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Category Archive: Bible - NT - Romans

Remnant, Edom, AD 70 - November 16, 2006
Some reflections based on an ETS talk by Edward Meadors on Romans 9-11. Meadors suggested that "Esau" in Romans 9 refers to Esau as the patriarch of Edom, well-known for its opposition to Israel throughout the centuries. That is Malachi's...

Sermon outline, Romans 12 - September 06, 2006
INTRODUCTION Last week, I made a case for the legitimacy of imprecatory prayers and Psalms. But that leaves a lot of questions unanswered – When are prayers of imprecation legitimate? Against whom is it legitimate to pray imprecations? And, most...

Romans and AD 70 - August 02, 2006
Paul's discussion of the future of Israel assumes Jesus' predictions about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. This is what he's talking about when he talks about "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" and when he quotes from...

Justification and the Gentiles - July 31, 2006
It's not a new insight with me, but it came home with particular force recently: Paul says in Romans 3:28 that "we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of Torah." To suppoose the point,...

Keeping days - May 08, 2006
Everyone else, I'm sure, has already noticed this, but I'm slow: If, as many commentators argue, Paul's practical concern in Romans is to encourage Gentile believers to accept their Jewish brothers (as reflected in Romans 14), then the discussion of...

Acts and Romans - April 24, 2006
The canonical ordering of the NT does not carry the authority of the text itself, but it is not irrelevant. (Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, among others, has shown that the canonical order of the gospels links them together into a unified literary...

Imprecation and mercy - September 19, 2005
Are imprecatory prayers inconsistent with the biblical demand to love our enemies? On the surface it seems so, but since the Bible contains both imprecations and commands to love our enemy and since Scripture is internally consistent, they cannot be...

Romans 9:14-18 - May 29, 2005
ROMANS 9:14-18 Paul rejects the idea that there is injustice with God, as he did in equally vigorous terms in chapter 3, where God�s righteousness is closely linked with His faithfulness (v. 3) and His truth (v. 7). And he...

Wright on Romans 9 - May 29, 2005
Wright points out that the storyline Paul is reviewing in Romans 9 is not a general storyline for any old nation or race, nor the history of individuals, but specifically the story of Israel. Whatever God does with other nations,...

Romans 9 - May 21, 2005
Some of this repeats notes from last week, but then moves beyond. WHAT ABOUT ISRAEL? The ringing affirmations of chapter 8, that those who are in Christ cannot be lost to Christ leads directly into Paul�s discussion of Israel in...

Romans 8:31-39 - May 14, 2005
INTRODUCTION Romans 8:31-39 is better sung than commented upon. It is a thrilling, ecstatic hymn of confident assurance that God�s purposes will be accomplished. Yet, I will attempt to comment on them. If we are to sing Paul�s hymn, let�s...

Romans 8, continued - May 05, 2005
INTRODUCTION Paul is talking about the liberation of creation from bondage to decay and corruption into freedom. This raises the question of the time frame for the fulfillment of this prophecy. It is normally taken as a reference to the...

Righteousness in Romans 1 - November 01, 2004
The phrase "righteousness of God" in Romans 1:17 has been the subject of considerable dispute in recent years, with many abandoning a standard Protestant interpretation of the passage (i.e., that the righteousness of God refers to the righteousness that God...

Murray and the "Deliverdict" - October 25, 2004
John Murray recognizes that Paul announces a �deliverdict�Ein Romans 8:1-4. He is considering the force of �therefore�Ein 8:1, asking what earlier portion of Romans this points to: �If the apostle is thinking merely of freedom from the guilt of sin...

Sin in the Dock - October 18, 2004
The main point of Romans 8:3, of course, is that the Law was undermined and made ineffective because of flesh, "flesh" here being shorthand for the condition of men and women under the reign of Sin and Death that characterized...

Paul's Deliverdict - October 18, 2004
At the end of Rom 7, Paul is looking forward to a deliverance from the power of sin and death that holds him. His wretchedness is not relieved by the law, but only made worse. But he hopes for a...

Sin and Law in Romans 7 - October 09, 2004
What are we to make of Paul's discussion of sin in Romans 7? If we take it as a description of fallen humanity as such, it is difficult to see how it can square with other portions of Scripture or...

