Reflect on the last e-mail or personal letter that you have received. To understand properly even a short communication often entails a number of factors. We read with a knowledge of the sender, an awareness of his or her social location, a sensitivity to previous interaction, and so forth. At the most foundational level, the language and culture of the sender and the recipient must coincide to some extent if clear communication is to occur. If we know little about the sender or have difficulty understanding the language in which the message is sent, clear communication is impeded or cut off completely.
These observations are especially helpful if we wish to read the epistles of the New Testament. These letters invite us to enter their world, that is, to place ourselves-insofar as possible-in the sandals of the recipient. To position ourselves for such a sympathetic reading, a significant knowledge of the sender, the culture, and other contextual details that attended its writing is most helpful.
Paul’s letter to the Romans provides a superb opportunity to explore the implicit data that enhances our understanding of his message. The opening verses of this letter (1:1-17) will serve as an entryway into Paul’s world. Indeed, a complete world view is entailed in these few words.
It is highly probable that Paul wrote this letter from Corinth at the close of his third missionary journey during the winter of 55-56 A.D. Such data locates this epistle in a rich and multifaceted context. The Roman Empire, in the first century a.d., was prosperous and flourishing economically, militarily, and artistically. Great temples and monumental buildings exhibited both Roman religion and politics. Roman life was at the same time saturated with Greek influence as its institutions benefited from the splendor and literature of Athens.
The very form of Paul’s opening greeting follows the letter-writing customs of this era. The sender first identifies himself, secondly the recipient is identified, and then greetings are extended. What immediately impresses the reader is the manner in which Paul fills this epistolary convention with Christian content.
Martin Franzmann translates Romans 1:1-7 as the following:
Self-Identification
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, the Gospel concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
Identification of Addressee
To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
GreetingGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Martin Franzmann, Romans, p. 21)
Paul defines himself with a threefold designation: “servant of Jesus Christ,” “called to be an apostle,” and “set apart for the gospel.” Each of these reveals Paul’s self-understanding and prepares the reader for the content of his message. Far from entitlement or prideful status, “servant of Jesus Christ” locates Paul among those who were called to herald the good news of Jesus.
Paul further understands he is “an apostle.” This designation means that Paul comes as the representative of his Lord, authorized to bear his master’s message. As one “set apart for the gospel,” Paul knows that his calling is congruent with Jeremiah (Jer. 1) and the prophets whom God appointed as his spokesmen.
In a few words, Paul has brought us into his world. At the same time, he wishes to inform us that his world is our world; in other words, Paul’s self-understanding is not a private view but an expression of reality-a reality that each reader is to consider.
Paul unfolds and describes this real and truthful world. It is the world described “through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” At the center of that world-from creation to the present-was “the gospel concerning God’s Son who was descended from David according to the flesh.”
Here we learn that Paul’s understanding of the world derived from the history of Israel. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, was the fruition and fulfillment of that history. He is the “second Adam” (Rom. 5:12-21). Not only Israel but now all of humanity is the focus of Paul’s mission, for the resurrection of Jesus has publicly exhibited his Sonship and Lordship. Now Jesus’ name is to be revered “among all the nations,” and that includes the readers in Rome.
In a few words, Paul has defined himself and his readers in the light of God’s action in Christ. This light shines on the entire world. In its radiance and warmth there is salvation. Apart from Christ, there is but darkness, deceit, and despair.
His greeting continues to all who are in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints, “grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Such a greeting entails a whole theological tapestry of God’s nature and his disposition to love and to bring grace and peace through the work of his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brethren, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish: so I am eager to preach the Gospel to you also who are in Rome. (Translation, Martin Franzmann, Romans, p. 28)
Verses 8 through 15 of Romans chapter one continue this effort of Paul to draw close to his readers by expounding his pastoral longing to fulfill the vocation that our Lord had given him. He begins by rejoicing in the faith that his readers have already exhibited. This is followed by the personal involvement of Paul. His prayer and longing to be with the people and to remember them in his mission at all times (v. 10) is a very personal note. His longing for the people further solidifies their relationship.
