Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul's Greatest Letter

by Tom Wright, N.T. Wright

An in-depth study of Romans from today's foremost interpreter of Paul.

Romans is often and for good reason considered a crux of Christian thought and theology, the greatest of Paul's letters. And within Romans, chapter 8 is one of the most spectacular pieces of early Christian writing.

But to many readers, Romans can be a deceptively difficult book. Its scope and basic meaning may be clear, but it can be hard to see how it all fits together into a cohesive, if complex, doctrinal argument.

N. T. Wright—widely regarded as the most influential commentator and interpreter of Paul—deftly unpacks this dense and sometimes elusive letter, detailing Paul's arguments and showing how it illuminates the Gospel from the promises to Abraham through the visions of Revelation. Wright takes a deep dive into Romans 8, showing how it illuminates so much else that God reveals in God the Father, Christology, and the Spirit; Jesus' Messiahship, cross, resurrection, and ascension; salvation, redemption, and adoption; suffering and glory; holiness and hope.

Into the Heart of Romans will help you become familiar with the book of Romans in a deeper way that will also deepen your understanding and appreciation of the Gospel itself.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Faith, Nonfiction, Religion

Audible Audio

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

He also publishes under N.T. Wright.

Reviews

[Jon Anderson]

When Wright sticks to exposition of the text, he is erudite, illuminating, and challenging. However, the book would have been shorter and tighter if he removed the incessant, repetitive claims about how complex/complicated the text is and how people (especially Protestants) have misread the text forever and a day. We get it. You are smarter than most of us. That is why we read you. But don't rub our noses in it over and over again. Also, I think they needed in the title/subtitle to indicate that the book was focused on Romans 8 and not the entire book of Romans.

[Carmen Imes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing read, working slowly through Romans 8, which Dr. Wright says is the heart of Paul's letter. He offers a revision of some of his previously published work on Romans in light of what he's learned from Haley Goranson Jacob (one of his doctoral students whose thesis was published by IVP) and from Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat (in their book 'Romans Disarmed').

This would work well as (beefy) devotional reading. It's accessible and refreshing.

[Bret Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember, shortly after becoming a Christian, asking a friend of mine, “Isn’t there something in the Bible about how God makes everything work together for good?” It took him a while, but he found it for me. After that, Romans 8:28 became a constant source of comfort in some difficult times.

I appreciate Tom Wright’s humility (for one, he lets me call him “Tom”). He’s put together a brilliant and scholarly look at the pivotal chapter 8 of Romans, digging deep and challenging preconceived notions and the comfort this chapter has brought to many individuals. And yet, as he said in his interview on The Holy Post yesterday, “There are many Christians whose faith has been sustained in dark times through (an incorrect reading of Romans 8:28) . . . God is gracious and can work through half-understood things, which is just as well, otherwise all we preachers ought to give up.”

I’ve relied heavily upon my half-understood interpretations of Romans 8:28. Still, I’m indebted to Wright for bringing much-needed clarity that brings the glory of Jesus—the glory he shares with us all, more sharply into focus.

“God always intended to work in his world through his image-bearing creatures, and this now comes into clear focus. That’s why the assurance of ultimate salvation, which is what Romans 8 is all about, contains within itself that stunning passage of vocation in verses 12 to 30, which describes how, by the spirit, we are drawn into the suffering of the Messiah and, through that, into the paradoxically glorious task of praying to God the father at the place where the world is in pain.” - page 15

[Jake Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romans is an often misunderstood book that is frequently reduced to topics like justification by faith, the debate between divine sovereignty and human free will, and the escape from earth to heaven at death. Wright shows how our reasoning and interpretation has been clouded by both the Reformation and the Enlightenment.

At its core, Romans is intended to provide assurance to followers of Jesus experiencing hardship and persecution amidst the imperial might of Rome. Paul doesn't write about maintaining faith for an escape to heaven at death; rather, he reminds the communities that their suffering and prayers of lament are going to be used by God to bring the kingdom of Jesus the Messiah to bear on the world.

