Though multitudinous volumes concerning Romans have been penned, it seems a vital key has been largely overlooked. The phrase, “the obedience of faith,” (ὑπακοὴν πίστεως) appears in both the opening and closing paragraphs of the letter (arguably programmatic for the letter), is cited by Paul as the reason for grace and apostleship, and is noted as the goal of God’s mystery being revealed. As such, it contains vital insights into rightly grasping the message of Romans. Despite this, the phrase rarely receives a mention by commentators from Origen and Chrysostom through Witherington and Wright. When addressed, interpretations include “the obedience of faith” indicating stages of maturity, an inevitable process, the interchangeability of faith and obedience, or obedience to the doctrines of the faith. To date, a discussion regarding a desired kind of obedience remains elusive at best.
This paper investigates various interpretations of “the obedience of faith” and offers linguistic, scriptural, and theological merit for the proposition that the phrase reveals the specific kind of obedience God desires. This discussion brings to the conversation an emphasis on God’s personhood and the personal, Christ-centered nature of proper obedience. This emphasis is warranted due to the phrase’s import in Romans, its subsequent implications, and the potential impact in theology (and Pauline studies). For example, in relation to humanity, one’s understanding of obedience informs any difference (or not) between obedience, compliance, “works,” etc., which bespeak very different relationships. At stake intrinsically and in relation to theology is the nature and character of God. What is God like? What is the essence of proper relations with God? Is God a God of seemingly impersonal processes such as a sensus divinitatus, as Plantinga and others suggest, or is God necessarily personal? Far from mere compliance, this research proposes the obedience of faith is an obedience innately possessing the essence of trust in the person of Jesus Christ.