Rereading Romans from the Perspective of Paul's Gospel

Paul did not write a systematic theology or specific church doctrines when he wrote Romans. His audience was Roman Christians, and his last will was to preach the gospel to all, especially gentiles in Spain. Through this letter, Paul wants to pave the way for a visit to Rome and expects their support on his mission trip to Spain. The question is this: What kind of the gospel does he want to share with them? Traditionally, the letter has been read from the perspective of forensic salvation that an individual justification occurs once and for all by faith in Christ. This view remains with the so-called New Perspective on Paul, and Christ's faithfulness has not been explored. Rereading the letter with a renewed concept of the good news in the letter, this book challenges the traditional reading of Romans and explores Paul's threefold gospel that features the gospel that is God-centered, Christ-exemplified, and Christian-imitated. His main concern is how gentiles can become children of God, as well as how Jews may live faithfully in Christ. In Romans, the good news is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith. It is not a set of knowledge about God or Jesus. Paul is eager to share this gospel of faith with the Roman Christians and to correct some misunderstandings about him, since his gospel is viewed as anti-Jewish or antinomian.


""Yung Suk Kim's new commentary on Paul's letter to the Romans is powerful good news for readers who are seeking the foundation for an honest and upright life at a moment when moral values seem to be disappearing from the public square. Kim courageously challenges the traditional reading of Romans as a forensic treatise on the exoneration of guilty sinners by the vicarious death of Jesus. Kim reclaims Paul's bold vision of the faithfulness of Jesus as the measure of a right life and the path forward to a just and reconciled world.""
--L. L. Welborn, Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, Fordham University

""Yung Suk Kim's book on Romans is a helpful, gospel-oriented explanation of Romans that consistently keeps Paul's apostolic mission in mind. Its advantages are that it takes seriously the faithfulness of Jesus, beginning with its explanation of Romans 3:22-26, its attention to Paul's focus on Israel and its salvation, and its attention to 12:1--15:13 as integral to Paul's argument. This book will work well to introduce undergraduate and seminary students to Paul's letter to the Romans.""
--Mark Reasoner, Professor of Biblical Theology, Marian University


Yung Suk Kim is the associate professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, at Virginia Union University. Kim received the Scott and Stringfellow Outstanding Professor Award from VUU. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Preaching the New Testament Again (Cascade, 2019); Christ's Body in Corinth (2008); Biblical Interpretation (Pickwick, 2013); Resurrecting Jesus (Cascade, 2015); Messiah in Weakness (Cascade, 2016); and Toward Decentering the New Testament (Cascade, 2018, co-authored with Mitzi Smith).