Romans 8 provides a beautiful summary of Paul's argument throughout the entire letter. It is full of imagery from the exodus, Psalms, and Isaiah and is thoroughly Trinitarian, describing the Father's initiative, the Son's accomplishment, and the Spirit's application of salvation. More than just a summation of Romans, chapter 8 is also crucial to understanding the entire biblical storyline. This is vintage N.T. Wright and one of my favorite books of 2023.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best (only) eschatology study I’ve ever read :D

[Zenonas Tziarras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Just go and read it. NT Wright has consistently and effectively - if you ask me - tried to restore Christian theology and doctrine - especially the parts that have been influenced, even distorted, by other ideas and agendas over the centuries - to its original, truthful roots. In this sense he is an "originalist". And that means nothing less than being faithful to scripture - to the best of one's ability - and rightly dividing (correctly interpreting) the Word. This is one such book, a brilliant exposé, not only of Romans 8 but of the essence of the Christian message.

[David S S. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep Dive into Romans 8

Wow. What an interesting read and exposition of Romans 8 using all of Scripture but also the intended audience and culture of that time and lots of word study. I’ll need to read this again but maybe with someone so I have some others to discuss it with. It’s really good. I don’t understand some things or agree with all his assertions but it is quite good!

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

N. T. Wright is one of the great heavyweights of modern New Testament scholarship. Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul’s Greatest Letter is a powerful consideration of Chapter 8 in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Although he sets up his study with a rather unorthodox approach to Chapter 7 (the chapter which some assume to be an autobiographical statement of Paul’s current situation in the here, but not yet, of Paul’s theology and others assume to be Paul’s description of his past condition). Instead Wright insists that Chapters 6-8 provide an extended metaphor for Israel’s history as fulfilled in Christian experience. Chapter 6 equals the Reed Sea experience of liberation as expressed in Christian baptism and following Christ. Chapter 7 equals the wilderness-wandering experience of receiving the Torah, but not being able to implement it fully within human limitation. If the emphasis is on receiving the Torah, perhaps it equates closest to the ministry of Word. Nonetheless, the key becomes Chapter 8’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit—equated with God’s presence in the wilderness Tabernacle and later in the Temple, as per the believer as the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

As I will mention later, I am not totally convinced by Wright’s argument concerning Chapter 7, but I approve wholeheartedly of his general methodology for understanding Paul’s writing (and perhaps, some of the other epistles, as well). First, work to discover the main thrust of a passage or chapter (p. 29). Second, pay close attention to Paul’s connecting words – words such as kai (‘and’), de (‘but’), gar (‘for’), hina (‘in order that’), ara (‘so then’), oun (‘therefore’) and so on (pp. 30-31). Finally, don’t lose the first-century perspective, particularly when you are tempted to make the present-day application (p. 31).

Now, as to Wright’s position of Chapter 7. As mentioned earlier, Chapters 6-8 have mamy echoes with the exodus and wilderness experiences of Israel. So, Wright doesn’t address the idea that Chapter 7 may be somewhat autobiographical or not. He asserts that the first-person pronoun used in the chapter refers to Israel as a whole, not Paul or some other individual. “The character Paul refers to as ‘I’ is the whole people of Israel, from before the giving of the law, through that moment and on to Paul’s own day. This rhetorical device of the ‘I’ enables Paul to tell this large, complex story as his own – which indeed it is, albeit seen now in retrospect – rather than distancing himself from the problem, and from the people of Israel, by saying ‘they’ or ‘them’.” (p. 38). My problem is that Chapter six uses the 1st person plural (“we”) to describe the Christian experience of being baptized into the Red (Reed) Sea and the first-person plural (“us”) to describe being accused and persecuted in Chapter 8. So, if he wanted to describe believers as under Torah and preparing for Christ’s presence in Chapter 7, why shift to the 1st person singular, “I.”

I believe Wright is correct that echoes of the wilderness wandering, the incomplete ministry of the Torah, and the leading presence of the Holy Spirit are present in Chapter 7, but I also believe that Paul is describing a general struggle. Also Wright is describing a progression from Exodus (6) through Sinai’s giving of the Torah (7), to God’s presence in the tabernacle or Temple (8). Wouldn’t Chapter 7 fit better into the already-not yet dichotomy of the Christian experience?

That problem being registered, let me suggest that I very much agree with Wright’s emphasis on Chapter 8 as experiencing the already-not yet vocation of becoming a royal priesthood. I liked the emphasis on the believer’s responsibility to all creation, not just escaping to heaven in a Platonic soul escaping the body conceptualization. Wright does not deny eternal life with God, but he emphasizes that it will occur when the new earth and new heaven impose themselves on the old earth and the old heaven.

