Not Guilty (eBook)

LESSON 1

Major Purpose and Themes

Introduction

Introduction to the Book of Romans

Grace and Glory!

The book of Romans is perhaps the greatest piece of theological literature in history and the greatest expression of Paul’s unique spiritual genius. There has never been a letter like it. The sheer scope and magnificence of Romans set it apart. The closest comparison would be Isaiah, and thus Romans can be viewed as the “Isaiah” of the New Testament and vice versa.

Truly Holy Spirit inspired, Romans is a masterpiece treatise of church doctrine. We thank God for Paul’s obedience and dedication to writing it for us, but we wholly recognize only God could author such a treasure chest of theology. You will be stirred, challenged, and perhaps even corrected as you read this enlightening letter.

Paul’s gospel was the gospel of grace and glory, which is the beautiful and much-needed major theme of this book. As believers in Christ, we are more than just dedicated disciples; we are desperate lovers. We intensely long for deep connection with the one who made us and made us his. And, once we have been brought into that communion with him, we recognize how we need to learn and grow! We need a solid, systematic, and stable theology, and Romans gives us that.

Key Verses

The key verses of this book are Romans 8:15–16. This passage focuses our heart on the thrust of Paul’s gospel: our new life in Christ is empowered by the Spirit, not human effort, and by his Spirit we experience God’s love and are enfolded into his family.

You did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!” For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!” (Romans 8:15–16)

Why You Should Read Romans

Romans is full of revelatory truth with the power to transform us. The revelation of righteousness by faith, not works, which Paul heralded in Romans, is a lightning bolt of truth that breaks the power of darkness and releases the power of light into our lives.

The Power of the Gospel

Romans is power packed. Literally. There is revelation-light in Romans that can and should bring a revolution to our lives. In fact, two major revivals of church history were born out of the revelation of righteousness found in Romans: the Protestant Reformation and the Wesleyan Revival. Catch the fire of truth and grace for yourself as you read through Paul’s masterpiece.

You can imagine the joy that came over the church at Rome when they read Paul’s letter. You, too, will be blessed as you read the anointed words found herein. The romance of Romans will fill you with freedom. Freedom from sin. Freedom from self. Freedom from dead works. A new freedom is coming into your spirit as you embrace the truth of Romans.

The Purity of the Gospel

Concerning this epistle, in his work, Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, Martin Luther declared it to be the “purest gospel.” He further encouraged every Christian to consume it “as though it were the daily bread of the soul.” Because history has proven our humanistic desire to want to add to the pure gospel, we take Luther’s encouragement to heart. The law said “do,” but the gospel says “done”; there is nothing more to add to its perfection. Faith alone in Christ alone is enough, and that is truly good news.1

The Peace of the Gospel

The love of God is so rich; it leaves our hearts full of heaven. When we believe in Jesus Christ, he pours his Holy Spirit into our hearts until every sense of abandonment leaves us. We become children of God, sons and daughters of glory, who follow the Lamb. Peace becomes our new normal.

Do you want to be enriched and discover the heavenly treasures of faith, grace, true righteousness, peace, and power? Plug into the book of Romans, and you’ll never feel the same again. Truth always sets the heart free, and nothing can free you more than the truth found in Romans. Grace and glory are waiting for you to unwrap and make your own. Live in the truths of Romans and watch how God’s love sets you free.

Purpose

The most important letter in the world was written to the most important city in the world. Because Rome was the power center of the known world when Paul penned this letter, it was the most influential city on earth at that time. Although Paul had not yet been to Rome, he would one day be martyred there. So Paul wrote to these Roman Christians an important epistle filled with rich doctrines of our faith that reveal God’s heart for his people and what must be our proper response to such sacrificial love. Paul’s theology flows from the romance of God toward us. Intimacy longs for understanding and oneness. And to be intimate with the God of glory requires that we understand his heart and join him in every way. As a result of Paul’s writing, we can determine the following purposes:

1.Paul wrote Romans to communicate the grand themes of God’s grace and glory encapsulated in the gospel. No one comes into glory except by the grace of God that fills believers with his righteousness. The works of religion and our clumsy attempts to please God are unable to make us holy. But God is so kind, compassionate, and gracious that he shares his righteousness with all who receive his Son, Jesus Christ. He causes his faith-filled ones to be made holy by his grace and glory. Paul wrote his letter to clearly articulate this message, to explain why he preached it, and to show how it should affect Christians in their daily life and community.

•God’s grace is an inexhaustible subject. It seems too good to be true…but it is true! God is good, and he wants us fully immersed in the revelation of his covering of grace and love. His grace truly is sufficient. Paul learned this first-hand when God spoke to him saying, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The other great theme of Romans is glory. Without the understanding of grace, we will never experience his glory. Glory is his plan for you, dear friend! In Adam, we all sinned (Romans 5:12) and fell short of God’s glory (3:23), but now in Christ, we are restored and glorified: “Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son!” (Romans 8:30).

•The longing of every human soul is unconditional love—that’s grace—and to be changed—that’s glory. Forgiveness is only half of the salvation package. Transformation is also provided. We are meant to grow and go from glory to glory to glory. The psalmist expressed this transcendent longing with these words: “Here’s the one thing I crave from Yahweh, the one thing I seek above all else: I want to live with him every moment in his house, beholding the marvelous beauty of Yahweh, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to contemplate in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

•Paul was hoping that Rome would be his “base of operations” in the West (like Antioch had been for him in the East and Ephesus had been for him in Asia Minor). Consequently, he wrote this letter, explaining his gospel carefully and fully, in the hopes that the Roman Christians would embrace him and his message completely. Further, since his life had already been in much danger from the Jews (Acts 17:5, 13 and 20:3), Paul may have sensed the need to pen his thoughts about the gospel in a systematic way. Paul was, of course, a missionary. At the time of his writing of Romans, he was in Corinth. He wrote this letter and sent it to the Roman believers by way of Phoebe, who was one of the outstanding women in the church of Cenchrea, a port city near Corinth.

2.Paul wrote Romans in part to address some conflicts within the church over nonessential matters of differing opinions. Paul did what is good for us all to do—he refocused hearts onto what matters most: God’s love, grace, and goodness. God’s love is supreme over “nonessential truths.”

Twelve Major Themes

•The Gospel: You could summarize the entire book of Romans with this one word: gospel. In the opening sentence, Paul explains that God had set him apart with the mission to unveil “God’s wonderful gospel” (1:1), which Paul preaches as salvation by grace through faith alone. This is one way of explaining the gospel. Here are some others: the revelation of God’s Son, the wonderful message of Jesus, the joyful message of God’s liberating power unleashed within us through Christ, the message of Christ’s goodness.

•Good News: We know the gospel, but we still need some good news. Romans is full of the good news that encourages our soul.

•Salvation: God’s salvation (Greek...