Book of Romans

The Book of Romans Explains God's Plan of Salvation

The Bible Open to Romans 6:23
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The book of Romans is the Apostle Paul's masterpiece, a carefully constructed summary of Christian theology. Romans explains God's plan of salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. Divinely inspired, Paul passed on truths that are followed by believers to this day.

Key Takeaways

  • The gospel shows God's righteousness (Romans 1:1-17)
  • God's wrath against sin is just (Romans 1:18-3:20)
  • God has a plan of salvation (Romans 3:21-4:25)
  • Our faith brings hope (Romans 5:1-8:39)
  • God provides for Israel and the Gentiles (Romans 9:1-11:36)
  • Paul gives instructions for everyday living (Romans 12:1-15:13)
  • Paul tells his plan to spread the gospel (Romans 15:14-16:23)
  • The closing sums up the gospel (Romans 16:25-27)

The epistle is often the first book of the New Testament a new Christian will read. Martin Luther's struggle to understand the book of Romans resulted in the Protestant Reformation, which dramatically impacted the history of the Christian church and all of Western civilization.

Author

Paul is the author of Romans.

Date Written

Romans was written in approximately 57-58 A.D.

Written to

The book of Romans is written to Christians at the church in Rome and future Bible readers.

Landscape

Paul was in Corinth at the time he wrote Romans. He was on his way to Israel to deliver a collection for the poor in Jerusalem and he planned to visit the church in Rome on his way to Spain.

Themes

  • Our natural inclination to sin separates us from God. We cannot make ourselves right or earn salvation on our own.
  • In his loving kindness, God provided a way to redeem us through his Son Jesus Christ, who paid our sin-debt through his sacrificial death.
  • By accepting Christ as Savior and believing in his atoning work, we are saved. Jesus' righteousness is credited to us.
  • The Holy Spirit works in us to help us avoid sin and grow in holiness. God's grace, not keeping the law, makes us acceptable.
  • God's plan is just and fair. Both Jews and Gentiles are eligible to come to Christ and receive salvation.
  • Sincere service to Christ is an appropriate way to express our gratitude to God for his gift of salvation. When we work together with other members of the body of Christ, the church, we build each other up and give honor and glory to God.

Key Characters

Paul and Phoebe are the main figures in the book.

Key Verses

The book of Romans, in the New International Version of the Bible, contains a number of key verses.

  • Romans 3:22-24: This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
  • Romans 4:3: What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." 
  • Romans 5:1: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
  • Romans 8:38: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
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Your Citation
Zavada, Jack. "Book of Romans." Learn Religions, Oct. 22, 2020, learnreligions.com/book-of-romans-701034. Zavada, Jack. (2020, October 22). Book of Romans. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/book-of-romans-701034 Zavada, Jack. "Book of Romans." Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/book-of-romans-701034 (accessed March 19, 2024).