The Literary Analysis Of 'The Book Of Romans'

The book of Romans, as stated previously, is a letter, often called an epistle. It falls under the genre of hortatory and expository literature (Kostenberger 2011:780). According to Kostenberger, when referring to epistle literature, “it is here that we find the bulk of the New Testament instructions as to how we should live our lives as believers today” (2011:453). Thus, Romans 3:21-27, which makes up a section of the book of Romans, falls under the same genre as Romans. The passage being discussed takes place in the third chapter of the book of Romans in the body of the letter. Black claims the book has a vivacious style, and that “it has been influenced by the style of the spoken diatribe of the period” (Black 1989:14). Diatribe was a rhetorical …show more content…
If you were to look only at the seven verses of the passage, you would be missing out on big insights that come from the larger context of the discourse. For example, if you were to just read 3:21-27, you might think that the law is of no consequence at all. However, when you read further you find that Paul says that is not the case at all. Thus, it is crucial to understand the literary theme and context of the …show more content…
While Christians today most likely do not feel pressure today to follow laws regarding what we eat or giving burnt offerings, as the Roman Christians might have, we sometimes still adopt an attitude of legalism regarding Christianity. Sometimes, in the modern church, the gospel is presented something like… “If you follow these rules and laws regarding Christianity you can have a relationship with God.” It is important to note that Christians should monitor and be aware of how they live and whether or not it glorifies God. However, those following laws and rules will not bring you into a relationship with God, rather keeping God’s laws should be a natural result of a faith filled life that brings you into relationship with