The Church in Romans

The Church in Romans or How the Apostle Paul Refers to the Church in the Epistle to the Romans. Always wanted to do that! This is the third in my series, How do the apostles refer to the church?

The quick answer to the question is: brethren, saints, my people, beloved, children of the living God, branches, one body in Christ, and church. That’s simple but rather boring. Let me expand.

The two most frequent expressions in Romans are brethren (11x) and church (6x), although he does not use the word church until chapter 16.

Brethren - This is similar to the Book of Acts. Brethren emphasizes our relationship to one another. Through my faith in and devotion to Christ I am part of his family. Since you also have faith in and devotion to Christ, and are part of his family, we are family. This is actually the most frequently occurring word or description for the church in the New Testament. We need to emphasize this again.

9:25 25 As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.  26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
This is particularly tender, my people, beloved, children of the living God.

11:16-27 Olive Tree
16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.  
17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;  
18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.  
19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.  
20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:  
21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.  
22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.  
23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.  
24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?  
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.  
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:  
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Paul spends the most time on this. The picture is an olive tree. The root is the fathers (Abraham), Israel is the branches, Gentiles are a wild olive tree. Because of unbelief, the natural branches (Israel) have been cut off; through faith Gentiles have been grafted in, 17 and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree. This is not popular in some circles, yet it seems clear that Paul is saying we are part of Israel.

We should not boast against them, the natural branches, Israel. They were broken off because of unbelief, we were grafted in through faith; they can be grafted back in and we can be broken off. Thou standest by faith, be not highminded, but fear, and continue in his goodness. In fact he will yet save them, blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved.

All this to say, the people of God are portrayed as a cultivated olive tree. What does this mean? It means we belong to God, we are cared for by God, we are to bring forth fruit for God.

12:3-8 one body in Christ
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:  
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;  
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;  
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

This is the first reference to the church as the body of Christ in our New Testament. our New Testament”?  Paul’s epistles are not presented chronologically in our Bibles. If they were 1 Corinthians would come before Romans, and this would be the second occurrence. Details.

I think we often forget that the controlling thought in 3-8 is v 3, For I say to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. In other words, “You each have your place in the fellowship. Let me explain…”

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

This is a metaphor to explain v 3, for as we have many members in one body.
There is variety, all members have not the same office
There is unity, many members in one body

So we, being many, are one body in Christ. Actually, 4-5 forms one sentence: diversity in unity; unity in diversity. And in all this, relationship: every one members one of another. We just can’t get very far without coming back to relationship with one another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us – See? This section on the body of Christ is an explanation of v 3, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Am I trying to downplay the idea of the body of Christ? No. I’m simply pointing out that here in Romans it is simply a metaphor introduced to explain why each member of the assembly has a different gift, ministry, and function in the church. As I pointed out, the controlling thought is v 3: humility (not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think) mixed with a proper assessment (as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith). Body of Christ is a subordinate thought here, but becomes much stronger in Ephesians and Colossians.

And finally, we find the word church used 6 times in chapter 16: church at Cenchrea (2), churches of the Gentiles, church that is in their house, churches of Christ, host of the whole church. The church is an assembly, a local assembly. Even body of Christ refers to the local church. The idea of the universal church is there (olive tree, people, children of God), but the accent is on the local assembly.


Next: The Church in 1 Corinthians