The obedience of faith among all the nations (Romans 1:5–6)

Says Paul's apostleship is εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν (eis hypakoēn pisteōs en pasin tois ethnesin, "for the obedience of faith among all the nations"), and it serves "His name" (1:5). The BSB renders the phrase "to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith."

Uncertain The kind of genitive in ὑπακοὴ πίστεως (note.language.Rom.1.5.hypakoe-pisteos; lex.G5218): 1. Source: obedience that springs from faith (BSB). 2. Apposition: obedience that consists in faith, so that believing the gospel is itself obeying God. Compare 10:16, where "not all obeyed (ὑπήκουσαν) the gospel" (literal) is paired with Isaiah's "who has believed our message?" 3. Objective: obedience to "the faith" as a body of teaching. This is unlikely, because πίστεως has no article.

The team prefers the source reading, with apposition close behind. The two overlap. Faith submits to God's word, and obedience flows from faith.

Implies On any reading, the phrase does not make obedience a ground of justification. Paul goes on to say that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law (3:28), and that faith is credited as righteousness to "the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly" (4:5, BSB). Faith and obedience are distinct but never separated (6:16–17; 15:18).

Says The same phrase recurs at Rom 16:26, in the closing doxology (Rom 16:25–27): "in order to lead all nations to the obedience that comes from faith" (BSB). Its place in the letter differs by edition. RP prints the doxology after 14:23, and SBLGNT keeps it out of its running text and gives it only in its apparatus. A later Romans 16 package will treat the unit fully (STYLE_GUIDE L18). Implies The repetition frames the whole letter. Paul's mission, and the letter that sets it out, aim at the obedience of faith among all nations.

Says The readers are among these nations: "And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ" (1:6, BSB).