Outline of Romans

 I. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH (chaps. 1-4)

    A. Mankind in Sin and Under God’s Wrath (chap. 1).

        1. Introduction (1:1-17).

        2. The Human Plight in a Pagan World (1:18-32).

    B. Gentiles and Jews in Sin Under God’s Wrath (chap. 2).

        1. Consistency of Judgment (2:1-16).

        2. Guilt of the Jew (2:17-29).

    C. How God Makes People Righteous (chap. 3).

        1. God’s Judgment Defended (3:1-8).

        2. Summary: All Have Sinned (3:9-31).

    D. The Example of Abraham: One Made Righteous by Faith (chap. 4).

        1. The Case of Abraham (4:1-5).

        2. The Case of David (4:6-8).

        3. The Promise to Abraham (4:9-17).

        4. The Faith of Abraham (4:18-25).

II. CHRISTIAN LIVING (chaps. 5–8).

    A. Free from Wrath (chap. 5).

        1. The Benefits of Justification (5:1-11).

        2. The Broad Reach of Justification (5:12-21).

    B. Free from Sin (chap. 6).

        1. Baptism in the Likeness of Christ’s Death, Burial and Resurrection (6:1-14).

        2. Enslaved to Righteousness (6:15-23).

    C. Free from the Law (chap. 7).

        1. Deliverance from the Law (7:1-6).

        2. The Relationship Between Law and Sin (7:7-25).

    D. Free from Death (chap. 8).

        1. Deliverance from the Law of Sin and Death (8:1-11).

        2. Ministries of the Spirit (8:12-27).

        3. The Secure Life of the Redeemed (8:28-39).

III. PLACE OF ISRAEL IN SALVATION HISTORY (chaps. 9–11).

    A. God Chooses to Save Believers (chap. 9).

        1. Israel’s Rejection of Christ (9:1-5).

        2. Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose (9:6-12).

        3. Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice (9:13-29).

        4. Israel’s Present Condition (9:30-33).

    B. Israel’s Condemnation is Her Own Fault (chap. 10).

        1. Israel Needs the Gospel (10:1-13).

        2. Israel Rejects the Gospel (10:14-21).

    C. Israel’s Rejection Does Not Have to be Final (chap. 11).

        1. Israel’s Rejection Not Total (11:1-10).

        2. Israel’s Rejection Doesn't Have to Be Final (11:11-36).

IV. CHRISTIAN RELATIONSHIPS (chaps. 12–16).

    A. Christian Duties in General (chap. 12).

        1. Living Sacrifices (12:1-2).

        2. Spiritual Service in the Body (12:3-8).

        3. Christian Conduct (12:9-21).

    B. Duty to Government (chap. 13).

        1. Submission to Civil Authorities (13:1-7).

        2. The Obligation of Love (13:8-10).

        3. The Power of Hope (13:11-14).

    C. The Strong and the Weak (chaps. 14–15).

        1. Refrain from Unrighteous Judging (14:1-13a).

        2. Refrain from Offending (14:13b-23).

        3. Unity of the Strong and Weak (15:1-13).

        4. Paul’s Work: Past, Present, Future (15:14-33).

    D. Closing (chap. 16).

        1. Phoebe Commended (16:1-2).

        2. Greetings to the Roman Saints (16:3-16).

        3. Avoid Those Causing Division (16:17-20).

        4. Greetings from Christian Friends (16:21-23).

        5. Benediction (16:24-27).

--Kevin L. Moore

Related Posts: Synopsis and Summary of Romans

Introducing the Letter to the Romans (Part 2 of 2)

Audience

The church was potentially started in Rome by Jews and proselytes who had been converted to Christianity in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost or not long thereafter (cf. Acts 2:10–8:4).¹ Archaeological evidence and other historical data confirm the presence of small Greek-speaking Jewish synagogues in Rome, the probable centers of the earliest churches.² Some try to establish a definitive case for a Pentecost-day or Jerusalem connection, seeing that Rom. 12:6 speaks of at least one supernatural gift (prophecy) given to “us” (members of the body), presumably by the hands of Jerusalem apostles (cf. Acts 8:14-23). However, Paul’s statement could be intended generally or even prospectively since he hoped to visit Rome that he “may impart to you some spiritual gift …” (1:11), written nearly three decades after the events of Acts 2.

Seutonius reported that around 49 Claudius “expelled from Rome the Jews who were constantly stirring up a tumult under the leadership of Chrestus” (Life of Claudius 25.2).³If the Latin name Chrestus is a distorted version of the Greek Χριστός (“Christ”), Seutonius may have been alluding to heated debates between Jews and Jewish Christians, who would have mutually been affected by this edict, including Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2). As a result of the expulsion of Jewish Christians, the Lord’s church at Rome would have consisted of and been led by Gentile believers for a time (note Claudius died in 54). When the Jews were allowed to return to Rome, the typical socioethnic barriers that characterized most of Greco-Roman society at the time may have caused the reception of the Jewish Christians by their Gentile brethren to have been less than cordial. 

