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The Gospel according to Paul

The Letter to the Romans
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Th letterto lhe Rominsis unique pauBvrriljn8s, among andh arguabtythe mostimpatltwrcte portant. k ls the onlyletrer to a.hurchrhat he did not himsetfstablsh,and it ls the onl/ letrcrthatdosnortfy to lolve the church,s probtems.Why woutdpaut wrlte such a letter? Anyon who cal 50vethar probtenw t have inrghrhto Romans. taineda rgnificanr _ rrB chaprer a.gues rharpautwalred !o sn6wrhe Roman Chrsdans lhat hisgospet meslagewason $e up andup,hoplngto convinc rhemro provtde somesuppon(morat? financlall) for a mirslonary trip h ptanned ro rakefurrhefwest, to Spatn.To make hts case{onvlncing, PauJ hadro exptain carefutif hii undrstandtnS ofthe gospet ofcod, whichbrlntssalvation to attpeopte,whethrlew pauiundF or Gentite.As w wl s.

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sr.nds rhis acrot satvation in a vartety ot wa/s. This chaprrwtttr) ro unpack lhse wa),s,o a5 ro pfovloe gfeater hsighr Intofundamentalaspecls of paut's InctudlnS hisundrstandtnt Sospet, ofrherelarlonship ofcod ro thlews and ofjwrand cem sro ach other.

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i.^ 1lhasproven ro Cn o b@k ,,t the NewTesramem In rheh,sron, t, henore,nfluenrul ofchdstian L.h""ch, rhar p3utr terterr, rhe Rmans. 9 Oneofthe most.{requently quored pieces ofC,hny canon of Scripture asthe 6rst, andlongest, of pault epistles. At the endo{ the f"*if., * ,* rn"""i," smrnental in the convers.. i"i"i a,e,.ri"., , "i * -n * ._ *",*q l*.J;"I*r" -**" *
of theologians rhroughoutdre Middle Aees.It sroJ

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356

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Chapter22 The Gospel ac.ording to Paul:The Letterto the Romans, at the cenre. of the debates berween Protestano and Catholics during r\e sixteenth-centuy Refor, marion, when Protesmnr leaderssuch s Madn Lurher, Philip Melanchton, and John Calvin saw u a. rhe cle,rer e\po.i runo'Ch,Fr 'n Jo.'rine in r h er l r i n g . o f L l e d t " . l e . . c r d . \ " b o o t. o r t r r ' r e . r o r n f l u e r , e. ' d n . f i r p ( - h r { i " n r e d d e ai r many lands and nany lansuagestoday, $eolosians alike, whocherish irs wordsandpuzand iaypeople zLe over theLrmeanLng. \i/hat, then, is this book that has insprred so nuch reflection and spawnedso nuch controversy? The short answer is that il is a letter by Paul b in Rome.The hLstorran rhe Chrhdan coneregation who comes to the tsk of interyreting this ietter cannot aLlowhinself or henelf to be so overawed as to lose sight o{ this signincance by irs historicaL letter $at Paul wrote to a fact. This was a simple particuLar church.As withallofhrs Letters, drh one and waswritten ior a reason. had an occasion

357

concemingPault no$Therenay be someclues vation at the beginning andendofthe letter.At rhe outsethe sutesthat he is eager to visit the churchto share his gospel with then (1,10-15). One might r\ink, hen.tldr laul . t-pannq rh" Ror r . for *h.r ne h. r r' . s.,,ig them adrance no-..e abort is up to, hut at the end of r\e letter a tuller agenda becomes nore evident.ln his closing,Paulindicates that he has conpleted the work that he has to do wherehe is-probabiy Achaia (in Corinth itselfl), ..nce rccordirp ro I 6.1theper"n . ar1ingrl-elet ter, Phoebe, is a deacon of the churchin Cenchredc, Corinrht nerrby pon. Moreover, he says he is eager into the westem regiorx, to extendhismission specifically Spain, andwants ro visirRome on theway: with o'-r\er plc.e f^rmpin l'e.e 8u-now, R I desire, asI have for many ro rean,to come sions, you{hen I goto Spain. youon !o! I dohoFe rc see myjoumer andto besent onbyyou, once I have enjoycd (15,23-24) yourcompdnr fo! a Little rvhile.

it appears ln light of these comments, that Paul meetine is interested in morethansimply with the T H EO C C A S I O N AND RomanChristians, He evidentlywantsthem to PURPOSE OFTHE LETTER pro.rde for hi. s"rp"n. moralrnd nnanc,al. "eq possihiy he wouldlike to use Rorne respect the lcner to the Romans wardmissiont as ln oneimportant it is writtento d rhebase ofhis oFera{on to theregions beyond. But is unlikeall ofPaul\ otherLetters: in a ciry whywouLd he need to provide sucha lengthy expothat Pauldid nor establish, congregation Civen sition of his viewsin orderto get theh support? that he had nevervLsited Ge1:10-15). .har w. ha'e aheady.een atorr hul! sense ofhrs Don\ theyalready knowwhohe is-the apostle to giveus the Gentiles? thh chcumstance should And wouldn't theyreadily undertake mhsion, aposrolic werelrdtten to dealwith to pfovide him with whatever assistance isneededl pause. PauL\ othcrletters whrm prchlc,,s rhat had ari'en dmonddtsc he PauLt Lengthy discourse suggests eitherthal the to faith in Chris!. That clearlyrs Romans haveonty a dim knowledge of who he had convened here(see box 22.1) or, evenmoreLikely, that they havehearda great not rhecase dealabor.rr hnn andthat whartheyhaveheard has does not [ppearto be Evenrnoresuiking,PauL problems If rl^rs or cr ler" lhat he hashard about madc rhen .u,prciou,. u rhecase. wrirursto rsolve ,hcir il Paulbel,cver hr, i ,.. rhenprc.um'bly The issues that he d-wirhin rhe Romanchurch. wouldrelateto the hsr.res to rcLate insread tohis ownpreaching suspicions that Pauladcusses appear throughoutrhe lener, issues suchaswhether of the Chrrstiaugospel.This is cLcarlythe caseLn dresses in chap- CentiLes canreatly bethoughtofasequal andJews chapten1-11,but evenhis exhortations before God has in narure, no! explicirly diGod,and,i{ theycan,(a) whcther ters12-15aregeneral specific |o the Christians in for,aken hi' promi.es rl-atrheJews. u'd be \r. rectedto problcms doe. heirJ . arr'l-ar specialpeopleand (b) whetherPauls "taw,liee fo"e",mple Roqe.\ouhere. gospel" rhe.r.-rugele. ol andthar\e .r.r r. ro the Gentilesleadsro lawles and imneha. lea'neJ (con$ast (ct calatians). moral convey his aposrolic advice all of behavior ing ro Possibt$ then,he simply wants ro The tone and sryleof this leter supportthe his orherlerters). viewthar Paulwroteit to expLain himsefto a consomeo{ hs viewsand explainwhy he expound gregation whose assistance he was eagerto receive. holds thern. But why would he want to do so for a Ronanscarefully, When reading through onegets churchthat he hasneverseen?

