Key word: Righteousness
The early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). We find this teaching in the New Testament epistles. The first of these epistles in order and in importance is Romans. Romans is surely the queen foremost of the epistles. It is the deepest, best systematized of the letters, and most theological, not to mention the longest. It was written by the Apostle Paul around A.D. 58 to the church at Rome, a church he had neither founded nor visited. He, therefore, had few personal relationships with the Christians there and kept his teaching general and applicable to Christians everywhere and for all times. Romans is the first of three letters based upon one Old Testament verse – Habakkuk 2:4b – “The just shall live by faith” (1:17). The key word describes the theme of Romans: righteousness and the key verse (1:16) tells us that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
The book can be nicely outlined by five subjects, all beginning with “s”
• Sin (1:18-3:20)
• Salvation (3:21-5:21)
• Sanctification (6-8)
• Sovereignty (9-11)
• Service (12:1-15:13)
Starting with sin, Paul builds a case for why we need salvation. Humans have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (1:18), and therefore justly face the wrath of God. Chapter one and two develop this theme concluding that all people – Jew and Gentile alike, are sinners who have rejected God and His righteousness. Chapter three summarizes what has been taught in the first two chapters and proclaims that all are unrighteous (3:10-11) and fall short of God’s glory (3:23). Therefore, we are in a hopeless and helpless state of sin and have no means of being saved or rescued.
Key verse: Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
