Why We Should Study Roman “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”—Romans 1:16 The study of the Book of Romans has transformed the lives of very significant people in church history, including Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and even a pastor named Chuck Smith.Swiss theologian Frédéric Louis Godet wrote of Romans, “The probability is that every great spiritual revival in the Church will be connected as cause and effect with a deeper understanding of this book.”In all of the Bible, Romans is the most basic, comprehensive statement of what the gospel is. It’s in Romans that we read, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23 NKJV). If Romans does nothing else, it once and for all refutes the idea that we’re not good enough to get to Heaven, regardless of how many good works we’ve done.In Romans, the apostle Paul systematically addresses every person and every type of argument as to why God would accept someone on their own merit. He deals with pagan people. He deals with moral people. And he deals with religious people.The conclusion is that everyone has to come to God through Jesus. Everyone has to acknowledge their sin.And Romans offers a solution to the sin.In chapter 5 we read, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (verse 8 NKJV). And verse 23 of chapter 6 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NKJV).Then Romans 10:13 tells us, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (NKJV).It’s very important we understand and appreciate all that God has done for us. If we really get this, it will cause us to want to serve Him and discover His plan for our lives.
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