Romans 1:18-4:25

Paul’s writing is so intense that it is easy to either get carried away studying every little word, or gloss over it all because there is just too much.  Here are a couple of things that I wish I could have spent more time researching for this past week’s sermon.  See if anything below sparks your interest, I would love to hear about what you found.

1. We skipped over much of the discussion surrounding circumcision in these chapters. Paul does make an interesting point in Romans 2:28-29 regarding the “circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit.”  Commentators point to Paul’s writing to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 3:1-6) as another place where he makes this point. It also seems to be echoed in Hebrew Scriptures Deuteronomy 10:6, 30:6, Jeremiah 31:33, 32:29-40, Ezekial 11:9, 36:26-27.  Take a look at all these references.  How would you define circumcision of the heart?”

2. In Romans 3:10-18 Paul quotes many verses of the Old Testament. Find a bible that gives you those references.  Read the passage including the verses around it.  What is the picture of God you get from Paul’s writing?  Do you get an expanded picture from reading the verse in context?

3. In discussing how we obtain “Righteousness through Faith” Paul writes:

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.  (Romans 3:25-26, NIV)

The language of a sacrifice of atonement relates to instructions given in Leviticus 16:15, 16.  The sacrifices at the Day of Atonement where different from the other sacrifices during the year.  See what you can discover about what makes these sacrifices different?  What role does the “Mercy Seat” play?  How might all this information impact your reading of Paul’s words above?

4. In many places, and in some cases whole books of the scriptures are written in what is called chiastic structure.  Here is a simple example from Psalm 90:1-2:

We find the main point in the center.  God is the source of creation and life.  The middle point can be a pair of thoughts like above.  Or it can be a single phrase.

The-Chiastic-Structure-of-the-Book-of-Romans-BCE.pdf (chiasmusxchange.com) demonstrates the entire book of Romans in a chiasm.  As you read through Romans 1:18-4:25, do you see a verse or two that might fall into this structure?  Does it help you zero in on the main point Paul is trying to make.

This none of these questions inspire you.  Try reading Romans 1:18-4:25 in a different translation that you usually read.  There are lots available at BibleGateway.  Are there any wording choices that help clarify something, or help you read it differently?

Happy digging…