Worldview on the Book of Romans 1-8

Worldview on the Book Of Romans 1-8

Setting out to write the Book of Romans, Paul was convicted of some issues in Rome and the world at large that needed to be addressed and put to light. As he starts the book, Paul indicates that he has all along longed to visit Rome and talk to the Gentiles there as he has done with gentiles from other regions, but somehow he has been stopped continuously. This is an indication that there ere pressing issues that Paul would have loved to go alone and address in the Roman church at the time and make straight. It is these challenges that will form the central discussion in this worldview and will be categorized as 1). Natural world, 2) Human Identity, 3) Human relationship and 4) Culture.

Natural world

In the very first chapter, Paul depicts Rome as a place where there abounds Godlessness and a lot of wickedness taking place in the city as well as suppression of the truth. He describes the hearts of the people there as darkened and people who worship the images instead of the immortal God. He depicts Rome as a place where sexual perversions abound and the dwellers have departed from the focus on the wisdom from God but rely on their own ways and knowledge. The temples are also seen to be full of Roman gods that take the shape of human, birds and reptiles instead of the worship of the Lord God. This is a direct reflection of what happens in the current society where science and philosophy has effectively replaced the thirst for God. The empiricists insist on deconstructing God and replacing Him with other phantom ideas. The sexual perversions through the media and internet has reached unimaginable levels and just as it was in the Roman city during the time Paul was writing this letter, the preachers of the word of God are needed to help the generation.

Human identity

Paul gives the people, both Jews and Gentiles, one identity, that of people who have sinned and need redemption. He is clear that whether the group had the law as was the case with the Jews or did not have it as was the case with the Gentiles (Romans 2:12-16 and Roman 3:23), all mankind have sinned against God and as a matter of fact, the yardstick that would be used on the Jews who had the law all along would be a harsher one than that used on the Gentiles. On this, Paul further indicates that relying on the law for spiritual guidance is like being led by a blind person and also the physical identities that people cling to like circumcision are all in vain since it is only the grace by which all mankind is saved that counts. Paul further urges people to alter their identity from the heart, not physical acts like that was used to prescribe identity as a Jew or Gentile. This, I believe, was used by Paul to break down the identity barriers that would exist even today within the society, with the tribes, races, color, origins and even professions being issues that seem to divide the society. Paul melts down these barriers and brings in the single identity of belonging to Jesus Christ as the only identity that really matters and that should bind the Christian fraternity and humanity. This is the identity that makes us redeemed and free from sin since God hates sin and would like to redeem his people, as was the case with Romans who wanted redemption from sin and unworthy identity.

Human Relationships

The human relationship and need for that relationship is first depicted in Genesis with Adam being seen by God to be alone and God finding it not fit for man to be alone, hence giving him a companion in the name of Eve (Genesis 2:18). Since then, man has always needed the company of another. It was no different in the Roman times where Paul saw that there need to be no divisions among the Gentiles and the Jews, they needed to be united by faith in Christ and live under the same standards, in unity and not division. In Romans 4, Paul draws a Biblical parallel from the lineage of Abraham and the fact that Abraham was a unifying figure, the father of all nations and he was justified by faith. Paul calls all people to unite under the banner of the faith through which Abraham their forefather was justified and live in unity and one identity as the children of God. Further, in Romans 5, Paul emphasizes that all human beings shared death through the sin of Adam and now had life through one Jesus Christ. These were enough examples that indicated to the Jews an Gentiles alike that they had more common origins than the few things and practices that separated them. Hence, they needed to like in harmony and peace and with a common purpose and in righteousness (Romans 6:15-23). These same yardsticks need to be applied in the contemporary society, the wars and wrangles are all caused by the division in opinion and ideologies, yet no nation, no society, no community takes time to reflect on the common ancestry, the unifying figures, the unifying history that they have and live together as one.

Culture