As we enter upon the study of this great New Testament book, the Epistle of Paul to the Church in Rome, it is well to consider briefly who wrote the epistle, and when, and why he wrote it.

      Paul was the apostle of Christ to the Gentiles. The commission of the other apostles extended to all nations and every creature, but was exercised in fact chiefly among the Jews (Gal. 2:7-9). Paul's commission (Acts 26:16-20) certainly included the Jews, but was chiefly to the Gentiles. (Acts 9:15; 20:21.) In the letter to the Romans Paul calls himself "an apostle of Gentiles" (Rom. 11:13). His real life-work began at Antioch (Acts 13:2f) from which point he started on his first missionary journey. On this journey he went to the island of Cyprus and to various points in Asia Minor. Soon after his return he started on the second journey, on which he entered Europe and preached in Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 15:40 to 18:22). His third missionary journey took him back to Europe, thence to Asia (Ephesus); back to Macedonia and Greece, returning through Macedonia (Philippi), to Troas on the coast of Asia Minor, past Ephesus (Miletus), back to Syria and up to Jerusalem. (Acts 18:22 to 21:17.) It was during this third missionary journey, and while he was at Corinth (as shown by data in Romans and Acts) that Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans. The date of its writing is fixed at about A. D. 58.

      Up to this time Paul had never been in Rome. Twice he had come rather near the Imperial City, and both times had turned back. That might have excited wonder and surmise. Why did he, the apostle of the Gentiles, seem to avoid Rome, the center of the Gentile world? Did he have no desire to come to Rome? Or might it be that he was afraid, or perhaps ashamed to come to the Great City with his gospel? These questions are answered in the introductory part of the epistle (1:8-16). And seeing he could not come to them in person as yet, Paul by the Holy Spirit, in writing, lays out to them his gospel in this matchless treatise, the Epistle to the Romans.

      As modern, authors often do, Paul sets down his titles and degrees on the title-page of his epistle. He has two degrees. The first is "Servant of Jesus Christ." The word for "servant" used here means a "bond-servant," plainly, a slave. Yet he was not [1] a slave by force and compulsion, but Christ's love-slave.

      His other title and degree is "An Apostle of Jesus Christ." That describes his official position. Now an apostle is literally "one sent"--a messenger. But more than just a messenger. The apostles of Jesus Christ were men empowered to speak authoritatively for Him. As an earthly government may send forth ambassadors to represent it officially at some foreign court, to negotiate a treaty, or conclude some sort of agreement, so the apostle is the ambassador and representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, accredited, and authorized to transact business for Him, and to let His word and will be known to the sons of men. In the case of earthly governments--if, for example, the United States should send a representative to some foreign government, such an ambassador would have powers (conferred on him by the home-government) to stipulate conditions, to negotiate contracts, to say "yea" or "nay," to bind or to loose, on behalf of the U. S. government which sent him. If he is rejected, his government is thereby rejected; if he is accepted, it is his government that is accepted. Whatever he lays down is ratified by his home-government. His power is of course not his own to be used as he pleases: in all things he is strictly bound by instructions from his headquarters.

      Such messengers were Christ's apostles. Sent forth and empowered by Him; and having received the Holy Spirit, that they might be able to speak precisely and unerringly the things their Lord gave them to say--no more, no less--their word carries all the authority of Jesus Christ, which is all authority in heaven and on earth. (Luke 10:16; John 13:20; Matt. 28:18f.) "He that is of God heareth us," said John, "he that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error." (1 John 4:6.)

      And such a messenger and ambassador was Paul. He was an apostle "not from man, neither through man; but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead." (Gal. 1:1.) At the outset of our study of "Romans" we must settle that in our mind. For as we go along we shall find things that are so amazing, so contrary to our natural thinking, and so different from our conventional religious notions, that we may wonder and look again to see who it is that says these things and dares to say them.

      For "Romans," the greatest and most fundamental of all Paul's epistles (since its teaching is the basis of all the rest) is mightily revolutionary. Even if we have studied it before, it gives us a new shock every time we take it up again. Things that do not fit into our general conceptions we readily forget, and a teaching which runs counter to our ideas quickly fades out of our consciousness, unless we make special effort to hold it fast. Chrysostom, the famed preacher of the fourth century, had "Romans" read to him twice every week. "If I do not do that I forget it," he said. "Nothing so conclusively proves its necessity as the fact that it so soon ceased to be understood," says James Denny. (Expositor's Greek Testament.) "It always requires to be re-discovered again." Godet (Introd. Commentary on Romans) says, "Coleridge calls the epistle to the Romans 'the profoundest book in existence.  . .'" Luther in his famous [2] preface says, "This Epistle is the chief book of the New Testament, the purest gospel. It deserves not only to be known word for word by every Christian, but to be the subject of his daily meditation day by day, the daily bread of his soul.  . . . The more time one spends on it the more precious it becomes. . . Melanchthon, in order to make it perfectly his own, copied it twice with his own hand. The Reformation was undoubtedly the work of the Epistle to the Romans, along with that to the Galatians. And the probability is that every great spiritual revival in the church will be connected as cause and effect with a deeper understanding of this book."

      But this great epistle does not need testimony and commendation from men. It needs only to be studied with an open heart and a willing mind. And this will we do if God permit.

      Will you now stop and read Romans over at least once? And if possible several times? That helps greatly when we come to the real study of it.

      In this general reading you will perhaps notice several marked divisions. Evidently at 6:1 Paul takes up a new line, and again at 9:1. Then at 12:1 he begins with a long stretch of "practical" teaching, based on all the "doctrinal" portions that went before. The reader may also notice three "Therefores" that tower like mountain-peaks--one at 5:1; one at 8:1; one at 12:1. Just as the repeated survey of a landscape reveals to the beholder more and more the details of its features, so the general reading and rereading of the whole epistle brings out its outlines and demarcations more and more fully and clearly.

      And for a more particular study, in preparation for the next lesson, take up the first three chapters down to verse 20 of the third chapter. The "key-text," which is Rom. 1:16, 17, should be memorized.

      Our Father, who didst command light to shine out of darkness, who didst shine in the heart of thy servant Paul to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ--to Thee we come as we are about to study this great and wonderful Gospel-message in the letter to the Romans. Do Thou open our eyes and our minds, and grant us good understanding in this Thy Word. And may it do its pure and perfect work In our hearts. May the blessing it will bring to us go forth from us in blessing to others. In the Name of Jesus Thy Son, who loved us and gave Himself for us, we ask it. Amen. [3]

[LOR2 1-3]