Narrative Theology and Paul’s Letter to the Romans

I welcome critiques and thoughts. I hope to do further study in this area in the future.

With that being said, there are many areas left unexplored and undeveloped.  Some of them are vitally important to this effort to read Romans in a way that is faithful to the text and sensitive to the underlying concerns of Paul.

1. Work needs to be done on how particularly the underlying narrative of Romans is decidedly Trinitarian. 
2. I hinted at several times the way in which Romans should be read as the community of faith.  Along with integrating the narrative with the Trinity, the basis for community in the Trinity should be explored in Romans.
3. The missional theme of Paul’s life should be explored along with the missional nature of the entire Biblical story. 

Those three points could have been developed more in my study, however, this is merely a preliminary exploration into this area.  The model suggested by the diagram above should provide a foundation to build from, so that further study can be done to understand how Romans aids the church in fulfilling her role in the missional story of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

The main biblical narrative underlying Paul’s thought.

1. The Trinitarian overtones of the biblical narrative.
2. The Old Testament sub-narratives that enrich the main narrative.
3. The personal narrative of Paul’s conversion and ministry.
4. The personal narrative that documents the formation of the Roman community.
5. The ultimate global concern of the narrative as lived out by Paul.

I will argue that all six of these features are clear in the first 8 verses, and that they provide us with a “model” for reading the rest of the book with narrative concerns in mind. As I work through the five features, it is important to remember that they are all woven together, not separately stated. They work together to provide a beautiful picture of the story of the Bible that changed Paul, changed the Roman believers, and will ultimately change the world.

The Main Biblical Narrative

Driving Paul’s thinking in the first 8 verses is the Christocentric narrative of the Scriptures. This doesn’t mean that Paul includes every major movement of the Biblical narrative in these verses. But it does mean that Paul has the mainline narrative Scripture girding up his opening thoughts. Consider the following features of the verses:

• Verse 2 sets the gospel in terms of the big picture of promise/fulfillment: “which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.”
• Verses 3 and 4 deal with the coming of Christ, both his incarnation and his resurrection, which brings about redemption for the people of God.
• Verse 5 gives a hint of the restoration motif, in that the “obedience of faith” will be going to all the nations. Christ is restoring the whole world, and will one day finally bring about the new creation, in which everyone will confess Him as Lord.

Obviously nothing in these verses is said about creation or the fall specifically. But what is being argued is that underlying all of Paul’s thought is the main story. And everything in a story is dependent on what happens before it. So when Paul talks about the Son, and David, and the resurrection from the dead, it assumes a beginning to the history in which all this happened, as well as some problem (sin) that happened in the world that Christ came to resolve. So even though not every feature of the mainline story is there, the structure of biblical history is still retained.

The Trinitarian Overtones of the Biblical Narrative

Consider the explicit mentions of the persons of the Trinity in these verses:

• Christ was declared to be the Son of God (so this explicitly refers to the Father and the Son).
• The Spirit of holiness worked in the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

These are very explicit references to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It even reveals to a certain extent how Paul views their respective roles in the outworking of the biblical narrative. For example, it shows (implicitly) that God the Father sent the Son, for He it refers to the promises He made about the coming Savior through the prophets. It also demonstrates that the Spirit is the source of life-giving power, especially through the resurrection of the dead. Verse 6 assumes the work of the Spirit, for it refers to those who are called to be the people of God. The calling of God is through the Spirit, who changes men’s hearts so that they will respond with the “obedience of faith.” The Trinity is thus inextricably intertwined with the story of the Bible which shapes the Christian worldview.

The Old Testament Sub-Narratives Which Enrich the Main Narrative

These 8 verses contain two primary allusions to Old Testament narratives which support the main narrative. Verse 2 talks about the promises being made through the prophets in the Scriptures. That sentence is loaded with meaning for one who has read the Old Testament prophets. The prophets were those who declared the Word of God to His people, who warned of God’s judgment and promised God’s mercy to those who were faithful to the covenant. There is story after story about the prophets, as they struggled with the unfaithfulness of the people, and at times, their own hearts. Yet they all proclaimed the mercy and faithfulness of God even in the most difficult times. This mirrors the main story of Scripture, for God is working in the world to save His people, bringing it ultimately to the restoration of all things. But it localizes the big story in specific situations in which servants of God experienced God in their lives.

