Romans Revisited

By Darryl Barton

Romans Revisited is not intended to be a commentary so much as it is a guide to understanding the general flow of thought in this very important epistle of Paul. Yet, very obviously, it does comment on the intended meaning of the text. Any outline of the book of Romans, apart from that one which might someday be offered by the Apostle Paul himself, or by the Spirit of God who led Paul in writing this part of God's Word, is by nature both subjective and artificial. Outlines are subjective because they depend upon an individual's own perception of what he feels the main ideas to be. They are artificial in that they try to fit the material of the text into a framework of these ideas.
Some Scriptures are very difficult to outline. Most of the epistles fall into this category simply because the writer himself probably had little or no outline in mind when he penned the letter. If you try to outline a personal letter written to you by someone, it will become evident that topics are discussed as they come to mind and often in little logical order.
Other Scriptures are somewhat easier because the writer did have an agenda to follow at least mentally. Such is the case with the book of Romans. While it is a personal letter, it was written to introduce the Apostle Paul and his gospel to those at Rome, a place he had never visited in his Christian ministry. It is to be expected then that Paul would carefully and logically present the message he proclaimed. And such he does.
In addition to this, there is another characteristic of the Epistle to the Romans which greatly aids one in outlining the book, but which has been often overlooked by many commentators. Paul used a very common teaching technique of that day and culture. He asked questions. One has only to casually study how Paul used questions to realize how important they are in understanding the flow of thought in this great treatise about our faith. Briefly stated, Paul asked a question, usually in anticipation of a question or objection that a listener or reader might ask. Then he very briefly answered the question, followed by a discussion of that question and answer. All too often outlines and discussions of the book of Romans are based upon one's theology rather than on the text itself. This is not to say the theology is wrong in many cases. Often the theology is accurate. The problem is simply that Paul did not follow our theology texts when he wrote this epistle. In our thinking today, the logical progression in our redemption is sin, salvation and then sanctification. Therefore, this is how many therefore see the development of Romans. They fit the text into this framework.
Paul however, if one follows the ideas as suggested by his questions and answers, is following a different progression of thought. There were issues in his day that are not nearly as important to us today. It is these issues he develops rather than following our theological progressions.
An overall outline of the book of Romans is given first followed by individual outlines of various sections. Note that the outlines are of a mixed sort. The overall outline contains both sentences and phrases. The section outlines are mostly made up of phrases. The overall outline contains the scripture references while the sectional outlines actually contain the scripture text itself. There are also two appendices that deal with two important translational issues.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Darryl Barton
• Release date: May 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311612649

Darryl Barton

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, my family moved to Arlington, Texas where I grew up and graduated from High School. After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington I entered Dallas Theological Seminary, married and graduated in 1973. My wife, Paula, and I moved to North Bend, Oregon then to Gulfport, Mississippi. There I pastored a small independent Bible church for many years. In 1989 we moved to the Kansas City area and taught in a small Christian school until 2004 when I started working for Cabela’s.I continue to minister in my local church, Calvary Bible Church, in Bonner Springs, Kansas teaching Sunday School and occasionally filling in for our pastor and I maintain a Bible Study Website. My hobbies include herpetology (I have a ball python named Fuzzy!), photography and gardening.

Book preview

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

Romans - Overview Outline

Romans 1:1-7

Romans 1:8-17

Romans 1:18-32

Romans 2:1-11

Romans 2:12-29

Romans 3:1-20

Romans 3:21-31

Romans 4:1-8

Romans 4:9-25

Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:12-21

Romans 6:1-14

Romans 6:15-7:6

Romans 7:7-12

Romans 7:13-25

Romans 8:1-13

Romans 8:14-30

Romans 8:31-39

Romans 9:1-5

Romans 9:6-13

Romans 9:14-33

Romans 10:1-21

Romans 11:1-10

Romans 11:11-32

Romans 11:33-36

Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:3-8

Romans 12:9-21

Romans 13:1-7

Romans 13:8-14

Romans 14:1-12

Romans 14:13-23

Romans 15:1-13

Romans 15:14-21

Romans 15:22-33

Romans 16:1-27

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

About The Author

Foreword

The following outlines are not intended to be a commentary so much as they are a guide to understanding the general flow of thought in this very important epistle of Paul. And yet, very obviously, they do comment on the intended meaning of the text. Any outline of the book of Romans, apart from that one which might someday be offered by the Apostle Paul himself, or by the Spirit of God who led Paul in the writing of this part of God's Word, is by nature both subjective and artificial. Outlines are subjective because they depend upon an individual's own perception of what he feels the main ideas to be. They are artificial in that they try to fit the material of the text into a framework of these ideas.

