Summary of Romans:
Coleridge called it “the most profound book in existence.” Agoday called it “the Cathedral of the Christian Faith.” Martin Luther called it “the chief part of the New Testament and the very purest gospel.” And Irving Jensen called it “Paul’s masterpiece.” The 16 chapters of Romans comprise the deepest, clearest, and most rigorous teaching on the doctrine of salvation. Read it for yourself and you will understand why God gave us this powerful book.
Listen to An Overview of Romans:
Journey Through Romans
Romans is often called the Book of Salvation because it contains the most detailed explanation of the way and doctrine of salvation of any book in Scripture. Many people have used what is commonly referred to as the “Romans Road” to explain the logic of the gospel and how to know Christ as your Savior. Romans is an amazing book of salvation.
(To learn more about knowing Christ, visit our Gospel Page.)
The epistles give us an explanation of what the Gospels provide in fact. It is fitting that the Book of Romans precedes the epistles because the message of Romans is the foundation of every other message to the church. You cannot understand how to live the Christian life or all that God wants for the believer until you are one! We cannot know God’s intent for the local church until we first understand who the Founder is and have a personal relationship with Him – the Lord Jesus.
Logically, Romans follows the Book of Acts. We discover, in Acts, that the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and then to the uttermost part of the world. That is exactly what Rome was. From Rome, the gospel launched into the uttermost. It was carried to the farthest reaches of the Gentile empires.
A Book For Every Person
This is a book for every believer and unbeliever. Romans is a book for everybody who needs salvation. Friend, we all need salvation. The Apostle Paul opens his letter this way: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). You see, the book of Romans is a treatise on the gospel. It begins and concludes with the gospel. If you turn to the last chapter of the book, Romans 16:25, he signs off by saying this: “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.”
A Book About the Gospel
He begins and ends with the gospel. Everything in between serves to explain the effect and the power of the gospel.
- What’s the purpose of the gospel? To save men from their sin?
- What’s the power of the gospel? Justification and sanctification.
- Who are the people of the gospel? Jew and Gentile.
- What’s the product of the gospel? Changed lives.
Read the book of Romans. Examine it carefully. Read it slowly. Read it meditatively. Don’t rush through this book because it is packed with truth. It’s full of truth for those who need to know Christ, and it’s full of truth for those of us who do know Christ. Read it again and again. By the time this book was written, the gospel had been preached throughout the Roman Empire for decades. And there were certainly some questions that needed clarification. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this deeply doctrinal book.
Key Words in Romans
It is impossible to identify a singular keyword because there are so many words emphasized. The very words of Scripture bring clarity. Here are several keywords:
- “The law” – 78 times
- “Righteousness” – 66 times
- “Faith” – 62 times
- “Sin” – 60 times
- “Death” – 42 times.
- The phrase “In Christ” – 33 times
- ‘Impute” – 19 times
- “Justification” – 17 times.
As you study these words, you uncover a clear summary of the entire message of salvation. Note: the book of Romans should be studied, word by word. Don’t just study it chapter by chapter. Take your time and study the individual words because they are so full of truth.
The Structure of Romans
Like many of Paul’s writings, Romans has an interesting layout. The message migrates from belief to behavior. It transitions from what we know to how we should live. We might outline it this way:
Romans 1-11: Our Doctrine
Romans deals thoroughly with sin and the fact we are all sinners (Ch. 1-3). Then Paul deals with salvation (Ch. 4-5). the Apostle instructs us on sanctification and the sovereignty of God (Ch. 6-10). He moves from where we are to where we need to be. He shows us this progression of how God the Savior works in our lives, not only to take us to Heaven someday but to change us here and now.
Some of the greatest chapters in the Bible on the spirit-filled Christian life are found in the Book of Romans. Read Romans 6-8. Doesn’t it describe your struggle? Then, discover the victory that is found only in the person of Jesus Christ, living inside of you.
Paul then moves from our doctrine to…
Romans 12-16: Our Deportment
In other words, how should we live because of this? He talks about our behavior toward God, our behavior toward one another, and our behavior toward the world. It is powerful to see how the Christ in you works out. He lives His life through you. One of the dangers of merely studying doctrine, if you are not careful, is you can get full of knowledge. Remember, Paul also wrote that “Knowledge puffeth up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).
There was just a great danger in intellectual arrogance, and it’s very evident even in this world today. Lots of people who always win Bible trivia are very proud people because they have all the answers. And yet, the issue is not, do you know about salvation? Do you know about Christ? But rather has He made a difference in the way you live your life every day? Remember, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:16)
Daily Application
And so I would challenge you today to read the book of Romans, not just to know about the gospel, but rather to let the gospel affect the way you live.
Someone has said, “We should preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” That’s a profound thought. Every day, I must remind myself that I am just a sinner in desperate need of the mercy of God. If I got what I deserved, I would be under the judgment of God, but I’m not going to hell because Christ saved me. And He wants all to be saved. And now Christ lives in me and wants to live His life out through me each day. Christ is to be all in all to every believer.
This is the great message of Romans.
- He is our propitiation.
- He is our sin-bearer.
- He is our Deliverer.
- He is our Justifier.
- He is the One who sanctifies us.
Jesus Christ is all.
Key Verse of Romans
What are the key verses in the book of Romans? The Apostle Paul, speaking very personally, wrote in Romans 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
These key verses give us two assignments:
- Live by faith.
- Pass on the message of faith and the message of Christ to other people.
It is to be revealed from faith to faith. As surely as Paul was not ashamed of the gospel, we are not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Just as the great Apostle was a debtor, we are debtors. And as surely as he was ready to preach the gospel, we must be ready to preach the gospel.
Romans gives us two applications:
- Preach the gospel to yourself today, to remind yourself who you are who Christ is, and who you belong to. Preach the gospel to yourself and never get over the wonder of what it means to be saved. Rehearse in your mind again the glory of salvation, the Christ who lives in you.
- Preach the gospel to others. Don’t keep it to yourself. Determine, before this day ends, that you will tell at least one person about the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Book of Romans is a good place to begin. (Watch 5 Bible lessons on “How to Tell Others About Jesus” HERE.)
Take one of the powerful gospel verses from the Book of Romans and say, “Let me share with you something that has changed my life.” This is the message of salvation, and it’s for every man. Begin today.
Related Resources:
Read: Good News In Rome
Listen: God’s Redemption Timeline
Click HERE to Begin Audio SeriesWatch: Unknown Saints
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