This deeply personal longing of the apostle is amplified in verses 11 through 13. Indeed, it is important to highlight the apostle’s character as being more than simply the bearer of propositional truth. He was not only to bear but to embody the compassion and character of Christ as his life and other letters indicate.
The underlying missiological content of his self-understanding is highlighted in verses 14 and 15 where as an apostle he indicates that he is obligated both to Greeks and to non-Greeks, to wise and foolish; that is, the entire human race is the object of God’s compassion and mercy in Christ. Again, his personal indication of being defined by the gospel is highlighted in verses 15 and 16 where his eagerness to preach is repeated and his confidence in the gospel that brings the power of God for salvation to all who believe.
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” (Translation, Martin Franzmann, Romans, p. 32)
The world we have entered in these opening verses of Romans comes into sharp focus in the thesis of the entire epistle: verses 16-17. Righteousness from God is revealed, righteousness that is by faith from first to last-just as it is written, “the righteous will live by faith.” Here one can see how the stage is set for the next portion of Paul’s letter-1:18 through 3:20. Romans 3, verse 20 summarizes the unrighteousness of humanity when they are before the living and righteous God. Chapter 1, verses 18-32 describes the human condition when it is captive to idolatry. This state of unrighteousness is then contrasted in 3:21 through 5:21 by an exposition of the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. This righteousness is received by faith and then is manifested in the life of every Christian.
Chapters 6 through 8 of Romans further expound this emphasis on the concrete manifestation of Christ’s righteousness by describing the way in which the believer’s life is transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. This frees the person from the law’s condemnation.
A superb summary of Paul’s view of human behavior is that of Stephen Westerholm:
From Paul’s perspective, the notion that people should be free to do as they please is wildly out of touch with reality. Human beings are but a part of a larger whole whose meaning, purposeful order, and goodness are not their creation. To bulldoze whatever obstructs their convenience is a most ill-considered way to make their presence felt in the cosmos as God created it: partly because their own well-being depends on the integrity of the whole; partly because the goodness inherent in the whole and in each of its parts merits human esteem, and people show themselves stupid, insensitive, or mean when they disregard or destroy it. Conversely, humans thrive as they embrace, celebrate, and pattern their lives according to the goodness of creation and the benevolent will of their Maker. (Stephen Westerholm, Understanding Paul, p. 100)
The epistle continues to pivot on this theme of righteousness by addressing the problem of Israel’s rejection in chapters 9 through 11. The mystery of Israel and its status before God require Paul’s profound engagement:
God is free, and Israel is guilty. This should suffice “to justify the ways of God to man.” Chapters 9 and 10 would by themselves provide a neat theodicy, a vindication of God. If Paul were a religious philosopher, he might well stop here. But Paul is not a philosopher; he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew of no limits to the creative possibilities of God; He knew that all things are possible with God (Matt. 19:26). He saw in the hopeless spectacle of the harassed and helpless lost sheep of Israel the harvest-field of God (Matt. 9:36-37). Paul serves Him, for Paul has the mind of Christ. (Martin Franzmann, Romans, p. 194)
Romans 12 to 15 express concretely how this righteousness given to faith by God is to be practiced in the church and in the world. The theme of the righteousness of God concludes in the last portion of chapter 15 (15:14-33). Chapter 16 offers Paul’s commendations and greetings as a final pastoral note.
It is clear that the opening verses of Romans are threads in a tapestry that Paul unfolds throughout his epistle to the Romans. The character of God, the condition of humanity, the identity of Jesus Christ, the nature of salvation: all of these foundational claims about the world are woven into the opening words of this letter.
Indeed, these few words of greeting (Rom. 1:1-17) entail a whole world. For Paul, for the Romans, for every Christian, and for us, the world is beautiful because at its center is Jesus Christ. In him and through him we are now righteous, innocent, and holy.