Chiasm in Rom 7:1-6 - August 29, 2004
There's a fairly neat chiasm in the first part of Rom 7: a. law rules while one lives b. woman bound while husband lives; if husband dies, freed (KATARGEO) c. while husband lives: adulteress d. if husband dies: joined to...

"To Obey Its Lusts" - August 14, 2004
We tend to think of desire as the antithesis of submission to authority. Saying "I ate that chocolate pie because I wanted to" is the opposite of saying "I ate my broccoli because Moma told me to." Paul, however, recognizes...

Continue in Sin? - July 10, 2004
Rom 6:1 is often described as an "antinomian" objection, but it is really a legalist's objection. Paul does not perceive an antinomian opponent; he expects that HE will be perceived as an antinomian. One can imagine it coming from the...

Yield Your Members - July 10, 2004
It is striking that when Paul begins to discuss the specifics of life under grace and in Christ, he emphasizes the bodily character of this life. We are "co-crucified" with Jesus, so that the "body of sin" might be done...

Under Grace - July 10, 2004
What does it mean to be "under grace"? Does this reality somehow cancel out the necessity of obedience? Is an insistence on obedience inconsistent with Paul's insistence that we are justified by faith alone? Rom 6:14-15 provides the answer. This...

Another Stab at Rom 5 - July 09, 2004
The word Paul uses for "impute" in Rom 5:13 is used in only one other passage in the NT, Philemon 18. (The Greek is ELLOGEO; elsewhere, the word translated as "impute" is LOGIZOMAI.) Perhaps an examination of Philemon 18 will...

Imputation of Sin - July 04, 2004
Paul's argument in Romans 5:12-14 seems to be this: 1. Through one man, death entered the world, and death spread. 2. Yet, sin is not imputed where there is no law. That is, sin is not liable to punishment when...

Imputation of Sin (Rom 5:13) - May 23, 2004
In his commentary on Romans, John Murray offers these comments on Paul's statement that "sin is not imputed when there is no law": This "enunciates a general principle on which Paul is insistent. 'Where there is no law, neither is...

Sin and Death, Death and Sin - May 15, 2004
Thomas Schreiner offers an intriguing reading of the end of Rom 5:12, "death spread to all men EPH HO all sinned." The Greek phrase has long been a crux: Most recent commentators take the phrase as causal - death spread...

Salvation from Wrath - May 02, 2004
In Rom 5:1-11, Paul twice mentions salvation as a future experience for the believer (vv 9, 10). The salvation he has in view is particularly rescue from the wrath of judgment, which might have either an historical or eschatological focus....

Exodus in Romans 5-8 - April 17, 2004
NT Wright gives a characteristically stimulating overview of Rom 5-8 as a retelling of the exodus narrative. Here are some of the key elements of his interpretation: 1) He begins with the observation that Rom 8 describes the church's future...

Romans 5-8 - April 17, 2004
As many commentators have suggested (Douglas Moo most clearly), there is an inclusio around Romans 5-8 that shows it is a distinct unit. Below are some of the key words shared between 5:1-11 and 8:14-39, with some comments: 1) DIKAIOO:...

Faith and the New Humanity - March 27, 2004
As NT Wright points out in his commentary on Romans, Paul's description of Abraham's faith reverses point-by-point the earlier description of sinful humanity, humanity under wrath. Abraham believes in God the Creator, while the wicked ignore the creator (1:20, 25)....

Abraham in Romans 4 - March 21, 2004
Several earlier posts have dealt with the fact that Abraham, according to the Genesis account, was a worshiper of God and a man of faith prior to being declared just in Genesis 15. I have taken that as evidence that...

Abraham's Faith - March 14, 2004
I've argued in several recent venues that Gen 15 is not the story of Abraham's conversion. He was a worshiper of God before that time, and Hebrews 11 is explicit that Abraham was a believer from the time he left...

Paul's Use of Gen. 15:6 - February 09, 2004
One of the oddities of Paul's use of Genesis 15:6 is that this passage is clearly NOT about Abraham's conversion. Abraham has already set up altars on at least two occasions (12:7-8), and he is calling on the name of...