I particularly liked Wright’s counterargument to the objection that if God is going to make all things new, we don’t have to take care of what God has already given us. “It is as though I might say, ‘My car has a flat battery, its tyres are ruined and its licence has run out; there is therefore no problem getting to my destination, because here is the mechanic who can fix the battery and tyres, and here is the government officer to issue me with a new licence.’” (p. 45). This makes the promises of Chapter 8 into matters of confidence, not irresponsibility.

Despite my hesitancy to buy into Wright’s Chapter 7 approach, I benefited greatly from reading “i>Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul’s Greatest Letter. It will become part of my rotation in Romans studies from here on out.

[Abigail Hartman]

For some reason I didn't feel like my listening experience of this one did it justice. Maybe I wasn't in the right headspace, but while there were certainly very helpful, eye-opening points being made, I seemed to lose the plot a lot while simultaneously feeling like some aspects were a smidge repetitive. I'd have liked this to be a commentary on all of Romans, though I can see why Wright would choose to focus on chapter 8 as the theological pinnacle and summation of the whole letter (and it's not like he doesn't integrate points about the earlier chapters to show how chapter 8 works in the larger structure: he does). There are thought-provoking observations about the way Paul is constantly drawing on God's promises and patterns of revelation in the Old Testament, especially the Servant Songs of Isaiah, and I think this has helped me notice similar patterns in my own reading. I also appreciated Wright's stress on the intertwined, shared nature of the suffering of the Messiah and his people: that sufferings are not merely something to 'get through' before we can go to heaven, but part of God's plan for how he is restoring the world. And Wright's insistence that the gospel is not about going-to-heaven-when-we-die-and-being-good-in-the-meantime is ever important. So there's lots of good stuff here, some of which I've encountered in his books or in other teaching previously, and I would certainly recommend the book. I think I want to get into some of his longer and more complex works to see his larger scholarly arguments.

[Ally Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romans is a mystery! Every verse has multiple layers, all of them coming together in an intricately woven tapestry. Romans eight is the heart. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Messiah Jesus. In that singular truth, we find ourselves. We find our true purpose and vocation as Christians. I urge all those who call Christ King to read this book and uncover the marvels of God through the Messiah Jesus. I will never read Romans the same, and if you thought anything like me, you won’t either!

Thank you, N.T. Wright! You have written a masterpiece about a masterpiece…

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars (between good and very good)

This is not a commentary on the book of Romans. Instead, here Wright dives deep into the eighth chapter, which can be regarded as the heart of Romans. This chapter is famously dense, and there is much to unpack here. In fact, even this unpacking is dense. It’s a worthwhile endeavor and helpfully corrects a number areas where the modern church has misunderstood Paul’s message because we tend to interpret his words in the context of certain post-reformation theological issues rather than viewing them from the perspective of his first-century readers. It’s thus an important re-orientation. But still pretty dense.

[Martin Augestad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denne var bra! Fikk meg til å lese teksten i Rom 8 nøye, og gav meg flere nye tanker om en tekst jeg trodde jeg kjente godt.

[Kyle Mervau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m technically giving this book 10 starts because Tom!
My goodness!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The center of Paul’s monumental letter to the Romans has some of the most beloved lines in the Bible:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (8:1)

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (8:31)

“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (8:39)

These are wonderful assurances. Could it be, however, that we have somehow missed the point? In this book, Tom Wright suggests we have.

These assurances are not, as is commonly thought, about going to heaven. Heaven is never mentioned in the chapter. Rather they concern our current state here on earth—where we have a God-given mission to undertake.

Wright is at pains to say repeatedly, “Assurance of salvation is indeed based, throughout Romans, on the sovereign love of God poured out in the death of his son. But this passage, Romans 8:18-30,” as he explains in persuasive fashion, “is speaking about the vocation of the saved community, the calling to implement the already-accomplished work of Jesus, the Messiah within, and for the benefit of the wider world of all creation . . . . Salvation is not simply God’s gift to his people, it is God’s gift through his people—to the wider world” (pp. 161, 163).

