministering mentality.

The church at Rome was made up of Jews and Gentiles. This was a potentially volatile mix, and Paul was concerned that the behavior of both would serve to avoid dissension and foster Christian unity.

It is surprising to discover that Paul evidently thought that the reader of his letter had dozed off, because he found it necessary to tell them it was time they woke from their slumber. That it was a spiritual sleeping sickness is illustrated by the A.N.T. translations, “Rouse to Reality.”

At this point the tone of the epistle changed. Having carefully and systematically laid out this theological statement, the apostle now adopts a preaching style. And with a series of questions, he asks for a response.

Having explained in principle what happens when believers receive the “Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead,” Paul now leads into a practical explanation of life in the Spirit.

Having dealt with the Christian’s behavior in the church, Paul turns his attention to the way a person with a renewed mind functions in a secular society, with particular reference to their response to governmental authority.

Having dealt with evil on the cosmic scale, Paul now turns to a practical treatment of evil in the life of the individual. Showing how evil is found in attitudes as well as actions, he teaches believers how to shun evil and embrace good.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers . . .” begins the final section of this great epistle. It introduces a heartfelt brotherly appeal to a practical application of the truth expounded and gets right into the heart of spiritual experience by urging the readers to evaluate their values in the light of all that has been explained thus far.

The old hymn says, “God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.” Nowhere is this better illustrated than in His dealings with Israel. His ways are wonderful, and the appropriate response is wonder and adoration.

Paul’s discussion of divine sovereignty and human accountability with particular reference to Israel tends to go over peoples’ heads, but it serves an essentially practical purpose. Paul, the theologian, was always the lover of people and a deeply committed evangelist.

Paul’s presentation of the gospel of Christ was not at all acceptable to many Jews for obvious reasons. As a result, the veracity of his message and his own credibility were under fire. More than that, profound questions concerning election and rejection needed to be answered. They still do.

Paul frequently used the expression “in Christ Jesus” (vv. 1-2). To be “in Christ Jesus” means to have a vital faith-relationship with the crucified and risen Christ. Great benefits and responsibilities accrue to those who enjoy such a relationship.

Paul’s statement, “You are not under law but under grace,” while wonderfully true is often woefully misunderstood and misapplied. This section examines the believer’s relationship to the law.

In his book, "Dynamics of Spiritual Life,” Richard Lovelace wrote, “Three aberrations from the biblical teaching on justification – cheap grace, legalism, and moralism – still dominate the church today.” Paul, in this passage, turns his attention to the first century equivalent of “cheap grace."

It may have occurred to Paul that he had written much about sin in individual lives without describing either the vast extent of sin’s domination or how sin came to be such a problem in the first place. He used the word “reign” to describe sin’s domination but balanced the expressions by talking about four monarchs.

Celebration and depression seem to be commonplace in our world. The former is often related to a mindless, unthinking irresponsibility, while the latter is connected to a hopelessness, which sees no solutions to life’s problems. What should be the Christian’s attitude? We should rejoice intelligently.

We have all been taught that there is no such thing as a free lunch, but that does not mean that nothing is free. It means that if something is given freely somebody footed the bill. So it is with salvation, but man has to believe that salvation is free because God paid the price.

We have now reached one of the pivotal points of the epistle introduced by the words: “But now….” After the powerful “charge” that “all are under sin” and merit divine judgment, Paul begins to outline God’s answer to the human predicament.

The human race is severely fragmented. No one denies it although many ignore it while some look for common ground on which some semblance of unity might be built. Paul states common ground that is largely overlooked but, if properly appreciated, could work wonders.

Paul’s sweeping denunciation of human behavior no doubt stirred up indignant reaction in some of his hearers, as it still does today. By utilizing a literary device called “diatribe”—a debate with an anonymous person—he answers...

Having exposed the condition of pagan society, Roman and Greek, Paul turned his attention to the religious society of the Jewish people. Although he was a Jew and proud of it, Paul did not...

“Gospel” means “good news,” but to many people it clearly is not particularly good. The reason may be that they have not realized how bad the bad news is because they have overlooked the wrath of God.

There is no denying the remarkable impact of the Apostle Paul’s ministry on the first century, nor its continued worldwide influence. Behind such outstanding achievement there lay powerful attitudes.