Romans: An Interpretation Bible Commentary

Step into the profound world of Paul's Letter to the Romans, where renowned Pauline scholar and pastor Susan Eastman brings the text to life with rich pastoral and theological insights. This commentary doesn't just analyze Scripture but invites readers into an encounter with the transformative power of the gospel that shaped Paul's original audience and continues to resonate today.

With preaching and teaching at its heart, Susan Eastman explores Romans as a dynamic proclamation of God's faithfulness--a message that warms hearts, fires wills, and calls humanity into liberated service to God and one another. Through her keen attention to the letter's historical context, literary artistry, and theological urgency, Eastman reveals the living presence of a God who keeps promises, remains faithful to Israel, and, through Jesus Christ, sets creation free with abundant grace.

Readers are guided through the contexts of the early Roman house churches and Paul's urgent call for unity and solidarity across cultural and class divides. Close attention to Paul's rhetoric highlights his use of Scripture and his audience-involving writing style. Eastman also unpacks the deeper purpose behind Paul's writing--his desire to strengthen his audience spiritually and prepare them to embody the gospel in their lives and ministries.

Designed to inspire and equip preachers and teachers, this commentary highlights the enduring relevance of Romans' many-layered theological message. At its core lies a singular truth: the good news of Jesus Christ, God's Son in the flesh, who unites all people in revealing God's righteousness and boundless grace to the world.

About Interpretation Bible Commentary Series

Emphasizing sound critical exegesis with strong theological sensibilities, the new Interpretation Bible Commentary series features innovative interpretive approaches that help readers engage the biblical text as a source for participating in the larger social world. These new volumes, written by an array of new and diverse authors, are designed to meet the needs of clergy, teachers, and students by inviting readers into the lively work of careful biblical interpretation for the purpose of faithful exposition. Through its engagement with Scripture, the Interpretation Bible Commentary series illumines our relationship with God, one another, and creation so that readers are propelled with new understanding and energy for fulfilling God's claims on us in our rapidly changing contexts.

Susan G. Eastman is Associate Research Professor Emerita of New Testament at Duke University Divinity School. An internationally respected scholar in Pauline studies, she explores the formation and transformation of identity in the Letters of Paul in conversation with current issues of human flourishing in science, psychology, and medical ethics. She has lectured and taught in a variety of academic and church settings, both in the US and internationally. Her publications include Recovering Paul's Mother Tongue: Language and Theology in Galatians, Paul and the Person: Reframing Paul's Anthropology, Oneself in Another: Participation and Personhood in Pauline Theology, and numerous articles and essays. Ordained in the Episcopal Church, she served parishes in New York City, Alaska, Oregon, and Pennsylvania prior to teaching at Duke.