5 Myths About the Book of Romans

This article is part of the 5 Myths series.

Myth #1: The purpose of Romans is unclear.

Scholars continue to debate the purpose of Romans. However, the reasons Paul wrote Romans are hidden in plain sight in the opening and closing sections of the letter. Paul wrote the letter with missionary, apologetic, and pastoral purposes.

The missionary purpose is clear in Romans 15. Paul informs the Roman Christians of his desire to visit them on his way to preach the gospel and plant churches in Spain (Rom. 15:23–24). Paul wanted to enlist their interest, prayers, and support: “I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you” (Rom. 15:24).

Romans also functions as an apology for Paul, the sort of defense he would soon be giving in Judea when he brought the money he had been collecting from the Gentile churches to Jerusalem for the poor Jewish believers (see Rom. 15:25–33). Familiar with opposition, Paul wrote to defend both himself and his message when presenting the gospel in Romans.

Thirdly, as a pastor, Paul writes to “strengthen” (stērizō) the believers in Rome with the spiritual gift of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to them in the letter (Rom. 1:11, 15; Rom. 16:25). That Paul sought to strengthen believers with the gospel can be seen from the other four uses of the same verb in his letters (1 Thess. 3:2, 11; 2 Thess. 2:17; 3:3). In these passages God is the one who strengthens, encourages, and comforts believers with “the gospel of Christ,” thereby equipping them for every good work and word and to live holy lives protected from the evil one. Paul’s presentation of the gospel in Romans strengthens believers in many of the same ways. The gospel is not just a message for unbelievers. Romans demonstrates that Paul believed God strengthens believers with the gospel when it is fully proclaimed and its implications for their lives are explained.

Myth #2: Salvation in Romans is defined as justification.

Justification by grace through faith is, of course, essential to salvation, but it is not an exhaustive account of salvation. God saves not only by justifying believers but by forgiving trespasses (Rom. 4:25), imputing righteousness (Rom. 4:3–5; 5:17), adopting us into God’s family (Rom. 8:14), reconciling us to himself, turning his enemies into his friends (Rom.5:10), and granting freedom from sin’s mastery (Rom. 8:2). And the death of Christ is not only substitutionary (Rom. 3:21–26; 8:3) but also representative (Rom. 6:1–10) and exemplary (Rom. 15:3).

Myth #3: In Romans, Paul treats one topic after another in successive units.

The longest and most imposing of Paul’s letters, we are prone to read Romans as if it were several letters rather than one. While some sections of Romans concentrate on certain theological topics—such as justification in Romans 1–4 and the sovereignty of God in Romans 9–11—many themes span the whole letter. Rather than moving through it like a bowling ball, knocking over one text or unit after another, we need to read Romans cumulatively, like a snowball.

Teaching on the mind and thinking, for example, accumulates across the letter. Romans:

• Describes and condemns the corrupted mind of the Gentile world (Rom. 1:18–32);
• Describes and condemns the knowledgeable mind of the Jewish world (Rom. 7:7–25);
• Condemns those who set their minds on the things of the flesh (Rom. 8:5);
• Commends a new way of thinking in Christ (Rom. 6:1–11);
• Prescribes a mind empowered by God’s Spirit (Rom. 8:5–7);
• Commands being of the same mind toward one another in the body of Christ and not being haughty in mind (Rom. 12:16; Rom. 15:5);
• Urges a renewed mind in response to the gospel that is aligned with the values of the coming age (Rom. 12:1–3).

The theme of the mind in Romans is impressively comprehensive, covering everything from the dynamics of Jewish and Gentile sin to a presentation of how the gospel transforms the behavior of those who belong to Christ. It even includes a humbling reminder that no one knows the mind of the Lord (Rom. 11:34; a quotation of Isa. 40:13)!

Myth #4: Romans says very little about the life story of Jesus.

When it comes to Jesus Christ, we often think that Romans concentrates exclusively on his saving death and resurrection. However, while not a narrative of the life of the Son of God, Romans offers an outline of his story from his preexistence to his return. Intriguingly, it is one that echoes many points of the Apostles’ Creed:

Preexistence: God “sent his own Son” (Rom. 8:3).

