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Romans

  1. Lesson One
    Romans as a Theological Treatise (Romans 1–6)
    22 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  2. Lesson Two
    Romans as an Occasional Letter (Romans 9–11)
    19 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  3. Lesson Three
    The Real Difference (Romans 7–8)
    19 Activities
  4. Lesson Four
    Living out the Gospel in "Rome" (Romans 12–14)
    21 Activities
    |
    5 Assessments
  5. Lesson Five
    Author and Audience (Romans 15–16)
    22 Activities
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Romans Romans as an Occasional Letter (Romans 9–11) In | Romans as the “Summary of All Christian Doctrine”? Part 2
Lesson 2, Activity 6

In | Romans as the “Summary of All Christian Doctrine”? Part 2

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As important as Romans is, it doesn’t cover everything in Paul’s theology. Along with communion and the second coming, there is also no doctrinal teaching about the universal church as a community in Romans. There are references to specific churches at the end of the letter, but no insights regarding the nature of the church as we find in other letters. 

Some of the praise for Romans that we’ve discussed can give the impression that this letter is a kind of biblical index or glossary that we can refer to for the purest and most distilled form of biblical ideas. This would be an overstatement. As we’ve seen, this letter is not a summary of all Christian or biblical doctrine, nor is it “even a summary of (Paul’s own) theology.” Romans represents a crucial moment in the life of early Christianity when making sense of the common faith of gentiles and Jews was in question. It’s a letter from Paul “To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people” (Romans 1:7 NIV). 

Reference: Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Romans, 992, pp. 74-75.