Week 3: Romans: Reflections on God’s Gospel by Tom Jackson (2020)
¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1.16-17
In these two verses we meet the theme of the book; here Paul draws together key ideas he will be opening up as he takes us on this journey to understand God’s good news. On one hand, the language of these verses is not difficult to understand, but there some of these simple phrases are informed by key themes than run through scripture, adding layers of texture and depth to the meaning here. As we go to work on unpacking these verses, there are three key components of good interpretation we’ll draw on: the meaning of the key words, the grammar of how these words fit together, and other verses of scripture that inform how these verses should be interpreted. Here are the key words and phrases we’re going to work to understand:
• Not ashamed • Gospel • Power of God • Salvation • Belief • Everyone/Jew first … also • Being revealed • From faith for faith • The righteous shall live by faith
1. Literary context: The Theme of the Letter
Having introduced himself and the gospel (vv. 1-7) and describing his intention to visit the Romans, giving God thanks for their faith (vv. 8-15), verse 16 and 17 form a transition from the letter’s introduction to the beginning of the main body of the letter in verse 18. Most New Testament scholars agree that these verses function as setting the theme for the letter, but there is divergence of opinion over what that theme is. Possible options include salvation; salvation by faith, justification by faith, and the righteous of God. However, the one word that encompasses all these sub-themes is gospel. And as noted in comments on the introduction (vv. 1-15), the word gospel is used predominantly in chapters 1 and 15. Thus, it is the gospel that is the theme of Romans, and the letter is Paul’s unpacking of this term. But drawing together key thoughts from vv. 16 and 17, especially the central idea of righteousness, we can say that ‘the gospel is the saving power of God in which his righteousness is revealed’.1
2. For The word ‘for’ links this with what Paul has previously stated, the he aspires to preach the gospel to those in Rome (v. 15). He wants to preach the gospel so that he can encourage the Romans (v. 12) and because he wants to reap a harvest amongst them (v. 13). This passion to preach the gospel also extends from Paul’s calling, having been set apart for the gospel. Now, Paul is going to describe succinctly the gospel he longs to preach to them.
3. I am not ashamed of the gospel. When Paul gets to Rome – he is going to give them the best he has – the gospel. Whatever it is that is in the gospel, it is so good and powerful that Paul is not ashamed to put it out on public display. On one hand, Paul has complete confidence in the gospel;2 Paul is ‘prepared to confess the gospel publicly and bear witness to its saving power’.3 But more than having confidence, Paul is not embarrassed by the gospel, even though, because it is ‘foolishness to Greeks’ and a ‘stumbling block for Jews’ (1 Cor. 1.23), he has good reason to be. Jesus warned about the dangers of being ashamed:
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38
4. I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is because of what the gospel is that Paul is able to be unashamed. Though the content of this term is what Paul unpacks in great detail in this letter, we pause to reflect on it briefly. The term gospel can be used in one of four ways:
1) The word gospel means ‘good news’, sometimes gospel simply refers to the announcement of good news, as in Isaiah 52.7:
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Here, the good news (gospel) is the announcement of salvation, summarised in the phrase ‘Your God reigns!’
2) The four mini-biographies of Jesus (Matthew, Mark Luke and John) are called gospels, perhaps because Mark, considered by many NT scholars to be the first one written, starts with ‘The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ’.
3) In his ministry, Jesus often preached the ‘gospel of the kingdom’, referring
1 Thomas R. Schreiner, Romans, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), 59. 2 Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 66. 3 Schreiner, Romans, 60. specifically to God’s action in him (Christ) to establish his kingdom, fulfilling his Old Testament promises to Israel. In Mark 1.14-15 we see the themes of gospel and kingdom coming together:
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Some have taken the ‘kingdom’ orientation to assert that all God means by the gospel is incorporation into his people, Israel. However, as the rest of the New Testament asserts, the only way anyone becomes part of God’s people is through experiencing personal forgiveness on offer in Christ. In Romans, Paul will unpack what God has done; according to Jesus, this gospel experience is received through repentance and faith.
