The letter to the Romans is the longest of Paul’s letters. Written around AD 57, probably from Corinth, it is addressed to a diverse Church, made up of Christians of Jewish and Gentile origin. Its theme is announced in the very first chapter: the Gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
Who is writing, and to whom?
The great majority of scholars recognise the apostle Paul as the author. He introduces himself in the very first verse (Romans 1:1), and his secretary names himself at the end: “I Tertius, who wrote this letter” (Romans 16:22). Paul did not found the Church in Rome and had never yet been there (Romans 1:13). According to a suggestion made by Douglas Moo, it may have been born from the witness of ordinary believers, such as the “visitors from Rome” present at Pentecost (Acts 2:10).
The Christians in Rome met in several house Churches. Paul addresses readers with a Jewish background (Romans 2:17) as well as Christians from the nations (Romans 11:13). Chapter 16 shows men and women, slaves and free people, people of modest means and a few wealthy ones. There were also tensions, for example over food and the observance of certain days (Romans 14:1-15).
The heart of the letter
In verse 17 of the first chapter, Paul speaks of the righteousness of God, that is, the way in which God saves. He contrasts a righteousness that would come from the law with the one that comes from faith in Christ, and 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. Salvation does not depend on origin, but on faith.
Paul also shows that no one is without excuse. Creation is enough to recognise that God exists: “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world” (Romans 1:20). But to be saved, the revelation of the Scriptures and the Gospel are needed.
A real letter
Romans is not an abstract treatise written for theologians. It is a letter sent to a real community, mixed and sometimes tense, which Paul wants to strengthen in the faith and unite around the same grace. Knowing these first readers helps us understand it better today.