The letter to the Romans was written by the Apostle Paul, the converted Jew and Roman citizen, about AD 57. Having undertaken three missionary trips, where he had pioneered the Christian message throughout much of the Roman Empire, Paul had not yet visited Rome. Paul felt a call to expand his missionary endeavors further westward. As he planned it, while heading in the direction of Spain, he would finally fulfill the ambition of years and visit the Christians in Rome.
As Paul wrote this letter, Rome was the capital of an empire which stretched from Britain in the west to Arabia in the east. The empire was the center of the world's wealth, culture and trade. Due to the effectiveness of the Gospel and the ease of travel, a growing Christian community made up of Jews and Gentiles was forming in Rome.
What compelled him to write this unique document at this time in his ministry was perhaps a sense that he might never make it to Rome. Therefore, he chose to write it down for the Roman Christians in the event he did not personally arrive in Rome.
Without a doubt, this letter is Paul's gospel manifesto. The theme of Paul's letter is that faith in Christ is the only way people can gain acceptance by God, regardless of religious background and practice.
Paul sees the world as it really is, i.e., not as rosy as secular thought might lead one to believe (Chapter 1).
He proclaims that regardless of social status, or religious pedigree, every single person is guilty of violating God's standards and as a result stands condemned before a righteous God. Even the practicing Jews, who had the unique privilege of knowing God's law for centuries, cannot keep it well enough to avoid the guilty sentence (Chapter 2-3).
Nevertheless, Paul does not leave the reader without hope. He reveals that God offers a free pardon, a clean slate and new life to all who will believe the "good news" of Jesus Christ. He explains that Jesus, the Son of God, has served our sentence for us on the cross (Chapter 4-5).
Paul further writes that the Lord Jesus breaks the chains of our slavery to sin. Paul proclaims that new-born Christians are free to make a fresh new start–this time with all the power of God at their disposal for clean living (Chapters 6-8).
After speaking of his anguish over the nation of Israel (Chapters 9-11), Paul ends his writing by giving very practical directions for Christian living (Chapters 12-16).
Paul's letter to the Romans reached them three years before he would. In the providence of God, Paul's letter made an impact before he ultimately reached Rome as a prisoner for Christ (Acts 28).
In the tradition of religious theologians such as Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Bunyan and Wesley, Pastor Art's Christianity For Today messages bring contemporary life applications for Christians out of Paul's letter to the Romans. In 10 Bible-based lessons Pastor Art discusses God's forgiveness and love and shares how they provide the basis for living the new life on a higher plane, reshaping our way of thinking and acting.
This series offers the opportunity for you to listen and learn what it means to live life in a manner worthy of our new calling as Christians.
Romans is a full description of God's plan of salvation. Paul gives us the key principle of the gospel (good news): "The righteous will live by faith!"
Paul establishes the fact of sin in the human heart and how it frequently leads to sexual sin and perversion.
Is everyone a sinner? How does God look at us? Will heathen people who never heard of Jesus go to hell? How do we get real about our sin problem?
Romans Chapters 1, 2 and most of 3 paint a dark picture about human nature. Is there a way out? How can God be both just and loving toward sinners? God solves our sin problem in a very marvelous way.
Abraham is a prime example of salvation by grace through faith. He was declared righteous because he believed God. He did not trust in his own efforts in keeping religious rites or laws. Faith alone brought the righteousness of God into his life.
Paul gives us eight specific blessings that flow into the believer's life as a result of the faith-salvation experience.
The first Adam brought sin and death upon the human Race (Genesis 3 and Romans 5:12). The second Adam (Christ) brought grace, love, forgiveness, righteousness and life for all who accept his work on the cross.
Sin is incompatible with the Christian life. Sin and sins are differentiated. Believers are to count themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. The Christian offers himself/herself to God as an instrument of righteousness.
What is the sin-principle? God not only wants to forgive our acts of sin, but also deal with that part of our human nature that is behind our misdeeds. Sin made me do it!
What is the place of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer? We can be "set free", "controlled" and "led" by the Spirit of God.
All of nature and humanity will one day be free of pain and suffering. The famous Romans 8:28 promise is here explained. The all encompassing love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord is the possession of the Christian that need never be lost.
Having completed the major theological content of the book (Chapters 1-8), Paul now turns his attention to the historic people of God--Israel. He believes that one day they will accept their Messiah, Jesus, and be saved. This in no way limits the salvation of the world, namely the Gentiles. Christ died for all!
Paul now gives his attention to experiential Christianity (Chapters 12-16), i.e., how we live out the Christian life. He begins with a passionate appeal that the believer would take yet another step in his/her Christian growth by committing themselves 100% to the Lord Jesus. Following our initial experience of salvation, we need to go on to a deeper level of commitment to Christ. He tells us how to do this.
Have you ever wondered, how can I best serve the Lord Jesus? We need to serve in harmony with the spiritual gifts that God has given to each one of us. Identify your spiritual gift or gifts!
What is genuine Christian love and how do we realize it in our lives? Discover ways to put love to work in the church and in the world.
We owe a debt to our government, to our neighbors, and to the culture in which we live. How do we pay that debt as Christian believers living in a secular world?
We can keep the unity of the church even though certain life-style questions are viewed and acted out differently. Sin is never acceptable. But tolerance will be needed when it comes to debatable issues.
Your church has a purpose and probably a mission statement. What is your function in helping the church to fulfill its purpose and mission? You can't do everything. What specifically can you do?
Paul lists a lot of people in the Roman Church--names that we can hardly pronounce and with many of them, we are not sure if they are male or female. Do we just skip over this? No way! People matter. Every member of the church is important. You matter and so does your fellow Christian.