NGRK 505 Historical context essay Romans Timothy Wheaton PDF

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Historical Context Essay Romans

Submitted to Professor John Markley in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course,

NGRK 505- B01 LUO Greek Language Tools

by

Timothy Wheaton 05/28/2020

Introduction The Books of Romans is one of the most highly referenced and quoted books in all the New Testament (NT), in it the apostle Paul lays out instructions to the church of Rome. Which at the time of writing was already in existence. This paper will look to review the clues hidden within the Book of Romans to provide scriptural evidence for the historical context of it, as well provide evidence for authorship, timing, location, purpose and context to those it addresses. Romans Historical Context The Book of Romans is believed to have been authored by the Apostle Paul. Evidence for this is found within the very first verse of Romans Chapter 1, where the Apostle Paul states, “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.”1 It appears to have been written to the followers of Christ that was living in Rome at that timeframe. As provided by Romans 1:7, which testifies to this evidence in that Paul writes “I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people, May God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.” Additionally, further evidence points to the Book of Romans being written to both the Jew and the Gentile living within the Roman area, this is backed by Scriptural evidence all throughout the book of Romans. One of the overall glaring themes for writing this letter seemed to address issues that was arising within the church of Rome related to doctrine. The notion that salvation was for both the Jew and the Gentile alike and that God’s plan of salvation was freely available to all those who believe in Christ Jesus. Additionally, it was written as instruction that salvation is based on the righteousness of God and not justification of the law, evident in Romans 1:16-17. 1

Unless otherwise noted, all Biblical passages referenced are in the New Living Translation (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2008).

Furthermore, it appears to have been written as a precursor to an upcoming trip that Paul had plan to embark on to Rome. Evidence is found in Romans 1:15 where Paul expresses his eagerness to preach the Gospel to those within Rome. This appears to be confirmed in Romans 1:11, where Paul states “For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.” Additional evidence is found in Romans 15:23 “But for now I have finished my work in these regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you.” Dating of the time of authorship would need to be collaborated with the other well documented books authored by the Apostle Paul. However, what is evident within the Book of Romans, is that Paul was on his way first to Jerusalem, prior to departing to Rome. Also evident is that Paul had already visited Macedonia and Achaia at the time of this writing (Romans 15:26) having received donations from those churches. Additionally, it appears at the time for writing that Paul was with Gaius, as he refers to the hospitality that he and the church had received and greatly enjoyed at that time. More proof is found in the referenced greeting from Gaius to the church in Rome (Romans 16:23). As well as Scriptural reference to Erastus, who was in a position of director of the city’s public works....