The Highlights Series Part 2 by John Luke RobertsonSample

Paul, who had never been to Rome, wrote this letter to the Roman believers. He greeted twenty-six different people by name which made this letter very personal to them although they had never met him.

At the time of this letter, the church was experiencing some peace. The Emperor, Nero, who was only 16 when he took the throne, had not yet began his persecution of the Christians. Still, Paul apparently felt like the church needed a strong dose of basic gospel doctrine. 

Paul was writing from the Greek city of Corinth which would have been a hub of activity (think New Orleans or Las Vegas) and he would have encountered every type of people, from tradesmen to rough sailors. So, when Paul writes to a church about the sinfulness of a society, he knows what he’s talking about. And, when he talks about seeing lives changed, he has witnessed lives transformed.  

Paul’s letter to the Romans is a clear presentation of Christian doctrine. He starts with the topic of sin, making it clear that all of us have sinned, but then comes a powerful “however” that says God and His grace offer us justification by faith in His Son, Jesus.  And that justification offers us a way out of our sin as we are saved by the blood of Jesus. This is the “big” theme of the letter. Paul lays it out clearly to the Romans, but it’s applicable to us today. Here’s the message from Paul to the Romans then and us now:

1.  We lack God’s righteousness because of our sin (1-3)

2.  We can receive God’s righteousness by our faith in Him (4-5)

3.  We can be transformed from sinners to followers (6-8)

4.  We can see confirmation of God saving grace by the story of the Jews (9-11)

5.  We can apply His righteousness in practical ways (12-16)

This amazing letter was written out in a way we can all understand and apply to our everyday lives. There are eleven chapters of doctrine, then five chapters of practical instruction. The partnership between doctrine and living it out tells us both are important. We have to know what we believe and we have to know how to live it.