358 .:. The NewTestamenrA HistorkatInrroduction

his thorl

Box22.I

TheBeginnings of the Roman Church

that Suetonius slighrllmuddled his hcts and mean! to sal t5ar the rio$ resukedfrom coiflicrs ove"ChrisC'(forpossible suppofrint evidence, seeAcr5 l8r2).lf so,thenJwish christians would hayebeer acive theresometime In rhe nid-4os. On rhe oiher hand, it may be that Suetonius is not referinr to Christ or $e ChrGrians ar ali but to someRo-man Chresrus (a name thar is orherwise Jwnamed wetl One thint we consayaboutrhe earlyhisroryof Roran Ch.isqan,cy i5tl-at.arleastoy rhe 5Os,n @s hrget nade up of cenriles.This is presupposed oy P a ul ^m s e lk f e e l : 5{ , l 3 : I l : r 3 .a n d2 8 r w . h ow a s pe.solall/ acquainred wirh a nJmberof Chr*ians ftere (rhusthe greetings in chap.16).8ut how dic thlspredominantly cenrilechurcl^ beth) l',1ost scnot. ars,realizing thatwe cannever knowfof cerrain.slm. ply a$um rhat Chrhdanky war brouEht to $e lm. perialcapital eitherby travelers who hadconveftei to lhe fath whileabroad 2r8-t2),orby Ge,e.g.,Acts Chrlstlanswhodcidedforonereasonoranotherto relocate therc,or by anorher mtssionary.

The Christianchurch was alreadl esrabtished in Romeby57or58c.E.,the probabte datofpault tet, te,t but no one knowsfo. cenainhow andwhen it first arived there.One ancienr traditionstates that the apostlePeterestablished the churchin Rome some fifteen years earlierand became irsfirst bishop (i..,the Pope).The arliest book knownto bewritrcn b), members of the Ronan church,howev,, I Clemerrand lhe Shcpherd o. Hermas.say lotnht abour Percrstarrint rhe churchrhere or beinr ft5 first bGhop.lloreoven Paultlenerro the Romani, rtselftheearliest recordofa Chrisrian presence in rhe capiar.greets twenry-ei8ht diferen! peoptein rhe com_ muniiy by name(chap. 16) bur saysnothint about presence Peter's among them. SoFescholars ravesuggested rharthe wnrings of tfe Rorar hlsrcnan Sutoniu5proydeevioerce of the prsence ofChrisdanity In Rome arteas!a decade beforePaul's lettef.Sueronius claims tha! rhe emperor claJd Js l-adexpelled rl^eJews frm Rore in rhe yar49 c.E. because of riots insrlSaled by a man namedchresrus\Lifeof aaudius25). lr k possibte

There letter aF Pauie4t He wan

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rhe sense thar Paul is constandyhaving to defend himself and to jusrify hh views by making careful e . g .s , e e3 : 8 ; 6 : 1 ,1 5 ; ? : . , . a n d r e a s o n ea dr g u m e n t(s Moreover,he makesthis defense ina neatlycrafted way, following a rheroricaL style known in antig. uiry as the "diatribe." This involved advancingan argumentby stating a rhesis,having an imagioa.y c p p ,n e n r r r | . e p . $ i b l e o r ; e , r o n s r o r r , a n d r n " r ploviding answersro these objections. Consioer the following rhetorical quesrions and answers: Then {hat advantdse hasrhe levl Or whdr is rhe value of circumcision I Much in everyway. for in rhe 6st place rhelewsweleennusted whh the oraclesof G o d .( 3 , 1 2 ) V 4 r " ,, h e ,I A - c q e d n \ b e r L .o rfi \o aot ,r , r^r "t we have already charcedthar alL,both Jewsand Gieeks, areundq rhe powerofsin. (3,9) c l , o J . d w l a r h e r r e w er o - i q e c o 1 I n ,p - . r n in order that eEce may abound? By no means!How canwewhodiedro singoon living nr lrt (6,1-2)

Since the aurhor both asks and answersrhe quesrrors.rhe drcnrbe x remarkab\ effecrive rn showing thar he knows what he is talkine abour and rhar he is aLways righr. By employingthis style, Paul could effectivelycounler argumenrs tha! orh, rshad madeagainsthis reachings. It shouldbe noted that Paul\ navelplansincLude not only rhe lrip rhrough Rome to Spain bur an earlierjaunr to Jerusalem. Paul has colLected funds for the poor Christiansof Judeafrom his Centile converts in Macedonia and Achaia (15:25-2?) a n d a p p e a nu r e a ' v o v e r \ F L p c " m i n gr r i p r o d e . l v e r r h e m( 1 5 : 1 0 - r 2 ) L { e. \ u p p n t y fea r.u or-un believers" in ludea (presurnablylews who dont take kindly to his frith inJesus)and apprehensive of his receptionby the "sainrs"(presumably JewishChrLstians who have not warned to hh law-ftec gospel ro rhe centiles). Some scholan have suy pected that his lener to the Rornam is a kind of trial run for presentinghis views,an arremprro ger

Figurc22.t

Chapter t, 22 The Gospel .ccording ro PaulThe Letrerto the Romans his fioughts organized on paperbeforc having presentthem to a hosrile audience in Jr.rdea. There may be somemrt\ in this, but chiedythe letter appears to be directed ro the situation thar to find whereh addresses Paulexpects ir, in Rome. He want ,o u'e rhischurch ashi. ba.e ofopemdon and Lnows(or thinks) that he hassomeopposition.He writes a letterto persuade fiis congregarronof&e rru,hofhs 'enronot rhego"pel. Thi' gospelinsiststhat Jewsand Gentiles are on equal footing before God: borh are equally alienared from God and both can be made risht wLrhCod only throughCluist'sdeathandr$urrection. Moreover, the salvarionthat is offeredin Chrtst com." to peopleapartfiorn adherence to the Jewrsh Law, rhe Las rselt beitr rrmes ro rhLs eren though faith astheonlymeans ofsalvation.lndeed, Christ is the goal of this Law Ahove all else,fie gospel showsthacCod hasnot gonebackon his promises to the Jews andhasnot rejecred fien ashis people. In Cbrist, all of the promises of God have cone rc ftuition. Furthermore, the Romans can rist asureo *Lat this gospel dosnor lead.tonoral laxity: Paulis himselfno moralreprohate andhe doesnot urgehis convensto engage in wild andlawless activities.

