Romans 9–16: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition
Overview
In November 1515, Martin Luther, Augustinian monk and doctor of sacred theology at the University of Wittenberg, began his expositions of Romans. As he prepared his lectures he came to see more clearly the meaning of Paul’s gospel of justification by faith. The phrase the “righteousness of God” he had once hated as demanding what he could not deliver. Now in his study he came to see righteousness as a gift of God by which a person came to live, by faith. And he felt himself reborn. The consequence of this new insight the world knows. The Protestant Reformation had been born.
Throughout the centuries this Epistle has in a peculiar way been able to furnish an impulse for spiritual renewal. When the church had drifted away from the gospel, a deep study of Romans has repeatedly been the means by which the loss has been recovered. George Lyons and Dr. William Greathouse move verse-by-verse through Romans 9–16 after providing an in-depth introduction.
- The latest scholarship from notable experts in the Wesleyan tradition
- Convenient introductory material for each book of the Bible including information on authorship, date, history, audience, sociological/cultural issues, purpose, literary features, theological themes, hermeneutical issues, and more
- Clear verse-by-verse explanations, which offer a contemporary, Wesleyan-based understanding derived from the passage’s original language
- Comprehensive annotation divided into three sections: 1. Background elements behind the text 2. Verse-by-verse details and meanings found in the text 3. Significance, relevance, intertextuality, and application from the text
- Insight into theological issues, word meanings, archaeological connections, historical relevance, cultural customs, and more
- Expanded bibliography for further study of historical elements, additional interpretations, and theological themes
Top Highlights
“The aorist tense of the infinitive to offer and the logic of sacrificial imagery, on the contrary, call for a decisive, once-for-all consecration that is to be perpetually sustained, not repeatedly retracted and returned.” (Page 129)
“Paul’s ethic arises from the apocalyptic conviction that in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the righteousness of God has invaded this present evil age, which lingers still, to inaugurate already the new age. This final section, like all of Romans, is written from this eschatological perspective.” (Page 124)
“Christians cannot go on contentedly and complacently, allowing themselves to be stamped afresh by the whimsical fashions of the dominant culture. They must now yield themselves to a different pressure, to the direction of the Spirit of God. We are to allow ourselves to be transformed—continually remolded, remade, progressively sanctified. By this means our lives here and now may more and more clearly exhibit signs and tokens of the coming age of God, the new order that has already come in Christ. The ongoing transformation Paul calls for prepares us to fulfill our destiny ‘to be conformed [synmorphous] to the likeness’ of Christ (Rom 8:29).” (Page 136)
“Christians in 12:1 are urged to offer their bodies (ta sōmata) to God as an act of worship, as members of the Christian community. Such consecration is an activity, ‘a crisis and a process … a gift and a life’ (Erdman 1925, 131). Believers are to act decisively, making themselves totally available for ongoing service as God’s weapons in the apocalyptic struggle against the entrenched forces of evil still resistant to his rule.” (Page 129)
- Alex Varughese
- Roger Hahn
- George Lyons
- Joseph Coleson
- Robert Branson
- Jim Edlin
- Kent Brower
- Jeanne Serrão
- Title: Romans 9–16: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition
- Authors: George Lyons and William Greathouse
- Series: New Beacon Bible Commentary (NBBC)
- Publisher: Beacon Hill Press
- Publication Date: 2008
- Pages: 288
George Lyons has been Professor of New Testament at Northwest Nazarene since 1991, after teaching 14 years at Olivet Nazarene University. He has also served as a visiting professor at Nazarene Theological Seminary, Point Loma Nazarene University, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Nazarene Theological College, Southeast Asia Nazarene Bible College, and European Nazarene College. He has also taught in China. He is a past president of the Wesleyan Theological Society and a member of the Society of Biblical Literature. He holds degrees from Olivet Nazarene University and Nazarene Theological Seminary as well as a Ph.D. from Emory University.
William Greathouse is General Superintendent Emeritus Church of the Nazarene. He has also served as President, Dean of Religion, and Professor at Trevecca Nazarene College. He also served faithfully as the President of Nazarene Theological Seminary. He has authored numerous books and served as a pastor on the Tennessee District. He holds degrees from Lambuth College, Trevecca Nazarene College, and Vanderbilt University.