Why The Book of Romans is so Important

Romans details the difference between being under the OT law and The Law of Grace
(1) principle of nature (2:14, 27)

(2) entire Old Testament (2:15)

(3) new covenant in hearts (2:15, 29)

(4) principle of conscience (2:15)

(5) principle of righteousness by faith (3:22; 4:13; 9:31)

(6) law/principle of works (3:27)

(7) law/principle of faith (3:28; 4:16)

(8) law/principle of revelation (5:20)

(9) law/principle of grace (5:20)

(10) law/principle of sin (7:11)

(11) law/principle is spiritual (7:14)

(12) principle of self-will (7:15, 17, 22)

(13) principle of will-power (7:18-21)

(14) principle/law of my mind (7:23, 25)

(15) principle/law of justification in Christ (8:1)

(15) law of the spirit of life in Christ (8:2)

(16) law of sin and death (8:2)

(17) principle of the Spirit (8:4)

(18) principle/law of love (13:8, 10)

The Epistle of Romans is an enlightening but difficult study of the word “law.” It is enlightening because Paul uses it with a great variety of meanings. And it is difficult because the English article “the” is often inserted when there is no article in the original Greek and confusion results. Once again, however, the term generally refers to the entire revelation of God either to Israel through the whole written law or to the rest of the world through natural law and the conscience. “Law” does not refer exclusively to the Ten Commandments.

Rom 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.”

This exceedingly radical statement precedes the 70+ uses of “law” in Romans and must have been both a shock and a new revelation to Jewish listeners. The Old Covenant with its highly-blessed pre-eminence of Israelites had ended.

God is now manifesting Himself as El Elyon, God Most High of all nations and not just Yahweh, the exclusive covenant-God of Israel. Although God had always loved all created mankind, in the New Covenant He is no longer favoring national Israel. The Gentiles ---who have never heard of the formal written Law and its Ten Commandments, who have never been circumcised, who have never observed the three yearly festivals, who have never observed the Sabbath-day, who have never paid tithes and who have never stopped eating unclean foods--- have just as great an opportunity of being saved as do the Jews!

Important Note: Where the KJV has the article “the” but the Greek does not, [---] is inserted. [The] denotes an article in the Greek which is not in the English translation.

Rom 2:12 “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in [---] law shall be judged by [---] law.”

The important "first use" of "law" in Romans does not use "law" to refer to the 613 commandments of the formal written Law. "Law" is the "principle" whereby God reveals Himself to mankind.

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