Romans
Introduction to the Epistle to the Romans
Paul’s Letter to the Romans is the most whole and most orderly explanation of the Gospel and of God’s purposes for Jew and Gentile. The epistle unfolds human sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More, divine righteousness, salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More by faith, life in the Spirit, God’s sovereign dealings with Israel, and the practical outworking of Christian living. It moves from doctrine (chapters 1–8), to dispensational explanation (chapters 9–11), to practical exhortation (chapters 12–16).
(The following commentary by Frank Binford Hole, published initially as a series of articles, has undergone linguistic revision to bring it into contemporary English. Only vocabulary, phrasing, grammar, and punctuation have been updated to reflect natural modern English. There has been no paraphrasing or adding beyond necessary linguistic modernization.)
Table of Contents
- Romans 1 – Introduction & The World’s Guilt (Gentiles)
- Romans 2 – The World’s Guilt (Moralists & Jews)
- Romans 3 – Universal Guilt; God’s Righteousness Revealed
- Romans 4 – Faith Illustrated in Abraham and David
- Romans 5 – The Fruits of Justification
- Romans 6 – Freedom From Sin’s Dominion
- Romans 7 – Freedom From the Law
- Romans 8 – Life in the Spirit and Final Glory
- Romans 9 – God’s Sovereignty in Israel’s History
- Romans 10 – Israel’s Responsibility and Unbelief
- Romans 11 – Israel’s Temporary Setting Aside and Future Restoration
- Romans 12 – The Transformed Christian Life
- Romans 13 – Submission to Authorities & Life in the Light
- Romans 14 – Liberty and Responsibility in Doubtful Matters
- Romans 15 – Christ Our Example; Paul’s Ministry
- Romans 16 – Fellowship, Warnings, and Final Praise
