Who wrote Romans, and when?
Paul, written down by Tertius. About AD 57, from Corinth.
Romans was written by the apostle Paul. Almost nobody disputes this, and the letter itself names him in its first verse. Paul dictated it to a scribe called Tertius, who adds his own greeting near the end (see chapter 16). Most scholars date the letter to about AD 57, during the three months Paul spent in Corinth at the end of his third missionary journey (see Acts 20:2-3). Paul was preparing to carry a collection of money to Jerusalem and hoped to travel on to Rome, and then to Spain. Romans is the longest of his letters and the most carefully ordered. It reads less like a quick reply to a crisis and more like a considered statement of what Paul believed and preached.
Who was Romans written to?
The house churches in Rome, a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers Paul had not yet visited.
The first readers were the Christians of Rome, who met in several small house churches across the city. Paul had never been there, though he knew many of them by name (see chapter 16). The church was a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers, and that mix was under strain. The emperor Claudius had expelled Jews from Rome some years earlier (see Acts 18:2). While they were away the churches became mostly Gentile. When Jewish believers returned after Claudius died, questions arose about food laws, holy days and who truly belonged. Paul writes to people who love God but are not sure how to live together, and who have heard rumours about Paul that he wants to answer in person.
What was happening at the time?
Paul planned to visit Rome on his way to Spain and wrote ahead to introduce his gospel. The Roman church had tensions between Jewish believers, recently returned after being expelled by Claudius, and the Gentile majority. Romans lays out sin, justification, life in the Spirit, God’s faithfulness to Israel, and then how a church of Jews and Gentiles should live together.
Why was Romans written?
To set out the gospel of righteousness by faith and to unite Jew and Gentile in one church.
Paul had two aims. First, he wanted to set out the gospel he preached so the Romans would know him before he arrived and would support his mission to Spain. Second, he wanted to bring Jewish and Gentile believers together as one church. The two aims are really one. The gospel says that everyone, Jew or Gentile, has sinned, and everyone is put right with God the same way, by trusting in Jesus. That truth removes any ground for one group to look down on the other. Romans draws the story of the Bible together, showing how the promises to Abraham, the law of Moses and the faithfulness of God to Israel all find their answer in Christ. The letter wants readers to trust God's grace fully and then to live as one people who welcome each other.
How to read Romans today
Read Romans slowly and in order, because each section builds on the last. Chapters 1 to 4 explain the problem of sin and the answer of faith. Chapters 5 to 8 describe the new life this brings, and 8 is the high point (see Romans 8:28-39). Chapters 9 to 11 deal with Israel, which is hard going; do not force every detail to make sense on a first pass. Chapters 12 to 16 turn to everyday life and show what the whole letter was aiming at. Watch how often Paul says that God's righteousness is a gift, not a wage. Christians read chapters 9 to 11 in different ways, so hold your conclusions loosely. As you read, pray for the confidence that nothing can separate you from God's love, and for patience with believers who differ from you.
The key verse in Romans
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.
Passages worth knowing in Romans
- Romans 1:16-17
The gospel is the power of God
The righteous shall live by faith.
- Romans 3:21-26
Justified freely by his grace
The heart of the letter.
- Romans 5
Peace with God
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 8
Life in the Spirit
No condemnation; nothing can separate us from God’s love.
- Romans 9–11
God and Israel
Has God rejected his people? Certainly not.
- Romans 12
Living sacrifices
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
The main themes of Romans
- Sin
- Justification by faith
- Grace
- Life in the Spirit
- Israel and the church
- Christian living
An outline of Romans
| Section | Chapters |
|---|---|
| All are under sin | 1–3 |
| Justified by faith | 3–5 |
| Freed from sin, alive in the Spirit | 6–8 |
| God’s faithfulness to Israel | 9–11 |
| The gospel lived out | 12–16 |