3 59

,"r r"r", oF rHE EprsrLE

Paulbegirxhis lener to the Romans in his usual1'?n with a prescripr .aming and describing himselfand his addresses, in which he anticipalesrhe central concem of his le$er, rhe neaning of his gospel (1:l-?; see box22.2). The prescript isfollowed by a

Fi8lre 22,1 Reconstructon of centracityRome, roughly asit wou d have tooked in tuu ! day

Historical 360 .:. The NewTestamentA lntroduction

dre r

acar

Box 22.2 Paul's Gosoel to the Romans

Scholars hav longmaintained that Pauls opening hisresurrection.Why though wouldPaulbegin hh letcomments in Roml:3-4arnot hisownwo.ds bur ter !n suchan unusual way? thosofan oldChristian creed thatheisquoting,perlf ii is true that Paolwar writint this letrer to coF haps onethatwas commonly confe$ed byChrjstians reci anymisunderstanding abouthis gospelmesage, ir whenthe/ cam to be baptized (cf.the Philippians maybe that he wanted|o betin bI amrming a confeshymn:see bor 21.9). Onereasol for rhinkntthisu sionalstatemenr thathe kns ms hmiliarrohisaudihimselfhere thatPaulexpre$es inways thatarequite ence, so that thE would rccognize that histospel w6 judrinrIrcmhGorheruidis- not "off bse" blt wasthe samegospelthe/ hadcome uncustomary for him, putedleiters. Nowhere ehe, tor enmde,doeshe to beliwewhentheyioined the Christlan church.lfso, referto Jesus as"descended from Dayid according lo thenwe have another indication thatthisisa letterthar thefleshl' nowhere else does hecall rheHolySpirir Paul spenr some considerable carein constructin&giv'the sphitof holine$l' andnowhere else doe5 he in8thoughtto how he mitht bes!win o!r rhis imporwas clan d^at "declared to beSon of God at tantchurch to rupponhisGentil (seel:5-6). mission lesus

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(1:8thanksgiving to God for this consiegation 15), in which he announces his plans!o visit the congtegation in order to sharehis gospelwilh them. PauL then givesa brief delineation of hLs gospel in two verses rhatscholars havelongrecogassetting our rhetherne nized of the epistLer ForI amnot ashamed of thc cospeli ir is thepower ol Oodforsalvation to everyone sho hs fairh,to rhJev list andalso to thOrcek. Forin it thelishteousness of Gdl is revealed through fairhfor fairhiosit iswiitren, 'Tlleone (1r16-17) who isriehteous wiLI live byfairh."' wont todo, Paulhas packed As he isoccasionally a great deaL into these two verses. To help usunder. standrhe letrerasa wholewe should spend a few unpacking moment! them.

clear:apartfromthisgospel, therewouldbeno This sahtation comes to thase uho haw fa|h. The EnglLsh noun "faLth"(pisls)and the verb"believe" (pirtrein) are rranslarions of the same Greekroot.For Paulfaith (or believing) refers to a trusting acceptance of Cod! act of salva, tion. It does nor refersimDlv to inrellec al as, youa;eiishC'),bur nnplies sem(asin "l beLieve a whoieheaned convictionand commitmenr. ThroughourthislenerPaulwiLl insisttharaper, sonh put inlo a dghtreLarionship wirh Godnor by adhering to thedictates ofthe Jewish Lawbut by trusring God's actofsalvation, that is,by be, lievingin Chdst's deathandresunection.

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l. Paulis not ashamed of rhegospei. PauL may be 4. Sahotim comes fost n theJew ai lvn to the writingthe Romans |o providea relativly furL PauL Creet.By "Greek" simplymeans "Gentile" andaccurate accoun! of thegospel message that (since it stands in comrast to 'Jew"). The salvaperhaps he proclaims, in light of the partialand tion siven in rhe gospeL cornes to both Jews and inaccurare reportfiat he suspects rheyhaveaL. Gentiles. received u frrst,since God is rhe Jews readyheard.He begins by assuring them that God of the lewswho senthis Sonto the Jewish thisnessage brings him no shame. (as people in tulfllmentofthe Jew,sh Scriptures 2. Pa&h soslel ir Godt poue,ful medlx o/ sal!"Paulindicates borhin Romans andr\roushourhis !ion.The gospel that Paulpreaches represents v rines),but it alsocones to the Gentiles.ln, Godhpowerful act ofsalvation ro rhe world,u deed, oneofPault overarching pointsthfoughout is the way God haschosento savethosewho this leter is thar despiterhe advantages of the for destruction. (for exampte, areheaded The implicarionN havingthe Scriprures in which Jews

