The letter to the Romans is a pastoral message addressed to the early Christian community in Rome, calling them to faithfulness to the true good news of Christ. Paul challenges the divisions and assumptions about who qualifies for belonging (particularly between Jewish and non-Jewish Christians), emphasizing that all people are included in God’s liberating work through Jesus. This belonging is not based on obedience to the Torah, ethnic identity, or social status, but on God’s unmerited generosity. Paul commends the Roman believers for their commitment while urging them to resist pressures to conform to cultural hierarchies or exclusionary practices.
At its core, Romans is not about moral behavior or the remedy for deviation (traditionally, ‘sin’), but about the radical inclusivity of the Christ community. Anyone perpetuating a teaching that detracts from that message or seeks to exclude any group of people is framed incurs this message from Paul: “God’s name is being slandered by you among the other peoples” (Romans 2:24). Paul highlights that all people, regardless of their personal histories or external markers, are worthy of belonging and the gifts that flow from this shared identity in Christ.
Main Themes:
Belonging in the Christ Community:
Paul insists that inclusion in the Christ community is not based on obedience, ethnic identity, or social standing. Instead, it is available to all through the faithfulness of Jesus. He reframes the concept of "falling short" not as a condemnation but as evidence that belonging is not dependent on whether deviation is present or absent.
Unity in Diversity:
Romans addresses tensions between Jewish and Gentile believers, calling them to a shared identity that transcends cultural and social boundaries. Paul emphasizes the equal worth of all people, affirming that God’s generosity is for everyone without distinction.
God’s Faithfulness:
Paul argues that God’s promise to Israel remains intact while being expanded to include the Gentiles. He demonstrates that God’s plan has always been about uniting people under the banner of love, rather than drawing lines of exclusion.
Living Out Inclusion:
While the letter is not primarily about belonging based in moral behavior (or even about it being in spite of immoral behavior), Paul insists that how we live matters. He offers practical guidance on living in harmony as a diverse community. He calls for mutual care, hospitality, and a commitment to building each other up, reflecting the values of the Christ community.
Structure:
Romans unfolds in a deliberate progression that moves from an introductory thought and several explanations aimed at helping the audience understand the main point to practical areas of life where he explores the ways that point can be lived out in real ways:
Chapters 1-4: God’s generosity and the universal gift of belonging
Paul begins by dismantling any notion that certain groups have greater claim to God’s generosity. All are included through the faithfulness of Jesus, highlighting that God’s justice is not about exclusion but about creating space for all.
Chapters 5-8: The new identity in Christ
Paul explores the transformation that comes from being part of the Christ community, where all are freed from domination by oppressive forces, internal and external, and invited into a life of flourishing under God’s reign of love.
Chapters 9-11: God’s inclusive faithfulness
Paul reflects on Israel’s special role and God’s ongoing commitment to the Jewish people while affirming the inclusion of Gentiles. This section centers on God’s unifying vision, which weaves together diverse peoples into one community.
Chapters 12-16: Practical guidance for communal life
Paul shifts to guiding practical responses, urging the community to live out their shared belonging through love, humility, and mutual service. He emphasizes hospitality, care for the vulnerable, and rejecting the cultural divisions that undermine unity.
Key Passages:
Romans 1:16-17: "You see, I’m not ashamed of the triumphant message since it is the power of God for restoration for everyone who is faithful, for Jews first and then also for Greeks. God’s justness is revealed by it because of faithfulness that results in faithfulness, just as it is written, ‘The just will be alive because of faithfulness.’"
Romans 3:21-24: "Right now, the justness of God has been made visible separate from Torah (while being endorsed by Torah and the Prophets), and the faithfulness of Jesus Christ is for all the faithful. You see, there is no distinction since all people deviated and are in need of God’s praiseworthiness, and with his generosity, all are unconditionally considered just through the liberation purchased by paying the price of enslavement with Christ Jesus."
Romans 8:35-39: "Who will separate us from Christ’s love? Oppression or disaster or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? It is just as it has been written: ‘For your sake, we are put to death the whole day; we are counted as sheep for slaughter.’ Just the opposite of being separated, with all these things we attain something that transcends victory through the one who loved us. You see, I have been convinced that neither death nor life, neither messengers nor leaders, neither things that are already here nor things that are going to be, neither powerful forces nor things that are high or low, nor any other creation will be able to separate us from God’s love, which is demonstrated with Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 12:4-5: "You see, just like within one body we have many parts, but the parts don’t all have the same function, in the same way, we are many parts and one body in connection with Christ, and each person is a part of each other."
Romans 15:7: "With that in mind, welcome each other, just as Christ also welcomed you, resulting in praise for God."
Takeaways on Liberation and Inclusion:
Romans calls the church to embody the radical inclusivity of the Triumphant Message (traditionally, ‘gospel’), where all people are welcomed and valued. Paul rejects any basis for belonging rooted in external markers like ethnicity, obedience to rules, or social status, insisting instead that God’s generosity creates a community of belonging open to everyone.
Romans 1:26-27 has been used in the past century or so as a weapon of exclusion and harm, standing in direct contrast to those verses’ message against domination and dehumanization. The use of those two verses to exclude people in the LGBTQ2IA+ community—when read in the context of Romans as a whole—can only be interpreted as siding against Paul and against the liberation and inclusion that are central to the triumphant message of Jesus.
This letter challenges systems of domination, exclusion, and division, urging believers to reject conformity to societal hierarchies and to live as a unified, loving community. Romans is an invitation to trust in God’s expansive faithfulness and to participate in a community where belonging is a gift, not an achievement.