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 final major section of Romans might be seen as the application of all that he has written so far (12-16). For convenience we call this section, “service.” It begins with the word “therefore,” which introduces the incomparable twelfth chapter, which calls us to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, and to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. All other applications in the remainder of the book bank off these first two verses. The triune commands will determine:
1. Our function in the body of Christ (12:3-13).
2. How we deal with those who harm us (12:14-21).
3. Our response to government (13:1-8).
4. Our walk, in love and purity (13:8-14).
5. Our attitude toward those who have different preferences and convictions from us (14:1-15:13).
Paul closes the book with personal information and requests. So, he has gotten his readers lost, saved, put on the road of Godly living, taught them the sovereignty of God and sent them out to serve the Lord in a manner worthy of God. What a book.
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.