in Calad thrcugha in Roman also think In largem tharPaul

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. " Go,pel l-.ol rhar ,"rr",n. , rec,ro or je.c q.r.r\ dr.l d\rd\ bu. dbUur h. owr g ^pel me.. .ag" ' r"ut fd. r r"r.erv r h i r g . L o. a r a l - .: r , "f p t , c e . o b e . o ne . o r f u . e o a r o u . n J e r r r p o u /i \ b e , n B . rtui.rc, I w|lh nimr||. In mo inr rrr. (lnr n,r .urer.an,c,r.hloraljrf 'npm,. r J r . . . n o , r n , u n , . . e n .rn J . . r t i r . n . e u c.Ir.er thp dithu . l r i . r \ " . l _ (o L . u . . e . C . d . \ r r ' , 1 :r r . d - j .h e i . , , h , e J , . i l r h e { acr or salvatronin a number ofdifferent \r I , h J r wavsand In((., ,r tei rnJ C,1ril-...,d,. w,rh .nm- mtr J.e\ nor . tea,., ,proplc. Indic e q,, . t, w") he nrrTc Inr. ndppJ I mdi,1 hcme.fRondn, \ , r - r l t i n g " b o L r l o . h r y w o r d . .p a u t hJ. \r,ruu. u o . r . r a .n , L g u re b a ( \ . r h F p , . . i e , n j n . . m . c s , , , L n d e h r . ,d r . n S .v d r i or . U r . e p - u d ,r n . onot relected his peoplc thc lews. The death and e ( . . . r s h , r I m c r n r r . i . a \ _ h r rC o d b r o c g n r 'esL,rectionof Jesus "oour are the tulfillment o{ these sr|qrr.n.hn{.dh t$u. J"irh Indr+Lnccriu n. p r { n r r . . n , dt , , , 1 , I n . , i m , . r ne.e are ar leasrfuo major rnodelsthat paul s,vc, u. r,Jes.. ino l|unuSh r h c mr o d n . e n t | r e r\!rld. r - + . . t o ru n d . " l q r n J j n g rhe rnpur..n.e ( nnr, \ ( . / { r . r 6. l/,p r o - d r h , n , r F t e r e i | , r h . I l " , n . n , , . e e b" t r . , , l a r mr / r cq o . p e i f r . . t . , . r . n . o\ l2 4). J l h . , r ! , . l t , : , .l - ( c n p ( { e . . l v r . r r n d c " n . i . . c u r r . , r u , h e \ ' t c j u d i c i a l r n o r h ep a f l i c i p r r i o n i 5 t { ' n d h , F o , . . ",rn l , i , ' r e , - m e . l r r h " j , u . . n J . ( r h e . cJ . , .I J r . o f c ."u mooers J r . e .f d L l . . w n r e r m . ) . " r .lj teJrle br.i..\ 'hr >:rrFrre.r,.m,.1,". s e r h e . er . r n u r u : l t e r x .t u r , e redrh r. r h d . i l \ . , r rn r .I r * d . _ r n p l e r e | t r h t r : . n r h p . . r n e | r n ( . , . , ,"m r, .r " . r n c u n r r a r u . h . ,.rF "n, ( ' ! h i , , 6 h t . . , 1r , , r , , j , t , - , .r . , - h " i r h f DrneJ ! .'rere'r r n.epr:.,l.rre ,, , . , n e. r . r c l( n ( in " r : . t u r n g rnr,o'r rrnrnpJid'e r,,c w , t - f , $ J n t e j i , -r h . . l J " , . n L , u .e . . . . , n \ r-rp ^e.. hosevHr. i. w.tr Jf r h Hr r . i p h p rl l L k l \ . f , r / . n r t , . r ? + r t r L r i c r J r ' .\ ' e t - q r h e , n d e l . w 1 l i n ^ J l , r i , n frum ! r ' r . r , r J i n . l - ( f . r C . L a - " I . r i r . , -r \ r p r , one rnother. Borh modelsurderstand that huuran 'rJc. rr ! rn(. . l'\ hr . rg\ b e ' r , \ . r e . w m d r$ , l r e n . , r " J 1 1r h l n , . . , e f r o mC . o . , n Jr h r . $ r - . , t r ' . . h c . , . . .w . . J tt i , e t . 1 , . r , r . I . L . u - r L n n r . J ( t h , n J r e , J f i c .- . n n , r n c h . u w rk t., -c..r\. rh,rpr..t p h r r : " T h . r . c * r " r , r n . " l Ll f h , { r r r , c r n .t h c n : u . . r . , . f U...l r h er r o t . - . r n t t m L r g hi r r h w 1 lf i n l i L L . " ' n . i, t , r u w C h n , , j , . , . , , . h c J , r ., , . . w . , q . .,,,..xdrhrrcnrt) frc\scLl in drt rw,, muJck | . , . 1 t r - r . , r . .c m l h , . ^ I n l L i , L J ) t . crl J . . , 1 , . r. r . h r r L r h , r t r . , r h \r. . n . , . t ,r . l - i n r , ( L . M . w TheJudicial Lr ct.,r , r I t . I , a r , .r . c c r , . t r r Model r h r J u r l r I n l c l J r i . I . r , i r u , , . r .l i / , . r r ; , - n J r r , *r Paul $metnnes understands rhc human nrobtem I n K , m J , \ ( I . u ' . d t rn . G r l . r r r n . . -r . t \ r t rr tre w'rh.re$"..L Crd dndrh. J,v n, $lu.h; m ( .l.url-ir I . l ) r r r .s r , , r , J r r r , e J , u r . t - S , n r n r 6 p r ^ t r e r n n l e p ' l I r u J n r a lr e r m , . Ir h, rnrrrJ rr"J14. r. 'r .rr*rJ, r ,:-e d .rrgurrr rr mere.appea$ro be r rough analogybetween :1 l:{{,..r the r n I n r t . J . . p r t . i . r t \ i . , n .r \ J r i , , \ r . r n , . . , r r e or r c r n l . . , 1 \ a r J r . , n . 1r h e h j r n , , n 5 . s : , p e r .. 1 . t u w o r C e n . , r e . 1 u . r , c r : r ' f l . * e ... ,. , n e . , n , " | ; s t I r ne wiy rrworks, in simFtc r e r m sr . " a sf t , J l o w s v . , n . l i r c f . t r r e C , d . J e r i \ r . . r " n , r lc . e . d . r e . c"k.. u.d ii , tdwrn ,ter whJ h F ,n,,Je ids. r, . pr,. , p , c l . / o u ( , l | e - t l e . r o . . , r l e w . r :, . ! e r y . , , , . . , .rl! qp PAULINE b'. k-n ,te.. Lw, Ond r. .,J.n I e MODELS .v' FOR b e ,{ i w f J r ' r p e . p e r p r e a r a . lu.rge SALVATION l,ub,eck_, rhr rLn h! Lr b erl in8CoJ.. ..,w. , dedrh, , , r anl R:,rhe rt. l, rr.h,nc iIo pa..dsp.b\.r1.\rdc e , . r . r e r . , o , n d .tnr, r " b e c u r t y c h a e e d ' . e r * | . ! t r u r . t K o r r .1 \ . r n 1 v mJrr f.o\p.u r h eI J n r l t r , l ' e m . l r f d . , . u " t d . . . , e v e - v olr:e .emr. n rvhrr * r.eh , ic, u. ,o . ile.. rr br, .rrrcd- (ie. b-lpr Cd.rrw...ee raul "Jo R^m l:jrl, has ro say in rhis letter aLout his cennal rherr.,, f o - r " w . p e , ,r , i n . . J e a r \ " , r e . . Je.,. r. rhe the gospel.(Remenlbel paulis nor speakng about p e n a r | \t o r a r l q h o h i v e ( L n n e t lR . o mo Z l )

rhepronises of Cod aresiven),lewandCnrile areon equat rooring before God.Alt havemneo c. r. (-.d ano-rtlc.n bemdde net, r,L L. d onr) n) rarrhIn L hrist. 5. ri]f eo.rc/,.{erb rhengrreon rc. ol Cod J. .r ".dh l 1 CoJ .nord 1 ,r srve prpr(rprre ,u , rr paull o$n peoplei insisrs that cod i! urF sospel \n.1ltr"B!r ,, Inc\. \ , e brind. e,,u ab,", ..r.

Chapter22 The cospetaccording to paut:The Lettef to the Romans*

361

362 .1. The NewTesomentAHistorical In oducrion

calted Christl

Box22.3 Two Different Waysof Salvation in Paulf

Somemodernscholars havebeensrru(k br Paul's twojold insistence that (o) he himself contjnuer to worshipthe lewishGod and (b) thejewishLM can haveno bearint on on'sstandang bfore God. How. dk thesescholars,@n he seriously propose (b) ir he (o)? really mans To our knowledre, all ancienrJews maintained that rhe law was tiyen by God prectsely in order ro show his peoplehow ro maintain rheir lose,covnantal relationship wirh himsell How couldsomeone abandon the Law-ndeed,insist that the Lawbe abandoned<nd/er still clalmto follow thlsGod? One pafticularlf hteresting 3olullon prcposed in yearsis that we needto takeseriousll recent Pautb self-prsentarion asanapostle rofie Geities, AccordtnS lo thh view.Paul! letters \rere written nor ro lews (wherhef Chdsrian or non-Chrisdan) bur ro centtte tollowEotjsus.ltwas to desepeopl,and onlyto people,that these Paul mainraind tharadherence !o the Law of the jewr would haveno bearlnr on one's st ndlngbefore God.Such people did not have to becomeJewsin ordr to onjoya covenantal relalionship with Godj for drem lt was Christ'3 .leath that brcutht thm inio this relationship. This does not mean, howdei according to this view.thar jews wre themselvs to abandon th taw<r even, according to the mGt radicalrepresntarions of thls view that they were lo bellvein Chrisrwhy would they need Christ if thel wer alreadysbndint in a covenantat relationship with GodlTherwere,in shorL rwo different paths of salvationrfor jews, salvarioncame throuth the tM; for Genriles, h camthrcu8h Chrlst But since Paul'sletrers wre addressed onl/ to Gentiler,we ldrn there of only one of the two w.ys. Thisis an intrigulnS andattEcrive lvpothesis,afgudat timeswhh ikill and e.udhion. But other intrpreters of Paulhavenor beenconvincd. Perhaps problemi5thar Paul the blggest himself empharically claims that everyon,Jew andGentlle,is eqlallyfuilry of slnbefore God,and rharal (lnclodins Paul-a lew juirifidequally-byfai$ in himseln) ar therefore ChrGtandnotby dolnS wodc ofthe L.w (seeespeciallR y o m3 9 , 2 0 , 2 3 - 2 6 i G2 a:l1 5 ) .

