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Paul's Letter to the Church in Rome -- Romans

by Michael Russell

Probably my favourite book of the Bible is Romans. Paul, in this letter to Rome, goes into detail about the truths of Jesus Christ. Paul explains the wonder of God's grace toward us.

Paul wrote this letter to prepare the young church in Rome for his visit. His goal was to share the basic foundations of salvation. The emphasis is on sin, salvation, grace, faith, righteousness, justification, sanctification, redemption, death, and resurrection.

According to history, it was while studying Romans that Martin Luther, in 1517, was motivated to question the status quo and thus become the father of the Protestant Reformation. The church at that time had become corrupted from its riches and was actually teaching that salvation could be purchased. Luther, with the power of this book, reaffirmed that the admission to God's Kingdom is by Grace, not by our works.

Salvation is a gift, it is not earned. But, it is a gift that must be received. God gives us the choice.

The Book of Romans can be divided into the following sections.

You need a Savior
Chapter 1 : What is reality? How messed up are things?
Chapter 2 : Where do we stand before God?
Chapter 3 : If salvation is by works, what is the measure?
Chapter 4 : What is the standard for faith?
Chapter 5 : Do you need peace with God?
Jesus is the Savior
Chapter 6 : How to get freedom from sin's control?
Chapter 7 : What is a Spirit-filled life?
Chapter 8 : Can Jesus give a new perspective during hard times?
Chapter 9 : Is God really in control?
Chapter 10 : Are there others who know this?
Chapter 11 : Does God know what He is doing?
Your new Life
Chapter 12 : Why should I live a godly life?
Chapter 13 : Why should I obey authority?
Chapter 14 : Can Jesus help with my dealings with others?
Chapter 15 : How about dealing with other peoples?
Chapter 16 : How do we all work together?

While God's plan of salvation is found throughout Scripture, Paul condensed the plan to its five fundamentals in the Book of Romans. This is often called, "The Romans Road".

(Romans 3:10) No one is righteous. We are not "good enough".

(Romans 3:23) All of us have sinned -- rebelled against God.

(Romans 6:23) Sin deserves eternal death.

(Romans 5:8) Jesus paid the price by dying in our place.

(Romans 10:9-13) Believe, ask, and be saved. Receive the free gift of salvation.

So, in summary, I encourage everyone to read this Book in the Bible. Isn't it wonderful that God is the one who provides for our salvation (grace) because we can never do enough to earn it on our own. As one person commented; Adam and Eve were kicked out of paradise (Garden of Eden) because of just one (1) sin. If they lost it all for one sin, what chance do you have? The good news is you do have a chance in Jesus. That is the message of Romans.

This essay was inspired by and borrows from Insights Newsletter, Vol 9, No 4, Sep 1999, by Chuck Swindoll.