THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE
ROMANS
O U T L I N E
Canonical context. The Epistle to the Romans is well placed at the head of the other epistles because it lays the foundation of man’s relationship with God. The subject of Romans is the glad tidings. It reveals all the blessings a believer possesses as an individual. This epistle unfolds not so much the doctrine of the Church, but the doctrine of Christianity. Notice the geographical location to which the epistle is addressed? to Rome. This was a huge shift in God’s workings. Rome was the destination furthest West of any inspired epistle! All previous communications had come to and through Israel. God is seeking to show us that His thoughts go far beyond Israel.
Historical context. Paul had never been to Rome. They had gotten the gospel through another source besides Paul. It is possible those who first carried the gospel to Rome may have been the Romans sojourning in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). Paul is writing to establish them in the truth of the Gospel, although they already knew it to some extent (Rom. 15:14). He wouldn’t jump in with assembly truth by epistle; for that he would wait until his arrival in person (Rom. 1:11; 15:29). He starts at square one, and builds upward (first the gospel, then dispensational truth, then kingdom truth, etc.). This is a mark of a true teacher.
Themes of the Epistle. The epistle to the Romans is addressed to the saints in Rome, and it served a twofold purpose. First, it served as a letter of commendation for Phoebe, as we discover in ch.16. Second, Paul took the opportunity of writing a letter to the saints in Rome – whom he had never visited – to expound to them the truth of the gospel, which declares the righteousness of God.
The Gospel. We have the subject of Romans in the very first verse of the epistle; “the gospel of God” or in a better translation, “God’s glad tidings”. Romans lays out in order all the technical aspects of the gospel, and answers any questions that might arise, especially in the mind of the Jew. Paul begins at the beginning, with man’s need, and systematically lays out the truth as a teacher. The book of Acts gives us the preaching of the gospel, and Galatians gives us the defending of the Gospel, than Romans gives us the teaching of the Gospel. There are two parts to “the gospel of God” which Paul preached. He distinguishes them elsewhere as (1) “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), which emphasizes God come down to meet man’s need, and (2) “the gospel of the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Tim. 1:11), which emphasizes Christ securing God’s glory and then being exalted at His right hand. Romans centers around the first aspect – the gospel of the grace of God – in other words, what God has done for man.
The Christian’s Individual Position. Romans gives us the doctrine of the believer’s position before God, and the practical results that flow from that. It is not the collective truth that we have in Ephesians and Colossians nor is it the collective practice of the assembly that we find in 1 Corinthians. There are two things the the believer needs in order to have peace. The first is justification with regard to his sins, and this is dealt with the Rom. 1:18 – 5:11. The second is deliverance with regard to the power of sin in his life, and this is dealt with in Romans 5:12 – 8:17. The result of both of these truths, which deal with the Christian’s individual position before God, is that the believer has peace with God, joy in God, and freedom from every force that tends to bondage!
The Righteousness of God. In the first chapter Paul says, regarding the gospel; “therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith”. The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness of God. Read more… Why did God’s people in the first century need to be instructed as to the righteousness (or, consistency) of God? Because a tremendous change had occurred in the cross, the empty tomb, and in the descent of the Holy Ghost. Israel had rejected their Messiah, and now the gospel was going out to Gentiles as well as Jews. This great change raised many questions to both the Gentile mind and the Jewish mind. How could God be righteous and save sinners such as these degraded Gentiles? What about the exclusive promises to Israel? Did this shift in God’s dealings mean that He was inconsistent with His Word in the Old Testament? Paul writes to explain that, on the contrary, this change was nothing less than a full declaration of God’s righteousness!
- Rom. 1-8 present God’s righteousness declared in the gospel, securing full deliverance for us through the work of Christ and the redemption though His blood; “that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
- Rom. 9-11 present God’s righteousness displayed in His dispensational ways; i.e. that He is perfectly just in setting aside Israel who rejected the truth, but ultimately He will fulfill the promises made to Abraham, David, etc.
- Rom. 12-16 present God’s righteousness demonstrated practically in the lives of believers.
