Arland J. Hultgren, Pauls Letter to the Romans: A Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011.

Chapter Four

5:1-8:39 is exegeted in this long chapter, of which materials Hultgren observes in each of the four chapters, Paul affirms the freedom of the believer at some point: freedom from the wrath of God in chapter 5; freedom from the power of sin in chapter 6; freedom from the law in chapter 7; and freedom from death in chapter 8. (p. 197). Hultgrens careful work continues, as, for instance, his exegesis of 5:12-21 demonstrates. Of the section he notes The following section (5:12-21) opens with (therefore), which has no clear antecedent. [But Paul] does not merely continue the previous discussion, he uses therefore to mark a transition, drawing consequences from what has been said but moving on to another topic that turns out to be a discussion of the effects of Adam and Christ upon humanity (p. 219). This is a good place, I suppose, to mention one of the real strengths of Hultgrens work, and that is, that he keeps the big picture in mind when he works on even the smallest pericopae. Many commentators get lost in the woods and forget that the discrete units which so engage them with various minutia are part of a whole. Its all well and good to examine the smallest particles of information but if they arent integrated into an examination of the whole they serve no purpose. Theyre little more than pieces of a puzzle that are never fitted into their proper space so that the whole image can be seen. Hultgren assembles the entire puzzle even in the smallest sections so that the reader knows whats going on throughout. In this regard, Hultgren is a master commentator. Also very good is his work on the classic text, 6:1-11. He assembles a lot of material from other commentators but he nicely weaves them together. Ill not spoil the fun for you, reader of this review. Ill just urge you to see for yourself. I will, however, spoil the fun for those interested in how Hultgren takes 7:1-6. Of this important Crux he writes It is not immediately obvious why Paul now (in chapter 7 as a whole) turns to the topic of the law. But in fact it is incumbent upon him to do so. But all of this begs a question. How does a believer in Christ live in righteousness and in opposition to sin?

The simplest response is, If one is a Jewish Christian, one should continue observing the ancestral law. If one is a Gentile Christian, one should adopt the law (at least its moral teachings) as the basis for a life of righteousness. The quick and easy answer, however, is not Pauls. [Pauls answer to the problem is] to maintain that the law has had an important function in the history of salvation and that the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, just, and good (p. 268). And the second Crux of the chapter (and the more interesting really) has to do with the subject of the I sayings in 7:14-25. The issues surrounding the identity of the first person singular used in this passage ... are discussed in an appendix (The Identity of the I in Romans 7). The viewpoint taken here is that 7:7-25 as a whole, in spite of the differences cited between 7:7-13 and 7:14-25, Paul speaks of what it means to live under the law in order to be righteous, taking insights from his own life experience in the past under the law as paradigmatic, and seeing all from the perspective of one who is now in Christ (p. 285). So, he continues, chapter 8 follows chapter 7 logically because sin really has been overcome. So, in chapter 8 [Paul] speaks forthrightly to the suffering that comes from ones incorporation into Christ through baptism and the consequences of it as one lives in union with Christ (p. 312). Hultgrens interpretation of 8:18-30 is simply tremendous. It, like several other passages in the commentary, has to be experienced first hand for the full pleasure to be feld. Of 8:31-39 Hultgren could not be more correct, suggesting The message of Paul in this entire section is that God is for us (p. 336). The chapter closes with this intriguing remark The bond between God and believers is so great that it can never be broken. But what, then, can one say about persons who are not in Christ? Paul takes up that issue in the next three chapters (p. 342). And so shall we.

Jim West

Quartz Hill School of Theology