For Paul, the apostle among the nations, it is clearly a very special moment when he begins to write a letter to the Christians in Rome. He is a Roman citizen and is fully aware of the fact that this city was the centre of the world in which he has been travelling for many years as preacher of Jesus Christ. The gospel of the heavenly King is being introduced in the capital city of the earthly empire. And Paul is the messenger of that king everywhere. Salvation is now advancing from Zion to all peoples and coastal lands. And in the west, Rome lies at the centre of it all. That is why Paul apparently feels the need to send a comprehensive introduction of himself to the Christians in this city (Romans 1:1–7). In the letter he will provide an account of his own position with respect to this metropolis over the past several years (Romans 1:8–17)

Paul usually does not give clear indications in the letter to the Romans why he broaches specific topics. Sometimes this becomes clear from the manner in which the topics are discussed. (For example, Romans 9:1–11:36 is intended to prevent the readers from adopting a haughty attitude and Romans 14:1–23 is focused on possible tension when dealing with those who are weak in the faith.) The way in which topics are discussed also makes clear that Paul is writing on the borderline of the issues between a Gentile Christian church and an imposing synagogue, for both challenge each other’s identity in Rome. Nonetheless, this does not clarify why he includes the contents of the long section Romans 1:18–8:39 in the way he does. It seems as though he uses rather general topics to move from one thing to another, just as he once did on an evening in Troas, when he talked on and on (Acts 20:9). We can assume that on that evening, not every topic would have been directly inspired by the circumstances of the Christians in that place. Paul can easily get carried away by his topic (the gospel). It often looks like that in Romans. In Romans 1:18–8:39, Paul shows us the depth of the gospel on a worldwide scale. He writes about the general wrath of God from heaven (Romans 1:18–32), the general depravity of humanity (Romans 2:1–3:31), the comprehensive significance of Adam and Christ for humanity (Romans 5:12–21), and the cosmic reach of the work of the Spirit (Romans 8:18–21), and he concludes with a thanksgiving for the universal love of God that will overcome all negative powers (Romans 8:37–39). This section of the letter to a church in the centre of the Roman Empire speaks about the significance of the gospel for the future of the world.

The letter does fit Paul’s acknowledgment that the faith of his readers is blooming (Romans 1:8; Romans 15:14) and his own resolve to especially offer spiritual support to the church (Romans 1:11; Romans 15:15–16). In that case, the purpose of the letter is now nothing other than to let the readers see how the apostle describes the depths of the gospel. But that description is coloured by the position of the addressees. Hence, we can characterize Romans 1:18–8:39 as an elaboration about the gospel to strengthen the readers in their specific situation.

In this way it is understandable that Paul does not insert a clear break between the address of the letter and his personal remarks that belong to it on the one hand (Romans 1:1–17) and the rest of the letter on the other hand. His writing is actually one continuous whole, in which he slowly elaborates about the gospel, which is his focus (Romans 1:1–4, Romans 1:16–17). One topic leads to another. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel, for it is a power to salvation (Romans 1:16–17). Without much in the way of transition, Paul slides over into a discussion of the necessity for this salvation, because God’s wrath is active (Romans 1:18–32) and extends to all people (Romans 2:1–3:20). From that point he returns to the idea of salvation through faith (Romans 3:21–30) and then he finds a new point of departure in the word faith for Romans 4:1–5:21. This elaboration leads to the central significance of Christ and that is the point that the apostle explores in depth in Romans 6:1–7:25. Because it is the Spirit who effects incorporation into Christ, it stands to reason that the apostle writes in greater detail about the meaning of his work in Romans 8:1–39. And in so doing, Paul returns there to the Spirit of holiness of whom he spoke in Romans 1:4.

What is the purpose of this penetrating mediation about the gospel? Paul wants to use it to confirm the identity of the Gentile Christian church in Rome. Because this is his motive, it is understandable that in Romans 9:1–11:36 he discusses the contrasting movement: what is the identity of Israel and how does it affect the identity of the Gentile Christians in Rome?

In a less formal way, but with more reference to the contents, Paul discusses this identity in Romans 12:1–15:33a. There Paul outlines the manner in which the new church must be a spiritual sacrifice for Israel’s God.¹