Themes By Chapter
Book Summary
Romans is the fort Knox of the Christians faith, written to the center of the Roman civilization, it is the doctrine of the gospel – the problem with mankind and the living hope in Christ. Paul reveals to us that salvation is about grace alone, about faith in what He has done – “the righteous shall live by faith.”The first 3 chapters show us how all people are condemned in front of God, all have fallen short of the glory of God and are thus abiding in God’s wrath under condemnation. Sin is universal and has effected all men, for death is a backpack which everyone is wearing and we will all have too go through.
Death was the one thing that Christ went through that would relate to everyman, in every culture for all are condemned to death being children of Adam. Christ died for our sin and will impute His righteousness to us, if we desire to “walk by faith” in the Son of God. When Christ imputes righteousness to us we are justified immediately, all sin is forgiven, we are now bought with a price , disciples of Christ who will follow Him where He leads us. The places He leads us are to change us, it’s not about the places He takes us but about the character formed in us. It is not what we do but what we are. This process is known as sanctification and shown in chapters 6-8. Chapter 6 shows the completeness of the work of Christ, that we have died with Him, that we are a new creation. Chapter 7 shows a Christians appropriating this with the law and failing drastically. Chapter 8 is appropriating this with the spirit, the new law of life, the freedom that we have in Christ in the power of the person of the holy spirit.