© Dr. Ken Boa and Bill Ibsen 2009. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome to the Talk Thru the Bible visual Bible overview series. Today, we’re going to survey the book of Romans to give you a better feel for the contents of the book as you begin to study it.
NEW TESTAMENT STRUCTURE
The New Testament consists of three major types of books: historical books, Pauline epistles, (which are divided between those written to churches and those written to pastors), and the general epistles. But chronologically, the storyline is carried by the gospels and Acts. Half of the epistles occur during the time of the Book of Romans. The other eleven epistles occur during either Paul’s freedom from bondage, or during his second Roman imprisonment, or during the expansion of the church after Paul’s death. For our purposes today, we will be focusing on the book of Romans.
INTRODUCTION AND TITLE
Let’s begin by exploring the introduction and title of Romans.
INTRODUCTION (1)
Romans, Paul’s greatest work, is placed first among his thirteen epistles in the New Testament. While the four Gospels present the words and works of Jesus Christ, Romans explores the significance of His sacrificial death. Using a question-and-answer format, Paul records the most systematic presentation of doctrine in the Bible.
INTRODUCTION (2)
Romans is more than a book of theology; it is also a book of practical exhortation. The good news of Jesus Christ is more than facts to be believed; it is also a life to be lived—a life of righteousness befitting the person “justified freely by His [God’s] grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (3:24).
TITLE
Although some manuscripts omit “in Rome” in chapter 1, verses 7 and 15, the title Pros Romaious, “To the Romans,” has been associated with the epistle almost from the beginning.
AUTHOR (1)
Let’s have a look at the authorship of the book of Romans.
AUTHOR (2)
All critical schools agree on the Pauline authorship (1:1) of this foundational book. The vocabulary, style, logic, and theological development are consistent with Paul’s other epistles. Paul dictated this letter to a secretary named Tertius (16:22), who was allowed to add his own greeting.
CHAPTERS 15-16 DISUNITY?
The problem arises not with the authorship but with the disunity of the epistle. Some Latin (but no Greek) manuscripts omit a portion (15:1–16:24). The closing doxology (16:25–27) is placed at the end of chapter 14 in some manuscripts. These variations have led some scholars to conclude that the last two chapters were not originally part of the epistle, or that Paul issued it in two editions. However, most scholars believe that chapter 15 fits in logically with the rest of the epistle.
CHAPTER 16 GREETINGS
There is more debate over chapter 16, because Paul greets by name twenty-six people in a church he has never visited. Some scholars contend that it was a separate letter, perhaps written to Ephesus, that was appended to this epistle. Such a letter would be surprising, to say the least (nothing but greetings), especially in the ancient world. It is simpler to understand the list of greetings as Paul’s effort as a stranger to the Roman church to list his mutual friends. Paul met these people in the cities of his missionary journeys. Significantly, the only other Pauline Epistle that lists individual greetings was addressed to the believers at Colossae, another church Paul had never visited. It may be that this portion was omitted from some copies of Romans because it did not seem relevant.
DATE AND SETTING
Turning our attention to Romans’ date and setting…
THE CHURCH AT ROME (1)
Paul did not found the church at Rome, and the tradition that Peter was its founder is contrary to the evidence. It is possible that it began when some of the Jews and proselytes to Judaism who became followers of Christ on the Day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:10) returned to Rome, but it is more likely that Christians from churches established by Paul in Asia, Macedonia, and Greece settled in Rome and led others to Christ. According to this epistle, Gentiles were predominant in the church at Rome (1:13; 11:13; 11:28–31; 15:15–16), but there were also Jewish believers (2:17–3:8; 3:21–4:1; 7:1–14; 14:1–15:12).
SETTING: ROME
Rome was founded in 753 B.C., and by the time of Paul it was the greatest city in the world with over one million inhabitants (one inscription says over four million).
[CITY OF ROME MODEL IMAGE]
It was full of magnificent buildings, but the majority of people were slaves: opulence and squalor coexisted in the Imperial City.
