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, and
they had apparently done things differently than had the Jewish disciples. As a
result, there is conflict and tension between Jewish and Gentile disciples in
the house churches. A common challenge for the church in the first century was whether
new disciples – including Gentile ones – had to keep, or how much they had to
keep, of the Jewish or Mosaic Law and ritual? The Jewish disciples’ argument
included the idea that they were the ‘people of God’ and that God’s law is
everlasting. Therefore, not only should the Jewish disciples be accepted as the
legitimate leaders of the church, but the application of at least parts of the
Law to the Gentile converts was to be expected. The Gentile disciples, having
successfully led the house churches while the Jewish disciples had been absent,
took exception to the Jewish claims. In fact, they would argue (echoing Paul)
that the Law did not apply to them, and they should not be expected to keep it.
They would say that the Jewish disciples were too backward or ill-informed and did
not know what they were talking about.
Themes. During his discussion, Paul discusses
four themes:
Reconciliation between God and humanity. Paul has been
specifically selected as the Apostle to the Gentiles, which he calls the
ministry or reconciliation. Paul's calling was to extend the People of God,
until now limited to Israel, to the nations. He tells us that it was in Christ
that God was reconciling the world to himself. The point of the Christ event is
reversing the breach between God and humanity, making it possible for humans to
come to God.
Release from the Jewish or Mosaic Covenant.
Reconciling the nations to God, extending the People of God in a broader sense
than Israel only, called for the removal of national identity barriers for the Gentiles. Gentiles, Paul argues, are not
required to become Jewish. He removes the three primary national identity
markers of Israel as necessary for Gentiles. Paul argues that Gentiles do not
need to be circumcised, accept the Mosaic Law, or be descendants of Abraham. In
doing so, Paul replaces each of these with circumcision of the heart, the law
of Christ, and defines descendants of Abraham as everyone who follows Jesus in
faith. All persons have been released from the national identity markers of Israel
and are acceptable to God.
Reorientation of our lives as disciples of Jesus. Jesus
and John preached a gospel of repentance in preparation for the coming Messiah,
and Paul carried that theme through his letter. A more precise understanding of
repentance and Paul's expectation in this letter is a reorientation of our
thinking, desires, and actions. We are encouraged to focus our minds on things
of God, not things of this earth. Yes, it looks like the world works in certain
ways related to power, wealth, and status, but the disciple of Jesus focuses
not on those, but on the things of God. These things of God, in juxtaposition
to the former power understanding, include humility, gentleness, faithfulness,
self-control, brotherly affection, and love. There is no room in the things of
God for the world's standard of ego-centric views and behaviors.
Righteousness as a disciple. To be a disciple of Jesus
is to live a life of righteousness; to be righteous. In this letter, Paul
describes the righteousness of God in various ways and at the same time calls
his readers to that same sort of righteousness. Paul says that obedience leads
to righteousness. We are to offer ourselves, become bond servants of
righteousness. We become righteous when we live in accordance with the Spirit,
having rejected the standards of the world, and live in and into the attributes
of Divine love.
Grace, Faith, and Works. Much has been said about Paul’s
discussion of grace, faith, and works in Romans and in other places. The
context of Paul’s statements is the removal of the Mosaic Law and Covenant as
operative in the lives of disciples. Rather, Paul argues that Jesus’s New
Covenant has come into being. The new Covenant is one of faith in and life as
disciples of Jesus. The Law’s purpose, according to Paul, was to keep Israel on
the path of faithfulness to God and life as His followers or disciples, leading
them to recognize and begin preparing for the coming of their promised Messiah.
Now that Messiah has come, the purpose of the Law has been fulfilled, and it is
no longer applicable to anyone. When Paul talks about ‘works,’ he is talking
about the legal keeping of the Mosaic Law as a salvific endeavor. The Law could
not save you because it tells you what not to do and tells you when you have
messed something up. On the flip side, if you had managed to keep the Law
perfectly, you have only done what you had been expected to do, so you did not ‘earn’
anything. Boasting about keeping the Law, or expecting to be saved by keeping
the finer details of it, only indicates that you have done the absolute minimum
expected of a Jew. Here’s the rub for Paul: keeping the finer details of the
Law and yet pillaging ‘widows’ houses’ is a damning enterprise. Any trained
monkey, Paul seems to be saying, could tithe min and cummin. The expectation of
the Law was a transformation of the person into someone who would not ‘step
over’ a man covered with sores. In Paul’s rhetoric, faith carries nuances we
often overlook. It is important for Paul that disciples acknowledge Jesus as
Messiah, Son of God, Savior as matters of mental assent, but it is not a
complete understanding of what he or the rest of Scripture means by faith. Biblical
saving faith is better understood as faithfulness to God/Jesus as their
disciple. This faithfulness to Jesus is the equivalent of becoming a mature
disciple, transformed into the likeness of God. It is not primarily found in
performing discreet actions in response to the Law, but in living lives that
reflect the values, desires, and intent of God. There is not a checklist of
things to do, there is a person to become. Grace in Paul is the recognition
that God was not compelled by an external force to offer salvation to humanity.
God did not have to make a way for humanity to return to Him, but He did. “In
Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself” “while we were yet sinners.” Grace
is a stance that allows space for goodness to be expressed.
We are saved by grace
(God’s good and benevolent stance toward us) through faith(fullness) as disciples
of Jesus, not by works (abstract religious ritual or behaviors) per se.
The
Discussion Arc. We can
sketch the arc of the letter like this:
The goodness and power of the gospel.
The evil and God-less condition of
humanity.
The inclusion of Israel in the same
problems as the rest of humanity.
The deconstruction of the Jewish ethnic
claims to special standing.
Warnings to Gentile disciples not to be arrogant.
Practical application of what he has said.
Expressions of familiarity.
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