Paul's Purpose for Romans

One of the most celebrated Biblical books is with out doubt, Paul's letter to the Romans. Typically Romans is thought to be Paul's theological manifesto, a sort of a systematic sketch of the Christian faith. To be sure, Romans is rich with theological insight, depth and doctine; would we expect anything different from one of history's most profound thinkers? I once knew of a man that read Romans once a day for a number of his adult years. No doubt he gained insight into the depths of the time honored doctrines of faith, justification, sin and redemption. Perhaps, however, what he gained in insight, he may have lost or lacked in practice.

Paul's purpose for Romans is not primarily doctrinal - to pass along a system of believe - but "pastoral". In other words, his desire is to shape the community to whom he addresses his letter - faithful Jews and Gentiles - and influence their practice. In Romans, doctrine is front and center, but it never supplants faithful practice; neither does it assume it. In Romans, and I would argue the rest of the Bible, the point of doctrine is to inform and shape the community.

"Community" leads me to a final point. Spiritual communal formation is much more than a few application points after a theological dissertation (read: sermon). "Application" as it is typically termed in the church, focuses too much on the individual and not enough on the community - to whom Paul was speaking (separation of years, context and original audience not withstanding). The problems with this approach are legion, not the least of which is creating the notion that the Bible is about us (the actors) and not primarily about God (the author and main character).

In the end, Paul's words stand - "I am writing to you, all those loved by God in Rome" and "I want you all to know how often I've intended to come to you, so that I might have some fruit among you...I am a debtor to all...thus I am eager to preach the Gospel to you who are in Rome."