study on the letter of Paul to the Romans

1. Living Together in the Messiah,
Living Alongside the World,
in the New Day that Has Dawned:
Romans chs 9-16
Dennis T. Gonzalez, STD
Sta. Maria Dela Strada

2. Oh God, we bless You for the depth of the
riches of your wisdom! Your covenant
fidelity to your people endures, as You
have raised Jesus from the dead as Israel’s
Messiah, who saves peoples in surprising
ways. We offer You our whole selves.
May we learn to think & live in the New
World, even while the sin-infected world
& its authorities continue to be active
during this dawn of the Day of the
complete revelation of Christ’s Kingship.

3. The fidelity of Jesus till death offers
salvation to everybody, and his Spirit
turns sinners into God’s faithful
& free children, whose new lives
liberate creation & make it New Creation.
Rom chs 9-11: God’s covenant fidelity
to the chosen people endures, despite
the refusal of most Jews to believe that
God raised Jesus from the dead as Israel’s
Messiah, who saves all faithful Jews &
Gentiles in mysterious & surprising ways.

4. Chs 12-16: God’s new covenant family
of Jewish & Gentile believers together
should worship God
with their whole selves, and learn
to think & live in the New World,
even while the sin-contaminated world
and its governing authorities
continue to be active during this dawn
of the Day of the complete revelation
of the Kingship of Jesus.

5. Paul lamented the rejection of the Gospel
by many fellow Jews (Romans 9:1-5).
“I have great sorrow & unceasing anguish
in my heart. For I could wish
that I myself were cursed & cut off
from Christ for the sake of my people,
those of my own race…” (9:2-3).
“The Jews of Corinth made a united
attack on Paul & brought him to the place
of judgment” (Acts 18:12).

6. On his Jerusalem visit with the Gentile
collection, Paul is dragged out of the
temple by a crowd of Jews who beat him
up & try to kill him (Acts 21:27-36).
As Jesus approached Jerusalem,
he wept over it (Luke 19:41).
“Father, forgive them, for they do not
know what they are doing” (23:34).
“Please forgive their sin—but if not, blot
me out of the book You have written”
(Exodus 32:32).

7. Paul grieved with hope:
“I do not want you to be ignorant
of this mystery, brothers & sisters,
so that you may not be conceited:
Israel has experienced a hardening
in part until the full number
of the Gentiles has come in, and so
all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:25).

8. “If ethnic Israel had embraced the gospel
from the very start, it would have been
fatally easy for them to assume that they
had always been entitled to it, and that
if any Gentiles came in they would rank
below them” (N.T. Wright).
Gentile believers have to be humble,
grateful, diligent & steadfast (11:17-21).
“The ‘church’ remains an essentially
Jewish family into which non-Jews
have been welcomed” (Wright).

9. Study Hebrew Scripture.
“Consider the kindness & sternness
of God…continue in his kindness.
Otherwise, you will also be cut off.
“If they do not persist in unbelief,
they will be grafted in, for God is able
to graft them in again.” (11:22-23)
Faith in Jesus (and fidelity to Jesus)
weaves our stories with the stories
of ancient Israel, its ancestors & prophets,
and its Messiah.

10. How to learn & think in order
to live together in the New World,
while the sin-contaminated world
continues to be active?

11. Magnanimous humility
“Do not think of yourself more highly
than you ought, but rather think of yourself
with sober judgment, in accordance with
the faith God has distributed
to each of you…In Christ we,
though many, form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
“We have different gifts, according to the
grace given to each of us.” (12:3-6)
Integrity of & interdependence in the Body

12. Practice sober judgment of one’s gifts
& needs, and recognize the gifts
& needs of others.
“Do not be conformed any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind” (12:2).
Sin-contaminated world lures
powerful persons & groups to inflate
their gifts & needs, and to belittle
the gifts & needs of the poor & outsiders.

13. “Do not be arrogant, but be willing
to associate with people
of low position. Do not be conceited.”
(12:16)
True humility: sober self-assessment
+ serving others thru one’s gift(s)
+ recognizing & receiving gratefully
the gifts of others esp the lowly.

14. God’s mercy does not entitle us to
complacency, but calls us to offer
ourselves as living sacrifices
(Romans 12:1).
People of this world sacrifice
other people (children, workers,
the poor, outsiders) to their idols.

