‏ Romans 1:18-32

Summary for Rom 1:18-3:20: 1:18–3:20  ^a Paul delays exploring the theme of righteousness through faith (see 3:21  ^b) until after he first teaches about universal sinfulness. Gentiles (1:18-32  ^c) and Jews (2:1–3:8  ^d) are equally under sin’s power and cannot find favor with God by any action of their own (3:9-20  ^e). 1:18  ^f God’s anger is not a spontaneous emotional outburst, but the holy God’s necessary response to sin. The Old Testament often depicts God’s anger (Exod 32:10-12  ^g; Num 11:1  ^h; Jer 21:3-7  ⁱ) and predicts a decisive outpouring of God’s wrath on human sin at the end of history. While Paul usually depicts God’s anger as occurring in the end times (Rom 2:5  ^j, 8  ^k; 5:9  ^l; Col 3:6  ^m; 1 Thes 1:10  ⁿ), the present tense of shows refers to God’s expressions of anger throughout human history.
1:21  ^o To know God in Scripture usually means to have an intimate, saving relationship with him (see 2 Cor 5:16  ^p; Gal 4:9  ^q; Phil 3:8  ^r, 10  ^s). Here, however, they knew God means that people knew about God. All people have some understanding of God through creation, yet they do not do what is right based on that knowledge. Rather than learn more about God, they worship gods of their own making.
1:24  ^t When human beings exchanged the living God for idols, God abandoned them, a point Paul makes twice more in this paragraph (1:26  ^u, 28  ^v). The word abandon includes a sense of “handing over,” suggesting that God actively consigns people to the consequences of their sin.
1:26  ^w women turned against the natural way: In this context, natural way refers to the nature of the world as God made it. As in the Old Testament, Paul singles out homosexuality as a key illustration of how people have fallen away from worship of the true God (see Gen 19:1-28  ^x; Lev 18:22  ^y; 20:13  ^z; Deut 23:17-18  ^aa). God created human beings as male and female, and engaging in homosexual activity is a violation of God’s creative intention.
1:27  ^ab suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved: When people abandon the Creator’s intentions, they are judged for their actions. This judgment can take many different forms, but the ultimate consequence is spiritual death (see 1:32  ^ac).
1:28  ^ad thought it foolish: Sin affects our actions and even our thoughts. One of the serious consequences of turning away from God is an unsound mind; people can no longer use their minds as God intended.
Summary for Rom 1:29-31: 1:29-31  ^ae This list of sins follows a popular Hellenistic literary form called a vice list. While not exhaustive, it reminds readers of various forms that evil might take.
1:32  ^af To encourage others to sin is worse than sinning oneself (Jas 3:1  ^ag; cp. Testament of Asher 6:2: “The two-faced are doubly punished because they both practice evil and approve of others who practice it; they imitate the spirits of error and join in the struggle against mankind”).

‏ Romans 2

Summary for Rom 2:1-5: 2:1-5  ^ah You is singular in the Greek. Here, the you is a hypothetical complacent Jew, who feels superior to Gentiles and in no danger of judgment. Paul adopts a popular Hellenistic style called a diatribe, in which a writer tries to win over an audience to his views by portraying a debate between himself and a hypothetical opponent.

• these very same things: Paul’s point is that Jews, like Gentiles, turn from God’s revelation to go their own way.
2:4  ^ai Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? Behind Paul’s question are Jewish passages (e.g., Wisdom of Solomon 12–15; cp. Jer 7:1-5  ^aj; Amos 5:18-27  ^ak) that portray a prevalent Jewish complacency toward judgment. Many Jews thought that because they were God’s people, they did not need to worry about judgment, for their sins would not be punished as the sins of Gentiles would be. Paul emphasizes that God’s grace was intended to turn the Jews from their sin, not to condone a sinful lifestyle.
Summary for Rom 2:6-11: 2:6-11  ^al Paul uses a chiasm (“X” arrangement) to make his point:

A God judges everyone the same (2:6  ^am)

B Life is the reward for doing good (2:7  ^an)

C Wrath is the penalty for evil (2:8  ^ao)

C^′ Wrath for doing evil (2:9  ^ap)

B^′ Life for doing good (2:10  ^aq)

A^′ God shows no favoritism (2:11  ^ar)