[POMPEII ARCHITECTURAL IMAGES]
It Much of what we know about life in Rome at the time of Paul we have learned from archeological digs in the city of Pompeii, Italy, where, in 79 A.D. Mt. Vesuvius catastrophically erupted and buried the city under 60 feet of volcanic ash. The city was lost for nearly 1,700 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1748. It provides a snapshot of Roman life in the first century, frozen at the moment it was buried. Bread cooking in ovens, Roman coins, food, furniture, paintings, and villas have all been discovered and preserved in the ash. These items, including stone-worn chariot tracks in the middle of the road, and the presence of outdoor plumbing are still visible today in Pompeii and its museum in Naples.
THE CHURCH AT ROME (2)
The church in Rome was well known (1:8), and it had been established for several years by the time of this letter (14:14; 15:23). The believers there were probably numerous, and evidently they met in several places (16:1–16).
THE GOSPEL IN ROME
The historian Tacitus referred to the Christians who were persecuted under Nero in A.D. 64 as “an immense multitude.” The gospel filled the gap left by the practically defunct polytheism of Roman religion.
DATE (1)
Paul wrote Romans in A.D. 57, near the end of his third missionary journey (Acts 18:23–21:14; cf. Rom. 15:19). It was evidently written during his three-month stay in Greece (Acts 20:3–6), more specifically, in Corinth. Paul was staying with Gaius of Corinth (16:23; cf. 1 Cor. 1:14), and he also mentioned “Erastus, the treasurer of the city” (16:23). This first-century inscription in Corinth mentions him: “Erastus, the commissioner of public works, laid this pavement at his own expense.”
DATE (2)
Paul’s collection from the churches of Macedonia and Achaia for the needy Christians in Jerusalem was complete (15:26), and he was ready to deliver it (15:25). Instead of sailing directly to Jerusalem, Paul avoided a plot by the Jews by first going north to Philippi. He evidently gave this letter to Phoebe from the church at Cenchrea, near Corinth, and she carried it to Rome (16:1–2).
TALK THRU
Now that we’ve covered some background, let’s move deeper into the book of Romans itself.
[COLERIDGE IMAGE AND QUOTE]
The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge regarded Romans as “the most profound book in existence,” and the commentator Godet called it “the cathedral of the Christian faith.”
[LUTHER IMAGE AND QUOTE]
Because of its majestic declaration of the divine plan of salvation, Martin Luther wrote: “This epistle is the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel.…It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.”
ROMANS: INFLUENTIAL CONVERSIONS
In its clear explanation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the book of Romans has been one of the most influential books in the New Testament, leading many a person to Christ, including key historic church leaders Augustine in the 4th century, as well as Martin Luther in the 16th century, and many others today who were led to Christ using a set of verses in Romans known as “the Roman Road.”
ROMANS
The four Gospels present the words and works of the Lord Jesus, but Romans, “the Gospel According to Paul,” delves more into the significance of His life. The theology of Romans is balanced by practical exhortation, because Paul sees the believer’s position as the basis for his practice.
TALK THRU ROMANS (1)
The theme of righteousness that runs through the book is reflected in the following outline: The revelation of the righteousness of God (1–8); the vindication of the righteousness of God (9–11); and the application of the righteousness of God (12–16).
The Revelation of the Righteousness of God (1–8): The prologue (1:1–17) consists of a salutation (1:1–7), a statement of Paul’s desire to minister in Rome (1:8–15), and the theme of the book (1:16–17). This two-verse theme is the basic text of Romans because it combines the three crucial concepts of salvation, righteousness, and faith. Salvation: a believer is saved from the penalty of sin (past), the power of sin (present), and the presence of sin (future); and he is saved to a new position, a new life, and an entrance into God’s heavenly presence. Righteousness: this speaks of perfect conformity to an unchanging standard; the sinner who trusts in Christ receives the righteousness of Christ in his position before God. Faith: as the instrumentality for salvation and a gracious gift of God, faith includes an acknowledgement of need and a trust in Christ alone for salvation.
