After he embarked on his second missionary journey, Paul the Apostle took advantage of an opportunity to discuss the resurrection of Christ with the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers of his day. The Biblical book of Acts chronicles their response to Paul’s gospel message…
“When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, ‘What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods'” (Acts 17:18 NLT).
The allegation that Paul was someone who promoted a foreign (or perhaps imaginary) god was far from accurate. However, it’s possible that some members of the Roman congregation had been exposed to those accusations. So, to counter those charges, it appears that Paul launched something of a pre-emptive strike beginning in Romans 1:2. That portion of Scripture begins with an important declaration…
“which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures” (Romans 1:2).
Paul will advance two lines of argument over the course of the next few verses. The first was primarily designed to benefit the Jewish members of his audience and others who were familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures. In making this claim here in verse two, Paul effectively communicated an important truth: “The message I proclaim is not something that sprang from my own intellect or imagination; it was promised in advance through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures.”
In other words, Paul did not advocate a “foreign god” or new religion. Instead, he proclaimed the same good news that was predicted by God’s prophets. Those Old Testament prophets foretold of a New Covenant and a Messiah whose sacrifice would bring hope and redemption. So in making this connection, Paul established a complimentary relationship between these Old and New Covenants.
While other religious traditions maintained their own collections of “sacred texts,” Paul had a precise definition in mind in referring to “the Holy Scriptures”…
“The New Testament uses the term Scripture in a technical sense. It occurs some fifty times, and in most cases it refers unmistakably to the Old Testament as a whole. To first century Christians, the word Scripture meant primarily the sacred canon of the Old Testament, which is called ‘sacred Scriptures’ (II Tim. 3:15…) or ‘holy scriptures’ (Rom. 1:2). These they acknowledged to be ‘inspired of God’ (II Tim. 3: 16…) and the rule for faith and practice (v. 17; cf. Rom. 15:4).” (1)
So, Paul made certain to establish an important foundation: the gospel he proclaimed did not originate with him, but proceeded from God. In making this reference to the prophets of the Old Testament, Paul was diligent to root his message in the authority of God’s Word.
(1) Geisler, N. L., & Nix, W. E. (1968). A General Introduction to the Bible. [pg. 74]