God's Righteousness - February 01, 2004
God did not need to make the world. But once He's made it, He cannot be a righteous God unless He deals righteously with sin (by punishing it) and righteously with His people (by justifying them). This is why Paul...

Stuhlmacher on Hilasterion (Rom. 3:25) - January 24, 2004
Peter Stuhlmacher interprets HILASTERION in Rom 3:25 as the KAPPORET of the ark of the covenant, the place where atonement is made. From the cross on, the place of atonement was no longer in the temple but in Jesus. He...

Chiasm in Romans 3:27-30 - January 24, 2004
There looks to be some chiastic action going on in Romans 3:27-30: A. Where is boasting? Excluded B. By law of works? C. No: Law of faith C. justification is by faith B. not by works of law (reversing word...

Romans 3:21-31 - January 24, 2004
Most commentaries I've examined assume that Paul's discussion of the work of Jesus in Romans 3:21-31 centers in the cross. The reference to blood and to propitiation (or propitiating sacrifice) in v 25 justifies this, but this doesn't mean that...

Paul on God's Righteousness - January 22, 2004
Romans 3:21 begins a section where Paul expounds, for the first time in Romans, on the revelation of the righteousness of God. One of the ways to characterize current debates about this passage, and about the righteousness of God and...

Paul's Goal in Rom. 1:18-3:20 - January 03, 2004
What is Paul trying to prove in Romans 1:18-3:20? Here are a few, non-exhaustive, suggestions: 1) He is trying to close "every mouth" and demonstrate that "all the world" is "accountable to God," and guilty before Him. It is sometimes...

Romans 3:5a - December 20, 2003
Most commentators accept that Romans 3:5a offers a legitimate conclusion, but one whose implications must be carefully qualified. From the quotation of Psalm 51, it is argued, Paul draws the inference that the unrighteousness of Israel commends or establishes or...

Mindset Behind Romans 3:3 - December 20, 2003
What kind of mindset would even raise the question Paul poses in Romans 3:3? On what basis would it follow that the APISTIA (unfaithfulness) of Israel would nullify the PISTIS THEOU, the faithfulness of God? This would follow only if...

Romans 3:1-8 - December 20, 2003
Romans 3:1-8 picks up on a number of themes and concerns that reach back to the first chapter of the letter, especially the crucial verses in 1:16ff. Although unrighteousness (ADIKIA) has been a topic in chapter 2, the contrast between...

Where Is Boasting? - December 14, 2003
Simon Gathercole's Where Is Boasting has some stimulating insights into the argument of Romans 2, and some important objections to the NPP. The following notes are based on Gathercole: 1) It is clear that in Romans 2, Paul considers this...

Psalm 51 in Romans 3:4 - December 11, 2003
Some interesting things going on in Paul's quotation from Psalm 51 in Romans 3:4: 1) The surface significance is pretty clear. Earlier in the chapter, Paul has raised the question about how the PISTIS of God can be manifest if...

Chiasm in Romans 3:19-31 - December 10, 2003
There's something chiastic going on in 3:19-31 (or maybe 2:25-3:30). A. by works of law no flesh shall be justified, 19-20 B. Apart from law, righteousness of God is revealed, 21 C. righteousness through faith in Jesus--> for all have...

Additional Thoughts on Romans 2 - December 04, 2003
A few additional thoughts on Romans 2: 1) As Dunn points out, Paul is clearly lining out a series of oppositions in the latter part of this chapter, much as he does in Galatians: manifest �Enot Jew �Emanifest circumcision �Eflesh...

Romans 2:24 - December 04, 2003
In Romans 2:24, Paul cites Isaiah 52:5 and/or Ezekiel 36:20-23 to describe Israel's effect on the nations. Israel was called to be a light to the world, to be a priest to the nations, and to cause Yahweh's name to...

"Justified" (Rom. 2:13) Again - November 15, 2003
I'm not sure that I made my point clear in an earlier post about "justified" in Rom 2:13: I was hinting and gesturing toward the conclusion that "justified" here must include the notion of "rescue," and not merely a judicial...

