Home
The letter to the Romans is the closest thing we have in the New
Testament to a "theology textbook." It was written by Paul to a
church which he had never seen; it is therefore rather more didactic
in tone. Rome was the center of the Empire, the most important
city. Naturally, Paul the evangelist wanted to go there. This is
also, therefore, his letter of introduction, laying out the faith in
clarity. As we go through it, we shall see where the modern church
has strayed from this early thought, and where it remains strong.
Downloads: Romans (PDF)
(
Kindle or
e-pub formats)
Order paper copy
here.
| Lesson |
|
|
The Righteous Shall Live By
Faith |
Romans 1:1-17. The opening
phrases of Paul's letter to the church at Rome, dealing with
the nature of Christ and justification by faith (key
concept). |
|
Wrath Deserved |
Romans 1:18-2:11. Why man
deserves the wrath of God; what God is doing about it -
today; what God will do on Judgment Day. |
|
Solution to Sin |
Romans 2:12-3:31. The
universal judgment of sin and the judgment to come; how this
makes things better (or worse) for believers; God's solution
to the divine dilemma |
|
Dazzling Leap |
Romans 4. Paul answers
objections to salvation by grace, by example. By this
example, he expands grace to all, for God is one. He then
expounds the hope of the Christian - the Resurrection |
|
Peace and Joy |
Romans 5:1-11. A lyric
interlude concerning the peace and joy possible in the
Christian life - despite the suffering and tribulation -
because of our reconciliation with God. |
|
Christ and Adam |
Romans 5:12-21. The
relationship of Christ and Adam, including a brief analysis
of the doctrine of original sin. |
|
Wages of Sin |
Romans 6. Paul decries the
antinomian heresy; lays out the principle of identification
in baptism with the death, burial and resurrection of
Christ; the analogy of slavery in life (slave to sin or
Christ). |
|
Life and Death |
Romans 7:1 - 8:17. The three
states of man: ignorant of the law, under the law, and in
the Spirit. |
|
Christ and Creation |
Romans 8:18-27 The
relationship of Christ to his creation; some of the events
of the end times; patience, prayer and hope today. Plus a
bit about Wile E. Coyote. |
|
What Shall We Say? |
Romans 8:28-39. A slight
examination of predestination, and whether or not it
matters. |
|
Israel, Part One |
Romans 9. Part one of the
relationship between Israel and the Church |
|
Zeal and Intolerance |
Romans 10:1-15. An
examination of zeal, ignorance and intolerance - and why the
tolerant can't tolerate anybody who doesn't agree with them. |
| Israel,
Part Two |
Romans 10:16-11:36. How God
deals with rejection. |
|
Living Sacrifices |
Romans 12:1-13. The life of
the mind for the Christian; life in the body of Christ based
on love for one another. |
|
In The World |
Romans 12:14-21. Paul's
prescription for how the church should get along with itself
- and others. |
|
Church and State |
Romans 13:1-7. An
examination of the Christian's role vis-à-vis the state,
good or evil. |
|
Law of Love |
Romans 13:8-14. A discourse
on the law of love. |
|
Weaker Brother |
Romans 14. An examination of
the conduct and duties toward the weaker brother. |
|
Life of
an Apostle |
Romans 15. An insight into
what it's like to be a great person in the church. |
|
Mentioned in Despatches |
Romans 16. Paul mentions a
number of people for their services, and gives us a lesson
on the wolves in sheep's clothing in the process. The letter
ends with a beautiful, fruitful doxology. |
These lessons were originally delivered in 2009. An earlier
set of lessons on Romans can be found
here.
