The manuscript that follows is a line-by-line discussion of the first eight chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans. The goal is to keep the discussion in line with the verses and to expand on words or phrases where appropriate. As I have studied the letter over the past twenty-five years, I have sought to understand the words from the perspective of those who were at Rome at the time of Paul’s ministry. Their access to supplementary material was surely limited. But there were Jewish believers in Rome who could provide background material for the truths Paul sought to teach. This small work is not intended as an exhaustive commentary of Paul’s monumental masterpiece. Romans is viewed by many scholars as the foundation and truth source for the study of the scripture.
Paul’s foundational letter to the Romans is placed within the commonly accepted scripture structure as the initial letter from one of the apostles to the churches in the first century, BC. Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, was by his own account one of the most prominent Jewish scholars, thoroughly versed in the history of his nation, as well as the particulars of the Law of Moses. In the early days of church history, immediately following the crucifixion and ascension of Jesus Christ, Saul of Tarsus was one of the fiercest opponents of the sect known as Christians, initially known by that name in the ancient city of Antioch. The Lord dramatically saved Saul as he approached Damascus in Syria with orders from the Jewish Sanhedrin to capture and return Christians for trial in Jerusalem. Knocked to the ground, and blinded, Jesus instructed him to continue on to Damascus to be prayed for by a Christian, Ananias, at which time he would recover his sight, receive his new name, and begin his new career as the apostle to the nations. Paul was perfectly suited to fulfill his new role. His letter to the Romans laid out the basic doctrines of faith for all believers. In Chapters 9-11, of which this manuscript describes, Paul provides a detailed status report on Israel, including their temporary fall from grace, followed by the wondrous time when they will return to God when All Israel Shall be Saved.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.