TALK THRU ROMANS (2)
In 1:18–3:20, Paul builds a solid case for the condemnation of all people under the holy God. Paul’s perceptive diagnosis of the human condition shows that Gentiles and Jews seek to justify themselves by using relative standards, not realizing that God’s required standard is nothing short of perfection. Paul knows that the bad news (condemnation) must be understood before the good news (justification) can be appreciated.
TALK THRU ROMANS (3)
The Gentiles are without excuse because they have suppressed the knowledge of God they received from nature and their conscience (1:18–32); their seven-step regression is traced in 1:21–31). The Jews are also under the condemnation of God, and Paul overcomes every objection they could raise to this conclusion (2:1–3:8). God judges according to truth (2:2–5), works (2:6–10), and impartially (2:11–16), and both the moral and religious Jews fail to meet His standard. Paul concludes his discussion of the reasons for the guilt of the Jews by reminding them they do not obey the Law (2:17–29) nor believe the Oracles of God (3:1–8).
TALK THRU ROMANS (4)
The divine verdict (3:9–20) is universal: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23).
TALK THRU ROMANS (5)
The section on justification (3:21–5:21) centers on and develops the theme of God’s provision for man’s need. The first verses are the core of the book (3:21–31), revealing that in Christ, God is both Judge and Savior. Three crucial words are found in these verses: (1) Justification: this judicial term means that the believer in Christ is declared righteous by the holy God. The Lord is not unjust when He justifies sinners because He bases this pronouncement upon the death of Christ on their behalf. (2) Redemption: through His death, Christ has paid the ransom price of sin by purchasing believers out of slavery to sin and setting them free from the penalty of sin. (3) Propitiation: the blood of Christ has satisfied the demands of the righteous God who cannot overlook sin. God in Christ does not give the believer his due, because His holy wrath has been appeased by the sacrifice of His sinless Son.
TALK THRU ROMANS (6)
Justification is by grace (the source of salvation; 3:21–24), by blood (the basis of salvation; 3:25–26), and by faith (the condition of salvation; 3:27–31).
TALK THRU ROMANS (7)
Chapter 4 illustrates the principle of justification by faith apart from works in the life of Abraham.
TALK THRU ROMANS (8)
Justification issues in reconciliation between God and man (5:1–11). Reconciliation speaks of the change in a person’s state of alienation from and hostility toward God because of the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ on his behalf. It is brought about by the love of God which is causeless (5:6), measureless (5:7–8), and ceaseless (5:9–11).
TALK THRU ROMANS (9)
In 5:12–21 Paul contrasts the two Adams and the opposite results of their two acts. The disobedience of the first Adam made him the head of all who are under sin, but the obedience of the Second Adam (Christ) made Him the head of the race of redeemed humanity. The sin of the first Adam was imputed to us (placed on our account), leading to alienation. But the righteousness of the Second Adam is imputed to all who trust in Him, leading to reconciliation.
TALK THRU ROMANS (10)
Chapter 6 describes the believer’s relationship to sin: in his position he is dead to the principle of sin (6:1–14) and the practice of sin (6:15–23). The reality of identification with Christ is the basis for the sanctified Christian life. The believer must know his position in Christ, reckon it as true, and present himself to God as dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Paul views devotion as a response to spiritual truth, not as a condition of it.
TALK THRU ROMANS (11)
After describing the Christian’s emancipation from the Law (7), Paul looks at the work of the Holy Spirit who indwells and empowers every believer (8:1–17). The next major topic after condemnation, justification, and sanctification is glorification (8:18–39). All Christians can anticipate a time when they will be perfectly conformed to Jesus Christ not only in their position (present) but also in their practice (the future resurrection).
