Who is 'we' referring to in Romans 1:5?

Question

Who does Paul refer to when he writes we in verse 5 in the beginning of his epistle to the Romans:

Paul, [...] called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God [...] concerning His Son [...] Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, [...] _(NASB)

Some argue, we are the recipients of the epistle, others deny this, claiming that the apostleship belongs to a very limited circle of people (possibly the twelve of Acts 1 plus Paul and Barnabas, or a variation thereof).

Is it possible to dermine who we is?

Answer 1

In the salutation at the beginning of his letter to the Romans, Paul wants to make clear his qualification to expound the gospel. Therefore, the "we" in verse 5 is tied to his apostleship & the grace he has received. He links both to the "resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord" as well as the foundations of holy Scripture & the prophets.

Then you state:

Some argue, we are the recipients of the epistle, others deny this, claiming that the apostleship belongs to a very limited circle of people...

Who could argue that this epistle was written by Paul to his fellow apostles in Rome? Just consider that after this point this letter's focus shifts to "you who are called" being "all those in Rome" as verse 5 of the ESV continues, "... we have received grace & apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God & called to be saints: Grace to you & peace from God our Father & the Lord Jesus Christ."