2:7  ^as He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good: Paul makes it clear elsewhere that no one can receive eternal life except as God’s gift through faith (3:20  ^at, 28  ^au; 4:1-8  ^av). Here, Paul is either referring to Christians whose good deeds (that result from faith) will be taken into account in God’s judgment, or he is reminding readers of the absolute standard that God’s own holiness establishes, since only by perfection can sinners hope to find acceptance before God. As the argument of the letter unfolds, Paul will show that no one is capable of meeting that standard.
2:8  ^aw Live for themselves translates a rare Greek word (eritheia) that seems to convey the idea of selfish ambition or strife. Using this word, Aristotle scolded the politicians of his day for seeking public office for selfish gain rather than from a desire to serve the people (Aristotle, Politics 5.3; see also 2 Cor 12:20  ^ax; Gal 5:20  ^ay; Phil 1:17  ^az; 2:3  ^ba; Jas 3:14  ^bb, 16  ^bc).
2:12  ^bd destroyed: This common New Testament word describes the fate of the wicked after death (see also 9:22  ^be; 14:15  ^bf; 1 Cor 1:18  ^bg; 15:18  ^bh; 2 Cor 2:15  ^bi; 4:3  ^bj; Phil 1:28  ^bk; 3:19  ^bl; 2 Thes 2:10  ^bm; 1 Tim 6:9  ^bn). Condemned sinners do not cease to exist, but they suffer eternal punishment, which includes the everlasting destruction of all good in their identity and experience.

• the Jews, who do have God’s law: The Jews were given the law of Moses, while the Gentiles never had God’s written law. In the New Testament period, Jews emphasized their possession of the law as a mark of God’s favor and even as a guarantee of salvation.
2:13  ^bo obeying the law ... makes us right in his sight: Regarding the promise of righteousness through obedience, see 2:7  ^bp; see also Jas 1:22  ^bq.
Summary for Rom 2:14-15: 2:14-15  ^br The Gentiles who know his law when they instinctively obey it may be Gentile Christians, especially since written in their hearts (2:15  ^bs) alludes to the prophecy of the new covenant (Jer 31:31-34  ^bt). Or they could be non-Christian Gentiles who know God’s general moral law through their consciences. In this case, Paul would be using the notion of natural law to show how all people could be held accountable for certain basic moral requirements.
2:16  ^bu secret life (literally the hidden things): Scripture frequently stresses that God will judge people according to their thoughts and intentions (see 1 Sam 16:7  ^bv; Ps 139:1-2  ^bw; Jer 17:10  ^bx).
Summary for Rom 2:17-20: 2:17-20  ^by The boasting of the Jews reflects Old Testament and Jewish teaching about the privileges and responsibilities God gave to Israel. God gave his law to Israel, entered into a special relationship with them, and commissioned them to be a light to the Gentiles (see Isa 42:6-7  ^bz). Jews were not wrong to enjoy these blessings; their error was in failing to live up to their privileged position.
Summary for Rom 2:21-22: 2:21-22  ^ca Paul again uses the diatribe style to expose the inconsistency of Jewish claims (see study note on 2:1-5).
2:22  ^cb do you use items stolen from pagan temples? Old Testament law prohibited Jews from having anything to do with pagan idols (see Deut 7:26  ^cc), but first-century Jews did not strictly follow this law. Sometimes they stole idols and used or sold the precious metals.
2:24  ^cd Paul quotes Isa 52:5  ^ce, where God’s name is blasphemed because Israel is oppressed by pagan nations. Here, Paul uses that passage to demonstrate the failure of the Jews to live up to their responsibilities.
2:25  ^cf God instituted the Jewish ceremony of circumcision as a sign of his covenant with Abraham; it was to be performed on every male Israelite child (Gen 17:9-13  ^cg; see Rom 4:11  ^ch). Circumcision therefore represents God’s covenant with his people Israel. The rite took on greater significance during the intertestamental period when the pagan king Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to stamp out the Jewish faith by forbidding circumcision and other Jewish practices. The Jews resisted in the famous Maccabean Revolt (166–160 BC). After they restored the worship of the Lord in Israel, the Jews regarded circumcision as a highly prized mark of Jewish loyalty in the midst of a pagan culture.
2:26  ^ci won’t God declare them to be his own people? Paul might be speaking of Gentile Christians who are God’s people because they obey God’s law, or he could be speaking hypothetically about what would happen if a Gentile perfectly obeyed God’s law.
2:29  ^cj The letter of the law refers to the law of God written on tablets of stone (see 2 Cor 3:3  ^ck), while the Spirit now writes his law on people’s hearts (Jer 31:33-34  ^cl). Outward conformity is thus contrasted with obedience motivated by a change of heart.

‏ Romans 3:1-20

3:1  ^cm what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Paul moves his argument along by raising questions. After preaching the Good News for over twenty years, he knew what questions people would ask when they heard a particular teaching. His emphasis on the equality of Jews and Gentiles before God (ch 2  ^cn) inevitably led people to ask whether he was eliminating all Jewish privileges. The question-and-answer style follows the pattern of the diatribe (see study note on 2:1-5).
3:2  ^co The advantage that Jews possessed was in having received God’s word.

