Romans 1:16–17

Context

Writing to the church in Rome, which he had not yet visited, Paul says that he is eager to preach the gospel to them (v. 15). Verses 16–17 give the reason and set out the theme of the entire letter: the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew and also to the Greek, and in it the righteousness of God is revealed. The end of verse 17 is a quotation of Habakkuk 2:4. Immediately afterward, beginning in verse 18, Paul turns to the revelation of God's wrath against the unrighteous.

Interpretation

The chief point of debate is the meaning of "the righteousness of God" (dikaiosynē theou).

• The righteousness God gives: Luther and the Reformers read the phrase as the righteousness God bestows as a gift on those who believe, that is, the righteousness of Christ imputed to believers so that they are justified. The doctrine of justification and the Reformation principle of "faith alone" derive from this reading.
• God's own righteousness: This view holds that the phrase refers to the character and action of God as the righteous One who is faithful to His promises and sets right what is wrong. Romans 3:25–26 is cited in support.
• Covenant faithfulness: Scholars associated with the "New Perspective on Paul," such as N. T. Wright, emphasize God's righteousness as His faithfulness in keeping the covenant made with Abraham. Traditional Reformed theologians criticize this view for weakening the teaching of imputed righteousness.

The phrase "from faith to faith" (v. 17) has been read in several ways: by faith from beginning to end, from God's faithfulness to human faith, or from the faith of the preacher to the faith of the hearer, among others.

Controversies and Issues

Luther is said to have recalled later in life that as a young man he understood "the righteousness of God" as the righteousness by which God punishes sinners and was tormented by it, until in this passage he grasped the righteousness given through faith and felt as though he had been born again. The Roman Catholic Church has understood justification not merely as a declaration of righteousness but as an inner transformation by which a person is actually made righteous, and this difference stood at the center of the controversies of the Reformation. In 1999 the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church issued the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, which set out a substantial consensus.

In the Korean Church

The passage is a principal sermon text for Reformation Sunday and is also frequently used in evangelism training and as a seminary motto.

Related Passages

• Habakkuk 2:4
• Romans 3:21–26
• Galatians 3:11
• Philippians 3:9