4) The gospel refers to the message about Jesus: who he is, what he did, and what it means. By the time Paul wrote to the Corinthians, this more formalised use of the word gospel is in use. After affirming that he is happy to repeat to the Corinthians this good news, he summarises it by saying Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15.1-3. This is what we refer to as the kerygmatic or ‘preached’ gospel. Thus, The gospel is the very simple announcement of who Jesus is, what he has done, and what it means. This is called a kerygmatic gospel, from the kerygma, which means 'the content of the preached gospel'. Eugene Lemcio argues for an identifiable New Testament Kerygma: (1) God who (2) sent/raised (3) Jesus (the Christ, the Son of God); (4) a response (receiving, repentance, faith) (5) towards God who (6) brings benefits (new life, forgiveness).4
Thus, it is the gospel – the message of who Jesus is, what he has done, and what it means, that makes Paul unashamed. For more on the term ‘gospel, see Excursus 2 at the end.
5. for it is the power of God The Greek word here for power is dunamis from which the English word dynamite is derived. What a great statement! The gospel is God’s dynamite! We’ll see in a moment what it is this dynamite does, but notice first that Paul often links
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1.18
… but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24
Not that God’s power is manifest to those who are being saved and to those who are called. When we say that the gospel is powerful, we meant that is effective: God’s power works through the
4 See Eugene E. Lemcio, ‘The Unifying Kerygma of the New Testament’ in Journal for the Study of the New Testament 33 (1988), 3-17; Eugene E. Lemcio, ‘The Unifying Kerygma of the New Testament II’ in Journal for the Study of the New Testament 38 (1990), 3-11. gospel to do what he intends (bring about salvation). Just like God manifest his power in delivering his people from Egypt (Ex. 9.16), God is powerful in saving people through the gospel. Thus, ‘the power of God’ is ‘God’s effective and transforming power that accompanies the preaching of the gospel’.5 It is important to recognise that the preaching of the gospel does not merely make salvation possible but effects salvation in those who are called. This is confirmed in 1 Thessalonians 1.4-5:
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.
Paul teaches that the confirmation people are chosen is that the gospel came to them in the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the gospel worked in their lives because they had been chosen by God. It is sufficiently powerful to save people.
We also might note that the gospel of God’s power implies our weakness, and that’s a big point Paul makes in Romans. We can’t save ourselves. In Romans 3 he teaches that we can’t even choose God apart from the grace he gives in the gospel. Humans are utterly weak to save themselves; God is utterly strong to save.
6. for salvation Salvation is a rich term throughout the Bible, always looking 1) back to God’s deliverance of his people from the bondage in Egypt and 2) forward to deliverance from eschatological judgment of God, his final application of justice against all sin (e.g., Rom. 5.9, 10; 13.11; 1 Cor. 3.15; 5.5; 15.2). Thus, in the Old Testament there is good reason for people to cry out to God for temporal deliverance, but salvation in the Bible is never only about God’s direct intervention in our lives. In Paul, the word salvation (Gr. soteria) consistently refers to spiritual salvation. Whereas ‘salvation is usually the deliverance from eschatological judgment that is finalised only at the last day’, ‘these eschatological blessings are, to some extent, enjoyed by anyone the moment he or she trusts Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord’. This is why we can speak of salvation in three time zones:
• I have been saved: at the moment of conversion when we are born again and justified, delivered from God’s judgment against our sin; we are placed in Christ. • I am being saved: throughout the Christian life, growing in victory over sin; we are growing to be like Christ. • I will be saved: through glorification at the consummation of the ages, ultimately experientially delivered from the power of sin; we will be with Christ.
Thus, whereas salvation is more than forgiveness of sins, it is never less than forgiveness of sins. Yes, ultimately, we are saved completely – bodies and souls – everything is redeemed; in this life, we enjoy the benefit of having received God’s final verdict of ‘not guilty’ now. Whereas Judaism taught no one is completely justified until the final judgement, Paul teaches that the final verdict of not guilty is pronounced now on those who believe. Thus, we have been saved; our sins – past, present, and future – have been forgiven through Christ.
5 Schreiner, Romans, 60. 7. everyone who believes Faith (believing) is how we come to participate in the benefits available in Christ, through the gospel. Remember, biblical faith includes repentance - turning to and fully trusting in Christ. Genuine faith or belief includes both mental assent (cognitive agreement that God’s promises are true) and trust or reliance in those promises. Thus, ‘to believe is to put full trust in the God “who justifies the ungodly” (4.5) by means of the cross and the resurrection of Christ. Though intellectual assent cannot be excluded from faith, the Pauline emphasis is on the surrender to God as an act of the will (4.18; 10.9)’.6 Thus, to believe is not only to agree with the promises, but to actively trust them and entrust one's life to God.
The word everyone stands in contrast to Jew first in the next phrase, demonstrating the universality (everyone) and particularity (who believes). But even the everyone is limited by ‘who believes’. That is, whereas the gospel is open to everyone, the only ones who benefit from it are those who believe.
