Big Idea: Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, was divinely chosen to preach the gospel of God in Christ, the end-time fulfillment of the twofold Old Testament promise of the restoration of Israel and the conversion of the Gentiles.

Understanding the Text

Romans 1:1–7 forms the first half of Paul’s introduction to Romans (1:8–15 is the second half). The introduction, or prescript, to ancient letters consisted of three parts: identification of the author, identification of the recipients, and a salutation or greeting to the recipients. Thus, these are the three parts for Romans 1:1–7:

1. Sender: Paul (1:1–6)

2. Recipient: To those in Rome (1:7a)

3. Greeting: Grace and peace (1:7b)

The sender/author component in 1:1–6 is probably so extensive because Paul is introducing himself to the Ch…