Romans was written by Paul during the same time period as 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and 2 Corinthians. Though Paul had not yet personally met or visited the Christians and churches in the city to which this epistle is addressed, he still deals with profound topics that require deep, critical thought. Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? These very questions, and their answers, are what Paul expounds in Romans. From start to finish, Paul’s goal is nothing less than the shaping and molding of our world views. With deftness and sureness, Paul covers such things as the result of Adam’s sin on the rest of God’s creation, the providence of God, the predestination of men and things, the place of the Jews in God’s administration of history, and the matter of how God saves individual people. Through it all, Paul relentlessly seeks to help us think God’s thoughts after Him. Romans 1:16-17 is Paul’s own theme statement for this epistle – that the gospel reveals God’s way of saving man, a way that has always been conditioned on faithfulness. Further, Paul also presses the exclusive claims of Christianity – that God’s way of saving man is found through Christ Jesus in the gospel and only in the gospel! There is simply no other Name or Way by which people can be saved; only through Christ can men and women have right standing in God’s sight. No book or even section of Scripture has played a more important role in the history of the church and in the lives of some of its most notable leaders than Paul’s epistle to the Romans. Over the centuries, this epistle has been a tool used by God to change men and nations and continents, based on the gospel’s revolutionary message that “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans contains many deep and, at times, difficult doctrines. A series of Special Studies give focused attention to topics such as the “Call” and “Grace” offered in the gospel; the providence of God; the Bible’s view of sin and sanctification; the eternal security offered to believers; the meaning of predestination; and faith, opinion, and love. Each Study also offers its own related bibliography.
