The Letter to the Romans: A Short Commentary

by Frederick Dale Bruner

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2021

Overview

In the wake of two magisterial commentaries on first the Gospel of Matthew and then the Gospel of John, noted theologian and exegete Frederick Dale Bruner turns his scholarly attentions to Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this concise commentary, he relays his findings on what he calls the “Fifth Gospel” and its central claim that “through the Father’s love, Jesus’s passion, and the Spirit’s application of this passionate love, human beings can have a perfectly right relationship with God—by simple faith in His Christ.”

As he did in his commentaries on Matthew and John, Bruner engages historical interpreters of Romans from Origen to Cranfield—including Augustine, Chrysostom, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin—while offering his own lucid translation of the text and relevant pastoral applications. Bruner also engages with other contemporary interpreters who “have spent much of their scholarly lives mining the gold down deep” in Romans, as he humbly admits that his “conversation with Paul’s texts is almost as often a conversation with these fellow miners, who have given their lives to understanding exactly what Paul said and meant in his deep sentences.” The result is a holistic understanding of the book of Romans informed not only by one scholar’s lifetime of ministry, teaching, and learning, but also by the full depth and breadth of church tradition.

Key Features

• Engages historical interpreters of Romans
• Offers his own lucid translation of the text and relevant pastoral applications
• Provides a holistic understanding of the book of Romans

Contents

• A Personal Introduction to My Interpretation of the Fifth Gospel
• The Fifth Gospel: Paul’s Letter to the Romans
• Our Deep Need for the Gospel Good News: Romans Chapter 1
• The Righteous Judgment of God on All Human Sin: Romans Chapter 2:1–3:20
• God’s Good News in Classic Compactness: Romans Chapter 3:21–31
• Simple Faith in God’s Gracious Word: Romans Chapter 4
• Our New Gospel Privileges and the Old Roots of Our Relation with God: Romans Chapter 5
• Sanctification’s Presence: Romans Chapter 6
• Sanctification’s Presence and Absence: Romans Chapter 7
• Believers in Jesus Christ Have God’s Holy Spirit within Their Lives: Romans Chapter 8
• God’s Election of Israel: Romans Chapter 9
• Israel’s Initial Unbelief in God’s Plan of Righteousness by Simple Faith: Romans Chapter 10
• The Mystery of Israel and the Church: Romans Chapter 11
• The Ethic of the Gospel, Part I: Romans Chapter 12
• The Ethic of the Gospel, Part II: Romans Chapter 13
• How Believers Can Deal with Certain Differences between Themselves: Romans Chapters 14:1–15:13
• Paul’s Letter Conclusions: Romans Chapters 15:14–16:27

Top Highlights

“‘Works righteousness is excluded [by Paul], but saving obedience in response to God’s grace is not’ (in Jewett, 212)” (Page 30)

“human beings can have a perfectly right relationship with God—by simple faith in his Christ” (Page viii)

“The word ‘Righteousness’ (which I have occasionally translated with an intentionally emphatic ‘All-Rightness’ in order to bring the somewhat abstract word ‘righteousness’ as close to home as possible) is probably the single most important word in Paul’s entire theological vocabulary. The word describes God’s character as completely Good.” (Page 41)

“Paul uses ‘saints’ at least 38 times to designate Christians …, the focus being not on [their] behavior but on [their] status: Christians are those who have been [privileged to be] sanctified [we may say ‘saint-ified’!] ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God’ (1 Cor 6:11).’” (Page 7)

“‘ ‘One should not think that ‘called … saints’ indicates that they were called because they were holy. Rather, they were made holy because they were called.’” (Page 7)

Product Details

• Title: The Letter to the Romans: A Short Commentary
• Author: Frederick Dale Bruner
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2021
• Pages: 215
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. Romans › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780802879431, 0802879438
• Resource ID: LLS:LTTRRMNSSHRTCMM
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T01:23:31Z

About Frederick Dale Bruner

Frederick Dale Bruner serves on the adjunct faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary, and is George and Lyda Wasson Professor of Religion Emeritus at Whitworth University, where he taught from 1975 to 1997. His other books include The Gospel of John: A Commentary and Matthew: A Commentary, Volume 1 and Volume 2.