Who

The Apostle Paul to mostly Gentile church(es) with some Jews

Where & When

Romans was an extended letter dictated by Paul to his letter-writer Tertius (Romans 16:22) carried by Phoebe (the courier) to the Roman house-churches in Rome between AD 56 and AD 58. These house churches began at Pentecost when traveling Jews and proselyte Gentiles from Rome were convicted by Peter’s message and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus as the true Messiah of Israel (Acts 2:10–11). After returning home to Rome and establishing a strong evangelical ministry there, especially in the local synagogues, it is surmised that—as was common in synagogues that day when confronted with the gospel (e.g., Acts 14:1–5)—the unbelieving Jews became hostile to the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result of the uproar, in AD 49 Emperor Claudius banished all national Jews from his city (both Christian Jews and orthodox, unbelieving Jews; cf. Acts 18:1–2). After the death of the emperor in AD 54, Jews were permitted to return to Rome—both Christian Jews and unbelieving Jews—and they slowly began finding their way back over the years. Paul wrote this letter from Corinth as he visited with the Corinthian Church collecting the financial assistance they promised (see 2 Corinthians 8 – 9) for the churches in Jerusalem (Acts 19:21).

Why

With the absence of Jews in the Roman house churches for at least five years, Paul capitalizes on the opportunity to prepare the Gentiles for the return of many of their Jewish brothers to Rome, especially given the differences shared between them. But more importantly, with unbelieving Jews returning to their synagogues (arguably sooner), Paul uses this opportunity to establish the church apostolically by educating his mostly Gentile audience (using a question-and-answer pedagogy with an imaginary Jewish opponent) on how to reason with the Jewish skeptic that the gospel of Jesus fulfills the Old Testament scriptures and thus proves Him to be Israel’s true Messiah.

How

Be paying attention to these important terms that occur in this book:

  • Gospel (or Preach Good News)
  • Faith (or Belief, Believing, Trust)
  • Law (or Rule, Standard)
  • Righteousness (or Righteous, Right, Just, Justice)
  • Love
  • Spirit

Literary Outline

  • Rom. 1:1–17 The Gospel’s Local Influence
  • Rom. 1:18–4:25 The Gospel Proves God Is Right
  • Rom. 5:1–8:39 The Gospel Boasts of a New Covenant That Outshines the Old Covenant
  • Rom. 9:1–11:36 The Gospel Fulfills God’s Promise to Be God over All
  • Rom. 12:1–15:13 The Gospel Unites the Church in Love
  • Rom. 15:14–16:27 The Gospel’s Global Influence