Paul’s letter to the Romans- Part 1

Paul’s letter was, as the title suggests, written to the church in Rome. Unlike Paul’s letters to the other churches, this church was not personally founded by him, however it was most likely founded by someone he personally knew and trusted. He obviously had a personal relationship with many in the church, evident from his personal greetings to many in the church at the end of his letter.

Although we can only really hazard a guess, I would suggest that it was likely the church in Rome was founded by Aquila and Pricilla. They are mentioned in the end of the letter as being based in Rome; we know that they were also companions with Paul in earlier times and also had a strong foundation of the gospel. In any case the point of who founded the church does not effect the meaning or understanding of the letter, so let us just say that although Paul did not personally start the church, nor had he visited them beforehand, he still had permission to speak into the life of the church and help them grasp, in a greater way, the reality of the gospel.

Paul was writing to them to clearly present the gospel of God’s grace and also to address some misunderstands many in the church had regarding the interpretation and purpose of the law. Paul was writing to encourage the church and ultimately to help them understand the foundational truth that had been given to the church through the gospel. That foundation is that there is not only forgiveness of sins through Jesus, but the gift of all things Godly; including righteousness, obedience, a fruitful life, good works, and freedom from sin; love, holiness and anything else that comes from the heart of God. All things in Christ are assured to the believer because they are a gift that comes through the grace of God.

Paul’s intention in writing this letter was to both encourage the church in this wonderful reality, and also clarify some of their misunderstandings of the purpose of the law. To many in the church it seemed only natural to assume that the way to be righteous as a Christian was to obey the Law that God had given the Israelites in the old covenant. After all, the God of the new covenant was the same God of the old covenant, and everyone knows that God does not change. Paul agreed with this point of view, but his challenge to his readers was to understand God, and his righteousness, looking through the light of the new covenant and not by looking through the shadow of the old covenant.

Paul makes the bold assumption that that it was only now, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that God’s reality of righteousness is revealed to all mankind. It had always been testified to in the Old Testament; it had indeed been promised, but it was only through Jesus that it was fully revealed and brought to light. It was a beautiful reality that nobody was able to fully see or fully grasp in the Old Testament, but had nonetheless always been there. Paul also testifies to this in the climax of his introduction in this letter:

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17

Paul was helping the church to understand a profound reality. He was proclaiming the blessedness given to all who are in Christ; that we are now living in a new covenant in which we receive God’s righteousness as a gift of his grace, and not as an obligation based on obeying a written code of righteousness.

This was very difficult aspect of God’s divine truth for many of the members of the church to grasp, especially those who had a Jewish roots and heritage, because it was a massive paradigm shift in how to interpret what God had been doing throughout the Old Testament. It was also difficult for the gentiles in the church who had a religious bent to their personality and liked the idea of the Jewish God of law and also wanted to embrace this history as their own. Paul, of course, was not against the Jews; he had a Jewish heritage as well. What he wanted to do was help his fellow brothers who shared the same heritage as he did to step fully into the new covenant and embrace the reality of Christ, even though it meant letting go of their false understanding that the law was a useful and effective tool for teaching Christians to live a righteous life.

Paul was speaking to a church that was not going the wrong way in their faith, they were actually commented as being a church community full of faith, but they also had not yet grasped in their minds the fullness of their inheritance in the new covenant. Paul was ultimately trying to help them understand in their minds the reality of God’s grace apart from law in order that their spirits could fully rest in it.

I believe that the almighty power of God’s grace apart from man’s willpower and determination is something that every Christian inherently understands in their new creation spirit. However, when we can not reconcile this with the religious assumption that we are also required to live up to the written code of God’s righteous ideal, it weakens our own foundations in our faith because we mix our own failed works into the reality of Christ’s finished work done on our behalf. The divine foundation, in Christ, is one of pure grace; it’s a radical thought, but completely heavenly in truth.

Paul’s task, through writing this letter, was to explain in a way that the church could grasp how God in fact never defined righteousness as something that could be obtained by following a written code of rules and regulations. God wasn’t suddenly, and drastically, changing his mind on the whole topic of righteousness. Rather Paul makes the claim that it was Israel who misunderstood God’s reason for giving them the law in the first place. They failed to recognise God’s true intention for the law, and so in their minds set up their own purpose for the law, and their own definition of righteousness; one that comes through obeying a written code, even though this was never God’s intention.

Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Romans 10:1-4

The truth that Paul revels to the church is that God never intended the law to be a written code that man could follow to obtain a standing of righteousness in God’s eyes, but rather that the law was given to lead people to the one and only person who could impart righteousness to them as an pure act of grace on his part; the man Jesus Christ!

What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. Galatians 3:19

So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Galatians 3:24-25

Misunderstanding God’s true intentions for the law leads a Christian to take upon themselves the religious yoke of a work’s righteousness. This often results in the compulsion to defend the old covenant law as a continual necessity for Christian living. This doesn’t come out of an impure motive, but rather a misplaced mindset.

When Christians do not understand in their minds that they are not obligated to the law, they are hindered from fully embracing their divine union with the grace of God. This false understanding of the law’s purpose in their life causes a conflict within them and hinders them from fully embracing the full freedom and blessedness of being a new creation in Christ. Paul was a spiritual man, he wanted the church to live by the spirit and not by their rational minds, but he also understood the stronghold that was in their minds. It was this stronghold Paul endeavoured to free the church in Rome from.

That was Paul’s heart for the church in Rome, and ultimately it’s God’s heart for the church universally in Christ. God’s desire is that we too would be able to understand in our minds that we really are living in a gospel of grace apart from law. Paul goes through this letter explaining somewhat systematically God’s history and the history of God’s walk with people, with both Israel and with Pagans, in order to make even clearer this divine and eternal reality.

Paul’s desire was to show the fullness and the reality of Christ to his brothers and sisters in Rome and reveal the true purpose of the law; that it was in fact never given as a means of righteousness. Although to the religious mind it seems right to cling to the law, Paul was as pointing out that it is a misplaced belief for a Christian to have, and it will only cause us to neglect the true power unto righteousness: that is the gift of God’s grace.

Paul shows through his letter to the Romans that we are all need to let go of the religious mindset that exalts the law, and in it’s place embrace the mind of Christ that exalts the working of his grace in us.

Everyone who has been made new in Christ has been given the mind of Christ, and Christ’s mind is a mind that is full of the reality of the grace of God. Jesus came full of grace and truth; his mind is full of grace and truth and that is the mind we have inherited through him! Let us embrace the mind of Christ and the fullness of his grace as we take this journey through the letter to the Romans.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 (Continue Reading)