Vertical, Horizontal, and Cosmic Dimensions
JARVIS J. WILLIAMS
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ebook edition created 2026
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Identifiers: ISBN 9781540963291 paperback | ISBN 9781540970176 casebound | ISBN 9781493453641 ebook | ISBN 9781493453658 pdf
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.
Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016.
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Cover design by Peter Gloege / Look Design Studio
For Merri Kathryn (1978–96), whose life, friendship, faith, and love for the gospel of Jesus Christ changed my life forever
Introduction: What Is the Gospel According to Paul?
1. The Resurrection and the Cross as the Foundation of Paul’s Gospel in Romans
2. Paul’s Vertical Gospel in Romans
3. Paul’s Horizontal Gospel in Romans
4. Paul’s Cosmic Gospel in Romans
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources
I am thankful to many people for their encouragement throughout the process of writing this book. My beautiful wife, Ana, of twenty-four years, and our beloved son, Jaden, are constant sources of joy, love, encouragement, and strength. I deeply love them both, and I am so thankful that Jesus saved each one of us and that we will be with one another forever in the age to come in the new heaven and the new earth because of the good news about Jesus Christ. I am thankful to Jim Kinney and Bryan Dyer at Baker Academic for their encouragement and support of this project. I am thankful to James Korsmo and the excellent editorial team at Baker for their careful work. I am thankful to my students at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the many students throughout the country who listened to and interacted with lectures related to this book.
Finally, I am thankful to my teenage friend and sister in Christ, Merri Kathryn Prater (1978–96), for her friendship and faith. I have written in numerous places about the way the Lord used her life, death, friendship, and faith to bring me to personal faith in Jesus when I was ...
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About Paul’s Gospel in Romans: Vertical, Horizontal, and Cosmic DimensionsIn this book, Jarvis J. Williams argues that Paul’s gospel in Romans is the announcement of good news that by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, God has fulfilled all his redemptive promises for Jews, Gentiles, and the world. He further argues that Paul’s gospel has at least three dimensions: vertical, horizontal, and cosmic. Williams explains that the starting point for Paul’s gospel is Christ’s cross and resurrection. The vertical dimension refers to the saving benefits Jews and Gentiles receive from God through faith in Jesus, including justification by faith, forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and the salvation of all the elect within Israel. The horizontal aspect relates to individual and relational transformation of those in Christ. Through the Spirit, God transforms those who have died with Christ to live a righteous life in the power of the resurrection, which enables both unity between Jews and Gentiles in Christ and their love for their neighbors. The cosmic component relates to the liberation of the entire creation from its slavery to sin’s power. This liberation includes a bodily resurrection, the transformation of the current universe, and a future inheritance of a new creation for all Jews and Gentiles whom God has redeemed in Christ. This fresh articulation and defense of Pauline theology from an evangelical perspective will be useful for seminary students, scholars, pastors, and study groups. |
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