Romans

Romans 3:9-20 – Depravity

In these verses, Paul quotes Psalms 14 and 53. His point is offensive to human pride. All people are sinful and therefore no one can be justified in the sight of God. The law, in this respect, brings greater knowledge of sin. Paul’s usage of Psalms 14 and 53 is emphatic: None is righteous, no, [...]


Romans 5:1-5 – Hope of Glory

The key words in this section are: glory, suffering, perseverance, character, and hope. On account of the justifying work of God in Christ, Paul now has the ability to hope in the glory of God. We can say that this is Paul’s destiny. In fact, the hope of glory is so great that he is [...]


Romans 1:11-17

Paul longs to see the Romans. In fact, he planned to come to them many times, but was prevented (Romans 1:13). This statement may seem unimportant, but passages like this are filled with grace. A few observations:


Romans 8:28-30

6/1/10 In a world as complex as ours, it is almost too obvious to point out that many things will not go our way. People at every stage of life can attest to this. Moreover, these unexpected shifts can be stressful and even extremely painful. For these reasons and more, the theological point that there [...]


Romans 15:1-13

Romans 15:1-13 It is easy to pass over Romans 15 in view of the theologically rich content of the earlier chapters. The final chapters of Romans seem almost like a loose appendage. However, reflection on this chapter reveals something essential to the theology and practice of the book of Romans. In fact, the proof of [...]


A Short Note on Romans 16:1-2 “Phoebe a Patroness”

Here is my translation of Romans 16:1-2: I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea[1] that you receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and help her in whatever matter she may have need of you, for she was a patron (prostatis) [...]