The Greeting
1:1-7
The first word of the letter tells us the author is the apostle Paul. Very few scholars dispute this.
Paul dictated the letter to Tertius who wrote it out. (16:22) He was Paul’s “amanuensis”.
Paul grew up in Tarsus, a city of culture and education, in Celicia (modern day Turkey). It was the capitol of the province, steeped in the culture and religion of Rome and Greece.
Although he was a Roman citizen, Paul was Jewish. He was an educated Pharisee, studying in Jerusalem under a famous Rabbi. (Acts 22:3) He was zealous. He persecuted Jewish Christians. He held the coats of those who stoned Stephen and probably had a role in organizing the execution. (Acts 7:58)
You can read about Paul’s conversion in Acts 9. After his encounter with the risen Christ, and being blinded for three days, the Lord told Paul he had chosen him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel. (Acts 9:16) Paul was then baptized. He immediately began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues in Damascus.
We believe Paul wrote the letter to the Romans between AD 55 and 58 while he was in Corinth collecting funds for a gift to Jerusalem. He stayed with Gaius. (16:23; 1 Corinthians 1:14)
Paul described himself in three ways in verses 1-6. First, he was a servant of Christ. Christ was his lord and master. He was fully devoted to serving him.
All of that zeal that Paul previously directed to persecuting Christ followers as apostate Jews, he now directed to serving Christ.
Second, Paul was an apostle. He was called by Christ. We know from Acts 9 that he saw the risen Christ and was called by him into service, qualifying him as an apostle. Being an apostle, he had the authority to proclaim God’s word so that people would come into obedience to Christ.
Third, Paul was set apart for the preaching the gospel. He was to preach the gospel to all the nations. (5) In fact, God set him apart before he was born. (Galatians 1:15) This reflects the calling of Jeremiah. God told him: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations”. (Jeremiah 1:4)
Paul’s intended audience was the church (or churches) in Rome. He intended to go to Rome after delivering the gift to the church in Jerusalem. He did so, but under arrest and awaiting trial before the emperor. (Acts 28:14-16)
Paul also described the gospel in three ways.
First, it is the gospel of God. It is the good news from God that he provided a way of salvation through his son, Jesus. It was not something Paul made up.
Second, the gospel was promised beforehand through God’s prophets in the holy Scriptures. This is an important statement, especially for the Jewish people. Salvation through Christ was always God’s plan.
It is first told in Genesis 3:15, as God said he would send one who would defeat Satan. Moses said God would raise up a prophet like himself that would speak God’s word and to whom people should listen. (Deuteronomy 18:15-22) It continues in Isaiah 53, where the servant and his suffering are described in detail. There are many other references.
Third, the gospel concerns God’s son. (3) His son was descended from David according to the flesh. This is particularly important for the Jews and God fearing Gentiles who knew the promise of God to David. (2 Samuel 7) He was declared to be God’s son by his resurrection from the dead.
Paul did not start the church in Rome. We do not know who did. But, the Roman church in general did not know him, so this letter serves as an introduction to Paul and his teaching about the gospel. Paul did know several people in the Roman church, though. He mentioned several in Chapter 16.
There appear to be two main reasons for the letter. First, Paul wanted to bring unity to the Roman church, unity between Jewish and Gentile believers. It is believed that the majority of believers there were Gentiles, but with a significant number of Jews.
There were significant differences between the Jewish and Gentile believers that could destroy their unity. There was religious history, Judaism versus the Greek\Roman religion. In addition, the Jews of various sects, such as Pharisees and Sadducees, did not approve of each other.
The Jews resented the Greeks for invading their land and defiling their temple. They resented Roman dominion over their country. The Romans tended to see the Jews as trouble makers and disrupters of the peace.
There were racial and cultural differences, too. People from all over the Roman empire migrated to Rome, bringing their own customs, religions, and prejudices with them.
But Paul believed they could all be unified in Christ when they understood Christian doctrine. He believed and taught that Christ himself is the peace of the church, having made both Jew and Gentile one body, breaking down the dividing wall of hostility between the two. (Ephesians 2:14)
Takeaways
I have heard it said that, if Paul could see the church today, we would be getting a letter! Certainly, there are many divisions. But, Jesus is our peace just as he was Paul’s. We can unite in Christ despite our different taste in music and worship styles, our diversity of races, ages, and economic statuses. And that will get the attention of the world.