Con t

Sur

a sin

t Peo t Peo I Peo t Peo ksh

disobe

from Cc ls rhat p

Th.r

The drvrne solunon Lo this problem is agsin conceivedin judicial terms.Jesus is one who does not deserve the death sentence; he dies to pay the penalty for others. God shows that he is satisned with this paynenr by raising Jesus iforn the dead

(Rom.l 2J-24, Human. canavari 4:2+25). rhem, slvesof Christt paymenrof their debt simpty by rrustingthat God will find it acceptable. h is not a payment theyhaveerther eanedor deserved; rr is a beneficentact done on their behalf by someone an actthat canbe eirheraccepted else, or rejected 4:4-5). Thosewho acceptir are then \3:27-28:' trearedas if they are "not guilty" (even though guilry).because rhevarein factcomplerely some. -herr punshmert oneete h* accepted for rhem. This, tien, is the judicial rnodelfor understandinc how salvationworls. The problernis sin, whh is understood to be a traisgrssion of cod's law; the solutionisChrist'sdeathandresunecrionj which are to bereceived by faith. A penon who hasfaidr is re-

storedto a right standingbeforEGod. Sometimes this wayof lookingat thinesis cailedPauLt doctrine of justification by faith. In rhis model the Jewish Lawplaysno role in salvation. Thosewho havebroken the Lawand incunedthe sentence ofdeathcan. not remove theirguiltsimply byobeying a nurnber of othr laws,just asa convictedembezlerwill not be setfteeby plading rhat he hasobeyed all of tlLetraf. 6c iaws. The only wayto be resrored to a right srand, ing belore God (to be"jusrified')is duoughthedeath o{ Jesus, a payment of the penaityowedby othes.

agarn th(

norhing I

be libenr

have sub this liber

The Participationist Model

Most of us rodayhave no troubLe undersrandins how cheacr of salvationcan be seenasanalogous to a judicialprocess. The parriciparionisr nodel, however,is nuch harderto ser our minds around. This is partly because it invoivesa wayof thinking that is no longer prevalent in our culture. Under

ofsin.He llevedrha Paul, Jes thar Jesu dea$, L\e

Chapter22 The Gospelaccordinr to Paul:The letter to the Ronans,

363

had conqueeddearhdrough his resunection' Jesus *Lus,re,ionioe backward,ar Jesus' deadl he musr have defeatedthe related powers (includinc the Devil andhis acent,sin). Funhermore, vicru.y Jesus' can leadto r\e salvationof others.That is to say, a perrcn can participate with Chrisr in his vicrory (Rom6:5-): hencer\e nameI havegivendlis conceptualmodel.A personparricipares in this vicrury by being united with Chl"st in his death and resup (5:13) a Sin is in the wor1d. rection.Accoidingto Paul,this happeos when a per (5:21; people. a Sinrules 6:12) (Rom6:3+). sonisbapti?ed cansrve sin.(6:6) a People Baptismwas a rite that had been practiced canbe enslaved to sin.(6:17) among i People the Christians fromthe earliest of times. ln the years ,t People early (6:11) of the relision,of course, no one candie to sin. was"bom" a Chfistianinew nembers of L\e .eli,f People canbefreed iiom sin.(6:18) gion converred lo it eitherfrom JudaLsm or {iom It should be reasonably clearthat sin in rhese Ioyalry to one of rhe othercults.Thosewho converses isnot simply something rhatapersondoes, a vftedwereiniriaredinto lhe churchthroughthe disobedient actionagainst God, a transgression of ritualofbaptism. Baptism involved beingimmersed his laws.lt is instead power, a kind of cosmic an in water(Later sources suggest that runningwater evil forcethar compeLs people to live in aLienarion wasto be prefened) whiiean oificiantpronounced frcm God.The humanproblern underthis model sacred words to indicare rhesignificance ofrhe acr. is thar people areenslaved to rhisdenronic power For Paul rhe acr wasnot ,imply srgnifrcanr as a andareunable to breakfreefromtheirbondage. symbolic sratement rhar a person's sinshad been Th powrofsin isreLared to another power, the cleansed or that he or shehad entered into a new power of death. In theparticipationisr model, death Life;the act invoLved somerhing that reallyhap. rsnor srmpi!something rharhapperu whena per- pened. When people werebaptized, thy acrually sonstop.breathrng. lr rsa co:mrc forcethat i. rnexperienced a union wirh Chrht andpanicipated peoplei tent on enslaving when h succeeds, ir toin the victorybroughr ar hrsdeath(in the immer. a pe$onfromtherealmofGod.Here sionunderth water; tallyremoves see especially Rorn6r1*11). againthe situation is desperate; ali people aresubAlthoughPaulbelieved that a person who had jecrto rheovepowering force ofdearh. andthereis beenbaptized had "died"wifi Chrhr, rhar is, had norhingthartheycando ro setthemselves free, participatedfully in Chdsrt victory over rhe powr As in the judicial model,the solutionhas io ofsin, he evidendy did nor beLieve thatsucha pr, comefrom God himself, and i! taksthe form of sonhad yer been'taised"with Christ,thar is, ser andresunection, If fie problem is en, completely Jesus'death 6eeiiom the powerofdeath. Paulknew slavement to alienpowers, then rhe solution musl tult well thar this hadnot yet occunedsincepeople, be Liberation. Christ\ dealhand resurrection proevenbelievers, continued to die!Sohe isquiteem. .har vrdeGeedom tor rhepower ofrn anddearh phatic thar Christians have died wirh Chrhr bur have subjugated the hunan race.How, then, does thatrheyhave nor yetbeen raised with him (6:5,8). thisliberation happen ? They will be raisedonly when Chrisr rerumsand As an apocarypticist Paulknew tiat the cosmLc brings about rhe rsunectionar the end of !ime. forceofsin wasprsem in this world,but he camero (Youmay recall ttnt the malorproblemat Corinth beLieve that Christt dearhhadconquered the power wasthat sone peoplebelieved that rheyhadalready ofsin. He evidentlycameto believethis ailer he be, beenralsedwith Chrisr, and Paulhad ro insistrhar lievedthat Jesus had beenraised 6on the dead.lor this wassimplynor so.) Until then, ro be sure, Paul,Jesu' ruunection showedbeyondany doubt Christianslive in "nemess of life" (Rom 6:4), be$ac lesuswas no longer suhjeccro rhe power of c:u,e rhevareno longenub;ecr ro rhelower of.,n. death,the mostdreaded of all cosrnic {orces of evrr. But their salvationis nor yet conplete, for the end

this secondmodel,the hunan problemis still ca11ed sin, sin is still thought to leadto death,and Christ'sdeathandresurrection still work coresorve rhe problem;however,sin, death,and Jesus' death and resunectionall rneansomethingdrferenrfrom whattheymeanunderthejudicialnodel. Conrder rhefollowrng u.e,of,heqord \.n in the bookofRomans:

364 *

The NewTestamenrA His!oncal lnroducrion

&
B

Go far

having The tr

guil., I rharis.

