Historic and Pastoral
The query of the aim of the ebook of Romans is vital for 2 causes. The primary is historic. The Bible is historical past. We wish to know why Paul wrote this letter. However there’s additionally a sensible objective, specifically, what use are we going to place the ebook of Romans to, and the aim will inform that query.
The aim of Romans has been studied for a really very long time. Within the Reformation, folks say that it was thought to be a compendium of theology—depravity, justification, union with Christ, predestination. You learn Romans to find out about doctrines. That’s a bit unkind to the Reformers, however we’ll go away it there for a second. Extra lately, students have realized that the ebook of Romans, like Paul’s different letters, is actually occasional. They’re written into explicit conditions and settings. So, the event of Romans, most students say, is threefold.
In Romans 15, Paul tells the Roman church he needs to make use of them as a base of operations for extending his mission to Spain. He’s proclaimed the identify of Christ in fairly a little bit of the Roman Empire. He needs to go to Italy after which additional west to Spain. So, there’s a missional objective. There’s additionally an apologetic objective. Paul has by no means visited the church in Rome. Another person based this church, so he needs to current himself and his gospel in a manner that may get them on his facet and convey them into his orbit.
On this quantity of the New Testomony Theology collection, Brian S. Rosner examines the central theology and themes of Paul’s gospel message in Romans to strengthen and encourage disciples of Jesus at present.
After which many students at present assume there’s additionally a pastoral objective, citing Romans 14 and 15, saying there’s a dispute in Rome between the sturdy and the weak over Jewish eating regimen and calendar. And Paul addresses these divisions proper all through the letter.
In truth, one scholar has mentioned that one of the simplest ways to learn Romans (just like the title of his ebook) is to learn Romans backwards. Not actually, however considering every little thing as much as Romans 14 is resulting in a decision of that dispute. Now, my very own view is that there’s a pastoral objective of Romans, nevertheless it’s a lot broader than coping with division. And we choose that up from what we name the letter body.
In Romans 1:11, Paul says, “I wish to impart to you a non secular reward.” And in Romans 1:15 he says, “I wish to preach the gospel to you.” So we ask ourselves, Effectively, why would Paul be preaching the gospel, this reward he needs to offer them, in the event that they’re already Christians?
The trace is that he needs to impart this non secular reward to strengthen them. In a single sense, the ebook of Romans is Paul presenting his gospel in full, with all its implications, to strengthen the Roman believers. And in Romans 16:25, proper on the finish of the letter, he says precisely that. He says, “Now, might God strengthen you with my gospel, the preaching of Jesus Christ.”
So, its objective is to make Christians sturdy to face sin, to have hope, to cope with hardship, to like our enemies, and to be submissive to authorities. All of these issues come collectively for Paul together with his gospel message. The actually exceptional factor is the verb that Paul makes use of for “to strengthen” is used one other 4 occasions in his letters. In 1 and a couple of Thessalonians, the place he has already preached the gospel to that church, he writes to strengthen them. And much more remarkably, Luke makes use of an identical verb “to strengthen” 4 occasions within the ebook of Acts, the place Paul’s already established a church, then he comes again, and he takes the gospel and strengthens them. So, I feel it’s actually useful to consider how understanding the gospel helps us to cope with the challenges of the Christian life. And Romans is a remarkably full reply to that query.
Brian S. Rosner is the writer of Strengthened by the Gospel: A Theology of Romans.
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