A Recap of Romans
For the last many episodes, we have been talking through a series on the Book of Romans. This series covered the entirety of the book, which is one of the Bible’s most impactful and lesson-filled books. Romans, a letter from Paul to the church in Rome, discusses a variety of spiritually challenging and enriching topics. The episodes in our Romans podcast series go in-depth on each of these topics, as those episodes gave us the time and space to discuss details and lessons from throughout the book. If you want to hear more about the lessons and themes from the Book of Romans, check out In the Fire on Spotify and listen in, starting at Episode 100 (the first episode on our Romans series). But in the meantime, here’s a quick recap of some of our biggest lessons learned from Paul in his letter to the Romans:
Justification and Salvation for Jews and Gentiles Alike
From the first few chapters of Romans, Paul establishes the fallen state of mankind and the inexcusability for anyone to not worship God. This applies equally to the Jew and Gentile (non-Jew). Deep down, all humankind has ample knowledge of the law and how we each violate the law. Further, none of us may be found righteous under the law, regardless of our efforts and regardless of our heritage (Romans 3:19-20). Justification and salvation come only through Christ. Romans 3, 4, and 5 dig into this idea in more detail, as they discuss salvation through Christ, the interaction between the law and faith, and our identity under the grace and redemptive power of God. For more detail, check out Episodes 100-102 of In the Fire.
Sanctification and Our Lives with Christ
Another focus of Paul’s letter is the changing nature of our hearts, desires, and beliefs when we are saved by Christ. For this, take a look at Romans 7 & 8, as well as Episode 103 of In the Fire. These chapters discuss how our faith in Christ changes us over time by way of the Holy Spirit taking up residence in our hearts. Faith in Christ frees us from the shackles of the law and enables us to live freely in Christ. Christ’s sacrifice imputes Christ’s own works onto our lives to the point where sin can no longer condemn us; instead, we are free from its grasp.
God’s Sovereignty
This topic comes up primarily through Paul’s discussion of the election of believers in Romans 9. One of the more complicated portions of the Bible, the idea of “election” has been heavily debated by believers and theologians for centuries. In the end, however, one thing we can all agree on is that God is supremely sovereign in His decisions regarding who will join Him in Heaven and how that will happen. One other thing we can all agree on is that we all have the opportunity and ability to believe in Christ as the Son of God who saves us from our sin. God sent Jesus to deliver us from our sin, and it is God’s sovereignty and plan that redeems us. We simply must respond and repent. For a greater discussion, check out this blog post from In the Fire and listen to Episode 104 of our podcast.
God’s Plan for Salvation
Through the discussions of salvation for both Jew and Gentile, as well as the discussion of election and the sovereignty of God, Paul makes it very clear that God had a plan for salvation from the very beginning, and Jesus came as the fulfillment of that plan to save all who would believe, regardless of status or heritage. Thus, it was always God’s intention to bring salvation to both Jew and Gentile. Jesus came as the savior of both. This was a difficult concept for the Jewish people at the time to wrap their heads around, but Paul makes it abundantly clear throughout the second half of the book. Romans 11 and 12 dive into this topic, as does Romans 15.
Unity Among Believers and the Stumbling Block Principle
A big topic of discussion throughout the last few chapters of Romans, Paul’s call for unity among believers is key to this book. Romans 11-15 (covered in podcast Episodes 106, 107, and 108) comprise what we call the Romans “hortatory” and the “stumbling block principle.” The hortatory is a call to unity, peace, and action among believers to live our lives in a way worthy of our calling under God. As believers, it is our job to live at peace with others, not stir up useless conflict, and protect/guide other believers. We are not to place stumbling blocks in the path of any others, even if it means adapting our preferences (non-salvation opinions) so that we can remain at peace with one another and build a stronger, unified church.
The above topics provide just a sampling and short description of a few of the important themes from the Book of Romans. In reality, there is so much more to these letters that we discuss in more detail in our episodes. In fact, there is so much detail that we don’t even cover everything in the podcast! To that point, read Romans for yourself, give some of these episodes a listen, and pay attention for the important themes laid out above. And if you have any questions, comments or feedback on our Romans series, please reach out and let us know!