Fisur 22.2 Baptsm wasan nrpodant Chfistan (seeRom6:l-6) and t contnued rtua fbf Pau! churches ro be si8nfcantdownlhfoughthecentlresPcturcdhefesthebaptstfyoftheodestslrvviisChrniaichlrch(itheclryof

D!|a,Syia), ffomabout twocentlres after Pau hasnot yetcome. Onlywhenit does corne wili drcy (6:5). united wuhhin in aresurrection like hh" "b people.lnboth models, the solution isprovided by Christ! deathandresunecrion, but in oneChrisr! death paysthe penaltyfor humandisobedience, arJ n Lh< orh.r ir b'eak. power rhec".rnrc of.rn. Comparison andContrast ln both nodels a penon has to approp.iate the of theTwo Models benefrts of ChrLsttdeath,but in one this is clone Ihe ruo Inodeh or.alvaron uc l.rrc been l^nkinc through faith, that is, a trusting accptance of rhe o{ understandins sonerhing. at areways They are payment, whereas in rhe other it occurs through gospel not the thing itsell Paul'.s h nor "justifica, baprisn,a rirualparticipation in the victory. tion by faith" or "union with Christ."Theseare As youreadthrough Romans on yourown,you of rellecting on or thinkingabouthrsgospel. can seethat Paul doesnor neatly differentiat ways is Cod'.s His gospel act of salvation in Chrisq rhe between rhesetwo models. Eventhoughhe uses areways ofconceprualizing models how ir worked. the judicialmodelmoreconsistently in chaprers The waysalvation worked differed according to 1+ andthe participationist nodel in chapters 6-8 (to choose which model Paul had in nind. In both of rhem, the clearesr places), he doesnot ever rheproblem is'\in," but inone model, sin is anacl think o{ |hem asconflicting wirh one anorher,and \ar a penon wheea. n o{di.ob"drence .ommrr,. he regularly combinesrhe rwo in rhe rhings he rhe otherit is a cosmic forcerhat works to enslave says. He wouldneverhave thoughr,for insrance

Des

the Ron in8 of "j

thinkin-

Chapter22 The cospetaccordiirt paut:The to Leiter to the Romans .:.

Box22.4 Judicial andparticipationist Models of Salvation in

sii-human disobedience rharbrin8s a death Dearh-paymeitof the penatt/ Jesus of sin ApprcprEuon-acceptance of rheparment oroLrtnla th,apartfrcm work3orthe Law

Paul

The Participationist Model Sin-a cosmic powerthat enstaves peopte lesus'Death-defeatofrhe powerorsin Appropriadon-?articrpation in Chnst.s vkrorv rhrough baprism

rie H&'taaD,fnna AIt\@.d Car,le'Lrca ae Jor",uodr/ t8_r 20) |.Jl, p",fet f"ll. ". .r j- .chem" sooJ,neq ri ,, I dL.,sn".l ,or:-neu.. rerder ro.hotr.,rh( h. w re,rer"rc rhr.irr.,rrn '. r { 1t |eq'tL. CenrrJc. rno tFtr. Ccn .e, nr\e dsJndr|eJrherrkn"wt".tee "r rhe ,.n trL,c u.l rJ wur:hiri.l.1,. n,ut-:ng rn wrldrr.l n m p d ' rrrm r n " r i l .r\ t . l 8 .t l . ,lcr Jctr..,rL rer. r"r,even rhorghrhev h.rve rheLj,u nd drc .ren, I .jr, r..mri<rJn. .hcvJ, nr frcrcc rrrr L w rn.r qcnd condcmied al"o. t2 t_29). tur., ,)\' rh,w,rrld {r)r... .r rr.rrinr ,,lue(r.ru pL-pte. rn,l hw. Ge m . d c r ;) t l ) A n l J r u t r , r L fitL., hrve es. .nnLJ.'dJ|n,rU.,d {,herudrci.rl 1:t_gr, n.rr. n: * r rr r r e . c jer. 1 , r: .l1 l. ' . rl.*. q n r l , u , p l , .r. w .r r , n c ' ) r r y r , r - r /rt r ( , . r d c r r h e . r u r r . r . r {nr h e tr r n c r l . d . r u. v? L: r. r, r r , r . , i , . r r r , e l ui lr 19) lhi vic{ Lh, rca.r. r.. (ert I'ren . ,n., l ''',.'" len 1n.t f.u,ll) n .,rrtr ulro u'n F.tu e,.k ,irv..ndernnrJ . h r befo.e r e . r r r n p , u ! , hh r . t e . . e r . e . p e c r . l , y C". td,$ .re l. rr,, ,, norr. drrrepre\ nr r re.e, n .r or hu". r\er v,rrn ,J tarr.reate v c rr-. , a c . , { d i ntg | 1 r t i . r l,.ddr.m, h.i :,chhc.f v, r.", v ,L.t-. .U J.t wh .r rneJekrsh scriptures rhem5eh es0rt0_20) t . h r n t e , r. r g I . o rip f,,,,r, >gl, on.salu0or rnr,uat c/l,,"r, Dpaf D 7r 'rr I. l1( -Jewr.h e i , , r \ . i r r - r i . L .J e r r r ,a n J r r u r r e , r L.rug vo.rhelnrur, toc or:. , h. . . a bu.1d. rhr .otur .r rn f l ' r r k I c . o td t a v h e ' r , . f J J - h r , r t i b , . n r , n rn t\e .olur-.n r r " , u .rn e. In r,letulhrlrner rJrJ"g,. ru tr. ofLl-rL,w rn r\e de;rh u re.u.. ' n d rf r " . e h r "n . - r h e u a l v , .r.rire to, ,h- .,n.of. he,.,. fc ,r. n"Ju, rtrJr t;,.,u.ercerled rhro'reh t"irh. te,{onlnerh, w rL .J .,.c w]-.r r'\ri, hr. o, :".:p,",ll': rl.w.n,Ldu ( \ee o,.\ ll.r' doe.ntr. .nr..burc rn rh . .r,vu lher jrc. hawevrr. , e tro rhd. rr,, 'rrJ. tur-h. sh Ieu.hdve appcar most prominendy throughoLrt no eru, "o r,I. . f"r trna, the book of ,ns o. , .|ec at *ardrnp befu,e uod. lew. aad u..lr,re.-re.neou"t i-o.,ng.:i r"e n d" rrcrDt' \e(tk n svfopsij.f rhe lerrer ' wrmLrudLhruugh brth rn rhedeath oiic,us

