What do we know about the church in Rome?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The church in Rome had humble beginnings though it is likely the most famous church because of its connection with the Roman Catholic church (RCC). However, this connection did not form until centuries later. When Paul wrote the letter to Romans, he did not name a specific church, indicating that there was no citywide one. Rather, scholars estimate that there were five house churches (Romans 16:5, 10, 11, 14, 15). It is likely that the gospel first arrived in that city from those in Jerusalem during Pentecost (Acts 2:10). Yet, no one individual led the Roman churches. Paul did go to Rome but as a prisoner (Acts 28:16). Peter appeared to refer to it as “Babylon” (1 Peter 5:13), indicating he may have been writing from there but referred to himself as merely “fellow elder” (1 Peter 5:1). The believing community became largely Gentile after Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome (AD 49). A minor yet vocal Jewish-Christian community had returned by the time Paul wrote Romans (Romans 9–11). Early church tradition indicates that both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome during Nero’s persecution (c. AD 64). By the fourth century, Rome, as a theological center, had begun to drift from Scripture, allowing tradition to shape its doctrine. When it completely lost the gospel and ceased being a true church is historically debatable, but most evangelicals place it around the Middle Ages. While the church of Rome today is no longer a true church, true churches continue to exist where Jesus is the head and His Scripture is obeyed.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The church in Rome is not mentioned in the Old Testament.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• It is likely that Christianity was first introduced to Rome by visitors who were in Jerusalem during Pentecost. That account lists the various visitors as follows: “Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians” (Acts 2:9–11). Within that list includes “visitors of Rome,” whom probably brought the gospel back with them.
• The book of Romans provides various details about the Christian community in Rome. Unlike most of Paul’s other letters, he does not open Romans by saying something like, “To the church of Rome ….” The implication is that there was not a single church in Rome. In Paul’s final greeting section (Romans 16), Paul references various households that may be churches. Scholars debate the exact number and whether all of them qualify as churches, but most believe there were five such household churches when Paul wrote the letter. The passages commonly cited for this are: Romans 16:5, 10, 11, 14, and 15. Note that the word “church” is only used in 16:5. The rest are derived based on familial terms, which is why the exact number is debated.
• Paul wrote Romans in part to address issues between believing Gentiles and Jews (Romans 14:1–3) and to correct a wrong view of salvation by works by non-believing Jews (Romans 3:20). This indicates that he wrote at a time when the community had both. Historically, Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews for a short time (AD 49), and since Paul was likely writing in the early-to-mid 50s, the number of Gentile believers likely far outnumbered Jewish believers.
• This imbalance of believers was causing various issues, such as the Gentiles' freedom to eat what bothered the Jews (Romans 14:2–3) and the Jews holding to the Mosaic Law at the risk of undermining the Gospel (Romans 14:14–15). Paul showed that all believers were both equal as sinners (Romans 3:23) and equal in salvation through Jesus (Romans 3:22–24). He taught that they needed to love each other by deferring to each other’s weaknesses for the sake of the Gospel (Romans 15:1–3).
• This letter also shows Paul’s genuine care for what made the Jews unique, such as receiving the Law (Romans 9:4). Correcting Gentile pride, he addressed the fact that the Jews seemed to have lost their privileges by showing that God would one day fully restore the Jews (Romans 9–11).
• Paul wrote the Roman believers, expressing the desire to visit them on the way to Spain (Romans 15:24). He did, in fact, make it to Rome, but as a prisoner (Acts 28:16). There is no evidence that Paul led the church while there. Tradition says that Paul died there at Nero’s hand.
• Peter is often cited as the first bishop (or Pope, in modern terms) of Rome. However, there is little evidence that he spent much time there. The letter of 1 Peter might have been written there. It ends with the cryptic statement, “She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings” (1 Peter 5:13). Scholars argue that it is likely that Babylon was Peter’s way of referring to Rome based on the level of persecution happening there. If so, then Peter would have been writing from inside “Babylon” (Rome) at the time. Even if he was, Peter referred to himself as “a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed” (1 Peter 5:1), indicating he had a humble view of his role in the church as a whole (not just those within Rome), a role he shared with others. As with Paul, tradition also records Peter's death in Rome under Nero.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Though the Roman church is often tied to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), ironically, the modern Roman church holds errors remarkably similar to the Jewish errors in Paul's day. In the book of Romans, Paul addressed their understanding of justification, which included their reliance on tradition and obedience to the Law as the means of pleasing God. Today, the RCC also appeals to its traditions and obedience to RCC doctrine as the way to salvation.

Paul, however, strongly asserted that there was only one type of righteousness that pleased God: the righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:22). Our works can’t save us, keep us saved, or complete our salvation because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). If we sin even once, we fall under God’s full condemnation (Galatians 3:10). There is nothing we can do to undo or to pay for that judgment.

But Jesus, being perfect, died to be a substitute sacrifice for our sins. That’s what Paul meant when he said, “the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law” (Romans 3:21a). Righteousness through following the Law was impossible, but God sent His Son, Jesus, to both bear our sin penalty and to be our righteousness. That is why Scripture refers to a believer’s relationship with God as being “in Christ” (e.g., 2 Corinthians 5:17). It is Jesus’ righteousness that God sees in believers.

While the Roman church began faithfully, through various political and religious shifts in the centuries to follow, it ultimately lost Paul’s point that salvation for sinners was even possible. Because of this, Rome is no longer a true church. However, Jesus said no one could stop His church (Matthew 16:18), and it continues to exist where Christ is the head (Colossians 1:18), meaning where His gospel is believed and His Scripture is obeyed.

UNDERSTAND

• The first-century Roman church was not a single congregation but rather a collection of house churches, with Jewish and Gentile believers.
• Paul wrote Romans to unite believers around the true gospel, teaching that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone and not through works, tradition, or obedience to the Law.
• Peter did not found or lead the Roman church as Roman Catholic tradition claims; he may have lived there for a time, but there is no evidence that he held a primary or significant leadership position while there.

REFLECT

• How does Paul writing his most theologically comprehensive letter to a church he had never even visited challenge you in the way you invest in the lives of others?
• How does Paul's treatment of the tensions between Jewish and Gentile believers in Romans inform the way you navigate disagreements and differences with other believers?
• How does the eventual drift of the Roman church challenge you to stay grounded in Scripture and guard against slowly compromising the gospel?

ENGAGE

• What does the humble origin of the Roman church and its organic and Spirit-driven nature of the early church's expansion suggest about how the gospel spreads today?
• How should evangelicals engage with the RCC's claims to Petrine succession and papal authority in light of Scripture's teaching on Peter's role and self-understanding, as expressed in 1 Peter 5:1?
• How does the trajectory of the Roman church warn us of the danger of tradition displacing Scripture as the authority for faith and practice?