Much of the traditional interpretation is based on misunderstanding glory as meaning heaven (as in “gone to glory”). “The primary meanings of ‘glory’ in this passage are simultaneously, the glorious presence of God himself dwelling within us by the spirit and the wise, healing, reconciling rule of God’s people over the whole creation. . . . In the Hebrew scriptures, ‘glory’ regularly comes to refer specifically to rule and power” (pp. 110, 120; emphasis original).

If we are to engage in the task that God delegated to us in Genesis 1:28 of being stewards of the earth, how are we to do that? That is what the “strange” verses in Romans 8:26-27 are about.

Paul’s comment about the Spirit helping us in our weakness and interceding “for us through wordless groans” is not some odd tangent. This is our vocation as Christians that we can carry out with full assurance that none can prevent. For when we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit takes up our groans into the Triune God.

I find it boggling that when we groan for the sins and suffering and troubles of the world, it is not only an expression of sorrow. God is joining us, right there, as part of his own redeeming work.

I think of when my prayers seemed to be intense expressions of agony and even anger at God. Does God hear? Does he care? Astonishingly, Paul is saying that these moments when I am at my lowest are in fact transformed by the Spirit into moments of grace for the sake of others.

“God is working,” as Wright says about God’s loved ones, “with these praying-in-the-dark people for the wider good of this world. . . precisely at the point where they are at the end of their mental, emotional and spiritual tether, [where they] find within themselves the deep sorrow of all the world, as it were concentrated into one place, and find at that moment that they are part of the dialogue of love between the father and the spirit. This, [Paul] says, is what we are called to do and be. . . . These verses, I suggest, explain and contextualize the present work of lament which anticipates the future promised work of the redemption of all creation” (pp. 135, 137).

I find that profoundly reassuring.

[Brandon Leung · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5.

This book is almost entirely focused on Romans 8 (the climatic chapter of the most theologically thorough epistle). NT Wright uses the analogy of how most of us are familiar with our city's landmarks but a taxi driver knows every road and street that connects these landmarks. We, similarly, are very familiar with "landmark" bible verses (your John 3:16s) but rarely know their interconnected streets when reading our thrice translated English bibles. In exploring Romans 8, NT Wright uses a first-century framework to define and connect doctrines as they were first defined and intended to be heard; exploring the roads that connect our theological landmarks through exploring the roads between landmark Romans 8 verses.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I read Wright making a provocative argument and think: “that’s brilliant. I’m not sure if it’s true…” I’m intrigued by his argument that Romans 8 is more about vocation and the role of Christians in God’s renewal plan than about salvation. His revisionist reading of Romans 8:28 seems plausible, but I don’t have the Greek chops to adequately evaluate it. I love the way he educates the reader on how to be a better exegete. I listened to the audiobook and I definitely need to back and actually read this to better digest and evaluate Wright’s arguments here.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul’s Greatest Letter by N.T. Wright was really good. Wright is refreshing in considering the covenantal context of what was happening in the first century, his biblical theological knowledge beautifully come out when diving deep into the citations from the OT that Paul utilizes throughout Romans 8. Wright’s pointing out of the Genesis-Exodus narrative that Paul is following was brilliant! The only area I think Wright is weak on is when it comes to his political theology worked out through the text. But as a whole I thought it was a great book.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book. And the entirety is about only one chapter: Romans 8! Wright takes a passage that I’ve read dozens of times and breathes new meaning into it with his careful language study and by exploring the historical and cultural context. I have always loved this chapter, but now that I understand it better, I realize that it is even more meaningful, important, and more beautiful than I’d ever imagined.

[Rain Lemming · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In a world that still groans in travail, that way to avoid cosmic dualism is to lament, and in patience to pray, perhaps to speak prophetic truth to power, and to be ready for any and all ways to bring God's healing to a world whether in the long or short term."
-N.T. Wright

After I finished this, I was ready to turn around and read it again... but I'm going to wait until I can get my hands on a hard copy and a highlighter.

[Shane Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 reads: 13

Rating: 4.5 stars

Wright at his best. A deep dive into Romans 8, tracing the themes and motifs of Romans itself, with careful exegetical insights and pastoral admonitions for the contemporary reader. Really accessible and provides a good entry point to Wright's thoughts on key Pauline topics.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most important books I've ever read. The gospel as we tend to hear and preach it in the modern Christian church has no teeth...rarely anything beyond "trust God" to offer. The real gospel however, is life transformational...I will read this book over and over again. Thank you NT.

