Paul's Gospel in Romans
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Baker Academic (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
In this book, Jarvis J. Williams argues that Paul's gospel in Romans is the announcement of good news that by Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, God has fulfilled all his redemptive promises for Jews, Gentiles, and the world. He further argues that Paul's gospel has at least three dimensions: vertical, horizontal, and cosmic. Williams explains that the starting point for Paul's gospel is Christ's cross and resurrection. The vertical dimension refers to the saving benefits Jews and Gentiles receive from God through faith in Jesus, including justification by faith, forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and the salvation of all the elect within Israel. The horizontal aspect relates to individual and relational transformation of those in Christ. Through the Spirit, God transforms those who have died with Christ to live a righteous life in the power of the resurrection, which enables both unity between Jews and Gentiles in Christ and their love for their neighbors. The cosmic component relates to the liberation of the entire creation from its slavery to sin's power. This liberation includes a bodily resurrection, the transformation of the current universe, and a future inheritance of a new creation for all Jews and Gentiles whom God has redeemed in Christ. This fresh articulation and defense of Pauline theology from an evangelical perspective will be useful for seminary students, scholars, pastors, and study groups.
Endorsements (6)
“This introduction to the chief theological themes of Romans manages to be clear, concise, practical, and engaged with the most recent scholarship all at once! It would be a great choice for college, seminary, and church classes on Romans.”
“Overcoming the false choices of 'atonement models,' Jarvis Williams traces beautifully the integral vectors of Christ's saving work. Erudite, to be sure, but deeply edifying.”
“For nearly five decades now, the scholarly discussion about the main theme of Paul’s theology has been caught in a tug of war, but in three directions, between the ‘old perspectives,’ the ‘new perspectives’ (and their cousins, ‘Paul within Judaism’), and the ‘apocalyptic’ school. No one, it seems, has yet won the day. In this helpful and accessible book on Romans, Jarvis Williams suggests that all three are, to a degree, accurate. He persuasively argues that Paul’s gospel puts Christ at the center, as he reconciles sinners to God (vertical), sinners to each other (horizontal), and a fallen creation to its maker (cosmic). This book skillfully engages the most recent research on Paul while landing in a place that is pastorally wise and devotionally satisfying.”
“Jarvis Williams has gifted readers with an amazing exposition of Paul’s Letter to the Romans that examines the vast scope of salvation in all its rich dimensions: vertical, horizontal, and cosmic. Williams shows how Paul’s gospel narrates the story of how God saves sinners and transforms them into new creations, all ahead of the restoration of the entire cosmos itself. This book will leave readers with a bigger and better vision of Paul’s gospel and of the God of the gospel.”
“No subject could be more crucial than the gospel, and no body of literature is better suited to its illumination than Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Eschewing narrow understandings of the gospel and its effects, and drawing on the entire canon of Scripture while focusing on Romans, Williams shows that the gospel promises a right relationship with God to individual believers; it reconciles Jews and Gentiles to one another and, by the Spirit, enables them to live righteously in an unrighteous world; and, in the end, it will effect the liberation of all creation from enslavement to sin and from the cosmic curse that followed Adam’s sin. A welcome corrective.”
“Jarvis Williams hammers at the text of Romans to uncover the gospel, reminding us of its centrality. He also shows that the gospel has several dimensions: It is vertical, horizontal, and cosmic. Of course, the vertical dimension is fundamental. Without a right relation with God there is no horizontal reconciliation. And if we are not rightly related to God, cosmic change will leave us on the outside. Still, the gospel does relate to God’s plan for the entire world and must not be reduced to our private and individual relationship with Jesus. We can be thankful that Williams reminds us of such in this important book.”
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