Some Scriptures are very difficult to outline. Most of the epistles fall into this category simply because the writer himself probably had little or no outline in mind when he penned the letter. If you try to outline a personal letter written to you by someone, it will become evident that topics are discussed as they come to mind and often in very little logical order.

Other Scriptures are somewhat easier because the writer did have an agenda to follow at least mentally. Such is the case with the book of Romans. While it is a personal letter, it was written to introduce the Apostle Paul and his gospel to those at Rome, a place he had never visited in his Christian ministry. It is to be expected then that Paul would carefully and logically present the message he proclaimed. And such he does.

In addition to this, there is another characteristic of the Epistle to the Romans which greatly aids one in outlining the book. Paul used a very common teaching technique of that day and culture. He asked questions. One has only to casually study how Paul used questions to realize how important they are in understanding the flow of thought in this great treatise about our faith. Briefly stated, Paul asked a question, usually in anticipation of a question or objection that a listener or reader might ask. Then he very briefly answered the question, followed by a discussion of that question and answer.

All too often outlines and discussions of the book of Romans have been based upon one's theology rather than on the text itself. This is not to say the theology is wrong in many cases. Often the theology is accurate. The problem is simply that Paul did not follow our theology texts when he wrote this epistle. In our thinking today the logical progression in our redemption is sin, salvation and then sanctification. Therefore this is how many therefore see the development of Romans. They fit the text into this framework.

Paul however, if one follows the ideas as suggested by his questions and answers, is following a different progression of thought. There were issues in his day that are not nearly as important to us today. It is these issues he develops rather than following our theological progressions.

All outlines are artificial as has been stated, even this one, for it attempts to fit the text into a framework as perceived by this writer. The writer did try as much as possible to derive the outline from the text itself, and hopes he succeeded in doing this. These outlines are neither inspired nor exhaustive. It is freely admitted that much work and study remains to be done. It is hoped that these outlines will aid the student in understanding in some small way the Book of Romans. There are other outlines and any serious student ought to consider them as well.

An overall outline of the book of Romans is given first followed by individual outlines of various sections. Note that the outlines are of a mixed sort. The overall outline contains both sentences and phrases. The section outlines are mostly made up of phrases. The overall outline contains the scripture references while the sectional outlines actually contain the scripture text itself. There are also two appendices which deal with two important translational issues.

To Table of Contents

Romans - Overview Outline

SALUTATION AND INTRODUCTION 1:1-1:17

  I. The Salutation (Rom. 1:1-7)

 II. The Introduction (Rom. 1:8-17)

THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED 1:18-3:20

  I. The Statement of the Main Idea: God’s wrath (His just punishment of sin) is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of mankind. (Rom. 1:18-32)

 II. The Explanation:

A. God judges all men impartially by their actions. (Rom. 2:1-11)

B. God judges all men by the standard of righteousness they possess. (Rom. 2:12-29)

C. Questions raised about the Jew’s special position (Rom. 3:1-20)

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD REVEALED 3:21-8:39

  I. Introduction: Man is justified through faith in Jesus Christ apart from the Law. (Rom. 3:21-31)

 II. The Discussion of Justification:

A. The First Issue: Justification is by faith, not works. (Rom. 4:1-8)

B. The Second Issue: Is justification by faith just for Jew or for the Gentile as well?

1. The Answer: Justification by faith is for Jew and Gentile alike. (Rom. 4:9-25)

2. The Application: We should be at peace with God and rejoice! (Rom. 5:1-11)

C. The Third Issue: Does justification by faith nullify the Law?

1. Introduction to This Issue: The Relationship of Sin, Grace and the Law. (Rom. 5:12-21)

2. Four Questions Which Arise in Dealing with This Issue:

a. QUESTION: Should we continue in sin so that God’s grace can increase?

ANSWER: No! Since we have died to sin, let us no longer live in it! (Rom. 6:1-14)

b. QUESTION: Then should we sin because we are not under Law but under grace?

ANSWER: No! We have

Reviews for Romans Revisited

[Ksenija Magda · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is only an outline which explains next to nothing - or am I not seeing parts of this manuscript?