Intro

Paul’s letter to the Romans was written around 55 AD. In this letter, Paul writes to the church in Rome and expresses his deep desire to visit the church on his way to Spain (Romans 15:24). Over the next several weeks, we will be discussing this book in a Bible study here at Zion, and I will be using this book to put together several devotional readings.

One of the most beautiful quotes about the book of Romans comes from Martin Luther. In his preface to the book of Romans, Luther says, “This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.”

Since this quote has rung true for Christians throughout the centuries, it is important for those of us who live in the 21st century to read Paul’s letter to the Romans over and over again during our lifetimes. Every time we read it, we will find something new or something will strike us in a new and different way than it did the last time we read through it. If we read it over and over again, this book will become a real part of our hearts and a real part of our lives.

So many times, when we read certain passages of the Bible, we tend to think that these letters and books were written for people who lived a long time ago in places far away, so it is hard to see how they could possibly address the current times and situations that we face. Since we feel this way, we read through the Bible quick and do not look for current applications.

This does not tend to happen when we read the book of Romans. When we read this book, we tend to easily see how the words of Paul could have been written to 21st century Christians. Many of the topics and themes that Paul brings up in this book are still topics and themes that we discuss in the church today. For example, one theme that comes across in the book of Romans has to do with what to do with the past (Romans 11). How many times do we ask this question in the church today, as we look for ways to honor the past while we move into the future?

Due to the fact that the themes of this book still apply to our lives today, we will look for ways to apply the chapters and verses of this book to situations that we face in our daily lives. When we face a certain situation, we will instantly hear how Paul’s letter to the Romans would address what is happening. For example, if we are facing a hard time in our lives, we may hear Paul reminding us that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37), or if we are enjoying a time of blessing, we may hear Paul’s words in Romans 16 where he gives his doxology and reminds us to praise and give glory to God.

My prayer for us is that we would give thanks to God for the work that Paul did during his lifetime. As we do so, I would encourage all of us to take some time to read and study the book of Romans to see all that God says to us through this important letter.