There is a thrilling significance in the simple statement of the date and authorship of this epistle. It was written in days when there were still living countless men and women who had walked and talked with Christ, and it was written by one who had become a close friend of the most intimate disciples of Christ. Its statements, therefore, reveal to us beyond question what Christianity was in its original form, and when it refers to the resurrection of Christ, to his redeeming work, to his deity, and to other familiar doctrines of the Christian faith, it assures us that our religion is not composed of myths or of uncertain traditions, but rests on a firm basis of historic facts.

Paul was at Corinth. It was late in the winter of A. D. 57-58. For three years he had been laboring at Ephesus. It was that period of his life popularly known as his Third Missionary Journey. On the first of these journeys, he had visited Cyprus and Southern Asia Minor. On the second, he had crossed to Europe and founded churches at Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth, and from this last city had written his two letters to the Thessalonians.

On this third journey, his long stay at Ephesus had been attended with great success. The gospel had been given to the entire Province of Asia. He had written his important letter to the Galatians and his First Epistle to the Corinthians and had formed a determination to preach the gospel at Rome. Before visiting the imperial city, however, he had found it necessary first to return to Jerusalem and bring to the " poor among the saints" there an offering from the churches of Macedonia and Greece. To secure this offering and further to establish these churches, he had left Ephesus, journeying westward through Macedonia. There he had written his second letter to the Corinthians, to prepare that church for his approaching visit. Then, when he had reached Corinth and when his work in that city was about complete, as he was starting eastward on his long and perilous journey to Jerusalem, having in mind his determination to return westward and to visit Rome, he wrote this letter, to send messages to the Christian believers in the great capital, to assure them of his intended visit after he had accomplished his mission to Jerusalem, and to give them an orderly and comprehensive statement of the gospel of Christ.

It was natural that Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, should wish to send a clear summary of the Christian faith to the church situated in the metropolis of the Gentile world. Further, he was planning to make Rome the point of departure for his work of evangelizing the western half of the empire. He hoped that it would become the radiating center and permanent home of a universal activity which would bring to all nations the knowledge of Christ. Rome, too, was the emporium into which all peoples had poured their idolatries and corruptions, their lawlessness and their sin; it was a mirror of the heathen world, with its wretchedness and misery and its dread foreboding of the wrath to come. He wished, therefore, that in this city the good news of salvation should be proclaimed in all its fullness and its power; and he wrote this letter to encourage and to instruct the company of Christians upon whom in such large measure was to depend the evangelization of the world.

The origin of the church at Rome is lost in obscurity. Probably neither of the two most popular conjectures is correct. According to the former, it was founded by the "sojourners from Rome" who had heard the gospel message in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. According to the latter, it was established by the preaching of the Apostle Peter. Now, whether or not Peter ever visited the imperial city, it is certain that this church was not of his planting; for Paul not only made no mention of him in this letter but, on the other hand, he distinctly stated that in coming to Rome he would "not build upon another man's foundation."�

Nor is it probable that the Jews who had heard Peter preach in Jerusalem had returned to establish this church in Rome; for this was a Gentile church, and not until many years after Pentecost had believers learned that Gentiles as such could be admitted to the Christian Church on equal terms with Jews. Probably the church had been founded by teachers or travelers from some of the Gentile centers by whom the universal character of the gospel was fully understood.

The church in Rome, however, evidently contained a large Jewish element, and it was in contact with a great Jewish community in the capital city. Some modern writers intimate that the church, in fact, was composed largely of Gentile Christians who had previously become proselytes to Judaism. However this may have been, the Jews were ever in the mind of Paul as he penned this epistle. Aside from his references to the Jews, the letter cannot be understood. Some churches, like those in Galatia, were in danger of undue Jewish influence; the church in the Gentile capital, however, was inclined to ignore the Jews, to forget the religious benefits they had brought to the race, to be blind to their history and indifferent to their future destiny. On the other hand, the Jews were tempted to boast their superior privileges and to place a false confidence on their relation to the Mosaic Law. Therefore, Paul writes this letter, not merely to set forth the content of the gospel, but to do so with his own countrymen in mind, with the purpose of showing the relation of Jew and Gentile in the economy of God and of teaching that both were in need of the salvation which the gospel proclaimed and that both should be united harmoniously in one body, freed from all their former national prejudices, and living as a pattern and an example to believers of all nations.

The general line of argument is as follows: After a salutation in which Paul makes significant reference to the gospel, Rom. 1:1-7, and an expression of his interest in the Christians at Rome, vs. 8-15, he states definitely the theme of the epistle: "I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by faith,"� vs. 16,-17.

He then shows that the whole world is in need of righteousness, whether lawless Gentiles, vs. 18-32, or privileged Jews, chs. 2:1 to 3:8; all, without exception, as the Jewish Scriptures declare, are guilty before God, ch. 3:9-20.

Paul then sets forth the nature of the righteousness which God graciously provides, in the redeeming work of Christ, for all who put their faith in him. Vs. 21-31.

He shows that this way of salvation is taught in the Old Testament Scriptures, ch. 4, that it results in peace and joy and hope, ch. 5:1-11, and that its benefits are universal to all who believe, vs. 12-21.

The apostle then shows how faith results in a life of holiness. He does so by answering three supposed objections to the doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ alone. The first of these objections is that one thus saved will be encouraged to sin. To this Paul replies that, on the contrary, faith involves such a union with the crucified and risen Christ as results in death to sin and in resurrection to a new moral life, ch. 6:1-14.

The second objection is that this way of salvation makes one free to sin. The reply is that faith rather breaks the bondage of sin and results in the acceptance of a new obligation to holiness and in the enjoyment of a sanctifying oneness with Christ, chs. 6:15 to 7:6.

In the third place, it is intimated that such a doctrine of salvation "apart from the law" makes the law a useless, even an evil, thing. To this Paul answers that the function of the law is not to relieve from sin, but to reveal sin, and  that the reason it cannot save is not that it is evil but that man is sinful and weak, ch. 7:7-25.

After answering these objections, Paul shows that faith in Christ and the consequent indwelling and operation of the Holy Spirit result in a life of holiness, ch. 8:1-11, as sons of God, vs. 12-17, and will issue in ultimate glory for believers who are meanwhile sustained by the Spirit and assured of the love of God, vs. 18-39.

The apostle reaches the climax of his discussion by considering the problem of how to reconcile the predictions of blessing upon the Jews, contained in their prophetic
Scriptures, with their present rejection and condemnation. Paul answers, first, that the promises were only to the true Israel, to the "election,"� who really exercised faith, ch. 9:1-29; secondly, that the present rejection of Israel was-not arbitrary, but was due to their refusal to accept the very way of salvation by faith taught in their own Scriptures, chs. 9:30 to 10:21; and, lastly, that the rejection of Israel is not final; even now some Jews are being saved, and in the future all will be saved, and with the Gentiles will trust in the Redeemer, Christ, ch. 11:1-30.

The remainder of the epistle is composed of exhortations to Christian living, based upon the great truths of saving grace previously set forth. These relate first to Christian duties in general. As members of the Church, believers are to be unselfish, ch. 12; as citizens of the State, they are to show loyalty and submission, ch. 13:1-7; as members of society, they are to live in love and purity, ch. 13:8-14. More particularly, instruction is given as to conduct in relation to questions of conscientious scruples. Remembering the Lordship of Christ, believers are not to judge or to tempt one another but to exercise mutual forbearance, following the example of the Master, chs. 14:1 to 15:13. The letter closes with paragraphs of personal explanations and greetings, chs. 15:14 to 16:27.

The content of the letter may be set forth a little more in detail by the following outline.