Romans 6:1b-11 — Sermon Prep & Expository Preaching Guide

Historical Setting

Romans was composed by Paul around 56–57 CE, most likely from Corinth during his extended stay there before his final journey to Jerusalem. The Roman congregation was a community Paul had never visited but intended to use as a staging point for his planned mission to Spain. The letter's audience was a mixed Jewish-Gentile church that had experienced considerable social disruption following the Claudian expulsion of Jews from Rome (ca. 49 CE) and their subsequent return under Nero. This history left behind a congregation with unresolved tensions over the relationship between Torah observance and the new movement, between the privileges of ethnic Israel and the inclusion of Gentiles, and between law and grace as the organizing principles of moral life.

Literary Context Within Romans