On March 7, Faith Church is starting an eight-month journey through the book of Romans. Paul’s letter to the Romans has a long history of changing lives, and today it continues to change the world by changing people.
Charles Wesley credited his effectiveness in leading the great revival in England to the spiritual transformation he experienced preaching through Romans. The English pastor John Stott said it was Paul’s devastating exposure of universal human sin in Romans that rescued him from a superficial evangelism which was preoccupied with people’s felt needs. Martin Luther’s study of Romans emboldened him to lead the Reformation which reestablished the life-changing doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. Luther said that Romans opened doors into paradise and broke him free from condemnation and shame.
What is it about Romans that causes such seismic shifts in the human heart? Romans is all about the gospel. Paul wrote Romans as a letter to the church in Rome in about AD57 because he wanted them to understand and experience the gospel. Paul didn’t have firsthand knowledge about the people in the church in Rome, yet he knew exactly what they needed most. They needed the gospel. So he brilliantly put the gospel on display.
Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome is a masterpiece. It is the deepest and broadest theological document in the Bible. It was written by one of the greatest theological minds in human history under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that we might better grasp the holiness of God and the righteousness that is offered to us, as a free gift, through the life and death of Jesus.
In the coming months, as we journey through this book, we’ll grow to understand God’s righteousness; our unrighteousness apart from him; the significance of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection; and implications of the gospel for our everyday lives.
Throughout our study of Romans, the preaching team’s hope is that you would grow to love God with greater passion as you better understand and experience the gospel of God. Going on this journey through Romans will change you. It will shape your heart, and Lord willing, this book of the Bible will open doors into paradise and set you free from condemnation and shame.
Below are a few resources that I found helpful:
Romans by John Stott
Romans: Righteousness from Heaven by R. Kent Hughes
Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes by Jackson Wu
Please feel free to reach out and share with me what you discover about the gospel as we make our way through Romans. I look forward to going on this journey with you.
Charlie Sandberg is a Colorado transplant from Minnesota who enjoys writing, reading, running and spending time with his family. He is the teaching pastor at Faith and has been a member for 15 years. He loves helping people know and love Jesus by teaching the Bible.