Romans was written by St. Paul between the years 53 and 59 AD. His main audience was the Christian church in Rome as well and the gentiles and Jews in Rome. This was an important letter for Paul, since none of his missionary journeys had taken him to Rome. Written probably during his third missionary journey, while he was in Corinth. The theme of this book is to tell the Romans, as well as all of us, about God’s plan of salvation for all people.
To understand the world in which Paul lived, we have to understand the historical landscape of the times long before Paul’s birth. The end of the biblical account (Malachi 4:1-6) gives a stark warning: if the Jewish people don’t return their hearts to God, their will be fierce judgment upon them. Thus begins a time when God’s word isn’t recorded for over 400 years, until the birth of Christ (4 BC) and the writing of the New Testament.
In that 400 years, when the Jewish nation doesn’t record God’s voice, we see a very obvious pattern. In 333 BC, Israel falls to the Greeks and then to the Egyptians 10 years later. They are captured by Syria (204 BC), the temples defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes in 171 BC, and only after that do we see Israel rise up and recapture the temple in 165 BC. Then, in 63 BC, Rome swoops in and takes control of Israel, thus ending any hope of Israel’s sovereignty.
This is an important timeline to understand, because it tells us something about Israel’s behavior in the 400 years of God’s silence. In the book of Judges we see this cycle out clearly. It is call the sin cycle, and it goes like this:
Israel wanders away, begins worshipping other gods God sends in an outside force to press Israel Eventually Israel understands it is not the outside force that’s the problem, but their own behavior Israel comes back to God whole-heartedly and God sends them a savior
This is the continual story of the Judges. We see the cycle repeatedly throughout the book, but also in the book of Kings and other parts of scripture. The concept is this: when you walk away fromGod, God will allow oppression in your life until you see the error of your ways. When you come back, you’ll begin to see the way out of the issue. But it can only be done through connecting with God.
Only once in the 400 year history of the Jews did they rally to follow God in a dramatic way. This was after the defiling of the temple. This led to the revolt of the Maccabees, who ultimately forced Antiochus IV out of Israel and re-sanctified the temple, leading to a brief return to God. The rest of the story of Israel is dedicated to oppression, which shows us they weren’t following God during this time, leading to an extended period of turmoil. From that turmoil rise the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time.
This is the world that Christ is born into. Into the Promised Land, which is under Roman control. Where the Pharisees have grown powerful by oppressing the very people they are supposed to help. To a poverty that is rampant in the land. The the strife and angst of the times.
It is in this world Paul is also born, but his story begins after the resurrection of Christ, in about 30 AD. Tiberius is the Roman Emperor during this period, soon to yield to the infamously vile Caligula, then to Claudius and finally Nero, whose persecution of Christians would be a hallmark of his reign. Paul was zealous Pharisee, a man rounding up Christians for the slaughter when he is met on a lonely road to Damascus by the resurrected Christ Himself. This meeting changes the trajectory of Paul’s life, and after a three-year period of training he sets out on his own missionary journeys to spread the word of God to the known world.
His ministry begins around 46 AD. His first journey is chronicled in Acts 13 and 14. He begins in Antioch, administers to the people in Cyprus, Pamphylia, Phrygia, Lycaonia and finished in Antioch.
His second journey is recorded in Acts 16-20. This consisted of Lycanoia, Phrygia, Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, Achaia, Ephesus and ended in Jerusalem.
His third missionary trip is recorded in Acts 18-20. He traveled to Phrygis and Galatia, Asia, Macedonia and Greece, Kos, Rhodes and Patra, Tyre, Ptolemais, Caesarea, and then to Jerusalem, where he was ultimately handed over to the Roman leaders.
His fourth mission trip is not recorded in scripture, and it is disputed that he ever did, although many church leaders claim he traveled to Spain.
You will notice that Paul never made it to Rome. As we will see in the forthcoming letter, he intended to go to Rome a number of times but circumstances didn’t allow for it. His need to go to Rome was crucial: they were the oppressing power and the dominate religious force in the region.
Rome was a pantheistic society. They believed in a hierarchal system gods, led by Jupiter. When Rome conquered nations, they typically took the gods of that land and folded them into their religious system. Rome was very tolerant of other gods. Much like Persia hundreds of years before, they did not want to anger other gods. Along with this system, they also believed that emperors themselves held godlike powers. Men of renown also were believed to have a special relationship with the gods that allowed them to perform miracles. There was also the idea of demi-gods. These were gods with both human and godlike attributes. Also, during this time, many cults, especially those imported from Egypt, thrived in the land.
Paul’s duty in administering to Rome was to make the case of why one should choose Jesus as savior, amongst all of the other choices that crowded Rome’s scenery.
During the time of his missionary trips, the first three Gospels are written. The first is the Gospel of Mark, written around 41 AD. Matthew is written second, between 46 and 54 AD. Luke was written in the time frame of many pivotal events. Written between 62 and 64 AD, the volatility in Rome and elsewhere is alarming. James, the brother of Christ is martyred at the first Christian Church in Jerusalem (62 AD); The great Roman fire destroys half of Rome (64 AD). This begins a bloodthirsty persecution of Christians by emperor Nero, who most likely was burning a field for construction of a second royal palace before it spread to the city. Nero blamed the fire on the emerging Christian faith and later called for the persecution of all Christians.
It was after this time that Paul and the apostle Peter were both captured and martyred in 65 AD. But this is not the end of their story. Their missionary work lives on in the New Testament. Both men wrote stirring books that that reveal the true nature of Christ and His teachings and boldly call for us to live our authentic faith. 2000 years later we are still studying their work, and the Book of Romans is perhaps Paul’s deepest, most passionate letter about how salvation works and is available to all.
