Romans 1:1
D. G. Miller finds three general groups in the church at Rome: the legalists, who thought that righteousness was a human achievement; the libertines, who abandoned the law even as a guide for the response of faith; and the spiritualists, whose pride destroyed the true sense of community and made them indifferent to the demands of civic order
Paul’s purpose was to set forth in a systematic fashion the doctrine of justification by faith and its implications for Christian living. The gospel had to be kept free from legalism; equally important was that it did not fall into the opposite error of antinomianism
A general name for the view that Christians are by grace set free from the need of observing any moral law
But Romans is not for great minds only. The humble believer also finds inspiration and direction in these pages. Romans is not an easy book. But it has always yielded rich dividends to anyone who has taken the time to study it seriously, and it does so still
These first seven verses are one complicated sentence in Greek (Paul often uses such long, complicated sentences
But Romans is not for great minds only. The humble believer also finds inspiration and direction in these pages. Romans is not an easy book. But it has always yielded rich dividends to anyone who has taken the time to study it seriously, and it does so still
This is easily the longest and most theologically complex of all the Pauline openings.
Two major themes dominate this section. First, Paul stresses his apostolic authority and mission. Second, Paul sketches in briefly but pregnantly the gospel that he preaches.
TEXT
a servant of Christ Jesus
used in similar fashion in Gal. 1:10; Phil. 1:1; Tit. 1:1; Jas. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:1; Jude 1
The focus of the term, though, is not on possessing a privileged office but on service to a greater authority
By using the word δοῦλος before mentioning his apostleship Paul emphasizes that the authority he exercises is a derived authority. He is a humble servant of Christ, whose will he endeavors to fulfill.
called to be an apostle
1 Cor. 9:1; Heb. 5:4
set apart for the gospel of God
Some understand this to mean “set apart to preach the gospel”. It certainly includes this, but it is surely more. It means to be a gospel man, to live the gospel. Preaching is important, but then so is living. Paul’s call was to a way of life as well as to a task of preaching.
God is the most important word in this epistle. Romans is a book about God. No topic is treated with anything like the frequency of God. Everything Paul touches in this letter he relates to God. In our concern to understand what the apostle is saying about righteousness, justification, and the like we ought not to overlook his tremendous concentration on God. There is nothing like it elsewhere.
ultimate aim of the gospel was to proclaim the name of Christ, so here it should be noted that the gospel is first and last about God, and particularly, as the subsequent verses show, how God has revealed himself in his Son.
I used to think when I read this text that the gospel of God meant a message about God. But that is not what Paul is saying here. By using the genitive of possession, he shows that the gospel belongs to God.
Some understand this to mean “set apart to preach the gospel”. It certainly includes this, but it is surely more. It means to be a gospel man, to live the gospel. Preaching is important, but then so is living. Paul’s call was to a way of life as well as to a task of preaching.
God is the most important word in this epistle. Romans is a book about God. No topic is treated with anything like the frequency of God. Everything Paul touches in this letter he relates to God. In our concern to understand what the apostle is saying about righteousness, justification, and the like we ought not to overlook his tremendous concentration on God. There is nothing like it elsewhere.
Just as I observed earlier that the ultimate aim of the gospel was to proclaim the name of Christ, so here it should be noted that the gospel is first and last about God, and particularly, as the subsequent verses show, how God has revealed himself in his Son.
ultimate aim of the gospel was to proclaim the name of Christ, so here it should be noted that the gospel is first and last about God, and particularly, as the subsequent verses show, how God has revealed himself in his Son.
God is the most important word in this epistle. Romans is a book about God. No topic is treated with anything like the frequency of God. Everything Paul touches in this letter he relates to God. In our concern to understand what the apostle is saying about righteousness, justification, and the like we ought not to overlook his tremendous concentration on God. There is nothing like it elsewhere
Close
Christians are those who belong to Christ. He is our Lord, he is our kyrios, he is our Master