Reflection on Robert Jewett class on Romans

Studying in Malaysia is indeed a privilege for me whereby I had opportunity to listen from world class scholars such as Howard I Marshall, D.A. Carson, Peter O’Brien and Robert Jewett. I really appreciate Professor Dr. Jewett for his enlightening paper presentation. I appreciated how he presented and answered questions although he is very shaky due to his old age but he could answer well, he does not lost his memory at all.

He tries to provide us new spectacles for reading Romans. He says that honor and shame is the background for reading Romans. Most of the church members in Rome were pre-slaves and slaves. All they are looking for is honor, equality, acceptance, and greetings not of justification. Justification by faith is secondary in Romans. I did not look at that way; it is really new specks for me.

But part of my problem just to take the new specs is that the simple search from Bible Works word search the words “righteousness” and “faith” seems to dominate Romans. The Reformation spectacles to read Romans on “justification by faith” seem to dominate the central teaching of Romans. The words “honor” and “shame” seems not playing the central teaching since there is not much words in the text. There may be honour and shame culture that played behind Romans, but it seems the text does not reflect so much. Therefore, if I am provided two spectacles to read Romans I would prefer to use traditional spectacles provided by the Reformations’ fathers.