qth. u. "1,. r1\rng trrrh dnJ., tu.,rngr h n . . . p r y m e nrr, r r n . j neiru. jn d(t\ d n h d . ll n n " n d : r h " r a r er r r , , m ! . n . J n r u . L d. . j n t - r n . d . f t o - , n r l " . c e r . - s clcarat a numirc.ofpoinls in paul! discu$ion.Why, r.r,e|mrh..fr fJ"t ,,.,n..n rh,r .ug^,,,. -. C o l r B e Lu . e r u . . r u . r : c E Il.\ helJrH n " . , r rr r , o , I n , t r . . . - m ' n r r ( . d. . c r .J f u , r . L r e . ! o n r r h e, U d r c r r l I n o i c r . 1 : 1 1 ' .w h v t r . , ,e v u r v u r . c . r n n Ll . 8 . . " U , . e v c n . 1 . 1 5 . n . lv e J r o l c p o u e . , . r r n , r l r l a r r r t r . In,,J(lJ:o\ Whv.. rr-r. re cn.l.rc.i f, r 'nrsr r. rc f)uo n..'r. D.(.,r\e A d r m c .m m r r r t . r : ucrr u f o , n . r r . re , r . ( { r L d i c , . ,m l , J 4 . w h r h r l l . . w e Jr . , e

. h l . o m e1 , e, ,-"^1":l; o , , ro d eb a p . d ' r _ c . r ; r . r1 . ." . . r . J p aL p. "irlt , r, rf",.,n C1

.

PAUL'S IHEJilo#roF

355 t

Introduction Historical TheNewTes6mentA

tulfillnenc o{ his pronises and is consistenr Is Rooiedin the Sc'ipftire a Ttu GospejMessas wirh how he has alwaysworked, as is evident H:1-25). Tne Fatherof the lews, Abnhan God has themselves. fton the JewishScriptures hirnsel( showsrhat being maderight with God basis of their people not on the chosen always comesthroush fairh rather $an bv doing the ("worLJ') of his own the basts bur on (made justified actions worksof the Law Abrahamwas prorher* rndirhe (l],6 le"rsh ' .,ll l8r Inde"d. 'ru'rrng promLe rn Cod rish, u,rh Codr h1 catethar God shovr mercyon whon he cho<xes beforehe waseiven the sign of circumcision(a pastto make are and that he had plannedfrom ages "work' of the Law) His true descendants Gentiles) people his own were not who Ghe a in rhe God and thosewho continue to rrust in would of the many o*n, whereas inio [; ]ews ochas now promises, which tulfillment of his not in Cod (9,19 failtng lies 29) The berejected otJe'u' and re'urrection in rhedeaLh cuned qho haveoor accepted Chn'. rn rhe bur lews ,f ChrxCsDearh ai Restmection Bring Freedom rhat Cod for they have misrakenly supposed (5:1-8:39) God to Opposed the Powers ftom a means for attaining as a the Law them eave Those who believe in Christ have been made l-aw itseLf whereas the hlm, before iight standing tiphr wLth God and will be savedfrom the (9:30-10:4)A right srandins poims ro Chnst worid thrs .iath of God rhat is comins upon through bd"- Ood th"refore..mes exclusivelv from rhe (5:l-11). They will alsobe delivered have been of the and many in Chris!, farth Jews death,which en' reienof Oodhmortaienernn i' huwever' h,mseLf 2lr. Cod fairhles i10,5 terid into the world throush the disobedience promises to his true has remained He faithful, but which has counterpart, of Adam, ChrisCs savinga rcmnant of them andusing ro lhe Jws' ac!ofobe' own by Christt conquered been now hrs to bflns dbour of the Centiles rhe sar\ation lhosewho have dience(5,12-2i). Moreover, all of Israel of purpose, the salvation ultimare been rnitedwrth Chri'r in hrsdeathhavepar of to the people Gemiles who havebeenadded ticipatedin his victory over lhe powerof sini against vauntthemselves God mustnot therefore thev can, therefore,and should, servethe new people of Godl special the lsrael is still lews; rne powe!thar is over lhcm tn Chnsr' the d[ rhnall ro once againbring andhewill calling, (6,1-2J\. Before a peroJwerof nehreousnes. (1L1-36). faith Chtist he oi shwascom' io" *rt u"it"d "ittt a Tht IAu.Frce Castel DaesNat l2ad r Ia\rlzss violare the to pelledby Lhepowerof )in Cood Behauu\12,1-15:13t.Those*ho believern ro Law led grven rhat the so Law that Cod hal to othersin selfaacdncihg (?:1-25)' Christgivethenrselves mtherthanto salvation condemnation act of woP this is the new cuLtic love.lndeed, ro But now rhe partofthe selfthat wassubject of sacriice cultic act' rhe old shLp rhat fulfills hasbeenpur to deathin Christ, sin,the flesh, ro be Jbedi' dre Ln Chti,t 2l BelLevers rc tr9 t lj,] ). tr submLt \u a pelsonno longerneeds (13:1-?), the to follow to civil authoriries nt rhe La. \8 1-lil Tho5e cra'r'g"anJ violate rhemorhers ds by lcvinc Torah of the core who havebeenunitedwith Chtistwill eventu1l'e'in uprrght .elve( (I3:8-10).to leld mo'al. $at wili salvation the complte allvexperience (13:11-14), and salvation coming view of their fallen wofld corne when God redeemsthLs judgment things or doing passing reiiain hom to (8:18-39) Paui! law'free rhat ol{endothen (14,1-1516). u ]l Cod\ r,4c,sase I' Corur"rsnr a TIle CosDeJ not lead to lawless will gospel, in otherwords, of u:rhk aetino Rel,c'er*a l'ulfllmenr Dcalu.s. wLth now deals Hn Promi*s(9;l-ll:J6) PauL indicares that haveheensimmering a CkxeafthrIattet(15:14-l6;27) Pai.rl th maiorquestions (15,1+21)' his discuses for wririns his reasons l{ what all along o( the letter beneath rne surface greelings to (15:22-33), and sends plans navel comes acr of salvarion is true,that God's he savs a laree nurnberof penons in the congregatLon equallyto Jewand Gentile alike,with no drsbv (16:1-2?). sornanypeople he creers Indeed, promi'e" gone onl'i" r b,,k Cod rircri,n,l"a'n scbolsome (rwency-eighr thar atogether) name Cod's for Paul, ?On rhe contrary' to Isnel (916) questioned whether this linal chapter an have rs a bv faith and save Cenriles to decision Jews

