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Romans 3: 21-27

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The passage, Romans 3:21-27, cannot thoroughly be understood by reading it once, or perhaps even twice, because of the complexity of what Paul says. Additionally, the text cannot rightly be understood on its own or without the context. Therefore, through looking at the historical background involved, the literary techniques and devices used, and the theological implications of the text, a clear interpretation of the text will develop; leading to the conclusion that righteousness in the eyes of God is not something that can be attained through the law, rather mankind is made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 3:21-27 says: 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the …show more content…

“From the postapostolic church to the present, with almost no exception, Romans has been credited to Paul” (Longman 2008:22). Mounce agrees that Romans remains almost undisputed in regards to its authorship. One reason being that “the style and language of the letter is consistent with that of Galatians and 1 and 2 Corinthians, the other unquestioned letters of the apostle” (Mounce 1995:22). Even though Paul remains, for the most part, the unquestioned author of Romans, not many scholars think he physically wrote the book. This is the case because the book of Romans actually credits a man named Tertius saying, “I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord” (Romans 16:22). This is not to say two men wrote the book, rather Paul dictated his thoughts to Tertius, who wrote them down as Paul’s …show more content…

However, the typical and most accepted conclusion is the letter was intended specifically for Rome, as it addresses things that appear specific to the congregations of Rome. In contrast to many other churches Paul wrote letters to, Paul did not establish the church in Rome. “We do not know when Christianity came to Rome or who was responsible for the first missionary work there” (Powell 2009:258). In the year A.D. 49, the emperor Claudius had a number of Jews expelled from the city due to disturbance caused in the name of Christ, according to the emperor. “Thus, within twenty years of the crucifixion of Jesus, there appear to have been enough Christians in Rome to create a disturbance worthy of the emperor’s attention” (Powell 2009:258). Additionally, Paul’s letter is written to all the Christians in Rome, not one specific Roman church, but many. Roman congregations were mixed communities of Jewish and Gentile Christians. Longman states it is unclear whether or not the congregations were mainly Jewish or Gentile believers (Longman 2008:25). Furthermore, the letter to Rome was most likely composed in the city of Corinth, where Paul was thought to have been towards the end of his third

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