In Paul's letter to the churches of Rome, he works to bridge the gap between Jews and Gentiles with clarifying the message of the Gospel and the power of Salvation through Christ Jesus.
The churches of the Roman empire struggle with the same thing that many of us struggle with today. They struggle with doing what is right and wrong and trying to obey rules, or laws. They also struggled with the outside influences of other people's thoughts and opinions. Even though these are struggles that will influence humanity until we are perfected in God's eternal presence, Paul wanted to ensure the church (and therefore individual Christians) had a basic understanding of what it meant to be a human living in a fallen world who also has the opportunity to chose to live differently as a Believer in Jesus because He is our source and reason for growing and living.

1. SALVATION and REDEMPTION only come from JESUS' SACRIFICE.
In Chapter 7 of Romans, Paul expresses the struggle that all mankind has with trying to follow laws in order to be a "good person." What Paul's argues is that following the law will not make a good person, only someone who does good more than evil, yet this falls short. Only the condemnation of Jesus, by bearing our sins upon him, can make us truly good, when we express our faith in Him (including His message) and not ourselves (Eph 2:8-9).

2. ADOPTION into God's FAMILY comes from a RENEWED RELATIONSHIP with God.
The sin in our lives effectively separated us from God. When a child breaks a moral law that is offensive to it's parent, it affects the relationship. The severity of offense determines the severity of hurt in the relationship. However, with God, who is holy, even what we consider a small offense, destroys the relationship with God and casts us out of His presence.
Since Christ brings healing to this relationship, it means we are once again members of the family and inherit the all that God has for us. As members of Him we need to seek to live and honor Him, not ourselves (Eph 4:22-31; Col 3:5-9).

3. MATURITY and GROWTH come with ENDURANCE and INTIMACY with God.
Though we are forgiven and made righteous before God because of our faith in Jesus Christ, the road to maturity takes time. The sin we're born with is still there and we are still subject to it while we're in this fallen world. God's desire is for us to seek Him and His heart so that we can grow and lead others towards Him. This is the process of CONFORMATION, JUSTIFICATION, GLORIFICATION. Unfortunately it is not immediate, but it is beneficial (Hebrews 12:11) and necessary.

4. SECURITY and PROTECTION come from GOD'S LOVE for us.
As members of God's family we are offered a special protection. This does not mean that bad things will not happen to Christians/Believers. Paul brings us situations and scenarios that many may use as an indicator that God is not with them. This is much of what Jesus constantly taught against regarding the Rabbis (John 9:2). A hard life is not necessarily a consequence of one's sins. Sometimes it is to grow someone, spiritually, as well as for God to demonstrate His glory. Either way, Believers can have confidence that God is with them through hardships, no matter how severe.

Digging Deeper
1. We all try to be good people. What's the difference between being a good person and being a good person in Jesus?
2. Have you ever been in a strained relationship that was later renewed? What difference in your life does that make?
3. Conforming to God's likeness is not an easy process. In what ways has your life changed with Christ in it? Where do you still struggle?
4. Where have you felt the most secure in your life? What allowed you to be secure? Do you trust God's love to secure you?