Why does Paul open the chapter with “therefore now”?

Explanation:

Paul opens Romans 8:1 with the phrase ἄρα νῦν (so then). The term ἄρα can be used to denote an inference from what was written previously or to mark a simple transition in thought.³ Most likely Paul uses it here to denote a simple transition in thought. We can deduce this because there is no obvious way to make sense of Romans 8:1 as an inference from what precedes. For Paul has just written that he is a wretched man who serves sin with his flesh, so how can he conclude from this that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus? Given the awkwardness of the notion that Paul draws a conclusion from previous material, it is more likely that he uses ἄρα to denote a transition to new material.

Counterargument:

While it is true that the awkwardness of the phrases makes it unlikely that Romans 8:1 draws a conclusion from Romans 7:24–25, it is possible that Romans 8:1 marks a conclusion from earlier material. In particular, the phrase ἄρα νῦν may refer back to Romans 7:6.⁴ Of course, if ἄρα refers back to Romans 7:6 then the awkwardness is resolved, and we can maintain that ἄρα (therefore) draws a conclusion from previous material.

Response to counterargument:

There are two problems with this counterargument. First, it is not clear that Romans 8:1 is a conclusion drawn from Romans 7:6. For when an author draws a conclusion, he usually does so based on arguments, but Paul has not offered any arguments related to his statements from rom Romans 7:6 that would lead him to conclude that those in Christ are no longer condemned. Rather, in Romans 7:6 he writes that we are released from the law, and then he offers material related to the purpose of the law and the sinful nature of the flesh. None of Romans 7:8–25 leads to the conclusion that those in Christ are no longer condemned. Second, if Paul were to use ἄρα to draw a conclusion, we expect him to include the conclusion much closer to the original material. That is, if Paul wants us to conclude from the fact that we are released from the law (Romans 7:6) that those in Christ are not condemned (Romans 8:1), we expect him to note this conclusion much closer to the statement that we are released from the law. Instead, we notice a slew of material between Romans 7:6 and Romans 8:1, suggesting that ἄρα is not an inference from Romans 7:6.

Explanation:

The phrase ἄρα νῦν (therefore now) was commonly used in Koine Greek to draw attention to a particular message. In fact, one could translate the phrase ἄρα νῦν as you see. Likely this is what Paul intends when he includes the phrase at the beginning of Romans 8:1, for he is about to explain that there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ. In other words, he is about to transition to new material, and he wants to highlight the important fact that believers are no longer condemned through Jesus Christ.⁵ Thus, ἄρα νῦν marks a transition to new, important material.

Counterargument:

Paul does not introduce new material in Romans 8:1 but simply draws on what he has written previously. For in Romans 8:1 he says that there is now no condemnation in Jesus Christ. Paul has already alluded to this when he explained that through Adam all are condemned while through Christ all are justified (Romans 5:18). And again in Romans 7:6 he writes that we are released from the law to live by the new way of the Spirit. That there is no condemnation in Christ is to reiterate previous themes, which implies that Paul is not introducing new material in Romans 8:1.

Response to counterargument:

The view here is not that Paul introduces entirely new material that he has not yet alluded to previously. Rather, the view is that Paul uses the phrase ἄρα νῦν (therefore now) to indicate that he is about to introduce a new theme. Of course, Paul may have mentioned elements of this new theme previously, but the phrase ἄρα νῦν indicates that he is about to give the theme focused attention. And when we continue reading Romans 8 we notice that Paul does just that, for he introduces the fact that we are not condemned in Christ Jesus before explaining life in the Spirit. So Paul is transitioning from his discussion of the sinful flesh and the law and introducing the new topic of life in the Spirit, a transition he indicates with the phrase ἄρα νῦν.

It is hard to see what the weakness of this view might be. Since ἄρα means therefore, we are tempted to see Romans 8:1 as a conclusion from what was written previously, but once we understand that ἄρα νῦν is a technical term in Koine Greek for introducing new material, we can see that this is what Paul does in Romans 8:1.

