Unity through the Gospel

Many mistakenly think that the purpose of Paul’s letter we call “Romans” is to expound the doctrine of justification by faith.

What you’re about to read might change the way you understand the book of Romans and the way you pursue unity in the Church.

In Romans, the apostle provides the most extensive presentation of justification by faith in the Bible. But we cannot afford to miss the fact that he teaches it to serve the primary purpose of calling for unity between Gentile and Hebrew Christians (chapters 14-15) — unity that is in the Church. There are powerful implications behind this for all local Churches — in all places and all periods of time.  

To understand what I am suggesting requires a little background.

The occasion for Romans:

We can assume that the gospel reached Rome through “visitors from Rome, (both Jews and converts to Judaism)” who were present at the first Christian Pentecost in Jerusalem (A.D. 30, see: Acts 2:10-11).  In its earliest stages, Christianity in Rome was predominantly Jewish converts to Christ. But as the gospel spread rapidly among Gentiles, the membership of the Churches included Gentile converts to Christ. As is well known, this was a source of considerable challenge to the early Church (see: Acts 15).

The Church at Rome faced a serious turning point when the Roman Emperor Claudius (A.D. 41-54) by imperial order (about A.D. 49) demanded that all Jews leave Rome. Since Claudius would not have distinguished Christian from non-Christian Jews, believing Jews (Christians) had to leave Rome (see: Acts 18:2). This left the relatively young congregation in the hands of Gentile converts.

During the years under the edict of Claudius (expelling the Jews from Rome), we can assume that the Church took on more of a Gentile Christian “flavoring.” This meant among other things that sensitivity to matters of Jewish custom (days and diet) would not have been an issue in the Church. But after the edict passed (with the death of Claudius), the Jewish believers began migrating back to Rome. As these Hebrew Christians reentered the fellowship of the house Churches in Rome, they faced significant challenges over differences between Jewish and Gentile believers (Romans 14-15).

This reconstruction of the historical circumstances provides the necessary backdrop for understanding the book of Romans. The words of Romans 14:1-3 tell the story: 

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him” (ESV).

These words were directed to Gentile believers as they welcomed Hebrew Christians back into fellowship. The potential for disunity in the Church posed a real threat to the witness of the gospel in Rome.

The best safeguard against this threat was a shared understanding of the gospel— thus this amazing exposition of the gospel in the book we call “Romans.”

Since the best remedy for disunity is the gospel, the apostle wrote a profound exposition of the rich doctrines of the gospel. The aim of this teaching was to protect the unity of strategically placed believers in an important city.

The apostle Paul wrote so that Gentile and Jewish believers “with one mind and one voice …. may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (15:6). He admonished them to “accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you” (15:7). The gospel (explored deeply in Romans 1-11) explains how Christ accepted us and offers the paradigm for our treatment of each other.

We should even understand one of the apostle’s closing appeals in this light: “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them” (16:17). Unity based in the gospel is the aim.

The way the apostle builds up to this primary purpose is a great reminder that a deeply rich theology of salvation is the basis for unified relationships in the Church. From the beginning, he emphasized “first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (1:16) and in chapters 9-11, he especially encouraged humility among gentile Christians toward their Jewish brothers. A prominent theme undergirding this rich exposition of the gospel is the call to unity in the gospel for both Jew and Gentile. For example:

“There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (3:22-24).

As a kind of final wrapped up of this point, chapters 9-11 closes with the declaration:

“God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all” (11:32). 

This rich doctrinal focus is presented to call the believers to unity based on their common salvation. The gospel they’ve been given transcends the most powerful earthly barriers of race, culture and tradition (cf. Ephesians 2:11-22). All of this leads to the main concerns of Romans 14-15 in view of the historical circumstances outlined above.

This exquisite presentation of salvation is framed in a rich vocabulary. Where this vocabulary is absent, relationships never reach to their God-intended, joyful unity. Where the doctrine of salvation is not clearly understood, believers also more easily engage in wrongful disputes and disunity over disputable matters (see: Romans 14:1-3).

Action point:

If you have disunity in your Church, preach the gospel to them. Teach the book of Romans in the historical context explained above.

Thought:

For a Church to be joyfully united in “the unity of the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:3), it must have a shared vocabulary of Depravity (the story behind our story), Grace (our deliverance) and Glory (hope that transcends the hopelessness of a fallen world). The book of Romans provides and defines the terms for all three.

Steve Cornell

For practical instruction on disputable matters and unity among Christians, see: Understanding legalism