NOTES ON ROMANS

Romans 1:5-8 v. 5. lit. "the obedience that faith is"    v. 8. compare Romans 16:19

Romans 1:16 First the Jew and then the Gentiles. Also in 2:9,10.

Romans 1:20 see Ecclesiastes 3:11. Eternity = the whole concept of time (and its irreversibility?)

Romans1:24     C.S. Lewis: “Hell is the greatest monument to human freedom.”

Romans 1:26-27 Some commentators try to defend homosexual behavior by stating that "natural" 

depends on what is in one's individual nature. However, Paul is using this word in corporate and moral 

terms; he is not thinking of individual natures at all. (Kaiser)

Romans 2:14 Several interpretations: (a) Gentiles do not need to be taught the law the way Jews were; 

they already know it naturally (Calvin drew this conclusion), (b) applies to some good Christians 

(Luther) or only to Christian Gentiles, or (c) preferred translation from a grammatical consideration 

that  physis elsewhere in the Bible is an adjective, not an adverb. Thus, Gentiles who by their nature (or 

naturally) do not have the law.

Romans 2:15 conscience = awareness of good, justice, etc. See Ecclesiastes 12:14

Romans 3:1-8 Even the commentator C. H. Dodd felt that Paul got muddled up in his argument and 

that the letter would be better off if these verses were omitted.

Romans 3:23 Sin is falling short of the mark. What is the mark? See this verse.

Romans 3:31b The fact that Jesus needed to die as a sacrifice confirms the fact that the law demands a 

sacrifice for sin.

Romans 5:7 Andrew Clark provides evidence that tou agathou should be translated "his benefactor."

Romans 5:8 We have gotten so used to the idea that Jesus died for me, that we don't notice the 

passages that say Jesus died for us.

Romans 6:7 Junia is the Roman name for the Jewish "Joanna." the description of here as an early 

apostle fits the Joanna in Luke's Gospel except for the name of her husband. There is the possibility 

that her prominent husband (Luke 8:3) divorced her because of her association with Jesus.

Romans 6:17 Reversal--it is not tradition that is handed over to men, but men who are handed over to 

the tradition. (Robert Stein)

Romans 8:1-3 

    v. 1. This sentence emphasizes “no” by starting with this word. "Condemnation" is strong word in the

Greek implying punishment or doom. KJV adds at end "who walk not after the flesh but after the 

Spirit."

    Law = a principle in v. 2 and the Mosiac law in v. 3.

    v. 3. The last word = "body" in this case only. In other cases = sinful, unregenerate state or element 

of  man.

Romans 8:10-15 

    v. 10. spirits = the inward self, principle of life; that aspect of a person that is not mind, emotion or 

will.

    vv. 14-15. Images of being led by the spirit (pillar of cloud) and falling back into slavery may be 

drawn from the Exodus experience.

Romans 8:21 This is an expression of the concept of entropy.

Romans 8:27 This demonstrates that the Holy Spirit possesses a mind and is not just an impersonal 

energy emanating from God.

Romans 8:29 This doesn't mean that the Father is somehow unwilling to listen to us. It is the same as 

the statement in John 14:9-"He who has seen me has seen the Father." (I. Howard Marshall)

horizo = predestined = a pre-set boundary = faith in Christ

Romans 8:34 (a) Word "also" denotes that predestination occurred at the same time as foreknowledge 

(Calvinist view), (b) foreknowledge precedes predestination, (c) a general description of what God has 

done and does for every man if he believes. This is the ideal that man can refuse.

Romans 8:35 see II Corinthians 11:21-33.

Romans 8:38-39 "Things past" are not even mentioned.

"Height nor depth" refers to the astrological positions of stars according to Barclay.

Romans 10:1-4 Possible interpretations of telos: (1) end or termination (Lutheran), (2) goal or 

fulfillment (Calvinist), (3) both 1 and 2 are implied by purposely vague language, or (4) apex or 

completion (but not in a temporal sense. Christ himself was the goal of the Law.)

Romans 10:9 Used by Lordship Salvation proponents, but Lord may mean LORD, i.e. Yahweh. Verses

9-10 constitutes a prose chiasm

        A. If you confess

                B. and believe

                       C. you will be saved

               B'. One believes

        A'. one confesses

                       C'. and so is saved 

Romans 10:22-23 The names Tertius ("3") and Quartus ("4") were probably slaves (like the character 

Seven of Nine in Star Trek Voyager).

Romans 11 See II Samuel 6.

Romans 12:1 The adjective describes the worshiper, not the worship ("by one who is a spiritual 

being")?

Romans 13:1-7 Reasons for obedience:

1. Paul was well-treated by Roman authorities. However, even later during persecution Tertullian wrote 

"Caesar is more ours than yours because our God appointed him."

2. To dissociate Christians from zealots- I Timothy 2:1-2

3. Witness in defying law of the land- I Peter 2:13-15

4. Learning to submit

5. Sake of conscience (cheating on taxes)

6. Order ordained by God- Ephesians 6:5; Titus 3:1

Romans 13:14 This is the verse that converted St. Augustine.

Romans 14:1 opinions = disputable matters.

Rom 15:31 Like II Thessalonians 3:2, the last phrase (in context of missionary activities) may mean 

"for all are not sound yet." The prayer for safety is to be understood only in this context.

Rom. 16 The people of the Roman Empire traveled more extensively than any people before, or again 

until the 19th century.