Letters to the Church

The proclamation of the Gospel reveals two forces at work in the world - “righteousness” and “wrath,” and they will produce two very different results - “salvation” for some, and “destruction” for others. In the end, “righteousness” will produce salvation, resurrection, and New Creation for those who embrace the Gospel, but the coming “Day of Wrath and God’s righteous judgments” will mean condemnation and destruction for the men and women who reject the “Good News” announced by Jesus and his Apostles.

Paul begins his Letter to the Romans with a lengthy introduction in which he identifies himself and his mission. The calling and “ grace ” of God have equipped the Apostle to preach the “ obedience of faith ” to the “ Gentiles .” And in his introduction, he includes a brief description of the messianic qualifications of Jesus of Nazareth, and links what God has done in him to His promises recorded in the “ Holy Scriptures .”

In his Letter to the Romans , Paul stresses the “ righteousness of God ” that is revealed whenever the Gospel is proclaimed. It is the “ power of God for salvation to everyone who believes .” Moreover, in the Gospel, this “ righteousness ” is being proclaimed throughout the earth to “ Jews and Greeks ” alike. Salvation is now available for all men through the “ faith of Jesus Christ ,” His “ Righteous One ” (“ From faith to faith… My Righteous One will live from faith ”).

Paul declares that there is “ now no condemnation ” for anyone who is “ in Jesus .” This happy condition exists because the “ law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set them free from the law of sin and of death .” And he links the salvation of the believer to the inheritance of Christ and the coming redemption of the creation itself. Adam’s one transgression condemned the entire creation to bondage and death, not just humanity, however, “ much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many .”

In his Letter to the Romans , Paul details the Gospel that he is proclaiming to the Gentiles and declares it to be the “ power of God for salvation .” Due to humanity’s sin, two forces are at work in the world - righteousness and wrath . In his Son, God has provided the solution to mankind’s desperate plight, one that is available to all men through the “ faith OF Jesus Christ .” And in the Gospel, these two forces are revealed whenever the Good News is proclaimed.

In Romans , Paul demonstrates that all men have sinned. Jews and Gentiles alike violate God’s revealed will, therefore, no one is or can be justified before Him “ from the works of the Law .” Jews have the Mosaic Law but fall short of its requirements. Gentiles have the witness of their conscience yet live and even revel in their sins. So, if no one is set right before God “ from the works of the Law ,” how is anyone “ justified ” or reconciled with Him?

In Romans , Paul presents his most detailed explanation of the “ Good News of God ,” a message centered on His Son, Jesus Christ. He was dealing with conflicts between Gentiles and Jews in the churches of Rome and preparing the ground for him to take the Gospel to the western regions of the empire. In the process of doing so, he addressed several related topics, including death, redemption, the Law, resurrection, and the New Creation.

The Good News proclaimed by Jesus is  NOT  about reforming society, fixing governments, or the surrounding immoral culture.  HIS  Gospel calls all men to repent and join an entirely new and vastly different social order and political reality, namely, the Kingdom of God. If anything,  HIS  message subverts the political ideologies of this present “ evil age .” Responding positively to his invitation is vital considering the rapidly approaching end of the age when the existing world order will disappear from the Earth.

In his Letter to the Romans , Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of the faith, the model for all men to emulate who choose to live from the “ faith of Jesus .” God counted the Patriarch’s faith as “ righteousness ” while he was yet uncircumcised, and thus He justified him apart from the “ works of the Law .” Consequently, he became the father of everyone who is “ from faith ,” both Jew and Gentile, and the “ heir of the WORLD ” or Kosmos .

Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans with two purposes in mind. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and planned a missionary trip to Spain. Second, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers in the churches of Rome. In the Letter’s first half, he explains his Gospel. In the second, he addresses the status of the Jewish people and the specific conflicts in the congregation.