The Epistle of Paul is the foundation and the most absolute book in the New Testament, it is filled with deep theological truths Pauline’s epistle was not only relevant to the first century Roman Christians; it is also incredibly practical to the church of the 21st Century because of its focus on the Gospel of Christ and righteousness. It has greatly impacted Christians throughout history and continues to impact us today. Martin Luther described it as “the chief book in the New Testament and the purest gospel”. Although it is referred to as a book, Romans was actually a diatribe, a teaching technique often used in a classroom setting. Paul envisions a Jewish Christian teacher, perhaps a member of the Christ group of Corinth, to be his principle dialogue partner. Paul was viewed by Jewish Christian teachers as an enemy of the law and the Jewish people. However, Paul’s aim in his epistle was ultimately to proclaim the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ by teaching doctrine and to edify and encourage the believers who would receive his discourse that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Of course, because Paul himself was a Roman citizen, he had a unique passion for those in the assembly of believers in Rome. Since he had not, to this point, visited the church in Rome, this letter also served as his introduction to them.
Pauline’s Epistle to the Romans opens with an extended greeting to the beloved in Rome, emphasizing Paul's claim to divine calling as an apostle. Paul’s anguish and sorrow stems from the apparent betrayal of his own people who have fallen short of God’s glory. Paul offers a pungent indictment against Jews and Gentiles affirming that both groups have sinned. They failed to honor God to the degree that he demands, and are consequently guilty before him. Paul attests that neither group will be justified by God through works of law because both groups fail to meet God’s standard and are in bondage to the law due to sin’s power. Thus, Paul goes on to defend the Lord and forms the constructive part of his argument in the first five chapters of Romans where he lays down the theological foundation for a new human community composed of both Jews and Gentiles who practice their faith in the Lord.
Romans contains a flow of divine truths written with Paul’s keen sense of its relevance to human life. Paul’s thesis statement in the letter is found in the first chapter of Romans where he proclaims “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Paul emphasizes that the gospel is the power of God for Jew and Gentile alike and asserts that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God through faith. Although Paul’s argument of establishing a new human community of reconciliation may appear to be radical considering the Jews and the Gentiles were enemies drifting towards war during this time, he strongly believes that the faithfulness in Jesus is the measure of a right life for everybody. Despite the faithlessness of many Jews, Paul attempted to save these ungodly sinners by unveiling the revelation of God’s righteousness in faith.
Structurally, Paul makes two prominent claims in Romans 3:21-26, which serves as the heart of the epistle. This section is a powerful turning point and is the first rhetorical climax of his letter. First, Paul explains that God declares people righteous because of their faith in Christ and secondly, God is capable of appointing the unrighteous as righteous and still remain just. There is a dramatic shift in Paul’s argument as he begins to justify his message to the Romans. Paul opens this section with the phrase "but now" in verse 21, signaling that Christ inaugurated a new era for the entire human race characterized by the grace of God. Paul initially left the reader of the epistle with a sense of despair and deprived of hope of salvation, however, he continues to explain the reason for the hope he has for them. In verses 22-24, Paul discloses that God is able to turn the unrighteous into the righteous through the grace afforded to sinners by faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is asserting that God justifies even the ungodly because Jesus’ suffering on the cross serves as a sacrifice of atonement to sinners. Paul concludes the section in verses 25-26 by emphasizing his point that God will declare one righteous if they are deserving believers of Jesus Christ. The wrath of God can be satisfied and a man can be reconciled to God not through the futile attempt to be righteous by keeping the law, but rather through believing in Jesus Christ and what He has done through the pouring out of His blood on the cross.
Furthermore, this way of righteousness once again brings us to understand how the gospel is a message that is universal for all mankind. Paul teaches that we have been made for fellowship with God, but sin has separated us from Him. We cannot save ourselves from the deadly grip of sin, but God’s grace in Christ bridges the hiatus between God’s holiness and our sin. Now through faith in Christ, we can be put in a right relationship with God and be forgiven of our sins. The Jew and Gentile are all equally under God’s wrath and must all pursue righteousness by faith in Christ in the same way. The way of righteousness through faith in Christ humbles all men to the same position. Any man who is to become righteous with God can only become so through simple faith in the propitiation that Christ has made. Paul’s delivery of the Lord’s message of righteousness through faith in Christ is an essential part of bringing all mankind to the same place before God.
In his polemical diatribe to the Romans, we can see the significance of Paul’s terminology in context. Paul uses the term righteousness four times within Romans 3:21-26 stressing the importance of the phrase. He often uses the noun to denote ethical righteousness, the kind of behavior that pleases God. We initially see them term being used in the first verse where Paul says “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it…”. These words are the pivot between the old and the new, Paul is introducing a new way of living through Christ Jesus. He has concluded that no man can will be seen as righteous in the eyes of God by obedience to the law, however, the Paradise lost may still be recovered through faith. Similarly, Amos wrote about righteousness stating, “There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground”. Here, righteousness is pictured as something being thrown to the ground. Like Paul, Amos is stating that righteous of the Lord has been lost by the people. The Law continues to bear witness that righteousness would be manifested apart from the law and Jesus is the one who is capable of saving His people from sin. For Paul, righteousness is God's saving activity which he gives to, bestows upon and recognizes in mankind.
Faith, another critical virtue emphasized by Paul, is seen repeatedly throughout his letter in a denotative sense. Paul’s repetition of the word highlights the importance of living a life committed to God. In line 26 Paul writes “…he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus”, meaning that faith is when one takes the decisive step to follow exclusively in Jesus Christ’s footsteps and embrace Him as the Lord and Savior. Habakkuk was a prophet who shared a similar view point to Paul on the topic of faith. He explains that “…the righteous person will live by his faithfulness”. Paul and Habakkuk both believe that the law has no ability to justify anyone, but the righteousness of God in justification is received by faith alone. Under the wrath of God, salvation is found by embracing the uttermost faith in the Lord.
Lastly, Christ's definitive expiation of sin is a substantial datum of not only Paul’s theology but Christianity as a whole. The atoning death of Jesus Christ satisfies the wrath of God against rebellious and sinful humanity. Paul explains how his people have fall short of the Lord by saying “they are justified by grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith”. Subsequently, God offered Jesus to be an expiation for Jews and Gentiles so that he would propitiate his wrath due to their sins and so that he would forgive them of their sins with faith. Leviticus 16:13-15, pictures Jesus as a “goat” who alone accomplished atonement for all of mankind. The scripture reflects the idea that the negative and degrading effects of our sin have been removed through the expiation of Jesus Christ and God’s graciousness. Additionally, the fourth book of Maccabees parallels Paul and Leviticus’ accounts of expiation. It states “And through the blood of those devout ones and their death as an expiation, divine Providence preserved Israel that previously had been afflicted.” The narrator is alluding to the death of a martyr, Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins. Ultimately, the atoning death of Jesus Christ satisfies the wrath of God against rebellious and sinful humanity.