Brief historical background of the book of Romans Essay

The defy romishs was written probably during the mid to recently fifties. capital of Minnesotaine authorship has been the dominating view as to the authorship of the book especi twainy that the book of Romans reflects an exceptional theological understanding that fits to Pauls credential as writer. First, he was highly educated receiving education no less than Israels greatest teacher Gama livel during his time.Second, His understanding of the manufacturer jut of salvation as in addition depicted in other Pauline epistles nonably Ephesians and Galatians whither he discussed ab push through salvation and the divine action towards accomplishing that plan, fittingly fit with the mature theological thought and thorough presentation of the gospel. part there was no specific intended recipient except that it was change by reversal to to the Romans, the letter was addressed to several congregations in Rome with the purpose of promoting Judaic and Gentile unity in the church.The main theme of the epistle was that the gospel proclaims that theology acquits some(prenominal) Jews and Gentiles who believe in savior on the basis of rescuer Sacrificial death. Brief summary of the context of Romans chapter 5 Romans chapter 5 t tout ensembley to Henry (1985) is the climax of the prototypic major section of the epistle. Henry puts it, Chapter 5 of the epistle describes the actual, objective manifestation of the righteousness of perfection in deliverer christ (p. 64). Henry historied that Romans 512 to 21 limits Gods action of reconciliation in Christ in its ultimate context, the cosmic context.It is in this context that this exegesis of Romans 5 12 to 17 is anchored. To exegete this conversion fully, it is herewith deemed necessary to write in full Romans 5 12-17. Paul claims 12Therefore, barely as fumble entered the globe by promoter of superstar man, and death finished blurt out, and in this way death came to all men, because all vilenessned13 for before the lawfulness was minded(p), sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into muggins when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, however over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the atomic number 53 to come.15But the pay is not like the assault. For if the some died by the trespass of the cardinal man, how much more did Gods good will and the donation that came by the goodwill of the matchless man, Jesus Christ, fountain to the some 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one mans sin The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation. 17For if, by the trespass of the man, death reigned by means of that one man, how much more leave those who receive Gods abundant provision of lard and of the gift of righteousness reign in demeanor through the one man, Jesus Christ (NIV).The passage was full of important and meaningful terminologies that co mprise its spotless interpretation. Terminologies such as sin, death, law, gift, grace, judgment, condemnation, abundant provisions, and gift of righteousness are quarrel that behave important implications not only(prenominal) in the book of Romans, alone the entire doctrine of salvation. For instance, the theological notion of sin which the apostle Paul has embossed encompassed the entire interpretation of the scripture.This is also the idea that Paul was giving emphasis especially in such terms such as gift, grace, and righteousness. Exegesis of chapter 512-17 Paul begins verse 12 with the conclusive word therefore which means that the passage was connected with earlier theological discussion beginning from chapter 118 in which Paul cited that Gods wrath is revealed from promised land of matter against wicked people whose godlessness entails them to suppress the truth. Paul emphasized that condescension they k straight all about God yet they neither recognize him nor g lorify him (v. 19).Because of this utter neglect and deliberate violation of Gods leave behind, Paul says, they have no excuse (21). Here, Paul refers to both Jews and Gentiles. In chapter 3, Paul declares that no one is righteous and categorically express that everyone has sinned and have fallen piddling to the glory of God (323). But chapter 4 deviates from the sadness discussion of sin and its emergence. He now focused on the foretaste of being able to regain spiritual relations with God through faith, citing Abraham as example. Paul used the word therefore to connect the passage with the above context.But as mentioned earlier, this passage is full of important speech and phrases that enable this connection. First of all, Paul mentioned about the entry of sin and death. plainly referring to Adam, he said that sin and death entered the world through the trespass of the one man. It means that the whole forgiving race was contaminated by the sin committed by Adam through w hich death becomes the consequence. In order to shed more light on this highly theological discussion, it is important to define sin and death from their original usage in this passage.The law of sin and death The original word used for sin in Romans chapter 512 was the noun hamartia, which occurred 174 time in the New volition and hamartias while Thanatos for death. fit to James Montgomery Boice, the Hellenic Hamartia and Hamartias means short coming or missing the mark. But Hamartia and Hamartias are just two of several Greek words for sin. The Greek Pesha, for transgression, chata to miss the mark, shagah to go astray, and paraptoma offense, all depicts a deviation from a higher(prenominal)(prenominal) standard or from a state enjoyed originally.The context therefore which Paul has in mind about sin and death goes back to the garden of Eden in which Adam and eventide were placed by God. Obviously, this place depicts Gods presence which suggests that Adam and even enjoyed a hi gher state of sprightliness. But they deviated from this state by deliberately ignoring Gods command and therefore b put on their fellowship with God. While Genesis 18 describes this place as a place of sufficiency as all that Adam needs to live were there, yet they departed from the mark which God has set for them.Thus, while everything that God has created adds beauty to this place especially the four rivers and all the animals that were subject to the dominion of Adam depicts Gods concern, provision, and love for his creation, they were were supposedly stringently oblige to obey what God has commanded them. along with these beautiful creations, was Gods solemn warning for Adam not to eat the fruit of the tree in the center of the Garden as the very time they would eat of it, they will surely die. Unfortunately, Adam and evening have chosen to disobey God.Thus, right after Adam and Eves disobedience to Gods command, they were sentenced to live a baffling life as the ground by w hich they could get their food was damn by God. God also pronounced the entry of death into the world when God said to Adam by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken for system you are and to dust you will return (Genesis 319). Along with Gods