Verse 3 refers to David being the one from whose line the Christ was to come. David was a main character in the history of God’s people in the Old Testament, and his story abounds with tales and faithfulness and faithlessness. This one who committed adultery was the one who established the kingdom of God, and whose kingdom the Christ was to inherit forever. David was moved by the promise of the biblical narrative, for he expected a descendant who would right everything that went wrong in his life and kingdom. He experienced God in a powerful way. This story, which is assumed in Paul’s prologue, also helps to localize the big story of Scripture.

It is important to realize that the big story is not an up-in-the-clouds kind of story. Graeme Goldworthy says,

Since the Bible does not consist of a lot of abstract ideas or philosophical thoughts, but rather emphasizes the acts of God within creation and in history, it is necessary for biblical theology to avoid the merely abstract and to concentrate on the actual events and their interpretation as given in the Bible.[1]

So when one reads Romans (both the whole book, and the prologue specifically), it important to see that this big, wonderful narrative happened in the lives of real people, emphasizing the “acts of God within creation and in history.” That is where the power of these verses lies—everything that Paul says is rooted in a story that makes sense of all of history because it really happened in history.

The Personal Narrative of Paul’s Conversion and Ministry

As is typical of Paul in the prologues to his letters, he describes himself as a servant of Christ who was called to be an apostle by the grace of God, in order that he could bring about the “obedience of faith” in the nations. Paul realizes (as he does in Galatians 1) that he was set apart for the gospel of God. His own salvation is recorded in Acts 9, and that story shapes his thinking, which is demonstrated in his letters. Further, the book of Acts chronicles how God called Paul to be an apostle and to take the gospel to the nations, and that sense of identity that Paul has in his calling further shapes his letter. The biblical story deeply confronted Paul on the Damascus road, and his calling in life from that point on was to bring the biblical narrative to others. So not only does the narrative of the Scriptures gird up Paul’s writing, but his own experience shapes it. This further strengthens the reality that the biblical story works in actual history, changing the lives of real people.

The Personal Narrative of the Roman Community of Faith

While no details are given as to how the believers in Rome came to faith, underlying Paul’s letter is the understanding that the believers were changed by the Spirit (being called to belong to Christ). There is a story behind their formation as the community of faith at Rome. Paul knew that story, and he writes to them as a community of people changed by the Spirit of God for the mission of God in the world. Again, this shows that the biblical narrative is not a series of abstract principles, but a living story that takes place within human history.

The Ultimate Global Concern of the Narrative

Paul understood that the story was always meant to go to the ends of the earth. His particular calling as an apostle was to take the story of Christ to where he had not yet bee named (15:20). This global concern is fundamental to his understanding of the biblical narrative. The story of the Scriptures is one of God’s mission in the world. God created the world perfectly, but it fell and He promised redemption in His Son, which changes the lives of people by the Spirit. This story is missional in nature, and the mission is global, looking forward to the time when all the nations will confess Christ as Lord.

Searching for Integration

I would suggest that the above understanding of the first 8 verses can provide a model for working through the rest of the book of Romans. If Paul is writing with the big narrative (which is ultimately a global narrative), the sub-narratives, his own narrative, and the Romans’ narrative in mind, then we should expect to see those features underlying the whole book. The following diagram helps to explain how all of what was presented above can work together as a model for the rest of the book.

At the heart of the prologue (and the whole letter) is the main biblical story. This roots all of Paul’s teaching in reality and in the power of God. This story radically changed the course of Paul’s life, and his experience of the risen Christ shapes his thoughts in the letter as well. Paul’s letter is also thoroughly community-minded, for he writes to the Roman believers with the story of their coming to faith being foundational to his letter to them. All of this is rooted in Paul’s mission in life: the expansion of the Lordship of Christ to the whole world. So when one reads the book of Romans, these “narrative circles” can provide a model for understanding. The big story shapes everything, but it comes to life as it is experienced by Paul and other believers.

