About the author
Paul was the preeminent Jewish firebrand of his day, taught by the most eminent rabbi, a member of the most exclusive and rigorous sect of Judaism, a very vocal and energetic opponent of the growing, corrupting influence of Christianity (Phil.3:4-6, Gal.1:13-14). If religion were the Olympics, Paul would have been headed for the gold medal in performance. As he travelled to arrest and prosecute Christians, he encountered the risen Jesus, saw his performance-based religion crumble, and, in three days and nights of intense fellowship with Jesus, rebuild a vibrant faith based on a personal relationship with Him (2 Cor.12:1-7). He spent the rest of his life sharing that faith.
About the letter:
As a missionary and church planter, Paul wrote letters to address the problems that cropped up with new Christians experiencing a whole new way of life. These letters are often short and to the point. But Romans is different. It was written very deliberately (Acts 19:21) over a three month period (Acts 20:1-3) to introduce himself and his understanding of the faith to a church he had never visited before. Paul’s determination to expand his missionary work to the west meant that he would need to transfer his headquarters to the most westward of the existing Christian churches – the church at Rome. Paul was a controversial figure; his relationship-based religion was a far cry from the performance-based religion of many Jewish Christians. These critics worried that Paul’s freedom in Christ meant that a Christian was free from all rules and guidelines; free to sin if he wanted to, and Grandpa God would indulge him in any misbehavior he enjoyed. In Romans, Paul vigorously corrects this misunderstanding. There is a problem in this church. Jewish Christians, who led the church in its early days, were expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius in 49 A.D. (Acts 18:2), then allowed to return to Rome a few years later (Romans 16:3-5). During their absence, Gentile Christians took the helm. When Jewish Christians returned, confusion ensued. “Who’s in charge?” “Is our faith performance based or relationship based?” “How does God choose His people anyway?” Paul will work to untangle this mess.
About us readers:
This letter is a suitcase very fully and carefully packed. We will look at it carefully one piece at a time. But please remember, we are not really reading the book of Romans; we are reading Paul’s letter to the Romans. If you receive a letter, you don’t divide it into 16 pieces and study one piece at a time, you read the letter through. Paul hints at things in chapter 1 that he will unfold in greater depth in chapter 6. Chapter 3 contains the controlling idea that is illustrated in chapter 4, given its proper context in chapter 5, personalized in chapter 7, and gloriously detailed in chapter 8. Paul didn’t know he was writing chapters; he thought he was writing a letter. So do him the favor of reading it at one sitting, as you would a letter. Then we can begin the joyous task of looking at it piece by piece.