In my 20 years of ministry, I have never preached through Romans. It has been said that a faithful preacher will lead his congregation through Romans at least twice. As I begin my 21st year of preaching, I realized I had better get started on my first.
Romans is critical to our faith. No other book of the Bible has had a greater effect on church history. Martin Luther’s study of Romans was the impetus for the Reformation. Romans is the essence of Christianity. Romans is an Old Testament commentary. Chapters 9-11 contain at least 40 Old Testament quotations. Paul wanted everyone to know that Christianity is not simply a split off of Judaism. Instead, Christianity is Judaism that has flourished to its fulfillment in Christ.
No other book of the Bible more clearly explains the Gospel. It sits in the lead chair of all of Paul’s epistles. I have come to a firm conviction that if you only have one book of the Bible, you must have Romans.
If you have never been led through a verse by verse study, I would encourage you to be faithful during this series. Certainly there are far more gifted and far more intelligent expositors who can lead you through Romans in the hundreds of series available online.
However, there is something special about walking through this book in the unity and fellowship of a family of faith. Romans is not my favorite book of the Bible, but my preparation for this study has already begun to work in my heart in a way that no other study has. My joy in preaching is simply sharing with you not only what God has taught me, but how His Word is changing me and hopefully changing us. It’s going to be a great adventure. I pray you will be here this weekend as the journey begins.
— Pastor Chad