TALK THRU ROMANS (12)
The Vindication of the Righteousness of God (9–11): It appears that God has rejected His people, Israel, but it is really Israel who has rejected her Messiah. Paul deals with the problem of Israel in the plan of God in three ways: (1) God is the sovereign Lord who is responsible to no one for His work of election and rejection (9). He elected Israel in the past, but because of her disbelief, the nation has been set aside in the present. (2) Although God is sovereign, humans are responsible for the consequences of their decisions (10), and this is true of their decision to accept or reject Jesus. (3) Israelites, the “natural branches” (11:21) of God’s olive tree, have been cut off and Gentiles have been added (11). But God’s rejection of Israel is only partial (there is a spiritual “remnant” that has trusted in Christ) and temporary (they will be grafted back; 11:23–27). Paul appropriately quotes frequently from the Old Testament in this section, and he emphasizes that God will be faithful to His covenant promises and restore Israel.
TALK THRU ROMANS (13)
The Application of the Righteousness of God (12–16): Paul recognizes that behavior must be built upon belief, and this is why the practical exhortations of this epistle appear after his teaching on the believer’s position in Christ. The salvation described in the first eleven chapters should transform a Christian’s life in relation to God (12:1–2), society (12:3–21), higher powers (13:1–7), and one’s neighbors (13:8–14)
TALK THRU ROMANS (14)
In chapters 14–15 the apostle discusses the whole concept of Christian liberty, noting its principles (14) and its practice (15:1–13). A changed life is not a condition for salvation, but it should be the natural outcome of saving faith. The epistle closes with Paul’s statement of his plans (15:14–33), a long series of personal greetings (16:1–16), and an admonition followed by a doxology (16:17–27).
TALK THRU ROMANS (15)
As for topics in the book of Romans, sin is covered in the first three chapters, followed by salvation and sanctification through the end of chapter 8. Chapters 9-11, all dealing with Israel’s election, rejection, and restoration deal with God’s sovereignty, while chapters 12-16 deal with areas of service for the believer. In more simplified form, the first 11 chapters deal with doctrinal issues, while that last five chapters deal with behavioral issues.
As for place, Paul wrote Romans probably from Corinth, as we discussed earlier, in about A.D. 57.
THEME AND PURPOSE
Let’s look next at the theme and purpose of Romans.
THEME
The theme of Romans is found in chapter 1, verses 16–17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’” God offers the gift of His righteousness to everyone who comes to Christ by faith.
PURPOSE
Paul wrote Romans to reveal God’s sovereign plan of salvation (1–8), to show how Jews and Gentiles fit into that plan (9–11), and to exhort them to live righteous and harmonious lives (12–16).
GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION
In his sweeping presentation of God’s plan of salvation, Paul moves from condemnation to glorification, and from positional truth to practical truth.
KEY WORDS
Key words like righteousness, faith, law, all, and sin each appear at least sixty times in this epistle.
ADDITIONAL PURPOSES (1)
Paul did not write Romans to address specific problems in the church but to prepare the brethren for his long-awaited visit to that strategic church (15:22–24). He had laid the foundation for the gospel in the eastern provinces through his three missionary journeys, and now he desires to begin a significant work in the western provinces. Rome, the most influential city in the Empire, would be the logical base of operations for Paul’s future missionary endeavors, just as Antioch was during his first three journeys. Paul had tried to visit Rome a number of times in the past, but each time he had been hindered (1:13; 15:22).
ADDITIONAL PURPOSES (2)
By writing this letter, Paul hoped to build up the believers there in their knowledge and faith and to encourage this mixed church of Jews and Gentiles to work together as one body. Paul also asked them for their prayer support because of the dangerous opposition that awaited him in Jerusalem.
KEYS TO ROMANS
Now we’ll turn our attention to a few keys to understanding Romans.
KEY VERSE, 1:16-17
One of the two key verses in Romans, is also its theme, as we looked at earlier: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written ‘but the righteous man shall live by faith.’” (1:16–17).
