1,000,000 Chapters – Part 2 Sample

 Welcome to the big bold book of Romans!

Romans might be one of the most “quotable” books in the New Testament. Written by Paul, Romans is a letter addressing a church that has some challenges due to the fact that it is made up of both Jewish people who had become followers of Jesus and Gentile (non-Jewish) folks who had also become followers of Jesus. They had conflicts over history, practices, and the way they were supposed to live in light of the situation they were living in. 

The letter is beautifully written, with Paul building a discussion around the idea that God was now rescuing His people through Jesus, not through the Jewish law. Righteousness, which is a big theme in Romans, comes not by observing every single law but by faith in Jesus Christ and the work God did in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 

Paul invites his readers to participate in this life with Jesus, regardless of the fact that all of us miss the mark (Romans 3), and to know that our suffering is something that helps us grow into hope (Romans 5). Ultimately, it is Jesus death and resurrection that we re-enact through baptism (Romans 6) and our minds can be transformed (Romans 12) so that we can live this resurrection life on a daily basis. 

Reading Romans will be much smoother if you realize that Paul is talking primarily to people who either know Jewish history and consider it their own heritage or have been made to feel like they don’t belong to the God of the Jews because they are Gentiles. 

When we read Romans today, we see the foundation of almost every Christian tradition but also a commitment of a people to live for Jesus in a big city like Rome where there is constant competition for attention and worship.