Romans

This week in my New Testament class we read and studied Paul's epistle to the Romans. This epistle is unique for many reasons: It is the longest of the Pauline epistles, it is the only one that scholars was dictated directly by Paul (based on the words used and the word rhythm) instead of being edited by a scribe, and this is the only Epistle written by Paul to an area that he has not yet preached to. There are many interesting things to be learned from a study of Romans, and I am going to detail a few of them here.

In chapter 1, verse 1, Paul states that he is a servant of Christ. In the original Greek, this would have been written as "slave", instead of servant. This is in reference to the Hebrew idea of slavery- everyone is a slave of someone, and being a slave does not mean they have the right to mistreat you, but that you need to do as they say and you need to serve them. In the larger scheme of things, one must either server God or the Devil, and Paul is here saying that he was captured by Christ and is his slave, and that Christ is the perfect master.

In chapter 2, verses 13-15, an interesting idea is brought up. Paul states that hearing and knowing the word of God does nothing for you, if you do not live it. He references the gentiles who are with out the law, yet still are good people and do not commit adultery, or lie, or steal. They are more righteous, even not knowing the law, then those Jews who know the law and do not keep it. He goes on to state that if Christians preach the word of God, and do not live it, then it makes the church look hypocritical, and hurts the work of the Lord. In the end, what matters most is not the outward circumcision, but the inward. Do you really follow the Lord? Or just do the things people expect a follower of Christ will do?

Chapter 3, from 24 on, explains how Christ was given by God to be a sacrifice for our sins. This idea of sacrifice is different both from the Greek and the Jew. The Greeks sacrificed to their gods to buy favor with them. It was a business transaction. Jews would save up and sacrifice of their own goods, not to buy favor, but to worship their God and to gain forgiveness for their sins. But Christ was a sacrifice not of our own goods or our own worth, but was given by God, who Christ was sacrificed to. God provided the sacrifice that brings us back into His presence. It is nothing we did, and it was nothing we could do. Only Christ could sacrifice enough to pay the debt, and only from God could that sacrifice come. It is interesting to look at the differences in thought between the modes of sacrifice. Hebrew sacrifice comes closest, but still misses the pure majesty and Grace of Christ's sacrifice for us.