8. … to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. In short, the salvation available through Christ is available to both Jews and Gentiles. However, is available to the Jew first. This could have three meanings: first, it could mean that through Abraham, and then Moses, through the covenant God made with the people he adopted, salvation came to Jew first historically. Second, it could reference Paul’s habit of beginning to preach in the synagogue when he would come to a new city. Third, it could mean the priority of the Jews in God’s plan, a them to which Paul returns in detail in Romans 9-11. Thus, whereas both Jew and Gentile are included in God’s gospel promises (universal), there remains ‘a special applicability of the promise of God to the people he chose’ (3.2; 9-11) 7 (particular).
9. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed This is one of the most debated phrases in Romans; what is meant by God’s righteousness?
First, we noted that in it refers to the gospel: it is in the gospel that God’s righteousness is revealed.
Second, we observe that the term revealed is the Gr. word apokalyptetai which means to uncover, reveal, bring to light. Thus, an apocalypse brings to light what will happen at the end times. This term is usually used by Paul to refer to ‘the eschatological disclosure of various aspects and elements of God’s redemptive plan’.8 This word is in the present tense, meaning that ‘the righteousness of God is presently manifested in the preaching of the gospel’.9 Thus, more than ‘uncovering’ to the intellect various truths of the gospel, it is through the gospel that God reveals – not just knowledge – but that God actually makes manifest – or brings into existence – a dimension of his righteousness. As he writes in 3.21, the righteousness of God has been manifested.
But what is the righteousness of God that is revealed, demonstrated, made manifest in the
6 Moo, Romans, 67. 7 Moo, Romans, 69. 8 Moo, Romans, 69. 9 Schreiner, Romans, 62. gospel? Three different interpretations have been proposed:
1) God’s righteousness is his character; thus, righteousness is an attribute of God by which he always acts consistently with his own character to always do what is right. Similar to this thought is faithfulness, that in the gospel God’s faithfulness to his promises in the Old Testament is demonstrated; God is faithful to his promises of salvation.10 2) God’s righteousness is the believers status before God, the gift of right standing he gives to those who believe his good news (2 Cor. 5.21). Paul often refers to righteousness - right standing with God: Rom. 4.3, 5.17; Phil. 3.9.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Philippians 3.9: and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
This is a big focus in chapter 4 where Paul points to Abraham as reckoned righteous because he believed.
3) God’s righteousness is his action of saving. Paul goes to great lengths to demonstrated that in gospel, both God’s judging righteousness and saving righteousness are preserved. Whereas in our day people might question how God could be righteous in his judgment, the people of Paul’s day question how God could be righteous if he saved sinners.
In your righteousness deliver me! (Psalm 31.1)
The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. (Psalm 98.2-3).
In short, all three of these have some merit, and we don’t have to choose between them to overly constrain a theological rich word. Yes, it is through the gospel – through faith – that believers come to attain right standing with God. This righteousness is a gift – given, not because it is deserved, but given graciously. Thus, in his righteousness God is acting – not only to fulfil his promises, not only to deliver, but to bring people into right, covenantal relationship. This is an important them in Romans. And yes, it is through God’s act of salvation that his righteous character is seen. God is powerful save. And yes, underneath God’s action is his own character. But God’s saving righteousness is also rooted in a desire to glorify his own name.
Psalm 79.9: Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake! 10 Moo, Romans, 70. Isaiah 48.9-11: “For my name's sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
God acting on behalf of his own name is a key thought to which Paul returns later in the letter. In Romans 2 and 3, we will see that the fundamental sin characterising both Jews and Gentiles is the failure to glorify and honour the name of God.11
In short, God’s character, God’s gift, and God’s action are all brought together in the revelation of his righteousness. So we can summarise this phrase like this:
God’s righteousness is the act by which he brings people into right relationship with himself. 12
10. from faith for faith Though this has been variously interpreted as ‘from God’s faith to people’s faith’, or from the faith of the preacher to the faith of the hearer, in short, it is simply an emphatic statement declaring that salvation is by faith from first to last. Thus, this is human faith, and Paul will come to emphasise that salvation is by faith. Faith, and nothing but faith, can put us in a right relationship with God.13
11. as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Paul concludes by demonstrating that the gospel is promised beforehand in the scriptures. This is a quote from Habakkuk 2.4.
Habakkuk 2.4: “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him but the righteous shall live by his faith.