KEY VERSE, 3:21-25 (1)
The other key verse is found in chapter 3: “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
KEY VERSE, 3:21-25 (2)
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (3:21–25).
KEY CHAPTERS: 6-8
Foundational to all teaching on the spiritual life is the central passage of chapters 6–8. The answers to the questions of how to be delivered from the power of sin, how to live a balanced life under grace, and how to live the victorious spiritual life through the power of the Holy Spirit are all contained here. Many consider this to be the principal passage on conforming to the image of Jesus Christ.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLE
As we consider some of the contributions of Romans to the Bible…
CONTRIBUTION (1)
Romans was not the first of Paul’s epistles, but it was appropriately placed at the beginning of the Pauline corpus not only because it was Paul’s longest work, but because it provides the doctrinal foundation upon which the other epistles are built. It is the most systematic and detailed exposition of theological truth in the Scriptures. Romans concentrates on the doctrines of hamartiology (sin) and soteriology (salvation): just as all men (Jews and Gentiles) are sinners, so God has graciously extended His offer of salvation to all who will place their faith in Christ.
CONTRIBUTION (2)
Romans is the most formal of Paul’s writings – it is more of a treatise than a letter. Paul was a stranger to most of the Roman believers (hence the long introduction), and he did not seek to refute any specific errors in their church. This is primarily a preventive, not a corrective epistle.
CONTRIBUTION (3)
Paul made skillful use of a debate format to refute the kinds of objections he had encountered during two decades of reflecting upon and defending the gospel. The result is one of the most forceful, logical, and eloquent works ever penned. It is safe to say Romans has influenced the subsequent history of the church more than any other epistle.
CHRIST IN ROMANS (1)
Let’s look at portrayals of Christ in the book of Romans.
CHRIST IN ROMANS (2)
Paul presents Jesus Christ as the Second Adam whose righteousness and substitutionary death have provided justification for all who place their faith in Him. He offers His righteousness as a gracious gift to sinful men, having borne God’s condemnation and wrath for their sinfulness. His death and resurrection are the basis for the believer’s redemption, justification, reconciliation, salvation, and glorification.
APPLICATIONS (1)
And finally in our overview of the Book of Romans, we’ll consider a few applications.
APPLICATIONS (2)
While the book of Romans is filled with all sorts of possible applications, we’ll close our time with just four.
The Need for the Gospel: It is not uncommon in many affluent cultures to hear a believer say of an unbelieving neighbor that “so-and-so” is “one of the nicest, caring people you’d ever meet. In fact, he or she is more selfless than many Christians I know. And, he or she has many friends and every material thing they need. They are quite happy and content with their life.” Therefore, the believer doesn’t know how to share the gospel with the unbeliever, because “they don’t have any needs.” This kind of view stems from thinking that Christianity only appeals to desperate people, which is, in a real way quite true. However, the reason a person needs to hear the gospel is not primarily to help them materially, or even to give them purpose in life, or to give them hope. Romans 1-3 teaches that all people have a problem with unrighteousness, and that problem will earn them an eternity separated from the living God. Only by faith in the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross as payment to God for their sin can they be declared righteous, which is the singular requirement of spending eternity with God. Therefore, look beyond a person’s social status, material possessions, and appearance of contentment and happiness to see them as God sees them: people desperately in need of righteousness – righteousness that can be found within the entire universe only in the person and work of Jesus.
The Boomerang Effect of Judging: Romans 2:1-6 teaches that when we judge as morally wrong any behavior which we ourselves have also exhibited at any time in our life, we have thus unwittingly agreed with God that our behavior is wrong – is sin – and deserves death as punishment. We therefore establish our own guilt for our moral inadequacies. It’s as if the judgment we made about another person’s behavior flies back at us like a boomerang, and instead judges us.
