Stephen Barkley
Romans eight reads like Paul’s greatest hits:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (v. 1)
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. (v. 11)
All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (v. 14)
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. (v. 18)
The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs to deep for words. (v. 26)
All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (v. 28)
If God is for us, who is against us? (v. 31)
Who will separated us from the love of Christ? (v. 35)
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (v. 37)
I’ve you’ve been in the church for any length of time, you’ve likely heard more than a few sermons on these verses—but has anyone ever connected the dots?
Romans 8 is a very dense, carefully constructed chapter that ties together all of the themes that Paul has so artfully introduced earlier in his letter. The beauty of Romans 8 isn’t found in isolating the diamonds from the substrate, but in embracing the cumulative weight of Paul’s theological vision.
In each of the eight exegetical chapters, Wright works through his three rules for understanding a Pauline text:
- “Take care to discover the main overall thrust” (29).
- “Pay close attention to Paul’s connecting words” (30).
- “[T]hink into the first-century perspective” (31).
In returning to these rules, Wright effectively cracks open the meaning of even the most challenging passages. It’s amazing what a conjunction can do!
There are many skilled biblical interpreters in the world. What sets Wright apart is his lucidity and pastoral insight. Wright excels at making complicated logical arguments understandable. He always has the right analogy at hand to make the details come alive in the reader’s imagination. Then, without missing a beat, he transitions from biblical to pastoral theology. For example, after unpacking Romans 8:5–11, he suggests:
It is worth pausing to ask, what has God made you? What is it which, when you do it in the power and joy of the spirit, enables you to feel God’s pleasure? Might that perhaps be part of God’s ultimate new creation, breaking into the present? (84)
Into the Heart of Romans is more than another commentary. It’s an invitation to sit with a wise exegete as he brings Paul’s vision of the triune God to life.
Wright, N. T. Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul’s Greatest Letter. Zondervan Academic, 2023.