About eight years after Claudius’ edict, Aquila and Priscilla were back in Rome (Rom. 16:3), and the long list of names in Rom. 16 of those already known by Paul may suggest that he encountered at least some of them as exiles during his travels. When Paul arrived in Rome in the spring of 60 (six years after Claudius’ death), the Jewish leaders were familiar with the Christian movement but apparently had not had recent encounters with it (Acts 28:21-22).

The letter to the Romans is not addressed to the “church” [ἐκκλησία] at Rome, but to the “saints” or “sanctified ones” [ἅγιοι] in Rome.⁴ Greetings are then sent to what appears to be three or more separate churches (cf. Rom. 16:5, 14, 15).⁵ The audience to which Romans is addressed would have been comprised of both Gentile and Jewish believers.⁶ Note the apparent focus on Gentile readers (1:5-6, 13; 11:13-24; 15:14-21), and the apparent focus on Jewish readers (2:17; 6:14-15; 7:4; 16:3, 7, 11).

Forty-five Christians who had been to Rome or lived in Rome are explicitly named in the NT: 

·      Paul (Acts 28:14-31; 2 Tim. 1:17)

·      Peter (1 Pet. 5:13a)⁷

·      Silvanus (1 Pet. 5:12)

·      Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:12)

·      Onesimus (Col. 4:9; Philem. 10)

·      Aristarchus (Col. 4:10a; Philem. 24)

·      John Mark (Col. 4:10b; Philem. 24; 1 Pet. 5:13b)

·      Jesus Justus (Col. 4:11)

·      Epaphras (Col. 4:12; Philem. 23)

·      Luke (Col. 4:14a; Philem. 24; 2 Tim. 4:11)

·      Demas (Col. 4:14b; Philem. 24)

·      Timothy (Phil. 1:1; 2:19; Col. 1:1; Philem. 1; 2 Tim. 4:9, 13, 21)

·      Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25; 2 Tim. 4:18)

·      Eubulus (2 Tim. 4:21)

·      Pudens, Linus, Claudia (2 Tim. 4:21)

·      Phoebe (Rom. 16:1)

·      Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:2; Rom. 16:3)

·      Epaenetus (Rom. 16:5)

·      Mary (Rom. 16:6)

·      Andronicus and Junia/s (Rom. 16:7)

·      Ampliatus (Rom. 16:8)

·      Urbanus and Stachys (Rom. 16:9)

·      Apelles and Aristobulus’ family (Rom. 16:10)

·      Herodion and Narcissus’ family (Rom. 16:11)

·      Tryphaena and Tryphosa, Persis (Rom. 16:12)

·      Rufus and his mother (Rom. 16:13), and Alexander (Mark 15:21)⁸

·      Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas (Rom. 16:14)

·      Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his siter, Olympas (Rom. 16:15)

Purpose

The purpose of Romans is one of the most heavily debated questions about the letter. One purpose may relate to Paul’s own circumstances and needs: he plans to travel to Spain and he wants to secure the support of the Roman Christians (15:24-29). Another purpose may relate to the circumstances of the Christian community at Rome: the division between non-Jewish and Jewish or non-traditionalist and traditionalist believers (14:1–15:13). It has also been suggested that Romans may be a summary of Paul’s convictions that developed through recent confrontations with Judaizers in Galatia and Corinth, or a rehearsal of the speech he was planning to make in Jerusalem. But if this were his main purpose, it is hard to explain why the document was particularly directed to Rome. More likely, just as he had to defend his apostleship and teaching in other places due to false accusations and suspicions, he would need to set the record straight before journeying to Rome. 

It may be better to speak of Paul’s several purposes in Romans…. The past battles in Galatia and Corinth, the coming crisis in Jerusalem, the need to secure a missionary base for the work in Spain, the importance of unifying the divided Christian community in Rome around the gospel – these circumstances led Paul to write a letter in which he carefully set forth his understanding of the gospel, particularly as it related to the salvation-historical question of Jew and Gentile, law and gospel, continuity and discontinuity between the old and the new.⁹

Despite its appearance as a theological treatise, Romans is a dialogue between Paul and a specific reading audience in a particular setting dealing with real circumstances. It is addressed to a community of Christians Paul had not founded and is written near the end of the major phase of his missionary career during a relatively peaceful time conducive to careful reflection. It explains and defends his mature understanding of the message he preached and intended to continue preaching across the Roman Empire from Jerusalem to Spain. “In short, Romans is still far removed from a dogmatic or systematic treatise on theology, but it nevertheless is the most sustained and reflective statement of Paul’s own theology by Paul himself.”¹⁰

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ “It may be significant that these Roman visitors are the only contingent from the continent of Europe to receive express mention among the pilgrims” (F. F. Bruce, Romans 15). 