I would like to suggest further that not only does this provide a sound framework for understanding Romans, but it also gives a sober call for the community of faith in the 21^st century to embrace its calling in the world. James Smith says, “Crucial for our discipleship and formation is being able to write ourselves into the story of God’s redeeming action in the world—being able to find our role in the play, our character in the story.”[2] With the above model in mind, Smith’s words are helpful, because they urge the community of faith in the 21^st Century to “write itself into God’s story,” which means taking part in God’s mission. The community of faith, in its worship and teaching, is centered around the biblical story, but this story has come to its own communal life, and sends it out to embrace the mission of God in the world. So the church must be involved in the expansion of the gospel to all the nations, because that is its place in the biblical story.

[1] According to Plan, 77.

[2] Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?, 75.

Sub-Narratives in Romans

The sub-narratives in Romans can be divided into two categories: Old Testament stories, and the personal stories (which include two sub-categories, the stories of Paul and of the Roman community of faith). These two categories can be observed even in the first 8 verses of the letter. I will be examining the beginning of the book in my next post, but suffice it to note here several features. One, Paul relates part of his own narrative, how he was called by Christ to be an apostle to be a witness to the nations (a typical epistolary feature for Paul’s writing). Two, he relates some of the big-picture story of the Bible, that Jesus came in the flesh, but was the Son of God, and died and rose from the dead. Three, the Trinity is interwoven throughout the verses, referring to God who sent His Son, and the Spirit of holiness. Four, the narrative of Paul’s witness to the Roman believers is assumed as he refers to their community of faith. Because Paul is writing a letter to the Romans, there is a great deal of narrative background that must be assumed in order to understand what he is talking about. Indeed, the full impact of the letter on the Roman community of believers can only be felt when one realizes that Paul is writing to them with the story that changed their lives in mind, and he is writing to them as their friend, brother, and spiritual mentor, because of the story played out in history in which God used Paul as his witness to those people who are now formed into a community of faith that is called to be like Christ.

Old Testament Stories that Support the Main Underlying Narrative

In this section I am simply going to catalogue the OT stories that jump out from the text when one reads it with narrative in mind. The references cited are not meant to indicate that it is simply the one verse that suggests an underlying OT story, for often Paul goes on extended discourses that require understanding of a particular OT narrative. I will include the mainline narrative that was already discussed in the last post. This list is not exhaustive. Paul is so thoroughly biblical—meaning that he is grounded in the stories and teaching of the Old Testament—that his letters ooze with the Old Testament (the 16 uses of “it is written” alone would be enough to indicate this).

• 1.3 David and his royal line leading to Christ
• 1.20 The creation narrative in Genesis 1-2
• 2.12 The law given to the Jews in the Old Testament (especially through Moses)
• 2.25 Circumcision, especially the narrative of God’s covenant of circumcision with Abraham in Genesis 17
• 3.23 The Fall narrative of Genesis 3
• 3.24 The redemption narrative that starts at Genesis 3:15
• 4 The faith of Abraham narrative in Genesis 12-22
• 5 The Fall narrative of Genesis 3 (and correlation with the redemption narrative that starts in Genesis 3 by interrelating the first and last Adam)
• 7 Law narrative (provides background for Paul’s discussion of the struggle with doing right when one’s heart is evil)
• 8:19 Creation and Fall narrative of Genesis 1-3
• 8:23 Restoration narrative that is a theme throughout the OT
• 8.26-30  Pre-creation narrative of Triune intention to save
• 9:1 The narrative of the Israelites leading to the birth of Christ
• 9:6 Abraham and Isaac narrative from Genesis 17, 21 and following
• 9:10 Jacob and Esau narrative from Genesis 25 and following
• 10:21 The recurring theme in the OT of the Israelites breaking covenant with God
• 11.1-4  The Elijah narrative
• 11:17 The narrative of God’s building of his covenant people through the symbol of an olive tree
• 15:8 The expectation of the OT regarding the salvation of the Gentiles (expected narrative in promise/shadow form)
• 16:25 Reflects the big narrative of promising Christ, who finally came

It is important to not simply view the underlying sub-narratives as background information. They are more than that—they are the acts of God in history that reveal Himself to His people. Thus the sub-narratives give the divine context of the big narrative. The biblical story—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration—was (and is) acted out in space and time, through the covenants with Adam, with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, with Moses, with the nation of Israel, with David, and through the deliverance God provided for his people continually. This then further reinforces the understanding that the truth of the book of Romans is rooted not in timeless propositional statements, but rather in the reality of God’s revealing of himself in history through the biblical narrative.

