The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (123 page)

C. Israel's Temporary Rejection of Christ Is Due to Her Own Stubborn Pursuit of Self Righteousness (9:30—10:21)
Still, Israel was fully responsible for its spiritual condition. Gentiles obtained true righteousness by faith while Israel sought righteousness but did not attain it because she attempted to establish her own righteousness through obedience to the law rather than through faith in Christ (9:30—32). Hence, despite all her efforts, Israel did not find true righteousness because the law was fulfilled only through faith in Christ. As the OT demonstrates, salvation comes only through confession of faith in Jesus Christ (9:33, citing Isa 8:14; 28:16).

In truth, Israel did not fail to confess faith in Christ because she was uninformed about Christ (10:1—4). All Israel heard the message about Christ, but most rejected the message in stubborn disobedience. Yet Christ is “the end of the law.” In context, this means that Christ ends for the believer the attempt to achieve righteousness through keeping the law. Unlike Israel, the believer ceases from seeking to establish his own righteousness (8:3).
The believer gives up the vain hope of receiving life by doing the things written in the law (8:5). As “the end of the law,” Christ is the ultimate goal to which the OT prophetically pointed in its entirety. He is also literally the end of the law in that he, in his own person, fulfilled the law. As a result, the law is embodied in Christ, and believers can look to the one who has fulfilled the law as they live their Christian lives through the enablement of the Spirit.

Paul proceeded to cite additional OT prooftexts in order to demonstrate that the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles clearly followed from the OT message. This salvation, in turn, was predicated upon confession that “Jesus is Lord” and upon faith that God raised him from the dead (10:9). This was the essence of faith and fulfilled the premise that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (10:13, citing Isa 28:16)—Jew as well as Gentile. Moreover, if faith in Christ is required for salvation, then there must be messengers telling people the good news of salvation in Christ (10:14—21; see Isa 52:7; 53:1).

D. God Has Chosen a Present Remnant of the Jews for Salvation While Hardening the Rest (11:1—10)
Thus far Paul's “justification of God” has been largely devoted to the demonstration that God was right to condemn Jews for seeking to establish a righteousness of their own rather than submitting to the way of salvation God has established (10:3). This opened the door for the salvation of a large number of Gentiles who had no such ambition and who had previously been far off (10:20, citing Isa 65:1), perhaps provoking Israel to jealousy (10:19, citing Deut 32:21). Yet, as Paul proceeded to show in chap. 11, God has not rejected Israel entirely. God has chosen a portion of Israel by his grace for salvation. This remnant will obtain the righteousness Israel had sought.

E. God Will Ultimately Save the Nation of Israel (11:11—32)
Thus God used Israel's rejection of the gospel for his gracious purposes to bring salvation to the Gentiles (11:11—12). Now God uses the Gentiles’ reception of the gospel to make the Jews envious and move some of them to faith in Christ. At the same time, Gentiles should not be arrogant toward Jews (11:17—21). Their salvation rests on God's promises to Israel and is predicated on faith. God is ready to accept the rest of Israel when they repent of their unbelief.

Gentiles, Paul warned, should not assume that they have favored status with God. At the appointed time, God would shift his focus to national Israel again. Great masses of Jews will be saved. This was necessary because God's gifts and call are irrevocable. Hence Paul's argument has come full circle, and he has established that God's word is true (9:6). God's righteous salvation-historical purposes for both Jews and Gentiles proved to be coherent and consistent, though ultimately beyond complete human comprehension.

F. God's Plan Is Mysterious and Wise (11:33—36)
Appropriately, therefore, Paul concluded his demonstration of the righteousness of God in chaps. 9—11 with a doxology, affirming the mystery and wisdom of God's ways. As the apostle explained, God wondrously displayed his mysterious wisdom by using Gentiles and Jews to prompt one
another to believe in Christ. This realization should drive all believers to praise the depth of God's wisdom and acknowledge that God is glorious in all he does, whether or not they presently fully understand all of his purposes.

