THE
EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE ROMANS.
_______________
INTRODUCTION.
The
author of the Epistle to the Romans, as he himself states in the introduction,
was the Apostle Paul, chap. 1, 1. A large part of this great missionary’s life
is described in the Acts of the Apostles. "It will be sufficient to state
here that Saul (afterwards called Paul) was born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia,
of Jewish parents, who possessed the right of Roman citizens; that, when young,
he was sent to Jerusalem for the purpose of receiving a Jewish education; that
he was there put under the tuition of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel, and was
incorporated with the sect of the Pharisees, of whose system he imbibed all the
pride, self-confidence, and intolerance, distinguishing himself as one of the
most inveterate enemies of the Christian cause; but, being converted by a most
singular interposition of Divine Providence and grace, he became one of the
most zealous promoters and successful defenders of the cause which he had
before so inveterately persecuted." The letter throughout bears the
characteristic impress of Paul, both in content and form. It is a part of the
apostolic teaching, a part of Scriptures, given by inspiration of God, to make
us wise unto salvation by faith which is in Christ Jesus.
The
letter is addressed to the Romans, that is, "to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints," chap. 1,
7. "From chaps. 1, 8 and 16, 19 it appears that the church at Rome had existed for some time when Paul wrote this
epistle. How had it been founded? Evidently not through the services of St. Paul himself. When he wrote his letter, he had never been
in Rome (chap. 1, 10. 13; 15, 23). The Roman Catholic Church
of today claims that St. Peter was the founder of the church in Rome, and that he guided its destinies for twenty-five
years as its first bishop. This claim has no foundation in the Bible. Indeed,
it is contrary to all the evidence of the New Testament. Here is some of the
evidence. 1. Up to the time of the apostolic council... St. Peter was still in Jerusalem (Acts 12, 4; 15, 7; Gal. 2, 1 ff.). Trustworthy
tradition has it that he died in 67. From 51 to 67, however, is not twenty-five
years. 2. St.
Paul
wrote his Epistle to the Romans early in 58. But in this epistle he makes no
mention whatever of St. Peter, as he surely would have done if so prominent an
apostle had founded the Roman church. 3. In his epistle (chap. 16, 3-16) St. Paul sends special greetings to a large number of
Christians at Rome. But St. Peter’s name is not mentioned in the long
list of those whom St. Paul greets. What does that mean? It can only mean that St. Peter was not
in Rome at the time. It is clear, then, that neither St.
Peter nor St.
Paul
founded the church at Rome. Nor have we any evidence to the effect that any
other apostle was the founder. The origin of this church must probably be
accounted for in the following manner. Rome, the mistress and metropolis of the
world, had a large number of Jewish inhabitants in those days. Some of them
were present in Jerusalem on the great day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost was
poured out on the disciples (Acts 2, 10). In all probability some of these
‘sojourners from Rome’
were among the 3,000 who were converted and baptized. When they returned to Rome, these converts carried the Gospel of Christ with
them. That was the beginning of the church at Rome."
The
purpose of the epistle is stated by Paul himself (1, 11-15; 15, 22-32). Having
long intended to visit the congregation at Rome, he here announced his probable coming in the near
future. He wanted to prepare the church at Rome to become a suitable basis for
carrying the Gospel farther westward. The instructions of Paul in this letter
therefore assume the proportions of a full and exhaustive doctrinal treatise,
the most systematic and complete of all the epistles of St. Paul: "a presentation of the divine counsel of grace
and salvation in its universality, being intended and necessary for Jews and
heathen alike." Then also, the congregation, composed of Jews and Greeks,
with the Gentile Christians in the majority, had not yet formed a harmonious
whole, the Jews believing that they were destined to enjoy special privileges
in the kingdom of God, and the Gentiles exhibiting a tendency to look down upon
the Jewish brethren. The exposition of Paul in this letter was intended to
unify the two parties. On account of these two features the Epistle to the
Romans is the most important writing of Paul, or, as Luther expresses it, "the
chief book of the New Testament and the purest Gospel, which is well worthy
that a Christian should not only know it by heart, word for word, but daily use
it as the daily bread of the soul; for you can never read and study it too
often and too well, and the more you use it, the more precious does it become,
and the better does it taste."
From
Acts 20, 2. 3; Rom. 16, 1. 2. 23; 1 Cor. 1, 14 it appears that Paul wrote
this epistle on his third missionary journey, in the winter of 58-59, just
before leaving for Jerusalem. The conditions for sending the letter at this
time were favorable, since Phoebe, servant of the church at Cenchrea, a port of
Corinth, was on the point of traveling to Rome, and thus became the bearer of
the precious message (chap. 16, 1. 2). The letter was dictated by Paul to
Tertius, one of his companions and helpers, in the house of Gaius, at Corinth.
The
Epistle to the Romans is plainly divisible into a doctrinal and a practical
part. The first part, including chaps. 1-11, includes four subdivisions. After
the introduction the topic of the letter is announced: justification by faith
as revealed in the Gospel. The apostle shows that neither the Gentiles nor the
Jews are righteous before God, but are by nature under the wrath of God. The righteousness
of God, as earned by the vicarious merits of Christ, with all its blessings, is
next pictured. A necessary fruit and consequence of imputed righteousness is
sanctification, with its manifestation of good works. The universal grace of
God is the basis of the election of grace, as Paul shows from the example of Israel and of the Gentile world. In the practical, hortatory
section of his letter, the apostle then shows what Christian virtues flow from
love toward Christ: humility, charity, obedience, a holy life in general. In
the conclusion of the letter, Paul justifies his writing, expresses the hope of
coming to Rome soon, commends Phoebe, sends his personal greetings, warns
against false teachers, includes greetings of his companions, and concludes with
a doxology.
The
summary of the entire epistle cannot be given more beautifully than in the
words of Luther: "Thus we find in this epistle in richest measure what a
Christian should know, namely, what Law, Gospel, sin, punishment, grace, faith,
righteousness, Christ, God, good works, love, hope, cross, is, and how we
should comport ourselves against every one, whether he be pious or a sinner,
strong or weak, friend or enemy, and against ourselves. And all this well
established with Scriptures, proved with examples from his own experience and
from the prophets, that there is nothing more to be desired here. Wherefore it
seems that St.
Paul in
this epistle for once wanted to condense the entire Christian and Gospel
doctrine in a brief summary, and prepare an introduction to the entire Old
Testament. For without doubt, he that has this epistle well in his heart has
the light and power of the Old Testament in himself. Therefore let every
Christian make it his common and steady occupation and exercise. Whereto God
give His grace! Amen."
Paul E. Kretzmann