Romans

1:1-7

Introduction

i] Paul's credentials, confession, address and greeting

Paul begins his letter to the Romans by identifying himself and his call to minister the gospel, his role as an emissary of a divine message fulfilling the promises of the prophets. Then, in v3-4, he outlines the message, long foretold, concerning the redemption of mankind in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Paul then identifies his authority to minister this message and bring about (purpose, cf. 16:26) the obedience of faith among all peoples (better than "Gentiles"), v5, including the believers in Rome, v6. Our passage concludes with a greeting, v7.

douloV (oV) "servant" - slave, bond servant. Paul is Christ's man.

klhtoV adj. "called to be" - a called [apostle]. Rendered verbally

apostoloV (oV) "apostle" - Used in the technical sense of an authorized representative of Christ.

afwrismenoV (aforizw) perf. pas. part. "set apart" - having been set apart, marked off, separated by a boundary. An adjectival participle modifying "apostle", Paul is a "set apart apostle." Perfect implies that Paul is habitually so. Used of the setting apart of Israel in the sense of their chosen / appointed role.

eiV "for" - to, for. "For the sake of the gospel", or "to preach the gospel." "Called as a messenger and appointed for the service of" the gospel, Phillips.

euaggelion (oV) "gospel" - important message. Often translated as "good news", but the gospel is only good news for those who respond to it. "Important message from God."

oJ proephggeilato (proepaggellw) aor. "the gospel he promised beforehand" - which he promised before, previously, in advance. "God" is obviously the primary agent, "this gospel God announced beforehand", NEB. The relative clause expresses the idea that the gospel (ie. the content of the message) is the fulfilment of the promises of the prophets in the Old Testament.

peri + gen. "regarding" - concerning, about. Defining the content of the gospel, "this news is about the son of God", JB.

tou genomenou (ginomai) aor. mid. part. "who ..." - the one having come. Making the point that Jesus became a man. "He was born", RSV.

kata sarka (sarx sarkoV) "as to his human nature" - according to flesh. As to his humanity. "On the human level", NEB.

ek spermatoV (a atoV) "a descendant [of David]" - from the seed. "He was born of David's stock", NEB.

kata + acc. "and who through" - according to [spirit of holiness]. Either: i] "as far as his being divine is concerned", or possibly "his divine holiness"; ii] Christ's resurrection was expedited though the Holy Spirit who is the one who makes (us, not Christ) holy / sanctifies.

oJrisqentoV (oJrizw) aor. pas. part. "was declared" - having been designated, decreed, appointed. Lit. set limits or boundaries. Jesus was "installed to the position of."

en dunamei (iV ewV) "with power" - in power. Either: i] treated adverbially modifying the verb "declared", eg. "powerfully declared"; ii] qualifying "son of God", "Son of God in all his power", JB; iii] as an independent statement, "by a mighty act", NEB, so NIV, NRSV.

ex + gen. "by" - of, out of, from. introducing either: i] a causal clause as in NIV, or ii] a temporal clause, "from the time of the resurrection", TH.

anastasewV (iV ewV) "resurrection" - Referring to Christ's resurrection, or to the general resurrection in the last day. The sense may be active, as in NIV, or passive, "he was raised from the dead", Moffatt. The reference is surely to Christ's resurrection.

di ouJ "through him" - through whom. "We apostles received our authorization from God, commissioned in Christ's name, to ..." elabomen (lambanw) "we received" - "God gave me the privilege" TEV, reads well, but misses the point that the ministry of the gospel is, at this time, administered by the apostles, with whom Paul identifies himself. Sometimes "we" means "we Jews", but not so here, rather "we apostles received."

apostolhn (h) "apostleship" - The office of apostle.

eiV uJpokohn pistewV "to the obedience that comes from faith" - to obedience of faith. Note the many ways to handle this phrase: i] "obedience to the faith", Moffatt, Phillips; ii] rendered verbally, "to believe and obey", TEV; "to lead to faith and obedience", NEB; iii] of the obedience that is prompted by faith, as in NIV, "which is the product of faith", Barclay. This view, reading the genitive as a genitive of origin, has much in its favor and is the view held by new perspective commentators, eg. Davies (possibly an objective genitive, "obedience is the object at which faith aims", Dumbrell); iv] where "faith" is taken as an epexegetic genitive, "the obedience of faith / which is faith / consists of faith", Murray, Godet, Haldane. See Cranfield for a full discussion on his seven possible meanings, but note the printing error in the 1975 edition, 1st printing, "the obedience which consists in faith", not "the faith which consists in obedience." A genitive substantive attached to another substantive functions to limit that substantive, so the "obedience" Paul is probably referring to is a "faith" type of obedience, or in simple terms, "acceptance of the message of salvation", Jewett. "To promote among all the Gentiles a yielding in faith", Berkeley.

pistewV (iV ewV) "faith" - of faith. Throughout Romans this important word comes with two linked ideas, the relative stress of each idea being determined by the context. There is the "faith" (belief, dependence, reliance, firmness) of the believer, and there is the "faith of Christ" (Christ's faithful submission to the will of God on the cross). So, the faith/faithfulness of Christ saves us, which faith/faithfulness we appropriate by faith. See Romans 3:22 where Paul breaks "faith" up into its two separate parts: the righteous reign of God, his putting all things right, is by means of pistewV Ihsou Cristou "the faith of Christ" to all touV pisteuontaV "those who have faith".

Note, punctuation is a problem, best resolved by placing a comma after "you". "Among whom are you also, you who are called ..." Cranfield.

klhtoi adj. "those who are called" - the called ones. As is usually the case in the New Testament, God is the one who does the calling. The word "call" (summoned) may be translated "invite" where free grace is emphasized rather than an effectual predestining. For the opposite view see Cranfield who argues that "call" in the Pauline letters always means "effectual call." Of course, God does effectually summon a people unto himself, although he may not effectually call its individual members.

Ihsou Cristou "to belong to Jesus Christ" - of Jesus Christ. Genitive of possession.

pasin toiV ousin in Rwmh/ "to all in Rome" - This clause concludes the sentence begun in v1, "I Paul ....... (verb to-be) to all in Rome". The sense of the verb to-be must be assumed, eg. "greet", "write", so for example, "

I send greetings to all of you in Rome", NEB.

aJgioiV adj "saints" - holy. Separate, marked off ones, those who belong to Christ, "God's dedicated people", NEB.

Romans Introduction

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