• First of all: Paul never adds a second or a third point to the list he begins here. He might have forgotten to continue the list, or first of all might mean “most importantly.” However, 9:4-5  ^cp provides a good indication of what a list of Jewish privileges would have included.

• By using the word revelation (Greek logia, “oracles, messages”), Paul highlights God’s personal communication with his people (see Deut 33:9  ^cq; Ps 105:19  ^cr) through which he gives them special privileges and responsibilities.
3:4  ^cs Of course not! The Greek mē genoito is an emphatic negation, popular in the diatribe style that Paul uses here and in several other passages in Romans (see 3:6  ^ct, 31  ^cu; 6:2  ^cv, 15  ^cw; 7:7  ^cx, 13  ^cy; 9:14  ^cz; 11:1  ^da, 11  ^db).

• As the Scriptures say: Paul quotes Ps 51:4  ^dc, where David confessed his sin in having an adulterous relationship with Bathsheba (see 2 Sam 11:1-27  ^dd). God punished David, and David admitted that God was proved right and would win his case in court—his punishment was entirely just. God is faithful to what he has said in the past—his entire revelation—and his words warn of punishment for sin even as they promise reward for obedience.
Summary for Rom 3:5-7: 3:5-7  ^de how would he be qualified to judge the world? Abraham asked a similar question: “Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” (Gen 18:25  ^df). God punishes all sin, and he retains absolute righteousness as he does so. Even when God makes use of human sin for his own ends, that sin still deserves to be, and will be, punished (see Rom 9:10-24  ^dg).
3:8  ^dh some people even slander us: Paul is referring to misrepresentations about his teaching on justification by faith. If a person is made right with God by faith alone, through God’s grace and apart from works, it could seem as if the Good News allows believers to sin because their sin is forgiven when confessed (see 6:1  ^di). One of Paul’s purposes is to help the Roman Christians understand that such misunderstandings are without basis.
3:9  ^dj No, not at all: Paul’s emphatic answer does not contradict his claim in 3:1-2  ^dk that Jews have an advantage. But that advantage has not done them any good because they have disobeyed God’s word and incurred God’s punishment. Jews, like Gentiles, have sinned against the revelation of God and stand condemned.

• under the power of sin (literally under sin): Being “under” something carries the sense of being under its power. The ultimate problem of human beings is not the fact of sin, but the situation of being slaves to sin. The solution to this problem requires the liberation provided in Christ Jesus, who frees us from both the penalty and the power of sin.
Summary for Rom 3:10-18: 3:10-18  ^dl The six quotations in these verses, drawn from various parts of the Old Testament, all address human sinfulness. Paul follows the practice of rabbis who gathered together Old Testament texts on similar themes in a practice called pearl-stringing.
Summary for Rom 3:10-12: 3:10-12  ^dm This quotation from Pss 14:1-3  ^dn; 53:1-3  ^do directly supports the argument that all people are under the power of sin.
Summary for Rom 3:13-14: 3:13-14  ^dp Paul here refers to sins of speech, mentioning a different organ of speech in each of the four lines (talk in 3:13  ^dq is literally throat).
Summary for Rom 3:15-17: 3:15-17  ^dr In this quotation from Isa 59:7-8  ^ds, Paul addresses sins against others.
3:18  ^dt They have no ... : This concluding quotation from Ps 36:1  ^du neatly ties up the whole series (Rom 3:10-18  ^dv) by referring to the same Greek words that introduced the first quotation (ouk estin, translated in 3:10  ^dw, “No one is”).
3:19  ^dx Paul speaks of the entire Old Testament as the law (see also 1 Cor 9:8  ^dy, 9  ^dz; 14:21  ^ea, 34  ^eb; Gal 4:21  ^ec).

• Those to whom it was given (literally those in the law) were the Jews, who were given the Scriptures.

• How can Paul conclude that the entire world is guilty before God on the basis of evidence from the Old Testament that Jews are sinful? He argues from the greater to the lesser, a standard Jewish rhetorical technique: If the law shows that the Jews, God’s own people, are guilty, then how much more are the Gentiles, who have not had the benefit of God’s instruction, also guilty.
3:20  ^ed By doing what the law commands refers to obeying the requirements of the law of Moses. While this phrase refers to Jews, the principle extends to all people. If Jews cannot be put in right relationship with God by obeying the law God gave them, certainly other people cannot establish such a relationship through good deeds.