VI. The Practical Implications of the Gospel (12:1-15:13)

A. Christians Should Respond to God's Mercy by Living Transformed Lives (
12:1—
2)
On the basis of Paul's foregoing arguments (“Therefore,” 12:1), he called on believers to respond to God's mercy by devoting their lives completely to him and by having renewed minds that know God's will. They are to do so, not by bringing a variety of sacrifices as people did in OT times but by presenting themselves—their very own bodies in their entirety—as a “living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” This will be their “spiritual worship,” and this is how they will be able to discern “the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God” (12:2).

B. Transformed Living Will Impact Relationships in the Church (12:3—21)
The renewed mind is characterized by humility. It recognizes the interdependency of the different members of the church and does not establish a church hierarchy based on spiritual gifts (12:3—8). The renewed mind is also characterized by love. This love expresses itself through forgiveness, sympathy, harmony, humility, and kindness (12:9—21).

C. Transformed Living Will Affect Relationships with Political Authorities (13:1—7)
Another important implication of the gospel Paul preached is that all believers should submit themselves to governing authorities. Governmental authority has been appointed by God, preserves order, and thwarts lawlessness. For this reason, believers should conscientiously pay their taxes and show respect for political leaders. These words take on special significance in light of the fact that they were written during the tenure of Emperor Nero (54—68), whose ignominious reign would be responsible for the martyrdom of numerous Christians, including Paul himself.

D. Transformed Living Is Urgent Because of the Nearness of Christ's Return (13:8—14)
Believers should fulfill the law by expressing love for others. Expressing love for others and living righteously are especially important since Christ's return is fast approaching.

E. Transformed Living Will Lead to Mutual Acceptance of Stronger and Weaker Christians (14:1—15:13)
Believers should accept one another in love even when they disagree over issues of conscience such as diet and the observance of holy days (14:1—8). They should follow their own consciences in this regard while taking care not to allow their behavior to disturb other believers who hold different convictions. What is more, they should make sure not to encourage other believers to do something that they do not believe is right. It is wrong to eat, drink, or do anything that disturbs another's conscience.

Jewish and Gentile Christians, the weak and the strong, should live in unity and try to build up one another (14:19). They should learn to glorify God with one heart and one
voice. Jesus himself came into the world as a servant to the Jews, fulfilling the promises to the Jews and yet including Gentiles in God's plan, so that they might glorify God as was foretold in the OT Scriptures.

VII. Conclusion (15:14-16:27)

The conclusion of Paul's letter to the Romans is longer than those in his other letters, yet it is appropriate in light of the length of the entire letter and in view of the fact that Paul had neither planted the church in Rome nor yet paid a visit to it. Especially noteworthy is the large number of individuals greeted by Paul in 16:1—16.

A. Paul's Travel Plans: Visiting Rome on the Way to Spain (15:14—33)
At long last, Paul elaborated on one of the major purposes for writing the letter: his plan to visit Rome on his way to Spain (15:24). Rather than making Rome the final destination of his impending visit, Paul intended for Rome to be merely a stop on his way to the far western frontiers of his European mission. In this Paul serves as a model of a frontier missionary, his aim being “to evangelize where Christ has not been named, in order that I will not be building on someone else's foundation” (15:20). Paul also asked for prayer that he would be rescued from unbelievers in Judea and for a successful delivery of the Gentile offering for the Jerusalem church (15:30—32). But as the book of Acts makes clear, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and eventually arrived in Rome, though not the way he had originally envisioned (Acts 21—28).