     ² R. Jewett, Romans 10. 

     ³ The dating of this edict is primarily based on the testimony of the 5th-century writer Paulus Orosius (Hist. Adv. Pag. 7.6.15-16), and even though there is a degree of uncertainty as to the exactness of this date, it is consistent with other chronological data.

     ⁴ The description is: “among whom you also are called of Jesus Christ, all the ones beloved of God in Rome, called sanctified [ones] …” (author’s own translation). As noted in the previous post, the omission of ἐν Ῥώμῃ (“in Rome”) at 1:7 and 15 has scant manuscript support.

     ⁵ L. M. White suggests five to eight house churches in Rome at the time (From Jesus to Christianity 211). 

     ⁶ After introducing the section of chaps. 9–11 with allusions to physical Israel (9:1-5), Paul plainly states: “for not all those of Israel are [truly] Israel” (9:6b), and “the children of the flesh, these are not children of God, but the children of the promise are considered a posterity” (9:8; cf. 10:12). This follows the previous affirmations that Abraham is the father of all the Roman believers, both Jewish and Gentile (4:12, 16). Paul seems to be addressing the problem of unwarranted pride on the part of both those with Jewish and those with non-Jewish ancestry (2:1; 3:27; 11:18). He is writing as an evangelist to those who have already been evangelized. 

     ⁷ Peter sends greetings from “she who is in Babylon, chosen together with you,” presumably a metaphoric allusion to the collective members of the church (KJV),consistent with other occurrences of the word ἐκλεκτός (“chosen”) in 1 Peter (1:1-2; 2:9). In late Judaism “Rome began to take on the name and many of the characteristics of Babylon as a world-power hostile to God …” (BAGD 129), and the book of Revelation indicates that first-century Christians understood “Babylon” as a symbolic reference to Rome (cf. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10, 21). Mark had been summoned to Rome by Paul (2 Tim. 4:11) and was with Peter at the time of writing (1 Pet. 5:13).

     ⁸ Why would Mark mention Rufus and Alexander by name unless they were known to his reading audience? On the Roman provenance of Mark’s Gospel, see K. L. Moore, A Critical Introduction to the NT 67, 70-71. 

     ⁹ D. A. Carson and D. J. Moo, An Introduction to the NT 407; see also D. J. Moo, Romans 16-22.

     ¹⁰ J. D. G. Dunn, Theology of Paul the Apostle 25.

Related Posts: Introducing Romans (Part 1), Outline of Romans, Synopsis and Summary of Romans

Image credit: https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/benefits-of-memorizing-the-book-of-romans

Introducing the Letter to the Romans (Part 1 of 2)

Distinctive Features

1. Romans is the longest of Paul’s extant letters.

2. Romans is one of the few Pauline letters beginning with Paul’s name alone in the opening address. The others are Ephesians and the Pastorals.

3. Romans is the only letter wherein Paul’s amanuensis is explicitly identified: Tertius (16:22).¹

4. Romans is one of only two Pauline letters (the other being Colossians) that was written to a Christian community which Paul had no part in establishing (cf. Rom. 1:10, 13; 15:22.).

5. There are more scripture citations in Romans than in the rest of Paul’s writings: about sixty-eight quotations, mostly from the LXX, and even more allusions and verbal parallels.²

6. There are more explicit references to “God” [θεός] (over 150) in Romans than in any other Pauline document.³

7. Romans shares a literary affinity with Galatians and appears to be a further development of the themes introduced in that letter, while there are also themes in the Corinthian correspondence that recur in Romans.⁴

8. The most extensive opening address and prelude to Paul’s standard opening greeting is Rom. 1:1-7, probably because he had never been to Rome nor participated in planting the church there and needed to introduce himself and the gospel he preached.

Authorship

Labeled “the Gospel according to Paul,”⁵ there is no serious dispute over Paul’s authorship of Romans. In fact, it is considered even by the most liberal NT scholars “the preeminent Pauline document” among his “principal” letters. Other than secretarial assistance (16:22), there does not appear to have been any compositional collaboration in the writing of this letter.⁶

Provenance and Date 

At the end of Paul’s third missionary tour, before heading back east with the collection for the poor saints of Judea, he spent the three winter months of 56-57 in Corinth (Acts 20:2-3; cf. 1 Cor. 4:18-19; 16:2-7). It was during this time the letter to the Romans was penned.⁷ Achaia’s contribution had been completed (Rom. 15:26; cf. 2 Cor. 8:10-11; 9:2, 5), Paul was staying with Gaius and mentions Erastus (Rom. 16:23; cf. 1 Cor. 1:14; 2 Tim. 4:20), he commends Phoebe from Corinth’s SE seaport, Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1; cf. Acts 18:18), and present with him were Timothy and Sopater (Rom. 16:23), who accompanied him on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4).

