Romans 1:1
Παῦλος, δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον Θεοῦ,
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called an apostle, being set apart for the gospel of God,
Paraphrase: Greetings to the Christians in Rome. I am writing this letter to you as a fellow slave of Jesus. Jesus purchased me at the cost of His own life (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23), and now my ear has been pierced (Exodus 21:6), and I am His slave forever. My Master has called Me to be an apostle and has set me apart for the work of proclaiming the good news.
Comments:
Deissmann suggests (p382) that the term Christian is synonymous with “slave of Christ.”
Romans 1:2
ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις,
which was promised before through His prophets in the holy writings,
Paraphrase: This good news was preached long ago by the prophets whose writings are preserved for us in the canon of Holy Scripture. (Romans 3:2) This good news told us the story of…
Comments:
See here for an interesting comment on the term “the old covenant.” Oshausen (p470): Ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις we must not, with Dr. Paulus, interpret “in passages of the Holy Scripture.” The reason of the omission of the article is simply this, that the expression denotes a well-known whole; the words are therefore to be translated, “in the collection of sacred writings with which you are so well acquainted.” The Old Testament was naturally introduced at once even into communities consisting of Gentile converts. cf GGBB on monadic nouns (p248)
Romans 1:3
περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα,
concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh
Paraphrase: …of the Son of God. He came to this earth and took on a human body. Now as a human, Jesus is a descendent from king David and fulfills the promise which God made to him. (2 Samuel 7:13)
Comments:
Romans 1:4
τοῦ ὁρισθέντος Υἱοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν·
being marked out as the Son of God by power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Paraphrase: We know Jesus is the Son of God because the Holy Spirit proved this by raising Him from the grave. Now this is Jesus Christ, our Savior, our God (Romans 9:5) and the Great King of heaven and earth. Blessed be His Name forever and ever!
Comments:
Romans 1:5
δι’ οὗ ἐλάβομεν χάριν καὶ ἀποστολὴν εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ,
through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith in all nations for His Name.
Paraphrase: From Him (Galatians 1:12), we received this message of salvation and from Him, we received our commission to be an apostle. My mandate was to carry the Name of Jesus to all the nations and to call everyone to hear God’s offer of salvation and to embrace it for themselves by putting their trust in Jesus. The bringing of the peoples to Christ brings glory to His Name. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; Let all the peoples praise thee. (Psalm 67:3)
Comments:
ὑπακοὴν πίστεως is a genitive of apposition. “…the obedience which is faith…” cf Acts 6:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; John 3:36 Berkouwer: “The obedience of faith, then, is really just faith. Faith and Justification, p196.
Vaughan understands (very bottom of p3) faith here to be the doctrines of the faith.
Bunyan (p406):
Objection: But faith is said to be an act of obedience. Answer: And well it may, for it is the most submitting act that a man can do; it throweth out all our righteousness; it makes the soul poor in itself; it liveth upon God and Christ, as the almsman doth upon his lord; it consenteth to the gospel that it is true; it giveth God and Christ the glory of their mercy and merit; it loveth God for his mercy, and Jesus Christ for his service; whatever good it doth, it still crieth, Hereby am I not justified, but he that justifieth me is the Lord. Well, but is there in truth such a thing as the obedience of faith? Then let Christians labour to understand it, and distinguish it aright, and to separate it from the law and all man’s righteousness; and remember that it is a receiving of mercy, an embracing of forgiveness, an accepting of the righteousness of Christ, and a trusting to these for life. Remember, again, that it putteth the soul upon coming to Christ as a sinner, and to receive forgiveness as a sinner, as such.
Romans 1:6
ἐν οἷς ἐστε καὶ ὑμεῖς κλητοὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
in whom, you are the called of Jesus Christ
Paraphrase: Now this good news has reached you as well, and we are so happy to know that this powerful call of God has brought you to a full surrender of your life to Jesus and to a saving union with Him.
Comments:
Romans 1:7
Πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ῥώμῃ, ἀγαπητοῖς Θεοῦ, κλητοῖς ἁγίοις· Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
to all those in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, Grace to and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paraphrase: To you then, I am writing this letter, to all who are in Rome, loved by God from eternity past and now called to a life of holiness; Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ!
Comments:
Romans 1:8
Πρῶτον μὲν, εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καταγγέλλεται ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ.
First, on the one hand, I thank my God through Jesus Christ concerning you all that your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
Paraphrase: Now the first thing I want to say, brothers and sisters, is that your sincerity and zeal for the truth of God is well known in all the churches. For this, I am truly thankful; knowing that it is our Lord Jesus Christ who has been working these things, by His Spirit, in your hearts and lives.
