Rescue from the present evil age (1:3–5)

Says The greeting in 1:3 comes ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ; the printed text places ἡμῶν (hēmōn, “our”) with κυρίου, “our Lord.” The BSB “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” follows the order that places it with πατρός (see the textual note on 1:3). In 1:4 Christ is τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν (tou dontos heauton hyper tōn hamartiōn hēmōn, “who gave himself for our sins”).

Says The purpose clause ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς (hopōs exelētai hēmas) uses the aorist middle subjunctive of ἐξαιρέω, which Abbott-Smith glosses “to deliver” at this verse. The rescue is ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ: ἐνεστῶτος is the perfect participle of ἐνίστημι, listed under “pf. ptcp., present”, and πονηροῦ, “evil,” describes the age. All of this is κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν, and 1:5 closes with ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων (hō hē doxa eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn, “to whom be glory forever and ever”).

Implies The verse names both the means (Christ’s self-giving for sins) and the goal (rescue out of an age marked as evil), and it grounds both in the Father’s will. It states these points without developing them; see the note on Romans 1:1–7.

Says At 1:4 the printed text has ὑπέρ, “for”; RP 2018 has περὶ, while the TR has ὑπὲρ (see the textual note on 1:4).