Working through Romans

The typical Greco‐Roman letter form applied to Romans yields the following divisions: the address, consisting of a greeting and a thanksgiving, is contained in Rom 1, 1–15 ; the body of the letter comprises 1, 16–15, 13 . It contains the essential message of Paul, basically following what has helpfully been called the “indicative‐imperative” structure (see “Letters and Epistles,” RG 440 ). The conclusion in 15, 14–16, 27 contains Paul's travelogue, his personal greetings, and a final doxology.

A working outline of Romans follows:

• I. The Address (Rom 1, 1–15 )

• II. The Body of the Letter ( 1, 16–15, 13 )

  • A. The Theme; the “Indicative” ( 1, 16–17 )
  • B. The Common Predicament of Gentiles and Jews ( 1, 18–3, 20 )
  • C. Central Declaration of Justification by Faith ( 3, 21–31 )
  • D. Abraham, Model of Faith ( 4, 1–25 )
  • E. The Two Adams ( 5, 1–21 )
  • F. A Preliminary “Imperative” ( 6, 1–23 )
  • G. Life without the Spirit ( 7, 1–25 )
  • H. Life in the Spirit ( 8, 1–39 )
  • I. But What of Israel? ( 9, 1–11, 36 )
  • J. The Final “Imperative” ( 12, 1–15, 13 )

• III. Conclusion ( 15, 14–16, 27 )