In its original context, this phrase is part of an answer spoken by God. The Lord has made promises to bring justice, and yet they are delayed, and some people have ‘lost faith’. But those who are righteous – those who covenantally faithful – keep believing the promises. ‘Faithfulness and faith are inseparable … faithfulness to the covenant is rooted in faith’14 - believing God’s promises. Faith is the key to one’s relationship with God.15
This idea of living by faith comes to the fore in several other New Testament texts:
Romans 9.30: What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith;
Galatians 3.11: Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The 11 Schreiner, Romans, 71. 12 Moo, Romans, 74. 13 Moo, Romans, 76. 14 Schreiner, Romans, 75. 15 Moo, Romans, 78. righteous shall live by faith.”
Hebrews 10:38: ‘but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
In short, it is by faith that we attain the righteousness of God; it is by faith in God’s promises that the righteous live faithfully in covenant with God.
Excursus 1: The Kingdom of God
What is the Kingdom of God? • What: The kingdom is God’s dynamic rule over all. • Why: In the synoptic gospels, Jesus draws on the Old Testament type of king and kingdom to describe God’s agenda. The kingdom links OT Messianic hopes with the ministry of Jesus. In the gospel of John, the primary metaphor for God’s agenda is life (e.g., eternal life). • Who: People participate in the kingdom to the degree they recognise his Lordship and submit to his rule. • When: The kingdom is now and not yet. Jesus inaugurated the kingdom at his first coming; he will consummate the kingdom at his second coming.
Excursus 2: The Gospel
The word ‘gospel’ (Gr. evangelion) means ‘good news’. D. A. Carson summarises the background and meaning of the English word gospel:
Although it is worth saying something about the ‘gospel’ words in the NT, the issue cannot be answered by mere word studies. Some NT books, e.g. John’s Gospel, never use the word ‘gospel’, even though from a thematic perspective they obviously have as much ‘good news’ to tell as books that abound in the ‘gospel’ word-group.
In non-biblical sources before the NT period, evangelion customarily referred to the reward given a messenger who brought good news—of military victory, perhaps, or of escape from danger. By an obvious transfer, it came to refer to the good news itself. Modern discussions of ‘gospel’ commonly cite the enthronement inscription, dated 9 BC, from Priene in Asia Minor. In this inscription, the birthday of the emperor Augustus is hailed as ‘the beginning of the joyful news (evangelia) for the world’. The noun occurs once in the LXX16 with the meaning ‘reward’ (2 Samuel 4:10), and five times referring to military ‘good news’ (Samuel 18:20, 22, 25, 27; 2 Kings 7:9).1 On the other hand, the cognate verb, evangelizomai (‘‘I announce or proclaim good news’, sometimes parallel to kēryssō, ‘I preach’, ‘I proclaim’) is found more frequently. But clearly it is the NT that repeatedly invests evangelion with the meaning ‘good news’, just as it is the NT that must establish what the good news is.
16 LXX stands for the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament used in Greek-speaking synagogues through the Greco-Roman world. The use of ‘gospel’ to refer to a particular kind of book, as in the phrase ‘the Four Gospels’, would not have been understood in the apostolic period nor for another century. In the NT period Christians spoke of only one gospel. The first four books of the NT, nowadays called ‘gospels’, were thought of as records or of witnesses to that one gospel which Paul calls ‘the gospel of God . . . regarding his Son’ (Romans 1:1, 3). Thus, the first book in our NT canon was thought of as ‘the gospel according to Matthew’, the second as ‘the gospel according to Mark’, and so on. So far as the evidence goes, the first source to refer to the books themselves as ‘gospels’ is Justin Martyr (mid-second century) who writes that the ‘memoirs of the apostles’ were called ‘gospels’ (note the plural form) and were read out to the congregation (Apology i.66).17
Due its nature as news, Carson makes this observation about gospel ministry:
Because the gospel is news, good news ... it is to be announced; that is what one does with news. The essential heraldic element in preaching is bound up with the fact that the core message is not a code of ethics to be debated, still less a list of aphorisms to be admired and pondered, and certainly not a systematic theology to be outlined ... it is good news, and therefore must be publicly announced.18
17 D. A. Carson, ‘The Biblical Gospel’, in For Such a Time as This: Perspectives on Evangelicalism, Past, Present and Future. Edited by Steve Brady and Harold Rowdon. London: Evangelical Alliance, 1996, 75-77. 18 D. A. Carson, ‘What is the Gospel’ in For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper (Sam Storms and Justin Taylor, eds.; Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 158.