[Jake Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me a little longer than I thought but great book! Romans 8 is not about getting to heaven or even eternal security, but God coming down to dwell with man and bring new creation! Anyway good book

[fleegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read this book twice and will read it again.

[Joan McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

Tom Wright has done it agsin! He explains the Bible in such a clear, scholarly manner that illuminates truth in a special way.

[Aaron Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep dive into Romans 8 by Tom Wright was just what I needed. So encouraging.

[Stephen long · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one understands Paul or can articulate Romans like NT Wright can.

[Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not light and fluffy. I did appreciate the deep dive into one main chapter of Romans though. Summary: “if God raised Jesus from the dead then everything else is rock n roll”

[Stinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Wright - full of insight into the context of Paul's letter to the Roman church, while keeping the big picture in mind

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A close reading of Romans 8, focusing on the purpose, presence, and profound love in Christ for all who believe meant to assure them of not only their ultimate destiny but of God’s favor even as they share in the sufferings of Christ amid a groaning creation.

N.T. Wright has been studying the book of Romans for fifty years, publishing both scholarly and popular commentaries on Paul’s masterpiece, as well as drawing extensively on Romans in his Pauline scholarship. This book reflects both the culmination of this scholarship as well as changes in his thought through discussions with his students.

The focus of the book is on the majestic culmination in Romans 8 to Paul’s arguments in Romans 1-7. Romans 8 is indeed the heart of Romans as central in the text of the letter and key as a transition from the argument of the first seven chapters to the discussions on the calling of Israel in 9-11 and the applicatory material of chapters 12-16. But what is Paul’s conclusion and how did Wright’s thinking about it change.

We have traditionally read this chapter is one of assurance of our salvation in Christ, as those not under condemnation, as those for whom God works good in all things, and for whom nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ. Wright would not disagree with these things, but has come to see something equally rich–the presence, power, and profound approval of God in Christ for us in the present moment. For many of Paul’s readers, even as is the case for many in the present day, the present is a time of suffering. Paul’s message is that this, in fact is their vocation, and it is one of sharing in the sufferings of Christ, that the spirit (Wright uses the lower case throughout) groans, intercedes, and empowers, and that Christians can be assured of God’s approval (and not condemnation) and God’s protection in life and death.

After introductory material setting Romans 8 in its context, Wright breaks the book into eight sections. For each section, Wright asks what the opening and closing reveals about the theme. He then looks at Paul’s connecting words to unpack the logic of his argument. He then looks at the contexts in Paul’s wider world, both Jewish and Greco-Roman, that provides resonances for what Paul is saying. A few insights I appreciated out of the wealth of material here:

Romans 8:1-4. There is no condemnation because God condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus, fulfilling what Torah could only anticipate.
Romans 8:5-11. The spirit of the risen Christ enables God’s people in the present time to please God in our bodies.
Romans 8:12-17. Wright challenges the moralizing anthropology of our Platonic notions of heaven with the idea of our vocation in the new creation, already begun in which we are God’s spirit-empowered agents. That vocation is as fellow heirs with Christ, crying “Abba” even as we share in suffering, with the hope of resurrection.
Romans 8:17-21. “The primary meanings of ‘glory’ in this passage are, simultaneously, the glorious presence of God himself dwelling within us by the spirit, and the wise, healing, reconciling rule of God’s people over the whole creation. These two — God’s presence and human rule — are made for each other. They fit together” (p. 110).
Romans 8:22-27. We enter, perhaps most deeply into our vocation, as we enter into the world’s suffering, the groaning creation, enabled by God’s spirit to pray with lament and longing.
Romans 8:28-30. Wright challenges the traditional “all things work for good” translating it rather “God works all things together for good with those who love him,” particularly in calling, justifying, and glorifying us.
Romans 8:31-34. An interesting side note in this chapter is Wright’s questioning of the Feast of Christ the King, contending that it takes away from the idea of the Ascension as Christ’s installation as King.
Romans 8:34-39. The theme of our vocation makes sense of all the “bad” things of vv. 35-36 with the assurance that none of these will separate us from the love of God in Christ.

