Just before, Paul emphasized that the “righteousness of God” is central in the gospel (Rom 1:16-17). In the next verse, however, there is an abrupt change. It says there:

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and unrighteousness of men…”
Rom 1:18

Instead of the “righteousness of God”, the focus here is on the “unrighteousness of men”. The focus is put on something else. This is not about God’s work, but about the change of humankind and what man is doing here in this world. This is an uncomfortable change of view for the human being, in which also a contrast is worked out immediately. God’s righteousness stands in the face of man’s unrighteousness. However, those who merely look for confirmation of a drama triangle in this (Evil World, Good Christian) miss the actual message.

Structure of the Letter to the Romans

In the structure of the Epistle to the Romans, the way of life occurs twice, once in relation to all mankind and once in relation to the saints (the believers). More on this outline can be found in the article “Structure of the Letter to the Romans”. In it, there is the following connection:

The way of life of mankind, characterized by “unrighteousness” in comparison with God’s righteousness, becomes the background for the Gospel, wherein God makes His own righteousness known. God Himself establishes justice by giving His Son. If we trust this good news, we will become believers. From this then comes the believer’s way of life. So there will be an arc. Central to this story is God’s action, and the background for His action is the action of humankind. Meant are we, but Paul also has an outlook for the world.

There is no righteous

The gospel reveals the righteousness of God (Rom 1:17). Paul does not come back to this righteousness until chapter 3. In between is the section on the transformation of humanity, wherein he succinctly summarizes:

“There is none righteous, not even one! There is none who has understanding! There is no one who earnestly seeks God. They all shun Him, and at the same time have become useless. There is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one!”
Rom 3:10-12

“That everyone’s mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may come under the righteous judgment of God.”
Rom 3:19

This is the summary of what Paul describes in the passage 1:18 to 3:20. It can help us to understand the goal of this inserted section more easily if we already grasp the goal formulation while reading. It is in this light that Paul formulates all the statements.

After that it continues with:

“But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed (witnessed by the law and the prophets), but a righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, which is for all and comes upon all who believe.”
Rom 3:21-22

When reading the Bible, it is helpful to pay attention to these clear delineations in the text. With the “But now” Paul concludes the previous section on man’s unrighteousness, and gets back to the good news of God’s righteousness. This “But now” marks the change of subject at the end.

If we now enter the section on man’s walk (Rom 1:18 to Rom 3:20), we can already have in mind that after this (3:21-8:30) follows the real good news. A dark background is inserted so that afterwards the light of the Gospel can shine all the brighter.

It is our reality that has the Gospel as its background. The misery of the world, suffering and death, missing the mark and sin – these condition redemption. But we ourselves cannot bring this about. While we are not simply at the mercy of our lives, and we can lead healthy, active and largely self-determined lives. Nevertheless, there are limits to what we can do. We cannot cancel out our mortality. We remain very limited. Therefore, the Gospel is a liberating message. It starts where we can’t get any further, even with all our best will and efforts.

The justice of God

God Himself makes free by bringing about His own righteousness through Jesus Christ where we cannot. This justice is now available “for free”.

How does it get this far?

When Paul spells out man’s unrighteousness as well as God’s righteousness in these chapters, he is surprisingly not talking about things we “should” do, as if the gospel demands certain behaviors or performance. Rather, it is about what is “in the world.” Paul describes a reality. When the apostle speaks here about “the world”, it is as if he goes back a few steps to gain an overview. It is the view from above. It’s about bigger picture issues.

The apostle sees two things here: First, it is the reality of man, with all his transgressions. After that, it is the reality of the gospel wherein God Himself gives salvation. Paul challenges us in Romans to deal with reality. Of course, it describes only certain aspects of our reality. When he describes the reality, it is about the relationship between God and us, and of course also about what we achieve (respectively do not achieve) through it.

Paul leads us here: when we recognize our reality in the light of God’s reality, faith grows.

What the Gospel (does not) talk about

What Paul talks about in Romans is just as important as what he doesn’t talk about. For example, Paul does not talk about heaven and hell. Instead, Paul talks about justice and reconciliation, life and death. Why is that?

The Bible describes the problems mankind is facing and reduces them to two key statements:

• Sin (missing the target)
• Death.

The Gospel counters this with two solutions:

• Justice
• Life

As far as the gospel is concerned, which Paul presents in Romans, man’s problem is not hell. The solution is not heaven. Even if it is presented or understood this way again and again – the gospel or Christianity is not a “ticket to heaven” and the gospel does not have a “place” as its content. It’s about completely different things. It is about life and about relationships. Both were lost and both are restored by God’s work.

Paul describes the situation of mankind as follows:

“…for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Rom 3:23

When God spoke to Adam and Eve not to eat of the two trees, they were not threatened with hell if they transgressed, but with the prospect of death (Gen. 2:16-17). And that’s exactly how it happened. Paul summarizes:

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin death, and so to all men death penetrated, whereupon all sinned.”
Rom 5:12

The wages (better: rationed food of a soldier, i.e. no merit but meager survival rations, gr. opsonion) of sin is not hell but death (Rom 6:23). So sin leads nowhere where there is abundance. However, the apostle contrasts this in the gospel with overflowing life, and resurrection from the dead, both figuratively (Rom 6, Eph 5) and once physically (1 Cor 15).

So this section is not about detail, but about the big picture. What are the problems of humanity? What is the solution for this? It’s about concepts, about the big lines. The apostle will conclude later in his letter from the general to the personal. For the reader, this requires a willingness to differentiate, so that we do not lose the thread in his storytelling.