Romans 3.1-8: Developments from Sandlay & Headlam

Romans 3.1-8, more from Sandlay and Headlam.

Observations:

1. The epistle’s characteristic is to imagine an objector and respondent, a plaintiff and defendant, be they actual or imagined. It’s rather Socratic, if not rabbinic. Paul plies his own position with question and provides answers. S & H propose imagined plaintiffs, although we believe these were questions long entertained by St. Paul himself and/or encountered in real life.

2. S & H offer only five passages. We bring forward additional passages. We will colour the questions.

a. Romans 3.1-4: Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

b. Romans 4.1-3: What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

c. Romans 4.9-10: Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

d. Romans 6.1-4: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as) Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in) newness of life.

e. Romans 6.15-19: What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

f. Romans 7.7ff.: What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet."

g. Romans 9.14-15: What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.

h. Romans 9.19-23: You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

i. Romans 9. 30-32: What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone,

j. Romans 10.8-9: But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

k. Romans 10.14-16: How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel.

l. Romans 10. 18-19: But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world." But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry."

m. Romans 11.1-5: I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? "Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." But what is God’s reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.

n. Romans 11.7-8: What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day."

o. Romans 11.11-12: So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

p. Romans 11.15-16: For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Correlations:

1. Comparison with other Pauline epistles and well as Jesus’ teaching methods: parables and direct discourse.

2. Studies in logic.

Interpretation:

Paul uses an interrogative method with declarations of his own throughout, at least, Romans 3-11.

It has been said that a good litigator understands his opponents arguments; if the litigator misrepresents the opponent’s claims, he is viewed either as lazy or dishonest; his reputation goes down. However, if a litigator fairly represents his opponents arguments and answers their points, he is diligent and the case will be weighed on the merits (ideal); at least he will gain a good reputation for honesty.

Application:

1. Pay much more attention to Paul’s method hereafter.

2. Pay attention to the other epistles during daily and evening lections or readings.Pay attention to Paul’s use of Scripture. He nowhere quotes rabbinic or apocryphal sources, but uses the Old Testament. A model for all Churchmen; pay attention to this in other epistles.