Personal Narratives in the Book of Romans

What I am calling the “personal narratives” in the book of Romans includes both the story of Paul’s conversion and ministry and the conversion and life of the community of faith in Rome. The first 8 verses contain the underlying conversion and call narrative of Paul, as well as the calling of the Roman believers. However, this continues throughout the book. What follows is another listing of these personal sub-narratives, though again, it is not an exhaustive list.

• 1.1 Paul’s conversion and calling to apostleship
• 1.5 Paul’s call to preach the gospel to the nations
• 1.6 The Roman believers were called to be God’s people
• 1.8f Paul’s desire to travel to see the Roman community
• 12.3-13 Narrative of life in the community
• 13.1 Representation of how the Christian community’s story should play out in relation to government
• 15.22 Paul’s personal travel narrative, with his desire to travel by Rome on the way to Spain
• 16.3-16 So many stories of individuals who came into contact with Paul (by name)
• 16.17 Stories of division in the body by divisive people
• 16.21-23 More stories relating to individual people

So not only is there a host of OT allusions that enrich our understanding of the biblical story, but there are personal stories that shed light on how the biblical story crashed into the stories of individual people and communities. To know the stories of every person mentioned in chapter 16 would be a wonderful testimony of the working of the grace of God in history. The biblical story is not something that relates only to “biblical” figures (which for the NT believers would have been the OT saints). The biblical story includes the present aspect of the story, which is the building of the church of Jesus Christ. And the biblical story is truly experienced when the old man is put to death, and the new man in the image of Christ is built up in one who has trusted in Jesus.

Narrative vs Propositional Knowledge

As I said in my last post, I’ve done some initial study of Romans with a narrative rather than a propositional structure in mind. I’m going to relate my findings here, but first, I want to briefly deal with “narrative truth” as it is talked about in Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?

Here is an extended quote from Smith’s book:

First, narrative is a more fully orbed means of communication (and hence revelation), activating the imagination and involving the whole person in a concrete world where God’s story unfolds. Second, Christian faith-unlike almost any other world religion (with the exception of Judaism)—is not a religion simply of ideas that have been collected. The faith is inextricably linked to the events and story of God’s redemptive action in the world: Christian faith rests on the work can only be properly proclaimed by being narrated, by telling a story. The notion of reducing Christian faith to four spiritual laws signals a deep capitulation to scientific knowledge, whereas postmodernism signals the recovery of narrative knowledge and should entail a more robust, unapologetic proclamation of the story of God in Christ. This is why the Scriptures must remain central for the postmodern church, for it is precisely the story of the canon of Scripture that narrates our faith.

Several important thoughts arise from this passage for a narrative, contemporary reading of Romans. First, the problem with reading Romans as a set of propositions that are true is not that true propositions are lacking in Romans. Paul makes propositionally true statements in Romans. He would have agreed to the proposition, “Man is only justified by faith in Jesus Christ.” No one is denying that Paul believed in true propositions. Second, the “recovery of narrative knowledge” is a powerful statement regarding the underlying basis of Romans. For example, a simple statement such as “God is love” really has very little meaning for us without the narrative framework provided by the biblical narrative. Any number of religions could say that God is love. The proposition is not distinctively Christian. But when it is set in the context, not of more propositions (though there are more propositions that are true about the Christian faith) of the divine acts in history that give shape to our belief and view of life, then the real meaning of the covenant love and faithfulness of God to his people through his Son by the power of His Spirit is evident. This same sort of idea can then be applied to a narrative reading of Romans.

Let me clarify one point before moving into a brief perusal of the main underlying narrative in Romans. It would be a stretch to say that Paul bases his entire epistle around the chronological sequence of the Biblical narrative. He doesn’t move fluidly through the book of Genesis and then into the judges and kings and prophets and so on. He is writing a letter to the community of faith at Rome, and as such, has many things that he wishes to tell them that relate to their specific circumstances. The opening presents his personalized greeting to them, and in Chapter 16 he refers to many people by name. He’s not developing the biblical narrative per se. But what I am suggesting is that underneath everything that Paul says is the assumption of the Judeo-Christian worldview and narrative, which roots everything that he says in truth and reality, rather than in the abstract realm of ideas.

