2005 Bible Reading

Romans

This page is not a commentary, nor an outline. It is something to bear in mind in this kind of reading. These materials I learnt from two books by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart (How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth; How To Read The Bible Book By Book). You could consult these books if you are interested. (Pastor Raymond)

This letter is perhaps the one in Bible that has had the greatest effect on Christian history, maybe even on the Western civilization. It has many favorable Christian “nuggets,” but it also contains many rather difficult looking doctrinal discussions. However, with some efforts, the theme and framework of the letter is not that inaccessible after all.

Bearing in mind that letters are “occasional,” it is not difficult to find out that Paul wrote this letter, (1) to tell the church of Rome of Phoebe’s impending visit (16:1-2); (2) to inform them of Paul’s own plan to visit Rome and then Spain (15:17-29); and (3) to attempt to resolve some conflicts between Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. The third point, which was quite common in those days in a church with Gentiles and Jewish Christians together, revolved around the issues of who were or how to become “God’s people.” Must a Gentile Christian live and work like a Jew according to Jewish laws before he could become God’s people? Is the power of the Gospel effective only within the framework of Jewish Laws? The argumentations in Romans will become clearer if these questions could serve as the guiding lights.

For a moment consider what were the things that would cause most troubles in a congregation with Jews and Gentiles. The obvious candidates were Sabbath observance, Feast and calendar observance, and the adherence to the food laws on clean and unclean foods (these remain important even today). But there was one more very important but not as obvious as the above three: circumcision. Although it is not immediately obvious to a 21^st century reader, in the times of the apostles, it was impossible to hide this difference when people frequented the baths and gymnasium (the word “gymnasium” is derived from a root that means “naked”). All these four issues are found in Romans. No doubt, Paul wished to deal with these matters because he wanted unity for the church. But it should be noted that Paul did not want unity for unity’s sake. He was gunning for a final objective, one that he worked hard as an apostle: “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (15:5-6). To reach this objective and to deal with the conflicts between Jews and Gentiles, Paul has to work from the basics, starting with the justification through the Gospel. Therefore, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith” (1:16-17), is rightly observed as the theme statement of the letter. From the beginning, Paul demonstrates that both Jews and Gentiles are equal as sinners, and they are also equal as redeemed people, because they share the same faith in God as that of Abraham’s, which is the only means to salvation. All those who believe in the Gospels, be it Jews or Gentiles, have the Holy Spirit as their guidance in their lives. Chapters 9-11 outlines God’s righteous dealings with Israel, whilst at the same time emphasize that Gentiles cannot view Jewish Christians with contempt.

It is necessary to notice that Paul adopted a very popular way of teaching in Romans. That is, he used the “diatribe,” a way of asking certain questions posed by a phantom debater, and then providing the answers that would elaborate on the main teachings. These can be observed throughout Romans, e.g., in 2:1-5, 17-24; 8:2; 9:19-21; 11:17-24; 14:4, 10. He would debate with a Jew and then with a Gentile (for the latter, see 11:13-24). Because of this style of teaching, and compounded by the fact that sometimes Paul inserted some sweeping statements of his own in the debates, it is slightly more challenging to follow Paul’s argument and requires some patience in retracing his steps.

Finally, reading Romans has this special effect: it brings the readers back to the story of the Old Testament, whether through obvious quotations of the Old Testament or through more oblique allusions to the Old Testament background. This presents a challenge to those who normally do not read the Old Testament much. But if anyone desires to hear the heartbeats of Paul, it is necessary to first acquaint oneself with what excited Paul’s heartbeats.