Objective 2
- At the end of this topic, you will be able to state when, where, and why Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans.
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Lesson 1: Introduction and Preview to Romans
Topic 1: Background Information (Continued)
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Do you remember the three things that we really need to know in order to understand any letter? We need to know something about the writer, something about the person to whom the letter is written, and the reason why the letter was written. In the course on Galatians, we studied Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. You have seen how God prepared him to write this important exposition of the Christian faith. Even the problem with the Judaizers and his letter to the Galatians helped him develop the clear presentation that we have in Romans.
Paul spent the ten years from AD 47 to 57 evangelizing the countries bordering the Aegean Sea. Notice on the accompanying map that this sea lies between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. It separates Europe from Asia. On the European side (in what is now Greece) Paul and his companions were preaching the gospel and planting churches in the principal cities of the Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaia. On the Asian side (in what is now Turkey), they carried out the same work in the provinces of Galatia and Asia. Paul planted churches in Iconium, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus and left them in the care of spiritual leaders.
Paul spent the winter of AD 56-57 in Corinth at the home of his friend and convert Gaius (Acts 20:3; 1 Cor 16:16). His apostolic mission of taking the gospel to the Aegean lands was completed. Paul was looking for new fields to evangelize. He was a pioneer by choice (see Rom 15:18-24) and wanted to preach where people did not yet know Jesus Christ. He decided to go to Spain, the oldest Roman colony in the west and the center of Roman civilization in those parts.
The journey to Spain would give Paul the opportunity to visit Rome on the way. He did not plan to stay long or do much preaching in Rome because there was already a thriving church in that city. He was looking forward to fellowship with the Christians in Rome--encouraging them spiritually and being encouraged by them--before going on to Spain.
Paul had several good reasons for writing the epistle to the Romans. First, God inspired him to write it. Second, we know from Romans 16 that Paul had several personal friends and former fellow-workers who were now leaders of local congregations in Rome. He would naturally want to send them word that he planned to visit them. In addition, they would greatly appreciate a basic presentation of the gospel that they could teach to their congregations. You remember that the churches that Paul founded owed a great deal of their spiritual development to the teaching that he sent them in his letters.
Finally, there was always the possibility of problems with the Judaizers; they opposed Paul wherever he went. They also spread false reports about his teaching. Perhaps Paul wanted to be one step ahead of them on this occasion. The Lord led him to send the Roman Christians the full exposition of the gospel he preached. They could study this before he arrived. Then if they had any questions, he could answer them while he was there. If the Judaizers tried to stir up opposition or turn the Romans away from the true gospel, they would already be prepared to stand firmly for the faith.
So, during the early days of AD 57, eight years after writing Galatians, Paul dictated to his friend Tertius a letter for the Christians in Rome, the capital of the empire. In this epistle, he explained the reason for his proposed visit and provided the churches there with a full statement of the gospel as he understood it and proclaimed it.