Creation–The Beginning of the Biblical Story

In terms of the biblical story, creation out of necessity comes first. Genesis 1 and 2 narrates the story of creation. This is the beginning of the drama that will be played out throughout the pages of Scripture. This biblical-theological narrative theme underlies the book of Romans at more than one point. In chapter 1, Paul is dealing with the ungodliness that was going on at the time. He roots everything that he says in creation in verses 19-20, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” While Paul is not in these few verses trying to structure the entire beginning of his letter around the creation story, it does provide the basis for what he is saying.

And it does not provide the basis in a modernistic, rationalistic way, appealing to some abstract truth about creation. Rather, Paul appeals to the very “things that have been made.” The story of Genesis 1 colorfully illustrates the beauty of the creative act of God in history—the birds, the trees, the flowers, the land animals, and most of all, man, both male and female. Paul further notes about those people who are wrapped up in wickedness, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” Again, while certainly we can learn propositionally about the imago dei from this passage, what is it that grounds this verse in reality? Is it not that God in creation, breathed man into existence in order to have a relationship with a creature that is in His image? The creation narrative that underlies this brief mention of creation in Paul’s letter is highly relational rather than propositional.

Fall–The Biblical Story Encounters Tension

Chapter 1 also has the underlying fall narrative in view, for it refers to the effects of the fall that continue up to the present day. The well-known 3:23 also evidences this, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” However, chapter 5 especially shows that Paul has the biblical narrative in mind as his starting point for his letter. Verses 12-14 say,

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

Clearly the fall narrative of Genesis 3 is in view here. Paul isn’t simply explaining propositions here (though there are propositions in there). He is placing the gospel experience of the Roman believers in light of the biblical story which relates the fall of man, specifically Adam.

Redemption–Resolution is found in Christ

Redemption is clearly evident in the book of Romans. Paul spends a great deal of time addressing the redemption in Christ. In fact, shortly after addressing the Fall/sin in chapter 3, he moves to the justification achieved for us by the grace of Christ. In Chapter 5 he expands greatly on the way that we have life through Christ. He places the work of Christ in the context of the biblical story though, by relating it back to the Fall narrative—“as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.” This teaches the great narrative of the Bible so well—Genesis 1, God made a perfect creation. In Genesis 3, man fell, and with him the whole creation suffered the effects of sin. From Genesis 3 to Christ, the promise of redemption by the Messiah is consistently interwoven throughout Biblical history. Paul has this story at the heart of everything that he says, from talking about Abraham in Chapter 4 (who is the patriarch that is promised the Seed which will bring blessing to the nations) to dealing with the law, which covered a long period of Biblical history, and finally to Christ, who brought forgiveness to those whose sins God had passed over. Paul is not talking about justification by faith or any other doctrine in Romans in a vacuum. He talks about everything with the reality of the Biblical story in mind.

Restoration–History is Going Somewhere

In Romans 8, Paul addresses the restoration of the creation. Verses 18-23 say,

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

These verses reflect the creation, fall, and ultimate restoration of the world. This passage is demonstrates what is so important to the Biblical worldview/narrative—a linear view of history. God created the world, and He is directing it to a certain point, when he will restore all things. While the coming of Christ brought forgiveness and freedom from sin, God is doing more than just that. God is bringing the whole world to completion, to the praise of His glory.

Recap

The above could be considered a simple sketch of the Biblical narrative—creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. It is the model suggested especially by Reformed thinkers such as Vos and Schaeffer. It represents not propositions, but movements in the story of the Bible; not logical syllogisms (though Paul is a very logical and reasoned teacher), but the acts of God in history.