Deliverance. Another great theme of Romans is that of deliverance. Often when we think of deliverance we think only of deliverance from the penalty of our sins. But Romans gives us three aspects of deliverance:
- Deliverance from what I have done. This is taken up in Rom. 1 – 5:11. The term used in “sins”.
- Deliverance from what I am. This is taken up in Rom. 5:12 – 8:17. The term used is “sin”.
- Deliverance from where I am. This is taken up in Rom. 8:18-39. The term used is “the bondage of corruption”.
These three ‘deliverances’ can be summarized as: deliverance from (1) the penalty of sins, (2) the power of sin, and (3) the presence of sin. They serve as accurate headings for the subdivisions of the book. Another way to summarize these three sections is: Justification (Rom. 1-5:11), Sanctification (Rom. 5:12-8:17), and Glorification (Rom. 8:18-39).
The Parenthesis. Romans 9-11 are a parentheses in the epistle giving us God’s dealings in connection with Israel: in the past in choosing them for blessing, in the present in setting Israel aside while the gospel goes to the Gentiles, and in the future to restore Israel. Romans 8 ends with a high point, and Romans 11 also ends with a high point. You could take the entirety of Romans 9-11 out and read directly from ch.8 to ch.12, or you can read from ch.11 to ch.12. Both end with a heart full of praise, and the natural response (ch.12) is to dedicate one’s life in full devotion to the service of God, which is the practical side.
Lines of truth in various epistles.1
| - | - | - | Seated |
| - | - | Raised | Raised |
| - | - | Quickened | Quickened |
| - | Buried | Buried | - |
| Dead | Dead | Dead | - |
| Crucified | Crucified | - | - |
| Galatians | Romans | Colossians | Ephesians |
In Romans you get “in Christ” (Rom. 8:1) but it is only in the negative sense – what the position saves you from. But in Ephesians it is the positive side (Eph. 1:3) – what the position brings us into. In Romans you get “dead” in the aspect of “dead to sin” or separated from sin as to be no longer affected by its action. But in Colossians it is "dead with Christ" in a personal way.
Justification. The verb “to justify” means 'to declare a person righteous'. A nice example of this is in Num. 23:21, where God declared that He had not seen any iniquity in His erring people. Likewise, the Christian has been justified in that, while he has not lived righteously, yet God has declared him perfectly righteous! The subject of justification is fully treated of in the book of Romans, primarily in the first eight chapters. Romans answers the question asked by Job many years ago: “How shall a man be just with God?” (Job 9:2).2
Read more…But then, there are many aspects of justification. Justification in Romans is how we are declared righteous before God on the basis of faith, which no man can see; justification in James is how we are declared righteous outwardly by our works, which is the proof of inward reality. God doesn't need to see our works to know we have faith, but if there are no works, our faith is dead. It is important to see that justification in the full sense is more than just being cleared of all charges (Rom. 3). Many Christians think that justification is nothing more than forgiveness, or non-imputation of sin. However, justification goes beyond the negative side (forgiveness) and includes the positive side, i.e. that we have been brought into a new position before God “in Christ” (Rom. 4) and given a righteous life (Rom. 5)! Several aspects of justification:
- Justified by grace – the source or cause (Rom. 3:24; Titus 3:7)
- Justified by [or through] faith – the means of appropriation (Rom. 5:1; Gal. 2:16)
- Justified by blood – the basis and power (Rom. 5:9)
- Justification of life – the possession of a righteous life (Rom. 5:18)
- Justified from sin – no obligation to our old master (Rom. 6:7)
- Justified by God – declared righteous by God (Rom. 8:33)
- Justified in Christ – the righteous standing (Gal. 2:17)
- Justified by works – manifested in our life (James 2:24)
Martin Luther said:
“This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian’s while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well.”
References:
- Kelly, William. Notes on the Epistle of Paul, the Apostle, to the Romans: with a New Translation. Nabu Press, 2010.
- Stanley, Charles. On the Epistle to the Romans. London, 1885.
- Hole, Frank B. Romans and Corinthians. Scripture Truth Publications, 1995.
- Darby, J. N. Synopsis of the Books of the Bible. G. Morrish, 1940.
- Anstey, B. Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans. Christian Truth Publishing.