1:1 Paul begins with an opening typical of a Hellenistic letter in his era: he gives his name. But his self-description is not typical. In his other NT letters he calls himself a servant (Gk. doulos) only in Philippians 1:1 (along with Timothy: “servants of Christ Jesus”) and Titus 1:1 (“a servant of God”). He defines his servant status here with two other qualifiers:

(1) He is “called to be an apostle.” This links him with the Eleven Jesus chose (supplemented by Judas’s replacement, Matthias; Acts 1:26). Paul’s selection is recounted in Acts 9:1–19. An apostle represents not himself but the one who enlists him; in that sense Paul is Jesus’ servant, not an agent promoting his own agenda.

(2) He is “set apart for the gospel of God.” He is the custodian and proclaimer of “good news” from and about God. That good news is described over the next few verses.

1:2 This verse reveals that the foundation for the good news Paul bears is laid in the OT Scriptures. Trained under the rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), Paul knows those writings well. Through the prophets (like Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, and the rest) who authored them, God made promises many centuries in advance. Paul’s Jewish heritage includes a veneration of God’s Word written (cf. Rom. 3:1–2), often summarized with the term “law.” The righteous person is one whose “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:2). Paul calls these Scriptures “holy” because they are unique, inspired by God (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16–17) like no other documents in the annals of human history. They are also unique in their function: they tell a true story that points to the redemption of a sinful world by a figure named in Romans 1:3.

1:3 God’s “Son” is the “Christ Jesus” named in verse 1. God’s promised and now fulfilled good news has its focal point in him. Jesus’ sonship is a reminder that the God behind Paul’s gospel is a relational being. He is not simply omnipotent (having all power) and omniscient (having all knowledge). He is also a God of compassion and personal connection, as those who come to know him for themselves discover. Jesus taught his disciples to pray to God using the words “our Father” (Matt. 6:9). He addressed God as “Father” with such regularity and pathos that he was accused of blasphemy for it (John 5:18). Later Paul will refer to God as “Abba” (Rom. 8:15; cf. Gal. 4:6), pointing to the relational warmth for those who know God. The fact that Jesus is God’s “Son” supports the inference that followers of Jesus likewise qualify to be called “children of God” (Rom. 8:16, 21).

Jesus descends not only from a heavenly but also from an earthly heritage: he is a descendant of David, a central OT figure. Both Gospel genealogies highlight this connection (Matt. 1:1, 6; Luke 3:31). Late in his ministry Paul exhorts Timothy, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel” (2 Tim. 2:8). Because Jesus fulfills promises made to David (e.g., 2 Sam. 7:12) and is frequently referred to as the “son of David” in the Gospels (ten times in Matthew’s Gospel alone), Paul views his human ancestry (“according to the flesh”) as significant.

1:4 This verse extends Paul’s explanation of God’s “gospel” (v. 1) to include Jesus’ resurrection “from the dead” (lit., “from among the dead [people]”). It is human destiny to die; the English poet A. C. Swinburne (1837–1909) lamented that time turns those we love into corpses—and us too. But Jesus is called the “firstborn among many brothers” (8:29): he has led the way in conquering death (5:17, 21). This remarkable miraculous truth is how God “declared” him “to be the Son of God in power,” which could also be rendered “powerfully declared [him] to be the Son of God.”

Either way, in Jesus’ resurrection God has made a statement. And not only God the Father who raised him (Gal. 1:1): Jesus’ transition from death to life was “according to the Spirit of holiness” (for “holiness” in Paul, cf. 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 3:13). Jesus’ life-out-of-death means that believers in him can likewise at the present time experience transformed lives in their “mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in” them (Rom. 8:11). Behind this wonder is the “Spirit of holiness,” meaning the Spirit who is holy and through the gospel unites believers with the one who died and rose on their behalf. They can truly call him “Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1:5 Through Jesus the Lord (v. 4), Paul has received a gift (or “grace”) of being Christ’s apostle. “We” most likely refers to Paul and others like him chosen by Jesus for apostolic service. It includes the Roman readers to the extent they recognize the truth and authority of Paul and the message he bears. But it is the apostles, not all believers then or since, who receive the particular “grace” Paul has17 to serve as an apostle with the unique insight and responsibility he bears (see esp. Eph. 3:8–10).