To perhaps clear up what exactly I intend to communicate by all of the above, let me ask a questions. What would be your impression of Romans if you were not Christian, had basically no familiarity with the Bible, and were simply trying to read and understand what Paul was saying to the Roman Christians? While I am not able to so strip myself of my presuppositions, upbringing, and tradition, I believe that it would not be unfair to suggest the following: one would realize that in order to understand what Paul is saying, he or she must understand something that lies barely underneath everything that Paul says, namely, the biblical narrative which reveals the work of God in history. When Paul talks about creation, you would have to go back to the Old Testament to understand what that is talking about, for the Biblical account of creation is very different than that proposed by other worldviews. When Paul talks about sin, the question naturally arises, where did sin come from? Usually that is regarded as a philosophical question (and it should be discussed on that level for specific purposes), but in reality, it is a question of story. What is the story behind all of that? Go back to Genesis 3 and find out. What is with the Israelites and Abraham? Go back and read the biblical story. What’s this about Jesus? God back to the gospels and read the stories about Jesus? Who is this Paul guy anyway? Go back and read in the book of Acts the story of how the church expanded. What is the restoration that is spoken about? Go and read the story that John tells in the last part of Revelation. Romans is rooted in stories, and above all, the story. It shaped everything that Paul talked about. He wasn’t writing a work of (historical) fiction; Paul was writing a letter to the Roman believers. But underneath all of his talk about creation and the fall and redemption and restoration is a grand drama that resonates with us because it is really our story as well.

What is (hopefully) noticeably missing from this post? Almost any mention of the Trinity. This is a problem for sure, because the Biblical narrative is at its heart a Trinitarian narrative. Unfortunately, I was not able yet to integrate that into this post. A few posts down the road I will hopefully put the underlying narrative of Romans in the context of the Trinity.

• Paul is a follower of Jesus writing a letter to the community of Jesus’ followers in Rome.
• Paul drenches his thought with the Old Testament, both in allusions and citations.
• Paul writes in light of his experience of the risen Christ to people who have also been changed by Him.
• Paul isn’t writing a theology textbook–he is relating the communication of God to his people.

These are my initial impressions of Romans after reading it with community and narrative concerns in mind.  Following this will be posts dealing with three topics.  First, the underlying, big-picture narrative in Romans.  Second, the smaller underlying narratives that enrich the bigger one.  Third, seeing the big-picture and the smaller picture in the first 8 verses of the book.

I will cite a particuarly compelling quote that causes one to reflect on the nature of the church and the role that postmodernity may have in recalling the church to its God-ordained position as a missional community of people who are being transformed together for the glory of God.

Conceiving of Christian faith as a private affair betweent he individual and God–a matter of my asking Jesus to “come into my heart”–modern evangelicalism finds it hard to articulate just how or why the church has any role to play other than providing a place to fellowship with other individuals who have a private relationship with God. With this model in place, what matters is Christianity as a system of truth or ideas, not the church as a living community embodying its head. Modern Christianity tends to think of the church either as a place where individuals come to find answers to their questions or as one more stop where individuals can try to satisfy their consumerist desires. As such, Christianity becomes intellectualized rather than incarnate, commodified rather than the site of genuine community. (page 29)

Hopefully Smith will flesh out exactly how this relates the ideas of postmodernity, so that I can better see how Romans can be read more beneficially for today. Additionally, as it relates to my first post on starting points, it is important to note how the above ideas would affect not just our communal living, but our communal reading of Scripture. If church is more than just a place for individuals to satisfy their consumerist desires, then perhaps Scripture is more than just a book to get self-help from. Perhaps it can be read for what is: the revelation of the Triune God to men of Christ through the power of the Spirit.

But what was Paul’s starting point?

Perhaps this question will shove us further in the right direction as we read the book of Romans. What did Paul presuppose or assume as he wrote the letter to the Romans? What guided his thinking? Was it a set of orthodox propositions? Paul obviously makes clear propositional claims about theological matters. For example, “the just shall live by faith,” and “the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.” He rationally explains justification, sanctification, and many other doctrines. What lies underneath all of this? How can we discover the answer to this question?

The way that I will attempt to answer this question is to read Romans in one sitting, and observe what underlies all of his teaching in the book. If I was a non-Christian, with no conception of Christian orthodoxy, would a certain narrative or worldview become clear in Paul’s letter? This is what I will try to observe: is there an underlying narrative or worldview in the book of Romans. Once this has been done, an expanded answer can be given as to what our starting point is as we read Romans.