15. Renew your mind by praying,
studying & practicing God’s word:
“so that we are enabled both
to think straight, instead of the
twisted thinking that the world
would force upon us,
and to act accordingly” (Wright).

16. (Sacrificial) Love in action,
sustained by humility (12:9-21).
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil…
Do not take revenge…
“Overcome evil with good.”
(12:17-21)
“Christians are to find creative,
surprising new ways of dealing
with people who hurt us” (Wright).

17. The Saints & the Governing
Authorities (13:1-7).
Even when wronged, the believer
should not take the law in his own
hands, but should give due respect to
the governing authority, who is:
“God’s servant [not a god himself],
an agent of wrath to bring punishment
on the wrongdoer” (13:4).

18. Political authority is God’s created
(and imperfect) agent to execute,
when necessary, corporal or violent
punishment, and to prevent
unnecessary violence.
Proconsul Gallio dismisses
the complaint of Jews in Corinth
who wanted to have Paul condemned
(Acts 18:12-17).

19. In his trial before Festus, governor of
Judaea, Paul appeals his case to Caesar
in order to prevent a transfer of his trial
to Jerusalem & a possible ambush
or assassination by fanatics (25:1-12).
Last section of Acts: In a rented home
with a soldier to guard him, Paul preaches
initially to Jews (28:17-28).
“He proclaimed the kingdom of God &
taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with
all boldness & without hindrance” (v 31).

20. “Give to everyone what you owe
them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes;
if revenue, then revenue; if respect,
then respect; if honor, then honor”
(Romans 13:7).
Do not give to anyone, whether in a
position of authority or not, what you
do not owe to them: such as worship
& your God-given dignity
as image of God.

21. Holy respect for (human) authorities
excludes actions that would degrade
or destroy human dignity.
Holy respect for authorities includes
wise & healthy scrutiny of their actions,
decisions & plans.
John the Baptist tells tax collectors,
“Don’t collect any more than you are
required;” he tells soldiers, “Don’t extort
money & don’t accuse people falsely—
be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:12-14)

22. What saints owe above all is love
(to God & neighbor).
“Let no debt remain outstanding,
except the continuing debt
to love one another…
“Love does no harm to a neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the
Torah.” (Rom 13:8-10)
Maralita, mayaman, at pamahalaan,
lahat ay nagkakautang.

23. Naiurong ang yabang,
natira ang utang (na magmahalan).
Kung pagmamahal ang utang
(at utos), pagmamahal din
ang kabayaran (at panustos).
Santa Iglesya: Katawan ni Kristo:
Katipunan ng nagkakautang,
nagbabayad, at nanunukli ng pag-ibig,
at yumayaman sa pagmamahal!

24. Awaken & put on Christ, so one
can go out into the New Day of Love
that has dawned (13:11-14).
Love is not lust & needs no dark cover.
Without Christ as our clothing (and new
skin & flesh), we are shamefully naked
& cannot go out with the mission
to maintain & expand heaven’s corners
or frontiers on earth.
Clothing that can make you & I feel
& see: this is the radiant me, the real me!

25. 1. God’s covenant fidelity
to the chosen people endures,
despite the refusal of most Jews
to believe that God raised Jesus
from the dead as Israel’s Messiah,
who saves peoples in mysterious
& surprising ways.

26. 2. God’s new covenant family should
worship together with their whole selves,
and learn to think & live in the New
World, even while the sin-infected world
and its authorities continue to be active
during this dawn of the Day of the
complete revelation of Christ’s Kingship.

27. 3. Holy respect for governing
authorities excludes actions
that would degrade human dignity,
while it includes wise & healthy
scrutiny of their actions,
decisions & plans.
4. Ang Katawan ni Kristo
ay Katipunan ng nagkakautang,
nagbabayad, at nanunukli ng pag-ibig,
at yumayaman sa pagmamahal.

28. Oh God, we bless You for the depth of the
riches of your wisdom! Your covenant
fidelity to your people endures, as You
have raised Jesus from the dead as Israel’s
Messiah, who saves peoples in surprising
ways. We offer You our whole selves.
May we learn to think & live in the New
World, even while the sin-infected world
& its authorities continue to be active
during this dawn of the Day of the
complete revelation of Christ’s Kingship.