Romans is Pauls greatest work, is placed first among his thirteen epistles in the New Testament. While the four Gospels present the words and works of Jesus Christ, Romans explores the significance of His sacrificial death. Using a question and answer format. Paul records the most systematic presentation of doctrine in the Bible. Romans is more than a book of theology; more than facts to be believed; it is also a life to be lived--a life of Righteousness befitting the person, 'justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. So let's begin finding the promises in Romans.
Romans 1:16,17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'the just shall live by faith'." Paul knew all about the power of God when he met Him on the road to Damascus and how God saved him from himself and his sinful life.
Romans 4:7,8 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin." We are very blessed when we are forgiven of our past sins, aren't we? We can have peace within and without knowing our slate is clean.
Romans 4:19-25 (speaking of Abraham when God promised him a son) "And not being week in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about 100 years old) and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to preform. And therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification." We very much need the faith of Abraham and to take God at His word and believe the promises that He has given us.
Romans 5:1,2 "Therefore, having ben justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Justification means 'Just as if we had not sinned'. So when God justifies us, we are just as if we had never sinned. Repentance, confession, and surrender follows by being justified by faith, just as if we had never sinned. A wonderful promise of cleansing from our past.
Romans 5:8,9 "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." We are justified through His blood and will be safe from wrath through Christ.
Romans 6:4-11 "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God: Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
When we are baptized in Christ we are buried with Him in death. Because when He died, He took all our sins upon Himself and all He asks of us is to walk through life as He did in newness of life. Paul has a lot to say about living for God. There will be more the next time on Romans too. It is such a good book, I am learning along with you. I have read it many times and it seems each time I learn something new. I pray that we will let God give us His divine nature through His promises has He has promised in 2 Peter. Grandma Joan
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