Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
The Letter to the Romans: A Short Commentary

The Letter to the Romans: A Short Commentary

Last updated on: November 30, 2021 at 11:32 am by Frank Viola

The Letter to the Romans: A Short Commentary 2021-11-30T11:32:15-04:00 Frank Viola

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Frederick Dale Bruner has just released a new book. It’s called The Letter to the Romans: A Short Commentary.

I’m not familiar with Bruner, but I found his commentary interesting. Namely, because it’s an extremely concise interpretation of Romans, which is rare for scholars. He also interacts with other interpreters of Romans from different centuries. Scholars and non-scholars alike. If you teach Romans, you’ll want to add this to your library along with other commentaries on Paul’s masterpiece. You won’t agree with everything, but it’s always good to get the various views of different scholars on the New Testament. So I’ve found.

This is from the publisher:

In the wake of his widely appreciated commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John, noted theologian and exegete Frederick Dale Bruner turns his attention to Paul’s letter to the Romans. In this concise commentary, he relays his findings on what he calls the “Fifth Gospel” and its central claim that “through the Father’s love, Jesus’s passion, and the Spirit’s application of this passionate love, human beings can have a perfectly right relationship with God—by simple faith in His Christ.”

As he did in his commentaries on Matthew and John, Bruner engages historical interpreters from the patristic period to the present—including Augustine, Chrysostom, Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin—while also offering his own lucid translation of the text and relevant pastoral applications. The result is a holistic understanding of the book of Romans informed not only by one scholar’s lifetime of ministry, teaching, and learning, but also by the full depth and breadth of church tradition.

Table of Contents

Romans 1: Paul’s Introduction: Our Deep Need for the Gospel Good News

Romans 2:1–3:20: The Righteous Judgment of God on All Human Sin

Romans Chapter 3:21–31: God’s Good News in Classic Compactness: Because of Christ’s Perfectly Sacrificial Work, a Perfectly Right Relationship with God Is Received by Simple Faith

Romans 4: Simple Faith in God’s Gracious Word: The Even Ancient Way to the Right Relation with God

Romans 5: Our New Gospel Privileges and the Old Roots of Our Relation with God

Romans 6: Sanctification’s Presence

Romans 7: Sanctification’s Presence and Absence

Romans 8: Sanctification’s Key: Believers in Jesus Christ Have God’s Holy Spirit within Their Lives

Romans 9:1–29: God’s Election of Israel

Romans 9:30–10:21: Israel’s Initial Unbelief in God’s Plan of Righteousness by Simple Faith

Romans 11: The Mystery of Israel and the Church

Romans 12: The Practical Ethic of the Gospel, Part 1

Romans 13: The Practical Ethic of the Gospel, Part 2

Romans 14:1–15:13: How Believers Can Deal with Certain Differences among Themselves

Romans Chapters 15:14–16:27: Paul’s Letter Conclusions

Endorsements:

“As a trusted interpreter of the great teaching gospels of the church—Matthew and John—Dale Bruner now treats readers to the theological manifesto of the church—what can rightly be called ‘the Fifth Gospel’—Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Matthew and John present deep pictures about the Very Good News; Paul offers deep sentences. In unpacking 1:16–17, the heart of Paul’s message can be seen as offering ‘a Perfectly Right Relationship from and with the very God—and this relationship is received by simple faith.’ Citing some of the most memorable and salient comments from key interpreters over the centuries, this short commentary will be of particular value for preachers and interpreters today.”
— Paul N. Anderson
George Fox University

“In this short commentary Bruner offers a clear, accessible interpretation of Paul’s account of our deep need of the Gospel and God’s loving provision in Christ. Illumined by a rich array of commentators throughout history, ample biblical cross references, and in language that grabs the heart, Bruner focuses on God’s offer of salvation as sheer gift. Mercifully free of jargon and arcane scholarly debate, but filled with contemporary allusions, the book is perfect for small Bible studies or adult education classes.”
— William A. Dyrness
Fuller Theological Seminary

“This commentary on the premier exposition of the gospel comes from one of America’s premier expositors of the gospel. Dale Bruner’s translation of Romans is fresh and clever, his exposition of Romans is disarmingly straightforward and insightful, and his personal testimonies at key passages illustrate the relevance of Romans for modern readers. This is not a solo commentary on Romans, however, for Bruner enlists testimonies from the Gospels and the confessions of the church to complement Paul’s liberating message, and throughout the commentary he introduces readers to the best insights of the best commentators on what he calls ‘the Fifth Gospel.’”
— James R. Edwards
Whitworth University

“Bruner’s two massive treatments of Matthew and John are treasured in the church as reliable, inspiring, comprehensive studies. After a decade of further study, Bruner has done it again. This shorter study of Romans—which Bruner calls the Fifth Gospel—is once more a lucid, well-informed explanation of Paul’s premier letter. Good commentaries explain the text in its original form, provide theological insight into the text’s meaning and value, and then help us make use of the text for our living today. Bruner gets high marks in all three in a casual, personal format that is the hallmark of all his writing.”
— Gary M. Burge
Calvin Theological Seminary

“Bruner at his best! A richly theological commentary, full of unique personal reflections and choice quotations drawn from commentators throughout church history, this little book will delight and inspire you and whet your appetite for a deeper study of Romans. Written by a master teacher who takes the Bible seriously and writes engagingly, with an eye to issues faced by believers today, this book will be of real help to pastors, teachers, and all who long to understand the heart of the Bible. Nobody makes the gospel sing like Bruner!”
— Roger Mohrlang
Whitworth University

Uncategorized

Previous Post

November 11, 2021

The NLT Reflections Bible

Next Post

November 30, 2021 Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who wrote many of the Psalms?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul David Solomon Moses