Comments:
Romans 1:9
μάρτυς γάρ μού ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, ᾧ λατρεύω ἐν τῷ πνεύματί μου ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀδιαλείπτως μνείαν ὑμῶν ποιοῦμαι,
For God is my witness, whom I worship in my spirit in the gospel of His Son that continually mention of you I make.
Paraphrase: Now the God who I worship with all my heart and soul and the God who sent me to proclaim the good news about Jesus is my Witness that I never fail to mention you…
Comments:
ὡς can function much like a content οτι.
Romans 1:10
πάντοτε ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου δεόμενος, εἴ πως ἤδη ποτὲ εὐοδωθήσομαι ἐν τῷ θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
always in my prayers, beseeching if somehow sometime I might be succeed, in the will of God, to come to you.
Paraphrase: …in my prayers. I am always begging God if some how, in some way, at some time, I might finally succeed in paying you a visit. It is my prayer that this would also be pleasing to God and according to His good purpose.
Comments:
εἴ πως ἤδη ποτὲ gives us a clue as to the intensity of Paul’s desire to visit the Roman church.
Romans 1:11
ἐπιποθῶ γὰρ ἰδεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἵνα τι μεταδῶ χάρισμα ὑμῖν πνευματικὸν, εἰς τὸ στηριχθῆναι ὑμᾶς,
For I long to see you in order that some spiritual gift I might hand over to you in order that you might be established.
Paraphrase: It would bring me such pleasure if I could see you again and be used by God to bring some spiritual gift to you. Perhaps it would be a word of knowledge or wisdom given directly by the Spirit of God. Perhaps it would be that amazing faith which enables some believers to work miracles of healing and other wonderful acts of power (1 Corinthians 12:8-10), or maybe the gift of prophecy which is so useful in the church. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10) Perhaps the gift of speaking to God in an unknown tongue (1 Corinthians 14:2) or maybe the gift of understanding such languages. (1 Corinthians 14:1) Whatever gift God sovereignly gives to his people (1 Corinthians 12:11), we know that all of them work together to build up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 14:5) and this is my prayer for you as well. I want you to be established in the faith and not blown about by every new fad (Ephesians 4:14) or philosophy (Colossians 2:8) that people dream up in their own imaginations. (Hebrews 13:9)
Comments:
Romans 1:12
τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν, συμπαρακληθῆναι ἐν ὑμῖν, διὰ τῆς ἐν ἀλλήλοις πίστεως ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἐμοῦ.
Now this is; to be comforted together with you through the faith in one another, yours and mine.
Paraphrase: This is the reason I am so longing to come to you. I want both of us to be encouraged and comforted by the faith we have. When you see my faith in Christ and my zeal to proclaim the gospel, you will be encouraged to join me in this effort. (Romans 15:24) When I see your faith and your zeal for God, I will be encouraged in my calling to lift up the Name of Jesus to those who have never heard. (Romans 15:20)
Comments:
Romans 1:13
Οὐ θέλω δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι πολλάκις προεθέμην ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἐκωλύθην, ἄχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, ἵνα τινὰ καρπὸν σχῶ καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἔθνεσιν.
Now I do not desire you to be ignorant, brothers, that many times I purposed to come to you, and I was hindered until now in order that some fruit I might have even among you even as also among the rest of the Gentiles.
Paraphrase: I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that my failure to visit you was not for lack of trying. Up until this point, I was so busy laboring in the cities of the east (Romans 15:19) that I simply did not have the time or the opportunity to make the trip. I can’t tell you how many times I thought the time had come, and I began to make preparations for the trip. Every time, however, something came up which prevented me from going. I wanted so badly to bring the gospel to you at Rome just as I have brought it to so many of the cities here in the east. I know that it is God’s will that you bear much fruit; and if God would use me to plant those seeds, then I was anxious to see it done. Alas, up until this point, it was not to be.
Comments:
Romans 1:14
Ἕλλησίν τε καὶ Βαρβάροις, σοφοῖς τε καὶ ἀνοήτοις, ὀφειλέτης εἰμί.
To the Greeks and barbarians, wise and foolish, a debtor I am.
Paraphrase: I feel the weight of God’s call upon me. (1 Corinthians 9:16) It is as if I am in debt to every person I meet. It doesn’t matter whether they are sophisticated, highly polished Greeks or savage barbarians; learned philosophers and academics or uneducated peasants, to each of them I owe so much. They all have a right to demand from me what I owe them; namely, the good news which God commissioned me to bring to them. (Acts 9:15) They have a right to hear that God has sent His Son to die for them and to reconcile them to Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) They have a right to hear that God is offering to them a general amnesty and a complete forgiveness of all their sin. (Romans 10:12-13)
Comments:
Romans 1:15
οὕτως τὸ κατ’ ἐμὲ πρόθυμον καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐν Ῥώμῃ, εὐαγγελίσασθαι.
