Deep Dive into The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans by R. C. H. Lenski

The Epistle to the Romans was composed by Paul in 58 A.D. while he was completing a three-month stay in Corinth, marking the end of his third missionary journey. The place of writing is confirmed by internal details, including the greetings Paul sends from his host Gaius, a member of the Corinthian church, and his recommendation of Phoebe, a servant from Cenchrea, the nearby seaport, who served as the letter’s bearer to Rome.

Paul wrote to the church, which had established itself unaided in the capital almost two decades earlier, to provide comprehensive doctrinal instruction and share his future itinerary. His immediate destination upon leaving Corinth in March was Jerusalem, where he was scheduled to deliver the great collection for the famine-stricken brethren in Palestine. Following this duty, Paul planned to visit Rome for mutual benefit before continuing on to his ultimate missionary goal: evangelizing the new territory of Spain in the far west.

The letter’s immense significance is found in its doctrinal teaching, which forms the Gibraltar basis of teaching and confession in the evangelical church. It is widely considered the most dynamic New Testament letter. Its core doctrinal focus is the blood-bought righteousness of God, confirming that believers are justified freely by faith alone. This principle was key to the Reformation through Luther, and earlier, Augustine used the Epistle to successfully crush Pelagius regarding the doctrines of sin and grace.

While the letter includes personal touches and addresses the need for unity among the diverse congregation, modern interpretations attempting to label Romans as primarily a polemical or apologetic effort based on historical friction are considered untenable. The primary emphasis remains on conserving the abundant doctrinal wealth that Paul systematically presented in this pivotal letter. Paul was eventually brought to Rome as a prisoner, released, and later beheaded there around the end of 66 or early 67 after returning from his missionary work, including a journey to Spain.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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