B. Commendation of Phoebe and Greetings to Roman Christians (16:1—16)
At the end of the letter, Paul first commended the likely carrier of the letter, Phoebe, a servant or deaconess
(diakonos)
of the church in Cenchrea and a benefactress or patroness for many, including Paul (16:1—2).
⁷⁸
Paul also greeted his trusted coworkers, Priscilla and Aquila (who had apparently returned to Rome), including the church that met in their house (16:3—5; see Acts 18:2). This is followed by a long list of greetings to various individuals and house churches, including a surprisingly large number of women.
⁷⁹

C.
Final Warning (16:17—18)
A final warning is issued against those who cause divisions. Believers are implored to avoid these individuals and not to be deceived by their smooth talk or flattering words.

D. Final Commendation and Greetings (16:19-24)
The believers in Rome are commended for their obedience and urged to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil. God will soon crush Satan under his feet. Timothy and others sent
greetings, as did Tertius (Paul's amanuensis), Gaius (Paul's host), and Erastus (the city-treasurer), among others.

E. Concluding Benediction (16:25—27)
A glorious benediction concludes the letter. It includes Pau's final reference to his gospel and to God's revelation of the “sacred secret” that was anticipated in the prophetic Scriptures, according to which “the obedience of faith among all nations” was now advancing through Paul and his associates to the glory of God in Christ.

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

The Gospel
Paul's letter to the Romans makes an enormous contribution to the NT canon. This letter contains the most extensive presentation of Paul's gospel. Romans 1:18—3:20 is Paul's most thorough and sustained treatment of the universal sinfulness of humanity. Paul's portrait of the sinner is a graphic depiction of the creature's rebellion against the Creator, a depiction that unmasks his deep depravity. Rarely does one see the horrific ugliness of his soul with such shocking clarity as in these riveting verses.

Further, Rom 3:21—4:20 contains Paul's most developed exposition of his doctrine of justification. Paul discussed this doctrine extensively in Galatians. But, as Bruce stated, “The arguments which are pressed on the churches in an urgent and
ad hoc
manner are set forth more systematically in Romans.”
⁸⁰
J. B. Lightfoot wrote that the treatment of justification in Galatians compared to the treatment in Romans “as the rough model to the finished statue.”
⁸¹
Romans adds specific details to the discussion of justification that the earlier treatment in Galatians did not include, such as the point that Abraham was justified before he was circumcised; that Abraham's faith closely parallels Christian faith in the God who resurrected Jesus and who justifies sinners; and that all three major sections of the OT affirm justification by faith.

Also, Rom 5:1—8:39 contains Paul's most developed discussion of the believer's new spiritual state, particularly his liberation from death, sin, the law, and corruption. Then in 12:1—15:13, Paul described in vivid detail the practical implications of this new spiritual state. Although Romans is frequently associated with the doctrine of justification by faith alone, it must not be overlooked that Paul sees justifications as leading inevitably to sanctification in which the Spirit prompts and empowers the believer to fulfill God's righteous demands in fulfillment of the new covenant promises (8:1—4).

Finally, Romans contains what is by far Paul's most complete treatment of God's relationship to national Israel. Romans 9—11 discusses in great detail Israel's gracious election, God's faithfulness to his covenant, Israel's rejection of God's grace, the positive purpose of this rejection in redemptive history, and the future salvation of Israel. These chapters
express the love of the “apostle of the Gentiles” for the people of Israel more powerfully and passionately than any other text that he penned.

The Christian's knowledge of the gospel is far richer and his joy more abundant when he has immersed his soul in the study of this great letter. As Martin Luther wrote nearly 500 years ago in the preface for his commentary on Romans, this letter “is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes.”
⁸²

The “Righteousness of God”
One of the major themes of Romans is the insistence that individuals are viewed by God as righteous only on the basis of faith rather than by the works of the law. This theme is so prominent that many interpreters since the Protestant Reformation have viewed justification by faith as the primary focus of the letter. Although many now insist that justification cannot be singled out as the central theme of the entire book, most still acknowledge that it is at least the focus of 1:1—4:25 where Paul explained that believers are declared righteous on the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death and that this is the only means of salvation since all have failed to live up to the standard of the law.