Introduction: Paul's letter to the Roman house churches has become so 'specialized' that many understandings of it are severely limited to only a few options. Perhaps the most popular understanding of the letter is as Paul's magnum opus of grace/faith versus works . A close second is the Reformed use of the letter to emphasize Divine sovereignty in salvation , specifically, unconditional election . Leaving aside whether these themes appear in the letter and in what forms, they tend to overly simplify the letter. As a result, our understanding of the letter is anemic and at least slightly wrong-headed. Situation : Paul has never been to Rome; he did not establish the church there. He does know some of the people in Rome, however, and has heard of their situation. The Jews had been evicted from Rome (AD 40-51?) but were now returning to the city (AD 54?) after their exile. During the Jewish disciples’ absence from Rome, Gentile disciples had led the house churches, a...
Ramblings and observations