God’s gift to Paul has a goal: “to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.” This goal involves a what, a why, and a where.

As for the what, Paul’s apostolic service is (God-)intended to result in obedience. Doctoral dissertations have been written on what “the obedience of faith” means. Two things can be said for sure in brief: (1) True faith in Christ results in obedience to God’s will as Christ and the Scriptures reveal it. Jesus puts it this way: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Living belief in Jesus results in obedience to him—believing obedience. (2) The Christian faith affirms certain things (like Christ’s bodily resurrection) and denies others (like the claim that Jesus is not the only way to salvation). Saving faith is faith that affirms what is in accordance with “the” faith. This means “obedience to the faith” (KJV, NKJV).

As for the why, “for the sake of his name” means under Jesus’ authority and in accordance with his will. Paul does not peddle the gospel for profit (2 Cor. 2:17) but proclaims it because the risen Christ claimed his life for this purpose (Acts 9:15–16). He preaches and teaches for Christ’s sake, not his own.

As for the where, Paul’s mandate is to take the gospel as the Holy Spirit provides and guides (Rom. 15:16, 19; Acts 13:2, 4; 16:6), wherever there are Gentiles to hear the message—the meaning of “among all the nations.” Jesus said to take the gospel to them (Matt. 28:19), and Paul’s life has already been devoted to that task for over twenty years by the time he writes Romans.

1:6 For the first time Paul addresses his readers. “Including you” means they are among the “nations” or Gentiles to whom verse 5 refers. While there may well have been Jewish converts to Christian belief in Rome’s churches, Paul here seems to assume that his readers are mainly Gentile.

“Called” identifies them as persons summoned by God to believe in Christ, like Paul was “called to be an apostle” (v. 1). Paul views believers in Jesus as “called according to [God’s] purpose” (8:28). “To belong to Jesus Christ” describes the purpose of their call: to be worshipers and servants of the Son of God (1:3), Jesus Christ the Lord (v. 4), through faith.

1:7 Paul finally gives full and formal recognition of his readers. As to geography, they are “in Rome.” As to status in God’s eyes, they are “loved by” him. Later Paul gives definition to that love: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8). Because they have believed the gospel message, through faith they can be assured of God’s love for them. There is no “and” in the original after “loved by God”; “called to be saints” may be saying the same thing from another angle. God’s call and his love are deeply intertwined.

Paul’s greeting, “Grace to you and peace,” is not a standard feature of Hellenistic letters. The word “grace” appears twenty-one times in Romans and “peace” ten times.18 While both words have a range of meanings, “grace” may be taken here to refer to God’s merciful willingness to save sinful beings, while “peace” refers to the state and life of blessedness they enjoy as a result of receiving his grace.

Grace and peace are not Paul’s idle wish but God’s promise through his Son, announced in the gospel. For this reason, and because he is an apostle sent on Christ’s behalf, Paul confirms that this twofold favor is “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul writes not from merely human conviction but with a sense of divine authorization. Behind what he writes is God the Father as well as Jesus Christ, who like the Father is called Lord.

1:8 Paul’s thanks is “through Jesus Christ” because no one, not even an apostle, has direct access to God except through a mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). Already at this early stage of the spread of the gospel message the faith of the Christians at Rome is echoing “in all the world,” which means, first, across the Roman Empire. That empire extended from present-day Great Britain, south across North Africa, east to Parthia, and north to present-day Germany. Already in Paul’s time, however, the gospel is moving beyond Roman borders to places such as Ethiopia (through a royal aide’s conversion; Acts 8:26–39) and to other locales represented by the language groups present at Pentecost (Acts 2:8–11).

