Paul was Preaching in Ephesus while he was writing the Epistle to the Romans
There is a common misconception out in the Christian World. The few that know what Paul taught in relationship to salvation, some try to discount it’s import to the modern church world because of what he later wrote in the Epistles.
However, if one understands the actual timeline of events written in the Book of Acts were happening concurrently. At the same time, Paul was writing the epistles it brings to a very salient point.
Paul was not contradicting what he preached to the Ephesians and what he wrote to the Romans.
“This helps particularly in understanding that the Church of Rome was being addressed at the same time, Paul was preaching the need for the new birth of water and spirit recorded in Acts 19.”
He was not giving different instructions to the Romans than what he was teaching the Ephesians.
Romans 10:9
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
He was writing the above while he was preaching below.
Acts 19
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
What does this mean?
It means that both are true at the same time. The letter to the Church in Rome was describing salvation in context to those who were at that moment saved.
It was NOT how to be saved.
What did Paul do to instruct those who needed to be saved?
Read Acts 19.
Paul’s pattern tracks perfectly with what Peter preached in Acts 2, the events in Acts 8, and the record recorded in Acts 10.
There is a pattern of salvation in the book of Acts how the believers got saved and what the Apostles taught, instructed, and preached.
It is a false premise that Paul wrote contradictory instructions to the Churches to what he preached in establishing the churches. The Bible demonstrates what he told those who wanted to be saved.
Paul insisted on re-baptizing people in the water in Jesus Name. Paul laid hands on them for them to subsequently be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Different audiences are given different information because the needs are different. One group needs to get saved. Others need understanding about salvation for themselves and deeper theological understanding.
— JP