ited.Il

Rome

restedin l{

Chris!iars

Chapter22 The Gospet according to paut:The Letterto the Romans*

357

if

Box 22.5 Other Models of Salvation i n Paul

In addition to the judicial andpanicipationisr modets, Paulhasorhr waysof con.eptuatizint Godt acr of salvatonin Cha*, eventholth he Erel/ exptains how the analoties work in detail. Consideifor in. a Sometimes Paul likens satvation to a reconcita_ tion in whichtwo peopte hay hada talinsout. A mediator (christ),ar a saffifc ro hifuef restores their rtarionship (e.s., seeRom5rl0 and 2 Cor 5:ig-20). ? Pauloiten desoibs satrdtion asaredempdon, in whicha personttifeis,.purchased" bI cod rhroqh rhe priceofChrisr's btood.much asa slave mighrbe pufchasd by sotd (Rom3:24i 8123). Never doeshe exptain, howeveifrom whomor whatrhe personis beint p!rchased (thecosmicforcesl the devitt sin?). a Paulsometimes ponraysChrisrt deathas a sacrifice thar,like the sa(ificesof animakin the JewithTempte, ws desitnedto b.int atonement with cod. Thk view embodies the an.ientviewthat the btoodof a saoifice ''covers over"the sinsoarhe peopterthe rech. nicalterm for thts act of covenntis exDia. tion'(Rom 3125). il Ar other rimesPautcompares salEtionto a rescue rromphysicatdantei in whicha peBon is conrronted with perit and certain dearh only ro be saved b/ someone who heroicaly intervenes ar rhe cos( of hk own tife (see Roms:7-B). These models are not at murua exctus,ve; / sometims Paulapplies seveEt of rhemevenwirhin the same passage. Consider fo. yoursetfrhe theotosicallypacked statemem of Ro. r,Zt-Ze,*m.e p"ut uses the judicial, participadonist, rdemprive, andsacrificialmodels ar one.nd the sametim;!

orisinallybelonsed to the lener,sinceh was written to a congregarion Paulhad nevervisired.Ifthe chapter isoriginalrothe book,it indicates thara number ofpeople whompaulhad cotneto knowin orhercontexts had moved to Romeor wereknownto bevisitingthre.

CONCLUSION: PAUL AND THE ROMANS

We do not know for certain whether paul! plans to visit the congregation en route ro Spain ever came ro frur',n. Ac.orJrng t n r h e b n n t . . 4 . r . , p a u lw o a . rested in Jerusalembefore he could rnale rhe nip and was then, almost coincidentally, sent to Rome o stDd rial before the Roman enperor for his alleged crimes(Ac$ 21 28). The author of Acts doesnor seemto know ot any contactberweenPauland the Chrisdms living in Rome prior to his anival; indeed, d. ccrJmd-lv hupp.n' eueryrvhere PrLl aoe. in Acr.. \e erd. rp penJrng h . days nor ..rh Chr...

rian believesbur with recalcirrant leaoers Jewish and,evidendy, with anyone elsewho wouldcone ro hear him preach while underhouseanest(Acts 28rlG31).Thete are larrnadirions rhar indicarc thatPaulwas eventually rnanyred in Rome; a memberof the Roman church, writinesomerime around 95 c.E., mentions Paul's dearh duringrhe ryrannical pe\e(uron of LheChri.ridn.durrncrhe rerpn-f N e r o \ , a . 6 4 c . , . r . l h h w r i nL nrs a.d ; i " n aa th inib. uted to the bishopof Rome,Clenent, may indeed prcserve a historicalrecollectionGeeChaprer28) Eventhoughwecannotgauge whethei paulsucceeded in his Wesrem rnission or, indeed, whether \e eversa,ned . foll"wineamonc r\e Chn.r.an,in K"ne. we can.iv ior cqrdin rharhe ucceeded Ln one respecr. Romansis rhe nost closelyreasoned lettef that suNiveslion his pen,one rhat continucs to intrigue scholars ard ro inspirc believels.lt lays out in rhe clearesr termshe couldmLrster imponant aspects of PaLrltgospel,namelv Godt oower rhar brinessalvation for both lew andGenrili.

Historical Introduction 368 .:. The NewTestamentA

Box 22.6 Romans

lette6,Romans M3 l. UnlikePaulrother surviving he hadnot founded or even written to a church to secure the supponol 2. hMs written eyidently the RomanChristians for Paul: missionary endeavore funher west,in Spain. 3. To receivetheir suppon,Paulhad to corect abouthis tospel me$age. somemisperceptions Thushe uss tie letlerto the Romans to explain his undeFtandint of the tospel as Godl act of in Chrkt,for bothJewandGennb,with salvation with the impli4. A goodponion of the letterdeals undemtandinS cations of rhisgospelfor God's onwirh his chosenpeopllsrael toing relationship andthe roleofthlewish Lawif in factit doesnot contribute to salvation. his 5, Paulhasa v:rieq/ of wayso{ conceptualizinS gospel message (these are bestseenas comple' mentarlratherthancontradictory), includins a. A iudicial modelthat expresses the act of salEtion in lealterms. model that expresses b. A panicipationkt the ac-| in iermsof union ofralvarion with Chrisr.

.rl tM

ILl,'-*
INTR

_Dr-

a) c.i

TERMS: 22 KEY CHAPTER

(e.c., Eachterm,or its ctose derivative apocalyric/apocalypticisq aposrle/apostolic, etc.),canbe qpe. foundin the Glossary; its 6$t signiicantoccunence in the chaFter appears in boldface apocalypticist apostle baptism Clement(of Rome) diatribe Gentile gospel Gospel judicialmodel jusiifrcation by faith Neto participationist model Suetonius '

with clur oftheNe

Tho* illumina widelyin and help

SUGGESTIONS FORFURTHER READING

tnn of signincanr e$aysby N leadincpturonent of the view ih.t laul's gosFl ofjusiificationhy f.irh in Chmt apan lion the worksof the Law tlid mr apply to Jewsr for norc advanced*udens. wedde$um, A. j. M. The Reaois tor Rotud. Edinbuqjhl T&TCla*, 1988. Th nost conplee hook.lensth oscu$ion.f the easols rhat Plul w.re his lerter r. the Roman$it ws to exFlainhn law.{iee to the pre. sospel dohinandy Geniile Romancomoruailyin lieht.fthe Etuus between .nd Gentilesrheieand in view ol Jews his own inninent jonmey to knEalen.

Seealsothe susge6tioru ar rhc cnd of Chap(ei 19. Doniried, Kall P., &1. TJe RlruB lrabate. Zd ed. Peabody, A coLlctiotrolsisnilicanr Ma$., Hendition, 1991. cy 'Ib$ancrt $holais, NLo discus saysby enincni Ncw Gnd Ji isee .vr) ,l'e o.. s'on a.d p' Dop of 1.. L lctter to the Rom.ns. caser, John C. Reinoenting Pa!1. Ne{ York, Oxford Univesity Prcs, 2m0, An interesting atul ensaEins $udy of Paul, which argues that laul envisioned one qay of salvation for Centiles and anoth{ for lews. Caron. tl.yd. rad 01n rU aatuh V"r ou\e. B... _r. I niveFil JI F"rih .olu nh'. . o A 7 .A . . l l e .

Fiauretl

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