Earthly Life: “the man Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:15) was a “descendant of David” (Rom. 1:3) and “the Patriarchs” (Rom. 9:5), came “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3), “suffered” (Rom. 8:17), and was insulted by men (Rom. 15:3).

Death: Jesus was “delivered up” (Rom. 4:25), “crucified” (Rom. 6:6), shed his blood (Rom. 3:25), and “died to sin” (Rom. 6:10), “for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6) and “for us” (Rom. 5:8; cf. Rom. 8:33).

Burial: Jesus was buried (Rom. 6:4).

Resurrection: “Jesus our Lord” was “raised from the dead” (Rom. 4:25; cf. Rom. 1:4; 6:4; 8:34) so “that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Rom. 14:9).

Ascension and Exaltation: “Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God . . . interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34).

Return: “The day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12) when “the Deliverer will come from Zion” (Rom. 11:26) and “on that day . . . God will judge the secrets of men by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 2:16).

The whole of Romans contributes to Paul’s moral vision of gospel living.

Myth #5: Romans postpones teaching about Christian conduct until Romans 12–16.

It is tempting to read Romans in two halves: Romans 1–11 is about doctrine (what to believe); Romans 12–16 are about ethics (how to behave). But the two halves are intricately related! The foundations for living for God are laid in the doctrines of salvation in the first half of Romans: Being declared righteous before God provides a basis for a life of obedience to God, which “leads to righteousness” in daily living in Rom. 6:16; redemption in Rom. 3:24 includes being emancipated from the power of sin; freedom in Rom. 6:18, 22 and Rom. 8:2 includes being liberated from the dominion of sin; being adopted into God’s family in Rom. 8:14–15 is the basis for putting sin to death in Rom. 8:13; and union with Christ is the foundation for ending the reign of sin in our lives in Romans 6. Indeed, the most comprehensive command about Christian living is in Rom. 6:12: “Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies.”

There is also a lot of implicit teaching about Christian conduct in the first half of the letter. While the primary purpose of Romans 1–3, for example, is to establish the verdict that all human beings lack righteousness and deserve God’s wrath, it is a mistake to limit its purpose to this function. Its keen relevance to Christians should not be missed. The descriptions of sin and evil in Romans 1–3 function as moral teaching for all Christians.

Romans 1–3 reminds believers that they are not to live lives characterized by unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18, 29; Rom. 2:8; Rom. 3:5, 10), wickedness (Rom. 1:30; Rom. 2:9; Rom. 3:8), pride and arrogance (Rom. 2:1–5, 17, 21), sexual immorality (Rom. 1:26–28; 2:22), idolatry (Rom. 1:25; Rom. 2:22), violence (Rom. 1:29–30; Rom. 3:15), evil speech (Rom. 1:29; Rom. 3:7, 13–15), blasphemy (Rom. 1:30; 2:24; Rom. 3:8), unfaithfulness (Rom. 1:31; 3:3), and strife (Rom. 1:29; 2:8). By implication, they are to exult in God’s glory (Rom. 1:21, 23, 30; 2:23; 3:11, 18) and affirm the truth about God (Rom. 1:18, 25; 2:8; 3:4).

Much of the moral teaching in the rest of Romans presents the alternative to such behavior. For example, along with further encouragement to renounce pride in Romans 11:18, 20, 25 and Romans 14:4, 10, the positive alternative of humility is promoted in Romans 12:3 (“think about yourself with sober judgment”), Romans 12:10 (“outdo one another in showing honor”), and Romans 12:16 (“do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly”). And if those who reject God do not know “the way of peace” (Rom. 3:17), believers are to “live in harmony with one another” (Rom. 12:16) and “live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18). The whole of Romans contributes to Paul’s moral vision of gospel living.

Brian S. Rosner is the author of Strengthened by the Gospel: A Theology of Romans.

---

---

Popular Articles in This Series

View All

---

Crossway is a not-for-profit Christian ministry that exists solely for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel through publishing gospel-centered, Bible-centered content. Learn more or donate today at crossway.org/about.