Three Hundred Words

These are the final words that I had to ditch or bung into footnotes in order to get my assignment completed. Of course, I needed to take out more than 300 in order to put more words in to make things intelligible.

It has been submitted.

With 2996 words.

I am free.

the following questions will be addressed. First, what does Paul mean when he talks about “law” or “the law”? Is there a difference discernable from the particular terminology he uses? Second, what is it that Paul states outright that the law is not? Third, if the law is not something, what then is its purpose or role? How does it function? Fourth, what is the context for Romans? Lastly, what are the possible conflicts that come from Paul’s treatment of the law in Romans, and does the context help resolve them? which can and that really However, Romans does challenge the privileged status of the Jews, and their false confidence that God in his grace will accept them, and that their sin is not as bad as the sins committed by the Gentiles living around them The law brings our sin to our attention. Romans 4:15 (NRSV) Morris explains that our passions are passive, such that experiences happen to them. goes further to: “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God and know his will and determine what is best because you are instructed in the law... For as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” In particular the food laws, Sabbath, and circumcision were at times ridiculed by the surrounding Gentile population. it each of which may shed light on that seem to occur These are Some can be hazarded within life in Rome with a double character but modern theologians This has lead to outside of the contexts of both Paul and Rome Sanders does not find all Paul’s arguments convincing to the contemporary mind, even if his basic views are true. must confess have a for that Gorman would remind us that We do not have to choose between these classifications could make As such, . , including questions like “What is Israel’s role in salvation-history?”, and “What is the function of Torah/circumcision?” would would Romans can be dense and confusing because Paul’s style, thought patterns, and argument are not familiar to modern thought. as discussed above for , as it causes division , his crucial saving act because of himself Jewish to the

How much sense do they make out of context?