This Orthodox Christian commentary is derived from a series of sermons given by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, where His Eminence has been serving since the early 90s.

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St. Paul, contrary to popular opinion, preached in Rome. In line with his stance not to “build on another man’s foundation,” the fact that St. Paul was determined to go to Rome and preach the gospel there meant no other person (namely, St. Peter) had yet to “lay a foundation” (preach) there (Rom. 15:20).

In this epistle to the Romans, St. Paul addresses the issue of Judaizers, and the correlated doctrine of true justification by Christ. Some Christians with Jewish backgrounds were persuading new converts that unless they practiced the Law of Moses, and unless they were circumcised as required by that law, they would not be saved. Such “Judaizing teachers” or “Judaizers” had already disrupted churches in Antioch, Corinth, and Galatia, and the fear was that this would likely spread to Rome. To prevent this, and to assure that his visit to Rome would be a pleasant one, St. Paul wrote to them to explain the truth about the nature of the gospel of God, teaching them about the doctrines of Justification and Sanctification.others for God, as it explains how service should be, as we learn from the example of St. Paul.

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