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)
The third major section of Romans deals with sanctification, or how we should live now that we are saved (6-8). We could wrap Paul’s teaching on this subject around three statements:
1. We have died to sin (6:2). It often does not seem like we are dead to sin, but positionally we, as Christians, are no longer under the mastery of sin. We have died to its automatic control over our lives. We are now under the mastery of Christ. Therefore, we should consider ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (6:11). We now must choose if we want to allow sin to reign in our bodies and obey its desires, or to present ourself to God and His mastery (6:12-13).
2. We are dead to the law (7:4a). The law is great at condoning and pronouncing judgment for our sins. But it has no power to help us live for, or grow in Christ. Therefore, we have been released from the law, in order that we might serve in the newness of the Spirit (10:6).
3. We are to walk according to the Spirit (8:4). When we are trying to live for the Lord according to our own efforts (the flesh), we will fail because we lack the energy and power to mature. For that we need the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (8:9).
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.