Wright’s situating of the assurance of God’s love, approval, and protection within the vocation of Christians as sharing in Christ’s sufferings in a groaning creation profoundly deepens our reading of this powerful chapter. This is not “happy-clappy” Christianity insensitive to the world’s struggles. It is not prosperous and privileged Christianity by the standards of the world. This is a profound word for Christians who have entered into the groanings of our world and for those whose faithfulness has led to suffering, that this is not their fault, that God is with them, and even praying with them in their laments. This is a profound word that there is nothing that the world or the powers can throw in their face or their lives to part them from God. Even as God said to Israel, “I will be your God” so God says to the larger human family in Christ.

Wright is not an easy read. It was a gift to read this with a local book group, particularly one with a member deeply familiar with Wright’s work (not me) who supplemented our discussions with background material from Wright. Thanks, Dan, and all my friends, who labored to dig out the wealth of insight in this book!

[Vincent Waldron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Into the Heart of Romans is Tom Wright's lengthy exploration of the eighth chapter of the epistle to the Romans. He does mention other parts of Romans, mainly as preamble for this chapter, but the vast majority of the book is devoted to this specific chapter.

Probably the biggest thing is that Wright sees in Romans, the Apostle Paul describing the Christian journey in terms of the Exodus account. Just as Israel was led through the Red Sea and freed from the captivity of the Egyptians, so too, Christians are somehow freed through baptism from the power of sin and made into a new people.

Maybe the most interesting part of the book is the notes he makes as a translator. Wright is an excellent scholar of Greek and he has made his own translation of Paul's text for this book. He does more than that, explaining particular choices that other translators have made and why he considers them inadequate and he chose to translate the passage differently. Often it comes down to small linking words that lead one along the Paul's line of thinking.

Now, for the negative.

-- I suppose I have read too much Wright, but I find his line of thinking repetitive. He spends a lot of time telling his readers what the Reformers got wrong -- he believes (probably rightly so) that many of the passages that the Reformers believed had to do with salvation weren't about salvation at all. I get a little tired of all of the descriptions of things Protestants believe but shouldn't as well as the things that Wright isn't going to tell you -- either because he doesn't have space or he wrote another book about that that you could pick up.

-- Wright always trots out his contrast of Platonic heaven (which he thinks modern evangelicals believe in) versus the Pauline bodily resurrection, on a perfected earth. This often feels like a bit of a straw man to me. I don't think most people think much about heaven or the new earth/Jerusalem except maybe when they are at funerals. My guess is that when they talk about "going to heaven when they die," they are more focused on heaven as an antithesis of hell and the fact they don't want to go there, than that they have some sort of specific idea of what heaven entails.

-- All of Creation has been groaning in expectation, not for the revelation of the Messiah, but for the arrival of the Messiah's people. This is, perhaps interesting, but I'm not sure what the significance of it is.

-- Wright says that Paul is focused on God using the suffering in our lives to create something worthwhile. Many in Paul's day (and in our day as well) would have said that suffering was an indication of God's displeasure. COVID or 9/11 or other disasters are an indication of a just God judging a sinful nation. Wright would say that this isn't Scriptural. I don't disagree with him; I just don't hear the wealth and prosperity Gospel folks that I guess he does. In my church setting, most people would agree solidly with the idea that God makes something lovely out of our suffering -- gives us beauty for ashes, as it were.

-- The book meanders through the chapter. Paul's thought is sometimes hard to follow, Wright's thought is even harder to follow. I think I got his main points, but if there is a short way of something and a long way to say the same thing, it seems as though Wright will always take the long way. This is probably the biggest problem I have with the book. Cut out some of the descriptions of what Paul isn't saying, say what he is saying more concisely, and you would have a book that is more readable and impactful.

I feel like I have been overly hard on Tom Wright. I think he has good things to say, I don't disagree with most of the things he does say, but I also didn't find there to be any sort of groundbreaking discovery I experienced at the end of the book.

If you believe that the book of Romans is about Roman's road salvation or believe strongly in a health and prosperity gospel, then this book might be a good antidote to those sorts of beliefs. The same is true if you don't believe in a bodily resurrection for the believer. It is probably worth reading simply for the translation notes.