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
This first section is Paul’s introduction. Paul includes a similar address in all his letters. First, Paul calls himself a servant (a bondservant in KJV). A bondservant is a servant with complete and utter devotion to his master. He is first a servant, and second an apostle.
The gospel he promised beforehand: In Rome, there were always new appendages to their religious system. It was a system built on recent developments. Perhaps a new god was discovered, a new way of honoring the older gods, a fresh new perspective on how the god interacted with the culture. But Paul is not bringing something necessarily new; he is bringing something ancient. He his bringing the attention back to the ancient scripture, to the foundation of faith.
Was a descendant of David: This speaks to something the Romans could perhaps understand. In the midst of the old scripture it is foretold of this man, human and divine, would emerge to save the world.
Through Him we receive grace and apostleship to call all the gentiles to obedience that comes from faith in His name’s sake: This is the calling. Those who understand the message of grace have a calling to bring that message to others (Matthew 28:16-20).
And you are also called: The Romans, the Gentiles, and all people are included in this message of salvation. It isn’t simply for the Romans or any other select group. This is a jarring message during this period. The gods of a nation were relegated to that nation. The message of Jesus Christ is for the entire world.
The message Paul brings to the Romans is a message of devotion. It is an old message, about a man named Jesus, both human and divine. His divinity has the power to save. The message is for all people.
Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
First thing to notice is that the Roman church is well-known. But this is not a church thatPaul has planted. Yet Paul prays for them, prays for safe passage to see them, and the also prays, for when they meet, that he will learn and grow from them as much as they may with him. The point is that even though Paul didn’t plant this church, he still has an obligation to it. As they are both part of the body of Christ, he has a duty to support it in its growth.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Paul is obligated to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the people of Rome. Rome has thus far been outside Paul’s ministry. He hasn’t been able to travel there or to nurture them. He makes it clear, though, that it is not because he is ashamed of the word. The word has power that can bring salvation. The righteousness of God is revealed in the word. And everything you need to understand God is in the scriptures.
God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
This part of Romans begins a very deep dive into theology and philosophy of who man is and who God is and the relationship between both. So it’s best to take it in smaller portions in order to understand the deeper meanings.
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people,
This is the beginning of Paul’s dissertation of why man must be justified by faith. God’s wrath is reserved for those who choose not to follow Him. This is a very important distinction to make. We see this idea in the Book of Revelation, when there is a difference between those with the mark of the beast and those sealed in the spirit (Revelation 20:11-15).
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
No one can run from his judgment. Whatever path you take in your life had repercussions to your judgment. The justification by faith is the most important aspect to this. It guarantees that freedom of being judged through Christ rather than by dealing with God’s wrath. His wrath is only reserved for those who willfully disobey.
Paul calls out two groups: the godlessness and wickedness of people. Godlessness is the same as ungodliness. It refers to offenses against God. Wickedness is the same as unrighteousness. It refers to man’s offenses against each other. So the wrath is revealed from heaven against those who have offended God and treated their fellow man poorly.
who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
They suppress the truth by wickedness, or how they treat man. This is behavior. Through their behavior they fight to create a “new truth” about human behavior. This is an attempt to create a lack of accountability. When one creates a “new truth” based on a lack of accountability, they destroy the truth and create a “new morality”. This, at its heart, is rationality.
19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Paul’s point is clear - no one, not even a person who has never heard of Jesus or the bible - has an excuse in not honoring God. The evidence is all around us. Part of the concept of a “new morality” is to justify one’s own truth. The object is to eliminate “truth” in order to replace it with “new truth”. Not honoring the creator, and instead honoring the creation, replaces the truth with a lie and creates a new truth based on idolatry. This is Moral Relativity.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
In verse 21, we see the willing ungratefulness of people who turn away from God. This willing avoidance of God leads to a darkened and futile heart. When we willingly reject God, it doesn’t make us smarter; it darkens our heart, diminishes hope and allows us to be manipulated by false teaching. The willingness to reject God comes with an exchange: they trade what they know about God for something they’ve created.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
God gives them over to sin. God allows us to experience the self-destructive quality of sin. When we decide our way is better, when abolish truth and buy into the lie, we fall into this very trap. We experience the self-destructiveness of sin and writhe in it. Homosexuality is an example of how sin operates: this is sexuality outside of God’s terms, just as sin in behavior outside of God’s terms. There is a penalty for violating nature’s order. If we go to James 1:13-15, we can see the arc of sin, how it plays in our life and how it leads to the penalty:
3 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
James gives us a three-tiered example of how sin operates. First, it develops in our mind and we chase it around, think about it, play with it. We let it entice us. The enticement gets to be too great and we bring it to fruition; we give it life. That is the sin, the act of sinning. If we continue to nurture it, give it space in our life, give it a home, then we have grown it. James says it leads to death. It is the same principle Paul talks about in Romans 1. Developing a New truth, calling it good with a New Morality, then bringing it into a lifestyle.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. It is not only our actions, but our thinking that is affected. If we believe God’s word is trivial and we don’t have the time for it, then our thoughts will become corrupt. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
When we allow ourselves to be filled with the very things Paul talks about, our “new truth” becomes a “new lifestyle”. The world will applaud us for it. And through a debased mind, we will approve those who practice them.
What Paul gives us is the corruptive nature of sin. But it is also the roadmap of what happens to us when we willingly walk away from God and choose our own path, our own truth. It fractures our actions and corrupts our mind so devastatingly that we could completely alter the truth of God permanently.