Books of the Bible

The Book of Romans

New Testament · Pauline Epistles · Genre: Epistle · Author: The apostle Paul · Chapters: 16

Romans is Paul's fullest explanation of the gospel, a majestic letter unfolding how sinful people are made right with God through faith in Jesus. It moves from the universal need of humanity to the riches of grace, and on to the transformed life that flows from mercy.

Start reading: Romans chapter 1

A key verse

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:8 (KJV)

The setting and background of Romans

Romans is the first and longest of the thirteen letters of Paul in the New Testament, and it is his fullest and most systematic presentation of the gospel. Paul wrote it to the church in Rome, which he had not yet visited, both to introduce himself before a hoped-for visit and to set out in careful order the good news he preached, so that this strategically vital church would be grounded in it.

Unlike Paul's other letters, which address particular crises, Romans reads like a sustained exposition, moving from the universal need of humanity, through justification by faith and life in the Spirit, to God's dealings with Israel and the practical shape of a transformed life. Its argument builds with care toward the assurance that nothing can separate believers from the love of God in Christ.

Romans has been perhaps the single most influential book in Christian history, shaping Augustine, Luther, Wesley, and countless others, and igniting renewal whenever the church rediscovers its message of grace. In the sweep of Scripture it stands at the center of the New Testament letters, drawing together the threads of sin and grace, law and faith, and grounding the whole Christian life in the mercy of God revealed in Christ.

The story and structure of Romans

Paul wrote Romans to a church he had not yet visited, in the capital of the empire, both to introduce himself and to set out the gospel he preached in its fullest form. More than any other letter, it reads like a carefully argued exposition of the good news, and it has shaped the theology of the church more deeply than perhaps any other book.

Paul begins by establishing the universal need of humanity. He shows that all people, the openly wicked and the outwardly religious alike, have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, so that no one can be made right with God by their own effort. The whole world stands guilty and silent before God, in desperate need of rescue.

Then comes the great turn to the good news at the heart of the letter. God has provided a righteousness apart from the law, a right standing that comes by grace through faith in Jesus, whom God set forth as the sacrifice for sin. Justified by faith, believers have peace with God, and Paul unfolds the security of this salvation in soaring terms.

Paul reaches a summit in his declaration that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, that the Spirit gives life, and that nothing in all creation, neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come, can separate believers from the love of God in Christ. He then wrestles with God's faithfulness to Israel and the mystery of his mercy.

The final chapters turn from doctrine to life. In view of God's mercies, Paul calls believers to offer themselves as living sacrifices, to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, to love without hypocrisy, to bless their persecutors, to submit to authorities, and to welcome one another across their differences. Grace received becomes grace lived.

The great themes of Romans

Key passages in Romans

Romans in the sweep of Scripture

Romans has been perhaps the single most influential book in Christian history, shaping the faith of Augustine, Luther, Wesley, and countless others, and igniting renewal whenever the church has rediscovered its message of grace. As Paul's fullest statement of the gospel, it stands at the center of the New Testament letters, drawing together the threads of sin and grace, law and faith, that run through all of Scripture, and grounding the whole Christian life in the mercy of God.

Where Christ is in Romans

Romans is a sustained exposition of the gospel of Jesus, proclaiming that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, and that in him we are justified, reconciled, and secured in the love of God forever. Every strand of the letter runs to Christ, in whom God's righteousness is revealed and through whom the guilty are declared righteous and made new.

How to read Romans well

Read Romans slowly and prayerfully, letting its argument lead you step by step from your own need to the riches of God's grace. Do not rush past the bad news of sin, for it makes the good news of grace shine all the brighter, and let the assurance of no condemnation and no separation settle deep in your soul. Then let the turn in chapter twelve move you from doctrine to a transformed life, offering yourself as a living sacrifice in grateful response to mercy.

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