at a glance
author: The apostle Paul.
date: About AD 57.
setting: Paul, who was in Corinth, was about to visit Rome after making a stop in Jerusalem.
verse to remember: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes (1:16).
theme to consider: The book of Romans is a handbook on the Christian faith: All of us are sinners; Christ died to forgive sin; we are made right with God through faith; and this faith comes through a relationship with Jesus.
unchanging truth
It’s easy to freeze up when your friends challenge your faith. When they wonder why you go to church. When they ask why you have a Bible on your phone or in your locker. What do you say in response? Where do you begin?
Sometimes we’re unprepared for a witnessing opportunity. We don’t know what to say, so we don’t say anything at all. Sometimes we’re confused. We end up throwing out spiritual mumbo-jumbo instead of giving our friends truth they can understand.
The book of Romans teaches us the bottom line, the basics of Christianity. If you want to be able to share your faith in a way that will help your friends understand what you believe, start with this book. Want to understand why some people don’t even want to hear what you have to say about Jesus? Find out in Romans. Want to know why we got into this mess with sin in the first place? Read Romans. Did Jesus really have to die? Wasn’t there some other way he could save us? Check out what Romans has to say about that.
Paul wrote this book for people like you—people who had questions about what to believe and how to explain it to others. When what’s in your heart becomes clear in your mind, it’s easier to share your faith with your friends.
1. Who needs Jesus? Everyone does. We’ve all blown it when it comes to meeting God’s standard for righteousness (1:18–3:20).
2. However, God made a way for us to be right with him again through a faith relationship with Jesus Christ (6:1–23).
3. Once we’re saved, we learn how to really live. Paul shows us how to act, talk and think like Jesus (12:1–15:13).