Thus, the eagerness in me, even to you, to those in Rome, to preach.
Paraphrase: In light of all this, brothers and sisters, you will understand my eagerness to bring the gospel message to you, that is to all those in Rome who are willing to listen.
Comments:
Romans 1:16
Οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, δύναμις γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι— Ἰουδαίῳ τε πρῶτον καὶ Ἕλληνι.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to all believers, to the Jew first and to the Greek.
Paraphrase: Preaching the gospel in Rome is certainly a very intimidating thought; no question. Rome is the greatest city in the world. “All roads to lead to Rome” is the expression with which we are all familiar. The greatest wealth and power the world has ever known takes its seat in Rome. What do I have that can possibly speak to such power? Let me speak with you, friends, about power. The gospel is a power from God which no Caesar or emperor can possibly touch. No army can stand in the way of the gospel; no hero or Olympian can even slow down the progress of the gospel. (2 Timothy 2:9) The Romans value power so highly, but let them consider real power. This good news transforms the lives of the most vile sinner and makes them good. What Roman emperor can do this? This is the power which God brings into our life and no earthly power can stand in its way. And it’s not just for Jews, but also for Greeks and gentiles of all kinds.
Comments:
Romans 1:17
δικαιοσύνη γὰρ Θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται, ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.
The righteousness of God, in Him, it is revealed by faith to faith even as it is written, “The just by faith will live.”
Paraphrase: This gospel is the good news about Jesus; let me explain why it is such good news. In the life and death of Jesus, God uncovers a perfect righteousness and sets it before us. Look closely; notice that there is not the slightest flaw in this record. Notice that the life of Jesus constitutes a spotless obedience of God’s law and a perfect faithfulness to His covenant. No one can find a single transgression in it. Now this righteousness, God sets before us adding this promise that anyone who will believe in Jesus will receive it as their own. Who can possibly fathom the grace of God in this? If you doubt it, let me point you to the prophets which hinted at this reality many years ago. Consider Habakkuk’s statement: “But the righteous will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4)
Comments:
Note the ἐν αὐτῷ; is the antecedent the gospel or Jesus?
See Stuart’s lengthy comment (p87) on ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν.
Romans 1:18
Ἀποκαλύπτεται γὰρ ὀργὴ Θεοῦ ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἀνθρώπων, τῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐν ἀδικίᾳ κατεχόντων,
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven on all wickedness and unrighteousness of men, the ones suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.
Paraphrase: Yes, the gospel truly is good news for the unrighteous who are repentant and take refuge in Jesus for salvation. This gospel also has a message for those who refuse to acknowledge their guilt and to trust in Jesus, and it’s not good news. To those who persist in a life of sin and rebellion, God reveals a perfect storm of wrath and condemnation. These wicked people live lives that are marked by complete disregard for the truth of the gospel. They have no use for the gospel or the righteousness that is offered to them. In fact, they are busy suppressing what they know about God. They push it away from them and pretend that there is no God in order that they might continue their life of sin uninterrupted. (Psalm 14:1)
Comments:
Romans 1:19
διότι τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φανερόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὁ θεὸς γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐφανέρωσεν.
Wherefore, the thing known about God is clear in them, for God has revealed it to them.
Paraphrase: Perhaps some might object and wonder how it is just for God to punish someone who knows nothing about God. After all, the Gentiles do not have the Scriptures. The answer to this is that people do not need a copy of the Bible to know that there is a God. There are a number of things about God which anyone can know because God has made these things obvious to any thinking person. This is what is called God’s general revelation. It’s called “general” because it is accessible to any human person no matter where they live. (Psalm 19:1-6)
Comments:
Romans 1:20
τὰ γὰρ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου, τοῖς ποιήμασιν νοούμενα, καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θειότης, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἀναπολογήτους.
For His invisible attributes being understood from the creation of the world are clearly seen by the works; His eternal power and divine nature in order that they might be without excuse.
Paraphrase: Now by this general or universal revelation that God makes, any person can discern both the existence of God as well as His power to bring things into existence that did not exist before. This means that even the Gentiles, who do not have the written or special revelation of God, have no excuse.
Comments:
νοούμενα is an anarthrous participle modifying ἀόρατα; cf principle 7.
καθοράω is more than just “see.”
The article ἥ goes with δύναμις. Stuart writes (p99): “Δύναμις must here have special reference to the creative power of God; and this seems to be called αΐδιος, because it must have been possessed antecedently to the creation of the world, or before time began.”
