Romans Study - Messianic Literary Corner

The central theme of Romans is the revelation of the righteousness of God to man, and its application to one's spiritual need. Its theme is thus basic to all the believer's experience , for man cannot do business  with God until a proper approach has been established. The epistle is directed primarily to Gentiles, but also addresses Jewish believers.  Paul sketched the religious history of the Gentile world as the prelude to  revelation (1:18-32); he asserted that God's salvation is for "Gentiles   also" (3:29) and that there is "no distinction" between Jew and Greek  in  the way of faith. Romans asserts that salvation is universal in its  scope. The development of this theme of the righteousness of God can best be seen in the outline.

In  preparation for Paul’s next step in his missionary enterprise, he  wrote  the Epistle to the Romans. It was sent from Corinth, which is the traditional view, or from Philippi, just prior to sailing for Troas.   Paul stated in its closing chapters that he had concluded his preaching as far as Illyricum (Rom. 15:19), that he had in hand the offering which the churches of Macedonia and Achaia had taken for the poor at Jerusalem (15:2-5), and that he was on the eve of sailing to Jerusalem to deliver it (15:25). He expected that his presence in Judea might not be well received by some, but he intended to return shortly in order to visit Rome, and even to go to Spain (15:24,28,32). Granting that  Romans 16 is an integral part of the epistle, it was sent to Rome bv Phoebe, a  deaconess of the church of Cenchrea, who was traveling in  that direction  (16:1). Paul had numerous friends at Rome. He had tried  frequently to visit them, but had been hindered (15:22, 1:13) on each occasion. The church could not have been a large one and probably it  consisted chiefly  of Gentiies, since in addressing them he classed them as Gentiles  (1:13), and since the later account of his visit to Rome  as given by  Acts indicates ignorance concerning the gospel on the part  of the Jews.  They had heard of the movement, but had not investigated  it for  themselves, nor had any others reported to them about it (Acts  28:21).  The Gentile church of Rome had in it a small minority of Jews  at the  most; and the Jews who lived in Rome, having come to the city since the  expulsion under Claudius, had not made the acquaintance of  those who  were in the church.

No hint is given in Romans that  Peter had anything to do with the founding of this church. It seems to  have been one that began spontaneously among believers, the majority of  whom had probably migrated to Rome from other parts of the world. Paul had  several reasons for being interested in this church. His desire to see the imperial city, the need of the believers for instruction, his wish to forestall any Judaizing activity in a group of great potential importance, and his hope of support from them as he undertook a tour to Spain (Rom. 15:24) - all contributed to his resolve to spend some time with them. Romans was written as a substitute for immediate personal contact and as preparatory for making the Roman church a missionary  center comparable to Antioch, Ephesus, Philippi, and the other cities where Paul had labored. Romans, therefore, unlike Corinthians, is not devoted so much to, the correction of errors as to the teaching of truth. Although it does not comprise all the fields of Christian thought, it does give a fuller and more systematic view of the heart of   Christianity more than any other of Paul's epistles, with the possible exception of Ephesians. Most of the Pauline epistles are controversial or corrective in nature; Romans is chiefly didactic.