1:9–10 Paul wants the Romans to know that he cares for them and is dedicated to them. He seals this declaration by appealing to God as his witness. He makes the same solemn statement elsewhere (2 Cor. 1:23; Phil. 1:8; 1 Thess. 2:5). He has an acute sense of God’s nearness and oversight of his inner life. Paul’s commitment comes from deep within (“with my spirit”) and springs from his loyalty to the saving gospel message. It is proven in his continual prayer for his readers—people pray for what lies most heavily on their hearts.

The wording of Romans 1:10 implies that Paul has sought to go to Rome in the past (cf. v. 13). But followers of Jesus are taught in the Lord’s Prayer to labor and pray not for their will but for God’s. Paul is hopeful that “by God’s will” he “may now at last succeed in” attaining his goal of meeting the Roman believers and ministering in their midst. Written communication, particularly when bolstered by prayer, can be deeply meaningful. But nothing substitutes for face-to-face relationship (2 Tim. 4:9, 21; see also 2 John 12; 3 John 14).

1:11–12 Paul expresses a twofold motivation. The first involves his wish to “impart . . . some spiritual gift” for his readers’ strengthening. He expresses this wish at the end of Romans too (16:25); it may be taken as a primary purpose of the entire letter. Paul speaks of “gifts” over a dozen times in his writings. In Romans the term sometimes refers to God’s free bestowal of grace through Christ for salvation (5:15; 6:23). Once it refers to the Spirit’s equipping of individuals through bestowing on them particular competencies (12:6).

In either case, Paul’s motivation is not casual: “long to see you” is an expression of deep yearning (see the same use of “long” or “yearn” in 2 Cor. 5:2; 9:14; Phil. 1:8; 2:26; 1 Thess. 3:6; 2 Tim. 1:4). People who come to love God deeply through faith in Christ develop a strong love for people and especially others in the household of the faith (Gal. 6:10), for God’s love is poured into their hearts (Rom. 5:5).

Paul’s wish is not only to give but to receive. His yearning to connect with the Roman believers is a two-way street—he wants to be “mutually encouraged” (1:12). Paul’s gospel message is God-centered and puts no hope in people (3:23). But that does not mean people do not matter. Even an apostle needs encouragement, just as Jesus craved the companionship of friends such as Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (John 11:5), or as he begged Peter and John and James to keep watch and pray with him in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:38). Deep dependence on God builds strong and healthy interdependencies among God’s people. Paul writes not as a high-handed or elevated apostle but as a coworker in a movement in which all parties thrive best on each other’s support.

1:13–15 Paul continues his expression of gratitude. Because of the Romans’ world-renowned faith (v. 8), Paul has “often intended to come” to Rome (v. 13). Apparently, forces and circumstances and God’s own will have intervened, so that as Paul writes he has still been “prevented” from visiting Rome. Yet he keeps alive the intention of reaping “some harvest among” them as he has “among the rest of the Gentiles.” Paul could have in mind the large city of Ephesus, where he has recently spent three years, Macedonia and Achaia, whose contribution to the poor in Judea Paul is carrying (15:26), or the whole vast stretch of terrain “from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum” (15:19), where he has preached the gospel over the previous decade and more, in some places repeatedly.

The “harvest” (1:13) Paul hopes to reap in Rome involves the gospel message he is eager to share when he arrives (v. 15). In Greek, the word order in verse 14 lays stress on the diversity of the Roman audience Paul envisions—they may be cultured (by Hellenistic definition) or from distant or despised ethnicities (“barbarians”). They may possess real or imagined wisdom. Or they may count as foolish. Whatever the makeup of Paul’s Roman audience, he is “eager to preach the gospel” to them.

Paul places hope in the gospel’s working among the Romans because he regards it as a saving message from the God who says of his word, “It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). Jesus likewise spoke of the fruitfulness of God’s word, even when many misunderstand (Mark 4:1–20). Paul seems confident of a favorable hearing. No wonder he seems unable to conceal his excitement as he anticipates preaching and teaching among those “also who are in Rome” (Rom. 1:15).