Textual Issues

Manuscript evidence suggests that a fourteen-chapter form of Romans existed in the early church.⁸ However, this does not mean that chapters 15 and 16 were not original and were therefore added sometime later. The heretic Marcion (ca. 85-160) cut out the last two chapters in his abbreviated NT canon, allowing for the production of defective manuscripts thereafter. The best textual evidence leads to the confident conclusion that the original text of Romans consisted of all sixteen chapters.⁹

The doxology (16:25-27) is missing from some manuscripts and occurs at different places in others. The uncertainty of the placement of this passage is probably related to the defective manuscripts noted above. There is no substantial reason to doubt that 16:25-27 was Paul’s own conclusion to the letter.

The Western text omits the grace benediction in 16:20 and has an almost identical formula in v. 24, although the earliest and what many regard as the best witnesses omit v. 24 (cf. ASV, ESV). The omission of ἐν Ῥώμῃ (“in Rome”) at 1:7 and 15 also has scant manuscript support.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ “The reason in this case may have been that this scribe had a particular relationship with the addressees and recorded his name as a greeting. In other cases, this was not necessary. To mention a secretary by name was not customary unless there existed some legal matter which demanded such procedure” (A. Roon, Authenticity 92). Consider also 1 Pet. 5:12, another specific reference to a secretarial assistant at the conclusion of a letter. It is interesting that Tertius is named at the end of a letter that has no co-sender, whereas all of Paul’s apparent allusions to secretarial assistance (1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17; Philem. 19) appear in letters with other persons mentioned with him at the beginning (perhaps indicating a greater compositional role of the co-senders). 

     ² See E. E. Ellis, Paul’s Use of the OT 150-85; C. G. Kruse, “Paul’s Use of Scripture in Romans,” in Paul and Scripture 10:77-92. “The Roman congregation was at home in the Old Testament Scriptures from the synagogue and from Christian worship. They were instructed in the traditions of their faith by Jewish-Christian missionaries” (P. Stuhlmacher, “Apostle Paul’s View of Righteousness” 83).

     ³ Textual variation notwithstanding, of the approx. 548 occurrences of θεός in the entire Pauline corpus, the word “God” appears in Romans 158 times in the NASB, compared to 102 in 1 Corinthians and 75 in 2 Corinthians. Paul wrote these letters in environments that were heavily polytheistic. This does not count the numerous other grammatical allusions to God, such as personal pronouns, participial constructions, various titles, and divine passive verbs. Of all the divine designations used by the apostle, the greatest number and variety are in Romans (see W. Y. Au, Paul’s Designations of God in Romans 17-248).

     ⁴ J. B. Lightfoot, Epistles of Paul: Galatians 45-49; F. F. Bruce, Romans 30.

     ⁵ F. F. Bruce, Romans 23; Q. McGhee, V. Johnson, et al., Romans and Galatians: The Gospel According to Paul 1-316; B. Utley, The Gospel According to Paul: Romans1-300.

     ⁶ “Romans is too carefully worded and its arguments too sophisticated to cause us to think that Paul had anything but a very direct involvement in shaping both the content and expression of the epistle” (Scott W. Hahn, Romans xvi).

     ⁷ Alternative proposals include 47 (C. H. Buck and G. Taylor, Saint Paul 170-71), 51/52 or 54/55 (G. Luedemann, Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles 263), 52-54 (J. R. Richards, “Romans and 1 Corinthians” 14-30), 55 from Thessalonica (A. Suhl, Paulus and seine Briefe 264-82), early 57 (F. F. Bruce, Romans 13-14), 58 (H. C. G. Moule, Romans 1), and 59 (C. H. Dodd, Romans xxvi); thus, most scholars understand that some leeway should be allowed (see D. J. Moo, Romans 3).

     ⁸ This is speaking accommodatively, since chapter divisions were not in place until Stephen Langton (ca. 1150-1228) and the printed Bible of John Wycliffe in 1382.

     ⁹ See J. A. Fitzmyer, Romans 55-65; D. A. Carson and D. J. Moo, An Introduction to the NT 400-401; D. Guthrie, NT Introduction 421-22; R. Jewett, Romans 7.

Related Posts: Studying Romans & Galatians Part 1, Part 2, Introducing Romans Part 2, Outline of Romans

Image credit: https://cerebralfaith.net/what-is-romans-9-really-abou/