major themes in Romans

In my last poll someone suggested I post a Bible study. Thus begins this journey. Beginning next week I will sequentially list the given Scripture passage. I won’t write out the entire passage, but may quote a verse or two, add interesting facts, expand on a given concept, and/or add poetry about the topic/passage.

The New Testament book of Romans seems a great starting point after exploring “Evangelism”.

Romans In a Nutshell

Sinners are saved only by faith in Jesus Christ.

Like a skilled lawyer, the apostle Paul presents the Good News—we are saved by grace (undeserved, unearned favor from God) through faith (complete trust) in Christ and His finished work on the cross. He further explains how this knowledge and living by the Holy Spirit’s power should affect our daily living.

Paul, like the other apostles, had never visited the church in Rome, but he had taken the gospel “from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum” (15:19). He planned to visit and preach in Rome someday. He also hoped to continue taking the gospel further westward to Spain. It’s unclear if Paul ever reached Spain or if he was executed in Rome after the end of the book of Acts.

roman-empire-map

The church in Rome began by Jews who came to faith during the Pentecost (Acts 2). A great number of Gentile converts also joined this growing church. Paul felt a bond with these Christian Romans, even though miles and obstacles separated them. In his letter, Paul introduces himself before presenting an organized and clear statement of his faith in Jesus Christ.

Statistics Please

Author: The apostle Paul
Date: About 57 AD, from Corinth near the end of Paul’s third missionary journey
Audience: Believers in Rome and believers everywhere
Purpose: 1) Paul was seeking support for his planned visit to Spain (15:24,28); 2) Paul sought to encourage the Romans to greater unity (14:1-15:13); 3) Paul wanted to explain his theology to the Romans and apply it to daily life issues.

Natural revelation – 1:20
The wrath of God – Ch. 1
A righteousness from God – Ch. 2
Abraham, a man of faith – Ch. 4
The benefits of believing – Ch. 12-15
Does justification by faith promote sin? Ch. 6
Life in the Spirit – Ch. 8
The triumph of believing – 8:26-30
What about the Jews?
Practical Christianity – Ch. 12
The obligations of love – Ch. 13

Hope you’ll join me next week!

Paul’s final verses to the Roman church ring with praise. For God not only used him to help spread the gospel, but also share His plan for the Gentiles: God’s inclusion of them/us into His church.

Major Themes

Paul weaved major themes from Romans into these last three verses:

God alone establishes and strengthens the believer.
God alone has given direct revelation of the gospel through Jesus Christ through His life, death, and resurrection.
God has purposed His plan of salvation to everyone who chooses to receive it.

So What?

We should never write someone off as impossible for God to save. Paul was a prime example. From a zealous Christian persecutor to a zealous gospel preacher, God moved mightily in his life: saving, transforming, and strengthening his faith.

We too can trust God to work powerfully in our lives. He’s not limited by our backgrounds, weaknesses, and/or failures.

God used Paul to reach the ends of his world through the cosmopolitan power house of Rome. We would do well to heed God’s inspired words from Paul in Romans as we also take the gospel to the ends of our world through words, prayer, technology, and missionary support.

Have you received God’s gift of salvation?

How has God strengthened your faith?

I love the following scripture/song. It’s a great reminder that God is not only able to work for the good in our circumstances, but also work for the good in our hearts’ invisible arena.