Apr 25

  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution The Old and the New Solidarity
    Here we find some of the more theologically dense verses of Romans. There is a lot happening and a lot of things being referenced, so lets see if we can't figure them all out. First of all, we come across Adam, or "the one man" by whom sin entered into the world. This may be Paul once more emphasizing to the Jews that all have sinned, even in light of their forefather being Abraham the righteous.... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution The Blessings That Accompany Justification: Peace, Joy, Hope, Love
    Paul now explains the results of justification and that is four "fruits of the Spirit": peace, joy hope, and love. Each one of these is profound in its way, but in a self-explanatory way. As Keener notes, "No one could boast before God (2:17; 3:27; 4:2), but there is cause for a different kind of boast in hope of restored glory (5:2; cf. 3:23), in tribulation (5:3) and in God through Christ (5:11)."... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution The Faith of Abraham
    The question immediately comes up then "Is this blessing on the circumcised or on the uncircumcised also?" (Romans 4:9) And it is a fair question. To the Jews, circumcision was the outward and physical sign of the covenant. No one would dare to declare that they shared in the covenant unless they too had been circumcised. And even proselytes were seen as second best. For instance in synagogue, proselytes... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution Two Old Testament Precedents
    Paul alludes to Old Testament precedents and now he must flesh this out. He does with Abraham (Genesis 15:6) and David (Psalm 32:1-2) citing that their justification had nothing to do with what they had done, but rather because of their belief. Note that both of which are passages connected by the word "reckon," and thus used together in an example of the Jewish practice of gezerah shavah, "equal... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution God's Provision
    This section is fairly self-explanatory. All the world is guilty, there is no distinction. However all are saved, that is all who believe. Intriguingly God's provision for all mankind not only justifies us but also proves God just. In verse 21 Paul briefly mentions that this righteousness is attested to in the Old Testament, which he proves in the following passage (4:1ff). "The righteousness of... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution All Mankind Found Guilty
    Paul then in 3:9 answers a reworded version of Objection 1 in 3:1 in a completely different way. "Are we better than the Gentiles?" the Jewish Objector asks. Paul responds not like he does in 3:2 ("Great in every respect!") but rather with "Not at all!" But he is in fact answering two different questions. The first asks if the Jews have any privileges by being the elect nation. In fact they do (cf.... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution Objections Answered
    In order to truly understand these verses, I think it would be helpful to print them out in the diatribe fashion that they were meant to be read. Objection 1 1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Response 1 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. Objection 2 3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution Privilege Brings Responsibility
    Essentially, Paul is continuing his diatribe against the self-righteous Jewish critic that he is responding to. Sure, you can be proud of your circumcision, but as soon as you break one of the 613 commandments of the Torah, then you're just as bad as the Gentile which only had seven laws to follow (according to the rabbis anyway; they believed that Noah was given seven laws which were the laws that... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution The Impartiality of God
    Paul uses another Greco-Roman style of writing called the diatribe. Simply he writes as if he were responding to critics and opposers all along the way. Here his imaginary critic is he who says that they don't deal with the list of problems in 1:29-31. Paul simply states that by the very fact you think that, you've proven yourself wrong. We find an uncomfortable truth in 2:6, that there is judgment... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution Sin and Retribution: The Pagan World
    Here begins Paul's massive argument. He begins talking about the Gentiles (though, as I said, slyly about the Jews as well). Their sin is simple: the way the world is made leads logically to the idea that it was, well, made. To ignore that and thus deny God is foolish. That leads them to their sin. Though this passage is often cited in debates about whether or not "those who do not know the Gospel"... Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution The Theme of the Gospel: The Righteousness of God Revealed
    Here basically you would find your thesis statement. Notice that 1:16 is an inclusio with either 2:9 or 2:10 (though I would vote for 2:9 with 2:10 being there simply for emphasis). The point of the inclusio is that though the following section is supposedly about Gentile paganism, it applies to the Jews just as much as to the Gentiles, a sharp point they may not be too fond of. Read more »
  • antparrott
    antparrott added a text contribution Prologue (1:1-15)
    1:1-6 Salutation This is pretty basic stuff here. Paul introduces himself in good ole' Greco-Roman style. Euengelion ("gospel of God" in verse 1) was used in the Septuagint to refer to Israel's release from exile. His note on Jesus in verses 3 and 4 are important theologically because he notes both the "fleshly" ("descendant of David according to the flesh") and "Divine" ("resurrection from the dead,... Read more »