Explanation:

The term ἄρα is generally translated therefore, and it marks a conclusion from preceding material.¹⁰ That is, it marks that Paul is about to summarize and draw a concluding thought from what he wrote previously. And what Paul concludes is that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We need to look back on what Paul wrote previously to notice how he could draw such a conclusion, for the immediately preceding material has to do with being a slave to sin, so Romans 8:1 does not draw from what immediately precedes. Instead, we notice that in Romans 7:6 Paul writes that we are released from the law so that we can serve in the new way by the Spirit. This aligns with Romans 8:1 and likely denotes the material from which Paul draws the conclusion, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Counterargument:

While it is true that the term ἄρα can indicate that an author is about to draw a conclusion, it is important to notice that Paul includes the term νῦν. He opens Romans 8:1 with the phrase ἄρα νῦν (therefore now). It is important to notice this because ἄρα νῦν is not the normal phrase Paul uses to indicate that he is about to draw a conclusion. Rather, when he is about to draw a conclusion, he normally uses the phrase ἄρα οὖν (so then).¹¹ This is the construction Paul uses in Romans 8:12 where he draws a conclusion that is obviously based on the preceding material. In fact, Paul uses the ἄρα οὖν construction a number of times to indicate that he is about to draw a conclusion (Romans 5:18; Romans 7:3, Romans 7:25; Romans 8:12; Romans 9:16, Romans 9:18; Romans 14:12, Romans 14:19). On the other hand, the phrase ἄρα νῦν (therefore now), which Paul uses to open Romans 8:1, is an appropriate expression for denoting a pause and change of subject.¹² And likely this is how Paul uses the phrase in Romans 8:1.

Response to counterargument:

Even if ἄρα νῦν (therefore now) is not Paul’s usual construction to indicate that he is about to draw a conclusion, this does not mean that he does not do this in Romans 8:1. For ἄρα is commonly used to draw an inference. Now, given that Paul has focused on the eras of salvation, namely, the time of Adam contrasted with the time of Christ, it is likely that he includes the term νῦν to indicate that he has the time of the era of Christ in mind. So he is saying, therefore, based on what he wrote previously, that in this era since Christ died on the cross, we are no longer under condemnation.

Explanation:

Paul writes ἄρα νῦν (therefore now) there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1). The phrase can be used to denote an emphatic conclusion, and this is likely how Paul uses it here. That is, he likely uses the phrase to indicate that he is drawing on previous material to make an important conclusion. We can detect that Paul uses ἄρα νῦν to mark a draw a dramatic conclusion because Romans 8:1 summarizes themes that Paul introduced in Romans 5:1–21 and mentioned through Romans 6:1–23 and Romans 7:1–25. Specifically in Romans 5:12–21 Paul explained that in Adam all are condemned while Jesus Christ brings justification to all men. Paul then refers to the theme of being made alive with Christ in Romans 6:1–23 and Romans 7:1–25 before finally summarizing what this all means in Romans 8:1.¹³ That we are justified and made alive in Christ leads Paul to conclude, So then, there is no condemnation in Jesus Christ.

Counterargument:

Paul would not expect his audience to notice that what he writes in Romans 8:1 draws a conclusion from what was first introduced in Romans 5:12–21. For Paul has introduced and explained many important themes related to justification, sin, and the law throughout Romans 6:1–23 and Romans 7:1–25. Thus, it is arbitrary and unreasonable to think that Paul would suddenly introduce a concluding remark related to Romans 5:12–21, and that his audience would notice this connection. For when an author draws a conclusion, the conclusion is normally related to what immediately precedes it, but in this case, the immediately preceding context is not relevant to what Paul writes in Romans 8:1. This should motivate us to consider whether Paul might be doing something other than drawing a conclusion with the phrase ἄρα νῦν (therefore now), rather than convince us to look for material he introduced three chapters earlier.

This view is not intuitive. That is, it is not intuitive that Paul would draw a conclusion in Romans 8:1 based on material that precedes by several verses or chapters. Rather, we expect a conclusion from the immediately preceding material, which in the case of Romans 8:1 is unlikely given that what immediate precedes Romans 8:1 is not clearly related to the statement that in Christ we are no longer condemned.