Bible Students

Introduction

The book of Romans is one of the most straightforward accounts of Paul’s rounded theology of soteriology and theology proper. In this letter, He writes to the Jew and Gentile church in Rome about the divide in their congregation caused by the backgrounds of the different Christians. Throughout the book, Paul emphasizes the depravity of man, the path to redemption, and the righteousness of God through the process. Paul’s view of God is that through His wrath and redemptive love, He is righteous. This is shown in seven major sections: God’s Righteous Wrath (Rm. 1:1-3:20), Justification by Faith (3:21-5:21), The Struggle (7:1-25), The Victorious Life Imparted by the Holy Spirit (8:1-39), God’s purpose and view of Israel being set aside (9:1-11:36), and Christian Relationships (12:1-16:27). These conclusions will also be applied at the end of the paper in an application section. I believe Paul concretely demonstrates the righteousness of God throughout Romans, in His wrath, love, and redemptive process of the world. 

His righteous Wrath (1:1-3:20)

One of the best ways God’s righteousness is shown is through His wrath. In Romans 1:1-3:20, Paul writes about the wrath of God. He writes that God shows His righteousness against wickedness (1:18-19), and judges those who are idolaters, immoral, and wicked. In chapter two he writes about how Jews want a lesser punishment due to their being better than the pagans. Paul does not agree with the Jews in that and tells them they are hypocrites (2:21-24). In chapter three, Paul shows how God is perfectly just to judge the nations freely, but how God desired His people to be with Him and justified them apart from their works. 

Clearly, God is seen as being wrathful in this section of Romans. He judges the wicked for their deeds, and does not let the righteous escape judgement, for even the deeds of the righteous are evil compared to God. There are two aspects of God’s righteousness demonstrated here. God is righteous in His anger, and God is righteous in His love. 

God’s righteousness is shown in His wrath by the hatred of sin. He destroys sin, casts it away from Him, and takes out anyone who chooses sin over Himself. This is pure and just righteousness. However, God is also righteous in His love. Not only does God detest sin, but He also loves His creation. According to the end of Romans chapter three, God made a way for the participants of sin to be let back into the kingdom of God through justification, which came about by the death of God’s Son. There is a balance between God’s intense righteous wrath, which is willing to destroy all sin, and His intense righteous love, which is willing to die for His people. This is the balance God has. 

Justification by Faith (3:21-5:21)

Romans 3:21-5:21 show the righteousness of God through the justification of His people. This is an extension of the previous idea of righteous love. The second half of Romans chapter three covers the path to justification: The forsaking of your own works and the putting on of Christ’s works, which translates faith into righteousness through Christ. Chapter four covers the path Abraham took to justification. He trusted in God and was counted righteous because of it. There were no works that made him righteous, though there were works that demonstrated genuine faith. Abraham was the forefather of all who are counted righteous. Chapter five contrasts the work of Adam and the work of Christ. Just as the works of Adam damned humanity, the works of Christ as the second and better Adam have saved humanity from damnation, and brought humanity into fellowship with God. 

God’s love demonstrates His righteousness. God lacked nothing when He created the universe. He must have created it, then, not for Himself alone, but for the universe itself. God brought creation into existence so that creation could have communion with Him and experience Him. He did it out of love. God is the very author and source of love. His display of justification proves that to us, and shows that He will be outdone by no-one and nothing. His love is pure, just, and the source of all true loves. His love shows Him to be righteous. 

Regarding Romans 3:21, Kostenberger writes, “God’s righteousness ‘has been made known’; the Greek tense used here draws attention to the appearing of Jesus Christ in history…”. God’s righteousness was shown in history through Christ, the honest representation of Himself. That righteousness was fulfilled on the cross, where Christ died for His beloved creation.  (536)

How to live the Christ-Life (6:1-23)

Chapter six of Romans discusses how the new man in Christ has died to sin, and now should not go living in sin anymore. This speaks as a picture of God. Just as Christ is righteous, mankind is called to reflect His righteousness in their conduct. God’s character is shown through this command by the call to die to oneself. God does not ever contradict His own nature. Who He is, is who He is. He will never be something He is not now. Christians are called to reflect that in every aspect of their lives, and not to go back to the pre-regenerate man. 

Keener, speaking of Romans 6:6-7, writes “The ‘old man’ (‘old self’ in many translations) is life in Adam versus life in Christ (5:12-21). When a Gentile slave escaped from a Jewish owner and converted to Judaism by baptism, in Jewish legal theory his or her new personhood made the slave free from the former owner”. As slaves to sin, we have died to our previous masters. Christ has become our new master, apart from the slavery of the Law through sin. Christ has set us free as a slave, to become slaves to Him in righteousness and true religious freedom. 

The Struggle (7:1-25)

Romans chapter seven speaks of the struggle that takes place between the new and old man, and between the Spirit and the Law. Inside the believer there is a struggle between sin and freedom in Christ. Most of the time, legalism in the Law leads to a lack of freedom in Christ, and leads to carnality. Contrasted to that, the freedom experienced in Christ often leads to love for one another, and a submissive attitude towards each other. Whereas the Law brings the knowledge of sin and death, the Spirit brings life. God is so righteous, that His creation cannot even come close to what He asks without His direct intervention through His Spirit. 

