Abstract
In the book of Romans, also called ‘Paul’s Letter/Epistle to the Romans’, it is clear that Paul created a very close lexical semantic relation between the concepts πίστις/πιστeύω [faith, believe], δίκαιος/δικαιοσύνη [righteous, righteousness] and σωτηρία/σῴζω [salvation, save]. Although it is said that the theme of righteousness (by or through faith) is the focal point of Paul’s theology, especially in Romans, this term is very closely linked to the two concepts, faith and salvation, in this letter. The aim of this article is to investigate that relation, specifically in the two passages of Romans 1:16–17 and 10:6a, 8b–10, in an attempt to come to an understanding of what Paul had in mind when he used these three terms together in these passages.
Highlights
The common difference in focus between the words of Jesus and the theology of Paul is said to be that Jesus has focused more on the kingdom of God
The focal point of Romans 1:16–17 lies in the last statement in verse 17
Because righteousness comes from faith, the order is as follows: Πίστις Faith δικαιοσύνη righteousness σωτηρία salvation
Summary
The common difference in focus between the words of Jesus and the theology of Paul is said to be that Jesus has focused more on the kingdom of God (cf. Wilson 2014:2ff.), while Paul’s arguments centred around righteousness (‘justification’) by or through faith (ex sola fide; cf. Van Aarde 2017:2 of 10; Heliso 2007:5–8; Stefon 2011:66, 281), especially in his letter to the Romans1 – this became a ‘central Reformation doctrine’ (cf. Dunn 1982:3 of 16).2 Some scholars refer to it as a central idea of Paul’s theology (Seifrid 1992; cf. O’Brien 1992:69–95), while Bultmann (1971:217) argues that only πίστις [faith], and not the combination, constitutes the centre of Paul’s theology.
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