1. Introduction.
In Romans 1-3, Paul writes to the Christians in Rome about a major theme in his theology, the righteousness of God which has been revealed through the gospel. In this passage Paul describes the universal sinfulness and guilt of humanity that results in the wrath of God, before beginning to reveal the solution – faith in Jesus the Messiah.
2. Contexts: Author, Audience, and Situation.
In Paul’s introduction to the letter, he identifies himself as a servant, or slave of Christ Jesus, an apostle, and set apart for the gospel (Rom. 1:1). In that way he provides the readers of the letter with a brief explanation of who he is and why he is qualified to be writing to them. He describes his role to bring faith to the nations, both to Greek and non-Greek (1:14), and that he is an apostle to the Gentiles (1:13).
He is writing to the Christians in Rome in approximately AD 55-59.[1] He has not yet visited them, but states that he longs to do so (1:11), and that his previous attempts had been thwarted (1:13). He is, however, known to many of the believers and he adds his personal greetings at the end of the letter (Rom 16:1-16). He wants to see them in order to impart spiritual gifts that would strengthen and encourage them and see more believe in the gospel (1:11-13).
The situation that Paul addresses is the problem of humanity’s universal sinfulness, characterized by idolatry and immorality, which has resulted in the wrath of God on the unrighteous, and that God’s covenant people, the Jews, are as guilty as the rest of humanity. Paul Achtemeier writes, ‘It is a story of God’s chosen people ignoring the law God gave them to guide their lives and doing instead the very things that law opposed.’[2]
3. Response: Paul’s Letter.
In the passage under consideration, Paul is writing a theological letter to the believers in Rome and is beginning to describe in detail a major theme in his theology, the righteousness of God revealed by the gospel.[3] He presents a series of arguments in order to explain his theology, starting with a description of the problem of humanity’s universal sinfulness (1:18-32), which has brought about God’s wrath on the unrighteous (1:18-2:11).
He discusses the relationship between God’s judgement and the law (2:12-29). He goes on to explain how the Jews, the people of the covenant, have become part of the problem, even though they were to have been the solution (3:9-20). He concludes with revealing that the gospel of God, that is to say saving faith in Christ Jesus, is the solution to humanity’s problem (3:21-26).
The tone and style of Romans is different to his other letters. James Dunn notes that, ‘Paul introduces himself with an unusual degree of elaboration’[4] and he gives an ‘unusually lengthy exposition’ after he has set out the main theme.[5] In Romans 1-3, Paul describes the problem of humanity’s unrighteousness in detail and sets up the scene for describing the solution at length in the rest of the letter.
4. Text and Themes: Issues, Topics, and Terms.
The theme of the letter is summarised in 1:16-17, where Paul announces that the gospel of God reveals the righteousness of God (δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ, dikaiosynē theou). N. T. Wright argues that to understand the phrase ‘righteousness of God’ it is necessary to realise that Paul had the worldview of Second Temple Judaism.[6] Wright explains this ‘phrase summed up sharply and conveniently, for a first-century Jew such as Paul, the expectation that the God of Israel … would be faithful to the promises made to the patriarchs.’[7]
Righteousness conveys a meaning of justice, but also of ‘covenant faithfulness’[8] which Wright describes as ‘God’s loyalty to the covenant with Israel.’[9] God would put things right and would fulfil the promises he had made. Paul also lived in the Roman world, where the emperor, Caesar was proclaimed as Lord. The Roman worldview was that Caesar had put things right and brought peace and prosperity to the citizens of the empire.
However, Paul provides the counter argument that God rather than Caesar had brought his righteousness, or covenant faithfulness. He had done this through the gospel (εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion) of Jesus the Messiah. The righteousness of God comes through the announcement that Jesus is Lord, and therefore by implication that Caesar is not.[10] Paul would go on to demonstrate through the following chapters that this gospel is for Jew and Gentile. Wright adds that ‘in the Messiah … God has been true to the covenant established with Abraham and thereby brought saving order to the whole world.’[11]
5. Paul’s Theology and Christian Life & Ministry.
Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13), believed ‘God’s purposes for Israel had indeed now been fulfilled, it was time for the Gentiles to come in.’[12] Paul’s image of God is that of a faithful god who keeps his promises. And the promise has now been extended to include the whole of humanity. This is despite the problem of sinfulness that had entered into the narrative with the sin of Adam. God had provided the solution to the problem. Thus Paul demonstrates the faithful love of God for his creation.
Paul’s ministry was to take the gospel message to the Gentile world, to explain that the faithfulness of God now included the whole world. This explains why he called himself the apostle to the Gentiles. Rome, at the heart of empire, would be exactly the right place to make sure that the gospel message would be preached in order to have maximum impact. It would be less than three centuries later that the Roman emperor would himself convert to Christianity.
The lesson that should be drawn today is that the gospel message should be preached to counter any alternative claim to the truth that Jesus is Lord. Whether an opposing ideology, personality or worldview, it is God’s righteousness, revealed in and through the good news of Jesus the Messiah, that is sufficient to restore a world in rebellion.
6. Conclusion.
In this passage, Paul has made known that the problem of the universal sinfulness of humanity has been solved by the righteousness of God that is revealed in the gospel. The good news is that Jesus has been proclaimed Lord and not any other power. The challenge today is to counter any counterfeit claims of lordship.
Bibliography
Achtemeier, Paul J., Romans (Interpretation; Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 2010).
Dunn, James D. G., Romans 1-8 (Word Bible Commentary 38A; Dallas, TX: Word, Incorporated, 2002).
Fee, Gordon D., New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors (3rd edition; Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002).
Wright, N. T., ‘Romans’ in The New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. X; ed. L. Keck; Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2002), pp. 393-770.
[1] N. T. Wright, ‘Romans’ in The New Interpreter’s Bible (Vol. X; ed. L. Keck; Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2002), p. 396.
[2] Paul J. Achtemeier, Romans (Interpretation; Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 2010), p. 27.
[3] Wright, p. 397.
[4] James D. G. Dunn, Romans 1-8 (Word Bible Commentary 38A; Dallas, TX: Word, Incorporated, 2002), p. 3.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Wright, p. 401.
[7] Ibid., p. 398.
[8] Ibid., p. 404.
[9] Ibid., p. 398.
[10] Wright, p. 405.
[11] Ibid., p. 405.
[12] Ibid., pp. 401-402.
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