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Lee Grey
May 20, 2024

Romans: A Two-Part Gospel Truth

TO FULLY GRASP the gospel and by extension, the character and beauty of the atonement, we must, as Christian’s, grasp the Old Testament narrative as well. For it is in the Old Testament that we see the future prophesy of and blessed hope, which the New Testament brings—Jesus Christ. Generally speaking, all Christians would understand the first four books of the New Testament i.e., Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to be the Gospel. What is not often considered is the gospel-esque nature of the entirety of Scripture. After all, if “the gospel” is accurately understood as “the good news,” then by definition, we must include every letter, word, paragraph, and book in both the Old and New Testaments—not single one out over the other.

            Paul’s letter to the Romans is in keeping with this greater understanding of the gospel. Some have even referred to it as a/the “fifth Gospel.” The character and nature of Romans would lead the author to accept this understanding as well. The power of Romans cannot be overstated. It can take the most uneducated man and transform him into a literary and theological giant. Consider John MacArthur’s view of the impact of Romans on John Bunyan. MacArthur states, “The Book of Romans took a Bedford tinker like John Bunyan and turned him into the spiritual giant and literary master who wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress and The Holy War.”[1]

            The rich significance of Romans is found in the areas that it touches. It serves as, what Charles Swindoll calls, “The owner’s manual for Christians.”[2] Now to be clear, Swindoll is referring to the totality of the Scripture, however; the author believes its application to Romans is just as valid. It is in this letter where we find the answers to some of the following questions: What are the reasons for false religions? What is the nature of God? Is Jesus God? How does the Christian understand the law in-light-of liberty? Is there a different mandate for the Gentile then there is for the Jew? How does God save individuals? What is the purpose of the cross? How does God’s righteousness demand judgment? How do we find God’s grace?

            You would be hard-pressed to find any other areas or issues, in the Bible, to be more gospel-esque than these. How do these truths affect the Christian’s understanding of salvation? What is the Christian’s responsibility and relationship to the Old Testament? After all, have we not been saved “apart from works of the law”[3] and are we not now “under grace”?[4] Is it possible to find a balance between living a life free from fear and living a life faithful to the flock? God is love, forgiveness, and gracious (NT), but God is also just, jealous, and wrathful (OT)—we have been given a two-part gospel.

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For grace is given not because we have done good works,

but in order that we may be able to do them.

- Augustine, Of the Spirit and the Letter (5th Century)

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Sources:

The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007.

The Complete Guide to Christian Quotations. Uhrichsville: Barbour Publishing, Inc., 2011.

Blackaby, Henry and Richard Blackaby. Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2008.  

Boyd, Gregory A. and Paul R. Eddy. Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in    Evangelical Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2009.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed. Grand Rapids: Baker    Academic, 2001.

Grudem, Wayne. Politics According to the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids:   Zondervan, 1994.


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[1] John MacArthur, “The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans 1-8.” (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1991), x.

[2] Charles Swindoll, “The Owner’s Manual for Christians.” (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2009), x.

[3] Romans 3:28, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (ESV).

[4] Romans 6:14, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (ESV).



Note: Photo credits go to the Grey tribe home library.

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In Congress, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of

Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

​

       He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

       He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

       He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

       He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

       He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

       He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

       He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

       He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

       He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

       He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

       He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

       He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

       He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

       For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

       For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

       For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

       For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

       For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

       For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences

       For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

       For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

       For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

       He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

       He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

       He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

       He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

       He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

 

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

 

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

 

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

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