INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS

The Lexham English Bible Chapter 1

Greeting

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was born ⌊a descendant⌋ of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared Son of God in power according to ⌊the Holy Spirit⌋ by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Wants to Visit Rome

8 First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, 10 always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God. 11 For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you, 12 that is, to be encouraged together with you through ⌊our mutual faith⌋, both yours and mine. 13 Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I intended to come to you, and was prevented until now, in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as also among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 Thus ⌊I am eager⌋ to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

The Gospel’s Power for Salvation

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, “But the one who is righteous by faith will live.”

Week 1: The Problem of Sin

Big Idea: God has made himself known to all of humankind so that no one is without an excuse. Rather than choosing to worship and glorify Him, we have chosen LESSER GODS like money, fame, success, sex, and substance. This is the problem of sin, and it results in our disconnection from God. We cannot save ourselves from this fallen state. We need a savior. YOU MAY BE THINKING I AM A CHRISTIAN I ALREADY KNOW THIS!! TODAY LET’S STUDY TOGETHER SO THAT OTHERS MAY KNOW IT ALSO.

Because we are all spiritually dead to God. Our sin condition has rendered us dead, and dead people can do nothing to remedy their condition. That was the dilemma humans were in. That is why the Bible says, "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners" (Romans 5:6).