"Day of Wrath" in Romans 2:5 - November 15, 2003
"Day of wrath" in Romans 2:5: This is universally (so far as I know) taken as a reference to the final day of judgment. But a) is there any other passage in Scripture that uses this phrase to refer to...

"Justified" in Rom 2:13 - November 12, 2003
"Justified" in Rom 2:13 (the first use in Romans) is clearly contrasted with "perish" and "judged by Law." The structure of vv 12-13 is poetic parallelism: whoever without law sins without law also perishes whoever in law sins through law...

Law on Gentile Hearts - November 12, 2003
When Paul says that the Gentiles do what the law requires because of the law written in their hearts, who is he talking about? Righteous pagans? Christians (as NT Wright and others have recently argued)? There seems to be an...

"Greek" - November 12, 2003
What does Paul mean by "Greek"? Though often taken as simply synonymous with "Gentile," it seems instead to have the more specific force of "Hellene," someone who is part of the Greco-Roman empire. ETHNOS means simply "nation," and refers to...

On Romans 2:1 - November 10, 2003
On Romans 2:1: In an earlier post, I pointed to the "exchange" that Paul describes in Rom 2:1, namely, that the one who judges another seeks to place the other under the judgment of God and thereby to escape God's...

Day of Wrath (Romans 2) - November 07, 2003
What about taking "day of wrath" in Romans 2 as AD 70? Some arguments: 1) Dunn lists the verses that use similar phrases for "wrath and indignation" and "tribulation and distress," and most of them are about historical judgments on...

The Olive Tree (Romans 11) - November 05, 2003
In the same issue of JSNT, Philip Esler examines ancient oleiculture to illumine Paul's use of the olive tree image in Romans 11. When he describes branches being grafted into an olive tree, Paul refers to a common practice. But...

Paul's Interlocutor in Romans 2 - November 01, 2003
I've been running a little experiment: Working on Romans 2, I'm trying to determine who Paul's interlocutor is, whether that can even be determined at all. Is he addressing a Jew or a Gentile or a colorless hypothetical human-in-general? My...

"To the Jew first" - November 01, 2003
"To the Jew first": The first time this is used in Romans, it's good news for Jews, because Paul says that the gospel is the power of God to salvation to the Jew first (1:18). The next time he uses...

Chiasm in Romans 2:1 - November 01, 2003
Romans 2:1 forms a rather neat chiasm, particularly if we follow the Greek word order: Therefore, you are without excuse O man everyone who judges for in that you judge (KRINO) the other yourself you condemn (KATAKRINO) for the same...

Structure of Romans 2:12-29 - November 01, 2003
Jouette Bassler's article on "Divine Impartiality in Romans" (NovT, 1984) also includes a neat discussion of the structure of Romans 2:12-29. She points out the sequence of terms as Paul introduces the issues of law (NOMOS) and circumcision (PERITOME). "Law"...

Structure of Romans 1:16ff. - October 28, 2003
Jouette Bassler's 1984 article "Divine Impartiality in Romans" (Novum Testamentum) present structural arguments for saying that the section beginning in Rom 1:16-18 runs through the middle of chapter 2. This is evident from the repetition of the verb prasso in...

Adam in Romans 1 - October 22, 2003
I've been seeing references to Morna Hooker's article "Adam in Romans 1" for years (NTS 6, 297-306), but have just today read through it. It's a very provocative piece of work, and deserves its wide citation. Hooker carefully catalogues the...

"From Faith" (Rom. 1:17) - October 17, 2003
Douglas A. Campbell argues forcefully for interpreting the phrase ek pisteos (from faith) in Romans 1:17 as a reference to the faithfulness of Christ in his obedience to death. This, in turn, suggests strongly that Paul's later use of pistis...

Paul on Sexual Immorality - September 11, 2003
In the midst of some typical and typically inane apology for sodomy, Neil Elliot (in Liberating Paul: The Justice of God and the Politics of the Apostle, Orbis, 1994) raises the interesting question of why Paul focuses on sexual immorality...

The Structure of Romans - August 22, 2003
Below are some notes on the structure of Romans. Thanks to my student, John Lewis, who has done some interesting structural work on Romans, and shared his overall outline of the book with me. These notes are all tentative. First,...

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