CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW ESSAY
Presented to
Dr. Jerry D. Hall, PhD
for
BIBL 425 – D02 – Romans
by
12/14/2015
Introduction
There are several things that are known about the Epistle to the Romans. First of all,
“Romans claims to be written by Paul the apostle”1. Second, “it is clear that Paul writes Romans
while in Corinth during the third missionary journey (Acts 20:2-3). This is probably in A.D. 57,
give or take a year”2. Third, it was written to the Roman church, which “was made up of both
Jews and Gentiles, with Gentiles having recently become the majority group”3. Fourth, some of
the topics covered in Romans are creation, sin, salvation, eschatology, ethics, and theology.
While Romans is not the most important book of the Bible, it definitely discussed some of the
foundational beliefs for Christians.
Creation
Paul makes it clear that life on earth came from God and human nature. In Romans 1:20-
21, he wrote, “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible
though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are
without excuse; / for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to
him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened”4. This
shows that God not only created the earth, but that His power is still on earth through everything,
no matter how small. This also shows that God created man, yet man choose their own way by
the free will granted through God. By saying that man did not honor God, Paul is discussing
Adam and Eve in the garden. Even though they were given instructions and knowledge of what
would happen if they did not follow them, Adam and Eve still chose the wrong path, resulting in
a sinful human nature for all of mankind.
1 Douglas J. Moo. Romans: The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Mich.,
Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 16.
2 Ibid., 17.
3 Ibid., 20.
4 Romans 1:20-21 (NRSV).
Sin
Paul’s discussion on human nature builds right into the discussion about sin. Because of
human nature, that is why mankind is subject to sin, which leaves them to be subjected to death.
As Paul states in Romans 8:6, “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the
Spirit is life and peace”5. Paul is saying that humanity has a sinful nature, which leads to death.
However, if Christians set their mind on the Lord, they can find eternal life.
Salvation
Just as the discussion of creation led into the discussion, the discussion of sin leads
directly into the discussion of salvation. Paul states in Romans 6:7-8, “For whoever has died is
freed from sin. / But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him”6.
With this, Paul is saying that Christians find their salvation in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Christ
died to forgive our sins and also to earn us eternal salvation and life with God. Paul states in
Romans 6:10-11, “The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to
God. / So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus”7.
Christ’s job was to die and forgive the sins of believers. Everyone has sinned because of their
human nature. However, if mankind believes that Christ was the Son of God, came and died for
their sins, and lives a life that is pleasing to God, they can find eternal life and salvation with
God in heaven.
Paul also advocated for finding salvation through faith. This goes along with the role of
Jesus in salvation. In Romans 3:28, Paul states, “For we hold that a person is justified by faith
apart from works prescribed by the law”8. Through his writing in Romans, Moo says, “Paul is, in
5 Romans 8:6 (NRSV).
6 Romans 6:7-8 (NRSV).
7 Romans 6:10-11 (NRSV).
8 Romans 3:28 (NRSV).
effect, denying that anything a human being does will ever justify one before God”9. Paul is
stating that mankind cannot use just works to try to try to earn salvation from God, they must
also have faith.
Eschatology
The discussion of salvation works very well as a precursor to the discussion of
eschatology. Moo says, “God has a plan for us, Paul says. That plan begins with his foreknowing
us, and then leads to his predestining, calling, justifying, and finally glorifying us”10. This is
shown most prominently in Romans 8:29-30, which states, “For those whom he foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn
within a large family. / And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called
he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified”11. Christians know, through the
teachings of Bible, that the ultimate goal is eternal life with God in heaven. That goal was
established by God.
Romans 11:11-24 gives us another discussion of the plan of God. In this passage, Paul
discusses how, even though Israel has constantly turned away from God, they are still part of
God’s plan. They are still God’s chosen people and He still has a place for them, just as He also
has a place for the Gentiles in His ultimate plan. The Gentiles, Paul says, can be used by God to
lead Israel back to God. As Romans 11:23 states, “And even those of Israel, if they do not persist
in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again”12. This will also be
true of the Gentiles, as they will be grated into God’s plan. God warns against continued Gentile
arrogance, but also assures them He does have a place for them.
9 Douglas J. Moo. Romans: The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Mich.,
Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 139.
10 Ibid., 279.
11 Romans 8:29-30 (NRSV).
12Romans 11:23 (NRSV).
Ethics
When it comes to ethic, Paul has some very specific instructions on how Christians
should live. Ethics are talked touched on earlier in Romans, Moo states, “But beginning in
chapter 12 Paul turns his full attention to the ethical implications of the gospel”13. In Romans
12:10-13, Paul writes, “love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing
honor. / Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. / Rejoice in hope, be patient in
suffering, persevere in prayer. / Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to
strangers”14. Christians are expected to love others, do God’s work, pray, and help those less
fortunate. With these instructions, Christians during any time period have a clear understand of
what is ethically expected of them.
Theology
In Romans, Paul discussed many of the attributes of God. In Romans 5:5, Paul states,
“and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through
the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”15. In this passage, Paul talks about God’s loving nature.
Paul also teaches about God’s grace in Romans 1:5. Romans 5:20 discusses God’s gracious
nature. In Romans 9:14, Paul discusses the righteous nature of God’s justice. Romans 3:22
discusses God’s righteous nature. Paul uses Romans 9:15 to discuss the merciful and
compassionate nature of God. While this is just a small sampling of how Paul describes the
nature and attributes of God, there are many more examples listed within Romans. This includes
in Romans 3:21-24 where Paul states how God used Jesus to show His righteous nature, show
His love for mankind, and how He used that nature to create salvation for all of mankind.
13 Douglas J. Moo. Romans: The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, Mich.,
Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 393.
14 Romans 12:10-13 (NRSV).
15 Romans 5:5 (NRSV).
Conclusion
While Romans by no means discusses everything Christians need to know, Paul uses it to
set down some of the fundamental basics. Many truths can be found in Romans that still can be
translated to Christians today. While Romans is definitely not the most important book within the
Bible, it is essential in helping discover truths about Christianity and helping to develop a
Christian worldview.
Bibliography
Moo, Douglas J. Romans: The NIV Application Commentary: Romans. Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.
