Xchange - Discussion Notes

Romans 1:1-17

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be a Lieutenant, set apart for the Gospel of God, which he has long since promised through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Gospel about his Son, who was descended from David (according to the flesh) and recognised as Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of Holiness. [This recognition came about] by his resurrection from the dead, Christ Jesus our Lord. Through him we [Jews] have received grace and commissioning to bring about the obedience of faithfulness among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves, who are [equally] called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the Gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God's will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – that is that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you – but so far have been prevented – so that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. I am in debt both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish – hence my eagerness to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from [God's own] faithfulness [through] to [our] faithfulness, as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith".


Bible Study Notes:

• Read also Habakuk 2
• For a more detailed introduction to the letter, stating in detail the logic of the interpretation followed below, see www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Paul_Caesar_Romans.htm

Jews (through whom the Gospel had come into the world) have been expelled from Rome, leaving the young church in the world's capital city with only a Gentile (non-Jewish) membership. Paul, who is both a 'Jew of Jews' and a missionary to the Gentiles, writes a letter to encourage and strengthen them, and to pave the way for his own planned visit. For those who first heard this letter being read, much of the 'religious' language that Paul used was not yet very religious! Many key words are words that are both already used by the Empire from the Gentile perspective, and used also in the Messianic prophecies of Scripture from the Jewish perspective.

One of the crucial features of the world that Paul was evangelising, was an alternative world of worship : the emperor cult. Worship of Caesar was a political necessity for the administration of the empire. If occupied lands are worshipping the emperor, there is less need for a military presence. The emperor cult then integrated worship with politics in a very straightforward way. Equally, the pax romana, the peace now enjoyed by many citizens of the empire, was an outstanding achievement, and is naturally attributed to divine action.

This week we consider a few of the words that Paul uses in his introduction, to try to reproduce the impression that this letter would have had upon its original recipients.

Christ (Greek : Christos, Hebrew : Messiah)

When this letter was written, ‘Christ’ did not mean the second person of the Trinity. Nor did it mean someone divine. It was simply someone who had been anointed to lead, that is, a king. It is a political title, a human role, and one that stood as a stark challenge to an emperor who proclaimed himself as ‘Lord’ of the whole world – the same word for Lord that Paul uses of Jesus. For Jews, the Christ is the king of Israel who would be the king of all other earthly monarchs.

Gospel (Greek : euangelion – evangel)

In the Roman world, when an emperor came to power – as well as on his birthday – the word that was widely used was ‘euangelion’, that is ‘good news’, the Greek word we translate as ‘gospel’. For those in Rome, the Gospel was not a list of correct beliefs, or about something that happened to you after you die.

It is the Gospel concerning God’s son, and it was the resurrection which marked Jesus out as the son of God. The resurrection was evidence to the world that Jesus was the true Messiah, not simply from the Royal line of David, but from God himself. This is the ‘Gospel of God’, the anouncement that God’s own heir is ruler of the whole world.

Shame

‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel…’ This phrase encapsulates the key theme that makes Romans the political document it is. It has nothing to do with being embarrassed about sharing Jesus with your friends. The shame that is felt here is something much more deeply rooted. If you worship the God of the whole earth, why is it that this God’s people are a persecuted minority. Compared with the might of the empire, pathetic little bunches of Christians might well feel ‘shame’. Suffering continues, God is not exalted and recognised by all. This is the meaning of the shame that is felt, and it requires God to justify himself, that is, it requires the righteousness of God.

Righteousness

The righteousness of God does not, in the first instance, mean a personal holiness that it divinely enabled – a righteousness that comes from God. Here in Romans it is God’s own righteousness that is in question. How can God’s promise that the whole world would be blessed through Abraham have any meaning for a small religious sect like the early church ? How has God kept his promise ? How can he be righteous ? The Gospel addresses precisely this question :

Faith

‘In [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith…’ This is followed by a quotation from Habakuk 2. Here, all hope for Israel is lost – she is crushed and defeated. How can God let this happen? The righteous ones are those who believe, in the midst of impossible circumstances, that God will save his faithful ones and judge the pagan idolators.

Discussion Questions

1. Romans begins with an emphasis on these great themes of political justice, but this does not mean that the personal dimensions of righteousness, faith and salvation are displaced. Instead they are re-interpreted. The question is rather how the greater, impersonal, political forces in our world shape who we really are and the things that come ‘naturally’ to it.

Consider your assumptions, your intuitions, your ways of thinking, and feeling and relating – the things that make you who you are. What is it that underlies these supposedly ‘natural’ ways ? What is it that shapes our human nature ? What is the difference between doing what comes naturally, and doing what ‘the empire’ has programmed us to do ? Is there a difference, and if so, how can we discern it ?

2. Consider the context of Habakuk – a world in chaos, the seeming distance of a God who should be personally involved. Have you experiences in your own life when circumstances seem so unjust that God cannot apparently keep his promise to be a loving God ?

Do you feel the pressure to pretend that you are a mature Christian who can deal with stress, or do you allow yourself to ask difficult questions of God ? Have you been in a position where you feel you have lost hope in the goodness of God ?

What might Paul say to those in such circumstances ? In these circumstances, how do words like salvation, gospel and Christ take form ?

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