judgment, they were control out of the garden. That means, they were cast out from the very presence of God.The issue here is that Adam and Eve lost a higher state of life they enjoyed at Eden. They enjoyed Gods abundant provisions, they enjoyed Gods presence, and they enjoyed their being a perfect creation of God. They were innocent and they must have also been a divine creation. With Adams fall, all these were lost. Although God dormant care for gentle being even after Adams fall, the state of life which they had enjoyed in the Garden was never restored. Besides, the impact of Gods pronouncement that Adam would go back to dust speaks of the somatic corruption.That is, of decaying and dying to which the writer of Genesis distinctly indicates the dimness of mans learn. While the Bible was silent about how long did Adam and Eve were living in Eden when they committed that regretful decision, after they were drive out, the days of their lives started to be in counting. Humans offended God and arbitrator must be served against them. It is this condition that Paul was talking. Sin corrupted the gay being and because of this we are subjected to decay.Thus, sin is defined as coming short of the glory of God (323). The consequence of Adam and Eves sin therefore was that every homophile being became sinners subject to all the woes both physical and spiritual with reference to Adam as the fountain of all the woes that sin has introduced into the world. Referring to Adam, Barnes noted, Sin entered into the world. He was the first sinner of the race. The word sin here evidently means the violation of the law of God. He was the first sinner among men, a nd in consequence all others became sinners. We are subject to the consequence of sin both in the physical and the spiritual world. Earlier, genesis 3 speaks of the consequence of sin in the physical world as the hindrance of life. That is, all the miseries that the world suffers including hunger and poverty, chaos because of unrelenting wars in versatile part of the world, calamities such as earthquakes, typhoons, and other manmade disasters, worries caused by economic uncertainties, and all other social problems affecting our society that are in turn affecting us individually.Sin has corrupted the hearts and mind of many people resulting to more crimes, and moral decay contributing more problems that makes life even more gruelling. On top of this, death played the beat role in the lives of the human being. The Greek word for death in this passage is thanatos which means a physical death. The Greek thanato implies both the physical and spiritual death. However, the bible did no t give any globe definition of the word death. Thus according to Kenneth Boa and Robert Bowman, we must educe our understanding of death from a whole range of scriptural statements pertaining to the subject.In doing so, we must be careful to distinguish idiomatic or unoffending expressions for death, which may not be intended anything more than a individual has died, from comments intending to some understanding of what that death involved . Boa and Bowman noted that the Bible often used the words expire to breathe ones last to depart to be no more to be gathered to ones people or fathers to sleep to lie down with ones fathers to be cut off from the land and to perish. While the use of these terms for death may vary in the interpretation, yet death generally means the termination of the physical life. According to the Standard International Bible Encyclopedia, death is a consequence of sin. It stated that in contrast with a long life which has been viewed in the nonagenarian Tes tament as a blessing, death is seen as a disaster. This condition depicts the worse condition of the human being as aside from qualification life more miserable, life is now uncertain.This clearly illustrated in the followers lines, Death, though come into the world through sin, is nevertheless at the similar time a consequence of mans physical and imperfect existence now it could therefore be threatened as a punishment to man, because he was taken out of the ground and was made a living soul, of the earth earthy (Genesis 27 1 Corinthians 1545, 47). If he remained obedient, he would have returned to dust but have press forward on the spiritual development (The International Standard Biblical Encyclopedia.Against this hopeless condition, Paul states that despite the entrance of sin into the world through one man and death through sin which rendered man hopeless as he was incapable of restoring his previous relations with God, Paul now asserts in verse 15 that the God himself has taken the initiative to reach out with men. Pau states, But the gift is not like the trespass. The gift of grace (which shall also be discussed later) of God according to Paul was far great than all the effects of sin. The Revised English Bible translation clearly made this striking difference between the effect of sin and the gift of grace of God.REB puts it, Gods act of grace is out of all proportion to Adams wrong doing. For if the wrong doing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. Here the effect of sin and death in the human being is clearly outweighed by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. The Law and Grace There were various kinds of law that the ancient Jews held heavenly during the rare Testament times. Among them and the most important were the Torah or the ceremonial laws, and the Decalogue which given by God to Moses in Exodus 20 1-17.Whi le the Torah of the Old Testament presents a more complicated moral admonition that were difficult for state enforcement however, Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of theology asserts that the state is silent about state enforcement or specifies God rather than the state as the enforcer. Under this law enforcement, the book of Deuteronomy has various laws and regulations which require strict obedience. While the Decalogue (Greek word for the Ten Commandments) represents minimum moral and religious requirements for those promise relationship with God it nevertheless make absolute obedience.Because of this strict demand for obedience, the law has become the stumbling black for the Israelites because these laws were too much for them to obey literally and word for word. Paul says the law served as a mirror for sin by which the Israelite can reflect on the religion of God. The Israelites particularly found it to heavy to obey the law, perhaps not only because the law was intended to be all encompassing, but because of their adjustment from very much secular Egyptian values or laws, they could hardly follow the divine laws.They were miserable with regards to obedience to the law. This lead Paul to conclude in Roman chapter 8, that the law was powerless because it weakened by the sinful nature of the human being. Thus, the law was unable to address the divine requirements instead it served as the fomite for sin to dominate mankind. It is in this context that Gods grace through Jesus Christ came into the scene to rescue every human being from the serious consequences of sin which death.