Letters to the Romans

Who is the author? Romans 1:1-Paul is the author This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. Who is the intended audience? Romans 1:7 States that the letters were intended to To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints." In other words, they were the members of the church in Rome. What is the Letter to the Romans? The Letter to the Romans more than any of Paul's other letters was intended as a compendium of Paul's teaching; although he does not touch upon every possible topic, it seems that Paul attempts to set out his understanding of Jesus' death and resurrection and the implications of these. In so doing, he dealt with topics such as the nature of sin (Jew and Gentile), the means of being made righteous, the Law, election, and eschatology.

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Where was the Letter to the Romans written? Paul is in Achaia. More specifically, Paul is probably in Corinth, since he told the Corinthians earlier that he hoped to spend the winter with them (1 Corinthians 16:6). Even more specific, the reference to Phoebe from Cenchraea also suggests that Paul was in Corinth, for Cenchraea was the eastern port of Corinth (Romans 16:1).

When was the Letter to the Romans written? Paul wrote the Letter to the Romans at the end of his third missionary journey after he had visited Corinth for the third time but before setting out for Jerusalem to deliver the money collected from his churches. This period of time in Paul's career as an apostle can be dated to between 54 and 58 A.D

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Why was the Letter to the Romans written? In Romans 15:15-16, he makes his only explicit statement about why he wrote his letter:
But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you of them again, because of the grace that was given me from God, to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, in order that my offering of the gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

This statement is, however, is somewhat vague; all that one can conclude is that Paul's general purpose in writing was to instruct the Roman believers on some points of doctrine that he thought that they already knew. He did so presumably because he believed that he had a responsibility for the church in Rome since it was predominantly gentile and he was the apostle to the gentiles. It is probably impossible to know with certainty the particular reasons that Paul wrote his letter to the church in Rome, a church that he did not establish.