And the problem is that we cannot turn off our “judger;” – our conscience. We cannot not judge; it’s totally automatic, and as futile as trying to tell ourself, “don’t read the billboard you are seeing.” Reading is like that; it is in one sense involuntary. We can’t not read a word set in front of us even if we’ve willed not to read it. Thus, God legally checkmates us with our own standard. We know what is right and wrong, yet we do wrong, anyway. There will be no argument about this, because we have no excuse when we appear before the Omniscient tribunal at Judgement Day. No defense attorney will be present, nor will any defense whatsoever be presented, because the Omniscient Judge already perfectly and completely knows all the facts. It will be a terribly quiet courtroom, as we will have no defense for our guilt.
But thank God the Father that He has provided an Advocate for us in Christ Jesus, whose works will be imputed or credited to my account, so that I can spend eternity with Him. Our Judge is also our Savior. Our deeds will still be judged, however, and determine the basis for our reward.
God doesn’t care only about what I know; He cares about what I do with what I know.
APPLICATIONS (3)
God’s Love: The last portion of Romans 8 reveals many comforting truths regarding God’s magnificent love for His adopted sons and daughters. We find that in His sovereignty, He causes all things to work together for good, which is encouraging when we despair over the inevitable consequences of our own sin and foolishness, or when we are discouraged or saddened over the tribulations that Romans 5 teaches are also inevitable for all believers. In spite of our own sin or tragedy, God promises to make all things well. As Julian of Norwich wrote in the 15th century, “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” This principle is true in spite of our feelings and circumstances to the contrary.
Paul’s Doxology, (11:33-36): As a crescendo to all his teaching to the Romans about sin, salvation, imputation, justification, sanctification, and glorification, Paul breaks into praise, or “doxology” in Romans 11:33-36: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?
Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
It is as if Paul cannot contain himself from this beautiful, apparently spontaneous expression of praise to God. While some believers say that they do not want to study theology because the subject is so dry and boring, this is clearly not how Paul felt about theology, that is, the study of Theos, which is the Greek word for God. The study of theology is the study of God. To be ignorant of theology is to be ignorant of God. While theology can be presented dryly and academically, the study of God, when heartily and thoughtfully applied, should make us more humble, more in awe, more in wonder, more grateful, and more joyful for God’s amazing grace, that finds a way to save people of the likes of us.
As Paul says in his closing doxology, the depths of God’s knowledge, wisdom, judgments, and ways are unfathomable to the minds of His creatures. While God can be known in part, He is incomprehensible to creaturely minds. We can spend a lifetime studying just Him, and never begin to sound the depths of His many attributes. We can only begin to appreciate His creativity, brilliance, and love in this life, and will need an eternity to explore these and many other areas.
THE END
MANY WAYS TO USE TALK THRU THE BIBLE
There are many different combinations of ways that you can use the Talk Thru the Bible series tool. It is intended to be flexible so that you can mix and match how you use it in order to best suit your needs or the needs of your audience.
First, if you are using this tool for your own personal study, you can click through the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation at your own pace. Also, you can simultaneously play the MP3 audio file where you can hear me (Dr. Ken Boa) presenting the overview, while you click through the PowerPoint presentation using the presentation note symbols to advance the animations and slide transitions at the proper times. Additionally, you can listen and read along with the provided Microsoft Word document containing the presentation notes. You can also make your own observations and notes and your own culturally relevant illustrations in your own Word document, as well.
For those who will be teaching this overview live to a group, first know that you have the freedom either to use or not to use the visual PowerPoint presentation. If you choose to use the PowerPoint, feel free to translate it into your language simply by clicking in the highlighted boxes when you place your cursor over the text. Also, you can run the presentation with or without the MP3 audio file playing simultaneously. Next, you can use the Talk Thru presentation notes to whatever degree you wish, and I encourage you to use your own culturally relevant illustrations and examples.
Lastly, you can create your own self-translated, animated version of the PowerPoint slideshow and distribute it to whomever you feel would benefit from this part of your ministry. Then you can copy this modified PowerPoint file onto a CD or DVD for sharing with others. Use the Microsoft PowerPoint Help menu to find answers to any questions yo
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