A study of Romans 1

Romans is a real letter. It follows the pattern of letters of the time: the name of the author, the name of the recipients, greetings, then the body of the letter and closing greetings.

The outline of the chapter

• Verses 1 to 7: Paul introduces himself, summarises the gospel and greets his recipients.
• Verses 8 to 15: he expresses his desire to come to Rome.
• Verses 16 and 17: he announces the theme of the letter, the power of the gospel.
• Verses 18 to 32: he describes the guilt of a world that refuses to acknowledge God.

Slave and apostle (verses 1 to 7)

Paul calls himself “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle” (Romans 1:1). The Greek word translated “servant” is doulos, which means slave. This is not an employee who can resign or ask for a pay rise, but someone who belongs entirely to his master. Paul is a willing slave, in the service of a master who is not a tyrant, but who gave his life for him.

These two titles balance each other. As an apostle, Paul has authority received from God. As a slave, he reminds us that he is not the one to be admired. This challenges us: Jesus calls us his friends (John 15:15), but do we not sometimes forget the greatness of God?

In verses 2 to 4, Paul opens a parenthesis to summarise the gospel. This good news is nothing new: God had promised it through his prophets. For Paul, there is no break between the Scriptures of Israel and the coming of Jesus. Jesus “was descended from David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3), as the prophets had announced (Isaiah 11:1). He is also declared to be the Son of God in power by his resurrection. Paul thus affirms both the humanity and the divinity of Christ, without denying either.

A pastor’s heart (verses 8 to 15)

These greetings are particularly long. Paul praises the faith of the Romans, which is “proclaimed in all the world” (Romans 1:8), a phrase that is probably deliberately broad. He does not flatter in order to manipulate, but he wisely orders his thoughts: a reproach is better received when the good has first been acknowledged.

Paul calls God as his witness that he prays for them and explains why he has not yet come. He wants to impart to them “some spiritual gift” (Romans 1:11), but he immediately adds that he himself will be encouraged by their faith. He presents himself as a servant who can also learn. Here we see his humility, and his caution towards a Church he does not yet know.

Paul feels “under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish” (Romans 1:14). He despises no one: the gospel is for everyone.

The theme of the letter (verses 16 and 17)

Verse 16 begins with “for”: it explains what comes before. The headings added in our Bibles must not make us read these verses on their own.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Salvation does not depend on origin, but on faith. “First” does not mean that Jews should always be evangelised before others. Paul is recalling the special historical relationship between God and his people, whom Jesus himself served first.

In verse 17, Paul speaks of the righteousness of God. For him, this notion refers to the way God saves, the basis on which his judgement rests. Paul contrasts the righteousness that would come from the law with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ (Philippians 3:9; Romans 9:30 to 10:13). If righteousness came through the law, “then Christ died for no purpose” (Galatians 2:21). Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous shall live by faith.” The expression “from faith for faith” stresses this point: by faith, and by faith alone.

A world without excuse (verses 18 to 32)

God’s wrath is not a fit of temper, but the exercise of a necessary justice. Paul speaks of it in the present tense: its effects can already be seen in the world. The commentator Frédéric Godet saw in it an intervention of God’s justice in human history. This wrath is aimed at two things, ungodliness, that is, contempt and rebellion towards God, and unrighteousness.

Verses 19 and 20 speak of natural revelation. “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world” (Romans 1:20). Nature is not enough to be saved: the special revelation of the Scriptures is needed. But it is enough to recognise that God exists. No one will be able to say they could not have known.

The proof that human beings are aware of a higher being is that they make idols for themselves (see Psalm 106:20). In the past, people worshipped emperors and statues of animals. Today, human beings often place themselves above everything. Even in the Church, we can put our own will above God’s.

“God gave them up”

This expression occurs three times (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). It does not mean that God pushes people towards evil. God withdraws and lets humanity reap what it has sown.

According to the author of this course, Paul mentions two forms of sexual disorder. Verse 24 would refer to the prostitution linked to pagan fertility cults. Verses 26 and 27 speak of homosexual relations, which Paul presents as one of the consequences of a humanity that has turned away from the Creator. This passage must be read together with what follows: the list in verses 29 to 31 also includes envy, slander, pride and disobedience to parents. No one can exclude themselves, and Romans 2:1 gives a warning precisely to the one who judges others. Paul’s aim is to show that all need grace.

Finally, verse 32 stresses that these acts do not come from a lack of knowledge, but from a conscious refusal of God.