Romans
The Gospel of Grace
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For Paul, the gospel (“good news”) wasn’t simply a message about our salvation but was the proclamation that a physical descendant of Da-vid had been raised from death as the world’s rightful king.
Remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel. (2 Tim. 2:8)
For Paul, the resurrection was the witness of God’s faithfulness in Jesus, through whom the life of the coming age had now been unveiled.
The declaration that “Jesus is Lord” both mirrored and contested the declaration in Rome that Caesar was Lord. Because of this, it could not help being seen by some in Rome as subversive and even political. The fact that Paul was openly asking Roman citizens to take up large offerings for Jewish believers in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1–2) heightened the concerns that his work might be more political than religious in scope.
3. The gospel is about his son, who was descended from David…
It was not a new philosophy or religion that Paul had been called to announce to the world, but a person – Jesus Christ the son of David – through whom the God of Israel had now entered creation.
It is highly probable that Paul is using the word “Lord” (kurios) to infer both the divine and royal natures of Christ. The word kurios was the common way of translating Yahweh (the Hebrew name for the covenant God of Israel), as well as Adonai (Hebrew for “lord”) into Greek.
4. Declared the Son of God in power…
By “declared the Son of God,” Paul is not saying that Jesus “became” God’s Son at the resurrection. Rather, the Sonship that was already Christ’s was uniquely demonstrated or “declared” by this event.
It was not a new status or identity that was conferred on Jesus when he rose from death. Rather, his resurrection was the declaration of the status and identity that were already his at birth. It is who and what Jesus is (and has always been) that was declared at his resurrection, and not who and what he had become as a result of it.
The designation “Son of God” properly names one aspect of the preexisting relationship within God between the Father and the Son, and it also denotes the Messianic hopes of Israel, for whom the coming Davidic king was also the Son of God, cf. “You are my son, today I have begotten you” (Psalm 2:7); “…and he will be my son” (2 Sam. 7:14).
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About the Book
PAUL’S LETTER TO THE ROMANS is largely regarded as the theological standard among New Testament writings, as well as the clearest and most systematic presentation of Christian doctrine in the Bible. Its influence on the moral, intellectual, and spiritual life of the church has been well documented, with Augustine referring to it as “the most basic and comprehensive statement of true Christianity,” Luther as the “chief part of the New Testament,” and Calvin as “the singular key to understanding the Bible as a whole.”
In Romans: The Gospel of Grace, pastor and author Marc Simon offers a fresh commentary on Paul’s masterwork. His spirited approach to the text helps convey both the depth and simplicity of Paul’s writing and combines the author’s careful scholarship and insight with practical commentary and explanatory notes on key terms used in the letter.
The verse-by-verse exposition in Romans: The Gospel of Grace highlights both the content and arguments of Paul’s most debated letter, and is at once accessible to scholars, pastors, and students alike.
About the Author
MARC D. SIMON is an ordained minister with the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and serves as the senior teaching pastor of Church For The Nations, in Oxnard, CA. Marc holds graduate degrees in Psychology, Organizational Leadership, and Theology, and also serves as a chaplain with the Ventura County Rescue Mission.