An Intro to the Book of ROMANS

By Michael Griego on January 19, 2024 • ( 2 )

Some say it’s the best book in the Bible – at a minimum, one of the best of many. But the Book of Romans is the best one to fully understand Christianity. Get this understood and it will change your entire worldview. ◊

Without any background in church, religion, or school of faith, I first heard the gospel of Christianity in my teens and never looked back.

I did look sideways, however.

I never went to church through 4 years of college but prayed often and called myself a Christian.

I never read the Bible much at all.

I only really started attending church with my young bride after we moved to northern California and I started graduate school. Though I read many Christian books about the Bible, I would not say I was a student of the Bible. We did attend small group Bible studies and enjoyed growing in faith with other young Christian couples.

Becoming a Bible Study Student
Several years later well into my career in high tech sales, I noticed an upcoming Bible Study class at our church on Wednesday nights. It was being taught by one of my IBM customers and his wife. I didn’t even know he was a Christian, let alone that we attended the same church.

The course was a 20-week inductive Bible Study on “God’s Covenant.” It involved about 5-10 hours of homework each week, a 1-hour live lecture and homework review, and then a 1-hour video by the course creator. The course was fascinating as it took me deep into the Old Testament and New Testament and brought the Bible together for me in ways I’d never heard in Sunday sermons. I also learned to appreciate Biblical history and timelines.

The Bible started to make real sense to me.

After that first class, I signed up for the next one, a 16-week class on the Book of Romans. Some say it’s the best book in the Bible. I agree, in that it’s the best one to fully understand Christianity.

Understanding the Book of Romans will change your entire worldview. It did for me.

The Student Becomes the Teacher
I took courses from my customer friend for 5 years, and then took over the teaching of these courses for 5 years. And then God led me to break away from the formal structure of this coursework and developed my own Bible Study Series called the “I Believe Series.”

My I Believe Series included five 10-week courses on the following:

In Whom Do I Believe? – The Real and Historical Jesus
What Do I Believe? – “Romans” for Americans
How Can I Believe? – When Bad Things Happen
Why Do I Believe? – The One True Way
Now That I Believe – Personal Transformation

I taught the I Believe Series in rotating sessions for 5 years.

Then over the next 5 years God led us on a journey to experience a multi-ethnic church and then a high-growth millennial church where my wife and I each dived into men’s and women’s ministries and continuing to mentor young couples. Working with willing but still imperfect clay, God lovingly and patiently continued His work in further shaping me and my development.

Then over 10 years ago God led me to start writing this Biblical Viewpoint blog where I’ve incorporated my experiences and learnings into weekly posts.

So Now, the Book of Romans
I sense it’s time to return to the Book of Romans and study this major treatise by the Apostle Paul over 16 sessions, one for each chapter.

Paul wrote a letter to the early Christians in Rome in the year AD 57. This is almost 25 years after the crucifixion of Christ in Jerusalem by Roman officials at the behest of the Jewish religious leadership team. His resurrection followed 3 days later and then Christ appeared to over 500 people over a 40 days period. Ten days later the amazing experience of Pentecost (Acts 2) occurred where the Holy Spirit was unleashed on the early disciples like a rush of a mighty wind.

About 3,000 people became Christ-followers that day as the New Covenant, the New Way – Christianity – was launched.

Now over 25 years later, Paul is compelled to document the fundamental principles of the Christian faith to a growing yet still young group of believers spreading throughout the Romans empire.

Here’s a summary overview of the chapters:

Embedded in his strong introduction, Chapter 1 lays down the case for Christ and the letter’s major theme. Chapters 2 and 3 present a firm and compelling case for the entire world’s need for God – everyone, Jews and Gentiles. In Chapters 4 and 5, Paul presents the means of salvation through faith alone, and then deals in Chapters 6, 7, and 8 with the practicality of Christians living, though struggling, with this new-found hope and freedom.

In Chapters 9, 10, and 11 Paul laments for non-innocent Israel whose unbelief opened the door of salvation for all the world, though Israel too can be reconciled once again with God through His mercy, as shown to all mankind.

Chapters 12, 13, and 14 provide guidance and instruction for Christians in dealing with personal relationships, the state, and with matters of conscience.

Paul concludes the letter in Chapters 15 and 16 with a reminder to follow Christ’s example in all things and then final personal commendations and farewells to friends, supports, and fellow followers of Jesus.

A Study for All
As the Book of Romans will show us, it’s never too late for a reset on life. But one has to be willing to recognize that a reset is in order. All can be impacted by a good dose of this profound Biblical epistle – the vain and self-righteous, the skeptic and doubter, the Jew and the Gentile, even the young, growing, or mature Christian.

Have you really studied the Book of Romans?
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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Gentile). For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” – Romans 1:16-17