Romans 1-8

Romans 1-8

The Letter to the Romans is different from Paul's other letters in that it was written to a community that he did not found and did not know. Thus rather than addressing issues within a congregation over which he has a large degree of authority, here Paul is introducing himself to an already-famous community. It is the longest of his letters, therefore, because it is the most comprehensive statement of his faith, and therefore it is placed first among his epistles in the Bible. Its overarching theme is the parallel relationships between Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) and between the law and grace. Paul wishes to justify the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christian community without leaving behind the special relationship between God and the Jewish people; and he wants to base his understanding of faith on the gift of Jesus Christ as the means of God's grace to free us from bondage to the law and sin, yet without denigrating the importance of the law for establishing the need for salvation. Early in the first chapter (1:17), Paul takes the stand that underlies the rest of his arguments: “the one who is righteous will live by faith.” It is our faith in Jesus that frees us from sin, not our wayward and futile efforts to obey God's law.

One other note in this introduction to a complicated text: Romans 1:26-27 is one of the most difficult passages for those of us convinced of the full humanity of, and love of God for, homosexual persons. Many efforts have been made to explain that Paul's condemnation here is not of committed homosexual love as seen in our contemporary world but of prostitution in fertility god and goddess temples or other types of excessive sexual licentiousness of the time (especially in Corinth, where the letter was written, and in Rome itself). Personally I find such arguments persuasive and yet rather convoluted and torturous. Paul, in his letters, reveals himself to be a person of deep faith, powerfully and often movingly articulated; he also reveals himself to be fully human, capable of jealousy, some arrogance, occasional whining, and deep gratitude for friendships and communities of faith. He is not the best authority for current relationships between men and women, or for the roles of women in the Church; I therefore do not find it hard also to assert that he is not the best authority regarding the authenticity and naturalness of homosexual love.

Remember this week we welcome back Dr. Maia Kotrosits as both our lecturer and our preacher! I am really looking forward to her insights as I have found Romans to be a tricky (and sometimes repetitive) text.