The book of Romans is the Apostle Paul’s masterpiece. Punctuated with Old Testament examples, it’s a detailed and scholarly treatise on the subject of grace. If you truly understand and receive its message, you’ll be thoroughly convinced that right standing with God comes by grace, not your works.
Romans has literally changed the world. Back in the 1500s, Martin Luther became frustrated with all of his religious observances. When he finally despaired of ever earning his salvation, the Lord spoke to him through this verse in Romans:
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Romans 3:28
This spark of revelation not only changed Luther’s life, but also ignited what we now call the Reformation. Its impact on individuals and governments literally changed the world—and continues to do so today.
Every revival has had a revelation of God’s grace. Each awakening has possessed an acute awareness of man’s need to forsake independence and acknowledge his dependence on God. Therefore, anyone desiring revival today must start with recognizing their own complete inability to produce right relationship with God through human effort and good works—both in the initial born-again experience and in day-to-day maintenance. The book of Romans deals directly with this same self-reliant, self-dependent attitude that still pervades the world. That is why Romans remains as timely for us today as when it was first written.
Through this brief synopsis of the book of Romans, the foundational truths of the Gospel burst into plain view. Prepare to plumb the depths of God’s grace!
