Resources: The People’s New Testament Commentary
The Interpreter’s Bible: Acts and Romans
1:1-17 Introduction of the Letter
1:1-7 Salutation
1:8-15 Thanksgiving
1:16-17 Thesis statement: The power of the gospel
1:18-11:36 Part One—God’s Righteousness in History
1:18-8:39 The Meaning of God’s Righteousness
1:18-3:20 The Human Condition: The Sinfulness of all Humanity
(All people, both Jews and non-Jews, are sinners before God and are subject to the “wrath” which is even now appearing.)
1:18-32 The Guilt of the Gentiles
2:1-16 The Righteous Judgement of God
2:17-29 The Jews and the Law
3:1-8 Paul Counters Jewish Objections
3:9-20 No one in Righteous
3:21-4:25 The Divine Response: God’s act in Christ for the Salvation of all Humanity
(Paul sets out a way of salvation which is not the way of obedience to the law, but instead, justification in response to faith in Jesus Christ.)
3:21-31 God’s Justifying Righteousness
4:1-12 The Examples of Abraham and David
4:13-25 God’s Promise Realized through Faith
5:1-8:39 The Christian Life as Freedom
(The meaning and the character of the new life to which God’s justifying act admits us. The most important section of Romans.)
5:1-11 The Results of Justification
5:12-21 Adam and Christ
6:1-14 Dying and Rising with Christ
6:15-23 Slaves of Righteousness
7:1-6 An Analogy from Marriage
7:7-13 The Law and Sin
7:14-25 The Inner Conflict
8:1-17 Life in the Spirit
8:18-30 Future Glory
8:31-39 God’s Love in Jesus Christ
9:1-11:36 The Irreplaceable Role of Israel in God’s Plan for History
(Paul turns to the problem that the Jewish nation was by and large refusing the gospel.)
9:1-18 God’s election of Israel
9:19-29 God’s Wrath and Mercy
9:30-10:4 Israel’s Present Stumbling
10:5-21 Salvation is for All
11:1-10 Israel’s Rejections in Not Final
11:11-24 The Salvation of the Gentiles
11:25-36 All Israel Will Be Saved
12:1-15:13 Part Two—The Christian Life as Response to God’s Grace
(Practical and ethical section and some personal remarks.)
12:1-8 The New Life in Christ
12:9-21 Marks of the True Christian
13:1-7 Being Subject to Authorities
13:8-10 Love for One Another
13:11-14 An Urgent Appeal
14:1-12 Do not Judge One Another
14:13-23 Do Not Make One Another Stumble
15:1-6 Please Others, not Yourselves
15:7-13 The Gospel for Jews and Gentiles Alike
15:14-16:27 Conclusion of the Letter
15:14-21 Paul’s Reason for Writing so Boldly
15:22-32 Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
16:1-16 Recommendations of Phoebe and Personal Greetings
16:25-27 Final Doxology