Without the Spirit of God, man’s heart remains hard. In the Law, man is provoked to carnalism. In the law of Christ, man is provoked to love. God’s righteousness is actualized in man through His Spirit, where the Law only showed their shortcomings. 

There is certainly a possibility for misunderstanding in this section. Some may believe that the Law is evil, instead of believing that the Law brings forth the knowledge of sin, which is what Paul is trying to communicate. The authors of the New Life Application Commentary write, “Paul’s intense desire to cite the Law with high esteem helped fuel his next thoughts. He made every effort to clarify the tension between the holy Law and the sin that uses the law for its deadly purposes. The Law comes from God…”. A careful reading of this section will show that Paul does not despise the Law, but shows how sin takes advantage of the Law. When you sin against the Law’s commands, you sin against your own conscience, knowing the wrong you have committed. 

The Victorious Life Imparted by the Holy Spirit (8:1-39)

God’s redemptive process is an extension of the love, which further demonstrates His righteousness. In Romans 8, Paul describes the redemptive process of sanctification. Not only does God intend on saving His creation of the legal effects of sin, He also intends on saving it from the actual effects of sin through a process called sanctification. God loves His people enough to, in an actualized way, cleanse them of their sin through their own free will.

The authors of the New Life Application Commentary write on this subject, “Paul pictures the fallen creation as groaning as in the pains of childbirth. Consider earthquakes, floods, fire, drought, famine–these are surely not what creation was meant to be, but sin and evil now rule”. The world as we know it has fallen victim to sin. Sin has corrupted every part of this world. Contrasted to that is the new life we have through the Holy Spirit. The corruption the world faces is not a corruption we have to participate in. Though the Spirit we experience new life that otherwise we would never be able to experience. It is only with God that we can experience that level and kind of redemption. 

God’s purpose and view of Israel being set aside (9:1-11:36)

One of the character traits of God is that He does not abandon people. He constantly reaches out to those who hate Him, through revelation and through His people. What happens when a nation tastes of Him, sees Him, and still rejects Him? He continues His plans with those who do love Him. But then, what happens to the nation that rejected Him? Does He forget them? That is the question Paul answers in chapters 9-11. He explains that no, God will not forget Israel, and will come back for her when she turns to Him. In fact, Israel’s repentance a big part of the book of the Revelation. 

Chuck Smith in his commentary on Romans says, “God is no less eager to save a Gentile than to save a Jew”. God is not only a saver of the Jew, but of the Gentile as well. He cares for all of His creation, not only the chosen people. 

Christian Relationships (12:1-16:27)

God desires that we reflect His nature in all of our relationships. In the final five chapters of Romans, Paul writes about how the Christian should love their neighbor and enemy. They should submit to one another, love them as Christ loves them, and care for eachother deeply. This is the actualization of the love of God in the Christian community. Through the Spirit, God’s love is displayed in the lives of His people and all they encounter. 

The New Life Application Commentary says, “The first eleven chapters of this letter reveal God’s mercy to sinners in that he sent his Son to die on the cross for our sins. The last five chapter explain our obligation to God. If the early message of the letter is the way we all can come to God through Christ, then the closing part of the letter is the way we all can live for God in Christ.”. This last section is the life we now can live through the Spirit in service to God. That is our faithful and proper worship to Him who has saved us: To respond in every way in gratitude. 

Application

Romans, being likely the most complete and rounded view of Paul’s theology proper, has much I can apply to my life. To begin, God’s character of hating sin and loving His creation is center stage. In my own life, if I do not hate sin, I am not reflecting the character of God. If I do not love people, I am not reflecting His character. God’s righteousness is also shown in the redemptive plan for His people, a plan that I can take part in. When those around me suffer because of the practical or spiritual effects of sin, I can intercede on their behalf. Not only can I lend a helping hand, but I can pray for them and plead to God for their restoration. 

On the note of intercessions, the Spirit inside me makes intercessions for me. God is transforming me from the inside through His Spirit. When we acknowledge the work, we can lean into God, trusting that He will further the work in us that He started. When we trust Him with sanctification, we can get a lot farther than trusting in our own strength. This same Spirit has created new life in me, a life I will participate in more fully after I pass.

Finally, God does not forget His people. Are there those in my life who I have forgotten? Do I remember any who I used to pray for that I do not anymore? God desires us to remember His people as He does, and to remember the lost the same way. We should be constantly trying to intercede on behalf of the lost, in the same way God pursues those who are lost.

Bibliography

Barker, Kenneth L. eds John R. Kolenberger III. The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Corporation, 1994.

Barton, Bruce, Philip Comfort, Grant Osborne, Linda K. Taylor, and Dave Veerman. Life
Application New Testament Commentary. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House
Publishers.

Keener, Craig S.. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament . Downers Grove,
Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Smith, Chuck. The Gospel According to Grace . Costa Mesa, California: The Word for Today,
1981.