For εἰς τὸ εἶναι, see Burton §411.
ἀναπολογήτους is a predicate adjective.
Romans 1:21
Διότι γνόντες τὸν Θεὸν, οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν ἐδόξασαν, ἢ ηὐχαρίστησαν, ἀλλὰ ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία.
Wherefore, knowing God, they glorified not as God or thanked, but they became vain in their deliberations and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Paraphrase: Even without the written word of God, the Gentiles still know God. They can understand enough about God to know that they should respond in worship and submission. Instead, they choose to go down a very dark path. (1 Peter 2:9) They torture their minds to try and find something like an answer, but they just sink deeper and deeper into darkness.
Comments:
Romans 1:22
φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ, ἐμωράνθησαν,
professing to be wise wise, they became fools.
Paraphrase: The more philosophizing they do, the farther they sink into confusion and folly. As they sink deeper into darkness, they pride themselves on their great learning and wisdom. They claim to be wiser than all the uneducated people around them. They think that the whole world should sit at their feet and learn from them. Their “wisdom”, however, is folly to anyone who knows the truth of God. These philosophers have become so “wise” that they have become fools.
Comments:
φάσκοντες is nominative plural as is the implied subject of ἐμωράνθησαν; cf principle 7.
Romans 1:23
καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου Θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν.
and they transformed the glory of the invisible God into the likeness of a decaying man and birds and four-footed beasts and snakes.
Paraphrase: What really happened with these philosophers? They remade God into something more in keeping with their own understanding of what a God should be. Thus, instead of worshipping the invisible Creator of heaven and earth, they made up their own deities. The Egyptians worshipped a bird named Horus. The Greeks worshipped bulls as a symbol of strength. Other nations developed deities equally foolish and contemptible.
Comments:
Romans 1:24
Διὸ παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς,
Wherefore, God gave them over to the desires of their hearts to uncleanness to dishonor their bodies among themselves.
Paraphrase: As a result of their refusal to learn the truth from God, He turned His back on them. He let them go so that they could follow their own desires wherever they might lead. The result was that they plunged themselves into all manner of wickedness and perversion. Their debauchery even brought harm to their own physical bodies as they sunk deeper and deeper into sin. This didn’t bother them, however; they just kept on pursuing their reckless course.
Comments:
Romans 1:25
οἵτινες μετήλλαξαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει, καὶ ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν Κτίσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας! ἀμήν.
who changed the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served a creature rather than the Creator who is blessed into the ages, Amen!
Paraphrase: They traded in the truth of God for lies and falsehoods. They ended up worshipping and serving created things instead of the One who created them. Praise be to the Most High God who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?‘ (Daniel 4:34-35)
Comments:
Romans 1:26
Διὰ τοῦτο παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας. αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν μετήλλαξαν τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν εἰς τὴν παρὰ φύσιν.
On account of this, God gave them over to all dishonor, for their females exchanged the natural sexuality for that against nature.
Paraphrase: Eventually, the civilized nations suck so low that it is appalling to write about it. As a result of God withdrawing His restraining grace from them, they entered into the most disgraceful relationships. The women amongst them gave up their natural desire for the opposite sex and began to engage in sexual acts with other females. This is where their “wisdom” brought them!
Comments:
Romans 1:27
ὁμοίως τε καὶ οἱ ἄρσενες, ἀφέντες τὴν φυσικὴν χρῆσιν τῆς θηλείας, ἐξεκαύθησαν ἐν τῇ ὀρέξει αὐτῶν εἰς ἀλλήλους, ἄρσενες ἐν ἄρσεσιν, τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην κατεργαζόμενοι, καὶ τὴν ἀντιμισθίαν ἣν ἔδει τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν, ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπολαμβάνοντες.
Similarly, even the men, leaving the natural sexuality of females, burned in their desire for one another, males with males working
Paraphrase: Event
Comments:
Romans 1:28
Καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα·
Romans 1:29
πεπληρωμένους πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ, πονηρίᾳ, πλεονεξίᾳ, κακίᾳ· μεστοὺς φθόνου, φόνου, ἔριδος, δόλου, κακοηθείας· ψιθυριστάς,
Rom 1:30
καταλάλους, θεοστυγεῖς, ὑβριστάς, ὑπερηφάνους, ἀλαζόνας· ἐφευρετὰς κακῶν, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς·
Rom 1:31
ἀσυνέτους, ἀσυνθέτους, ἀστόργους, ἀνελεήμονας·
Rom 1:32
οἵτινες τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιγνόντες, ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες, ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσίν, οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσιν τοῖς πράσσουσιν.