Romans: Reconciled Life

Sources: I. Howard Marshall et al., Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Letters and Revelation (IVP, 2002); Raymond E. Brown, The New Testament: an Introduction (Doubleday, 1997); Bart Ehrman, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 3d ed. (Oxford, 2004).

I. Paul's Ninth Symphony: The Gospel in Romans
Romans is an introduction of sorts (1:13-15) from Paul is introducing himself to a new church (with familiar faces).
Structurally it's an opus, not a 'setlist': a symphony, or a concept album.

A symphony's discrete movements contribute to the project's overarching message.
Some passages are 'greatest hits' (cf. 'Ode to Joy' in the finale of Beethoven's Ninth, "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee").
The book reached Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and others in world-changing ways.

Its introduction (overture, 'opening') is summarized in two major ways:

"The good news of God" (1:1-6): God's redemptive plan through Israel (1:2-3, 16:25-26) is now accomplished in Jesus' resurrection (1:4) and offered through the apostles' ministry (1:5) to the nations generally and the Romans specifically as the obedience of faith (1:5-6, 16:26). (Here it is in hip-hop.)
"The power of God for salvation" (1:16-17, 16:25): The good news reveals the righteousness of God through faith for faith, first to Jews and then the other nations.

These two summaries are compatible, counterpoint.
Neglecting one will make sections of Romans seem superfluous or like interruptions.

II. Program Notes
Paul's 'indicative-imperative' employs diatribe to develop a shared basis and goal for living diverse Christian lives together out of respect for Christ's reign and fulfillment of it.
Overture, 1:1-17.
Stage Setting, 1:18-3:20.

A dark beginning: All, Jews and Gentiles, have no basis for righteousness but are under sin.
Two frustrated competitors ('anti-themes') are pagan idolatry (1:18-2:8), and righteousness based on Jewish law (2:17-3:20).
This section clears the ground for what follows.

Foundation 3:21-4:25.

The main theme enters, starkly and in contrast with its dark setting:
Christ’s atonement for past through current sin through faith apart from the Jews’ covenant.

Results 4:17-8:39.

Thematic variations and resonances, with the anti-themes lingering in back-and-forth contrast through Paul's diatribe (imagined dialogue) style.
The fruit of Jesus-faith is life from the dead in the crucified-and-risen Jesus.
Paul traces the implications of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection through rabbinic 'qal wahomer' ('light and heavy') logic.

II.2. Intrigue, 9-11.

An at-first dissonant interruption is folded in to the main theme.
It develops 2:9-10's “the Jew first and also the Greek," so it's not an afterthought or excursus:
The nations trade roles in fulfilling the gospel's mission to bring mercy to all.
Paul uses Moses, David, and Isaiah to focus Israel’s story on Jesus as its fulfillment and deep structure.

Obedience, 12-16.

The main theme comes to full fruition: the imperative of faithful life in Christ responds to 1-11's indicative.
In contrast to 1-3’s “conformity to this age,” obeying faith receives God's intended transformation in Christ’s righteousness, freedom, and Spirit-law.
'The obedience of faith' demonstrates salvation's power in those who believe; it is good news embodied (10:14).
The embodied gospel's distinct forms include service (12:1-17), harmony and mercy within Christ's body (12:18-21), and respect for outside authorities (13:1-14)
all in view of God’s wrath (cf. 1:18, 2:6-8, 5:9), which still hangs apocalyptically over the whole scene (12:19, also 16:16-20).
It means the powerful bearing with the powerless and simply with one another (14:1-15:7)
to build up rather than tear down, yielding peace (14:19)
and reaping plenty out of self-denial under the Lord of both.
It's symbolized in the ‘offering of the Gentiles’ (15:8-33; see Isaiah 66:20, and Isa 52:15 in 15:21).

PS. The greetings (16:1-16, 21-23), warning (16:17-20), and benediction (16:25-27) are an afterparty.

Real relationships shine with the afterglow of Paul's performance, and confirm its substance.

III. Issues in Romans
Is this vision Protestant? Calvinist? Arminian? Catholic or Orthodox? Charismatic? Nondenominational? Evangelical? Egalitarian? Is Paul?

Is this letter primarily about election (so Calvin) to individual salvation (so Luther), or ethnic election to mission (Newbigin)?
Is the faithfulness of Jesus Christ the key (New Perspective), or is it our faith in Jesus Christ (classical Protestantism)?
Is the wretched Paul of 7:24 the old one (so holiness Christians) or the new one (so classical Protestants)?
Is saving grace received through the Word (10:9-10, so evangelicals) or sacraments (6:3-4, so sacramentalists)? See 4:11.
Various textual-and-theological issues: "let us have peace" or "we have peace" (5:1)? (See Bart Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture.)
What is the Spirit's role in Paul's vision of church life (1:4, 5:5, 8:1-30, 14:17)? Is it backgrounded (Lutherans) or foregrounded (Calvinism through Pentecostalism)?
Do the names of chapter 16 indicate a church with women leaders (so feminists and egalitarians)?
Is Jesus' earlier life significant for Paul, or just his death and resurrection (contrasting gospels and letters; but cf. 14:17)?
These legitimate issues are best treated in light of the whole opus,

rather than from a narrower vision confirming the reader's prior assumptions.

IV. Are We Hearing Paul?
Romans, like so many of Paul's undisputed letters, all reject legalism, moralism, identity politics, and libertinism.

Instead, his gospel means sacrificial cooperation in response to the Kingdom's initiating, renewing, and transforming grace.
Yet legalism, moralism, identity politics, and libertinism keep reappearing, just as he warned, even coopting his voice!
Have our theologies turned Paul into someone else?
Have we stripped his corpus down to a mere album of hits, or worse, a playlist of hooks?

For better obedience, resist editing this opus into a few hits or favorite hooks.

Playlists are okay, but they're not agents of transformation. People don't realize what they're missing.
What might you have been missing?