PAUL’S EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

The church in Rome had existed for some time and was made up of Jewish and non-Jewish followers. But at one point sometime between A.D. 41-53, Emperor Claudius expelled all of the Jewish people, including Christian Jews from Rome and then allowed them to return five years later (see Acts 18:2). When these Jews returned they found a church that had become very non-Jewish in custom and practice. This created lots of tension so that in Paul’s day the Roman Church was divided. People disagreed about how to follow Jesus, they were debating about whether non-Jewish Christians should celebrate the sabbath, eat kosher, or be circumcised. So Paul wrote this letter to accomplish a few things. He wanted this divided church to become unified and for a practical purpose, he was hoping the church would become a staging ground for his mission to go even further west to Spain. For these reasons, Paul wrote Romans. Romans is Paul’s fullest explanation of the gospel; the good news that he was announcing about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and it’s effect on Creation and the church.


On Sunday, April 7th, we will begin reading through Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, one of his most well-known writings. This letter will challenge us to consider the effects of the gospel in our every day living and give us a deep theology with practical implications. Romans has been impactful in the lives of believers throughout history. John Wesley, who lived in England in the 1700’s for example, after serving God for years in the Anglican church found himself coming alive to Christ during a Bible study where Martin Luther’s introduction to Romans was being read,

“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading [Martin] Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

As we preach on one chapter every week for the next four months we invite you to open you heart as well so that God may warm your heart to the truth of the gospel, that it would take root, and like John Wesley, that you would leave a mark in this world for the glory of Jesus Christ!

Follow the schedule below after each Sunday sermon so you can spend the week reflecting on God’s word while listening daily to the accompanying podcast episode!

Podcast & Reading Schedule

WEEK 1 | Chapter 1: All humanity is trapped in sin and needs to be rescued.

4/8 | 1:1-7 When in Rome
4/9 | 1:8-15 Face to Face Fills the Space
4/10 | 1:16-17 Are You Unashamed?
4/11 | 1:18-25 No Excuses
4/12 | 1:26-32 Every Sin in the Book

WEEK 2 | Chapter 2: Rescue won’t happen by trying to obey the laws of the Torah

4/15 | 2:1-4 Only God Can Judge Me
4/16 | 2:5-11 God Has No Favorites
4/17 | 2:12-16 Written on their Hearts
4/18 | 2:17-24 Hypocrites!
4/19 | 2:25-29 Cut to the Heart

WEEK 3 | Chapter 3: God’s righteousness has rescued the world through Jesus…

4/22 | 3:1-8 God is Faithful
4/23 | 3:9-18 No One Is Righteous
4/24 | 3:19-20 Every Mouth Silenced
4/25 | 3:21-26 Justified in Jesus
4/26 | 3:27-31 Where’s Your Boast?

WEEK 4 | Chapter 4: …to create the faith-based multi-ethnic family of Abraham

4/29 | 4:1-3 Salvation Before Jesus
4/30 | 4:4-8 Blessedness
5/1 | 4:9-12 Father Abraham Had Many Sons
5/2 | 4:13-17 The Faith of Abraham
5/3 | 4:18-25 As Good As Dead

WEEK 5 | Chapter 5: Justification by faith creates a new family

5/6 | 5:1-5 Faith, Hope, Love
5/7 | 5:6-11 While We Still Sinners
5/8 | 5:12-14 The Reign of Death
5/9 | 5:15-19 The Power of One Man
5/10 | 5:20-21 The Reign of Grace

WEEK 6 | Chapter 6: Baptism joins us to Jesus, both death and life & freedom to love God & neighbor

5/13 | 6:1-4 Death & Life
5/14 | 6:5-7 No Longer Slaves
5/15 | 6:8-10 Jesus Can’t Die Again
5/16 | 6:11-14 Under Grace
5/17 | 6:15-23 Slaves to Righteousness

WEEK 7 | Chapter 7 : What’s the point of the law? The story of the Torah and Moses’ commandments are good and show God’s will, on our own we can’t obey it.

5/20 | 7:1-3 Released from the Law
5/21 | 7:4-6 Bear Fruit for God
5/22 | 7:7-12 Holy, Righteous, & Good
5/23 | 7:13-20 I Do Not Understand What I Do
5/24 | 7:21-25 What a Wretched Man I Am!

WEEK 8 | Chapter 8: The solution is Jesus & the Spirit; Jesus frees us from the law and the Spirit enables us to fulfill the law of love

5/27 | 8:1-11 The Realm of the Spirit
5/28 | 8:12-17 Spirit & Sonship
5/29 | 8:18-27 Suffering & Glory
5/30 | 8:28-30 A Tapestry of Goodness
5/31 | 8:31-39 More Than Conquerers

WEEK 9 | Chapter 9: Ethnic Israelites are not covenant members, God chose a subset of the family, and that promise continues through Jesus and those who choose to believe in Him.

6/3 | 9:1-5 I Wish I Was Cursed!
6/4 | 9:6-13 Not Everyone is a Child of God
6/5 | 9:14-21 Is God Unjust?
6/6 | 9:22-29 Objects of His Mercy
6/7 | 9:30-33 A Stumbling Stone

WEEK 10 | Chapter 10: Israelites reject Jesus because they base their covenant relationship with God on the Torah, and don’t recognize what God has done through Jesus to create a covenant family on the basis of faith.

6/10 | 10:1-4 The End of the Law
6/11 | 10:5-10 Heart & Mouth
6/12 | 10:11-13 Richly Blessed
6/13 | 10:14-15 Beautiful Feet
6/14 | 10:16-21 Who Has Believed?

WEEK 11 | Chapter 11: So what of Israel’s future? Has God rejected them? No! There are many Jews who are Jesus-followers, but through those who do reject Jesus, the gospel has gone to the gentile world to save them.

6/17 | 11:1-6 7,000
6/18 | 11:7-10 Blind & Deaf
6/19 | 11:11-24 Holy Batch
6/20 | 11:25-32 Will All Israel Be Saved?
6/21 | 11:33-36 A Doxology

WEEK 12 | Chapter 12: In the church, God has united Jews and Gentiles to serve one another in humility and forgiveness.

6/24 | 12:1-2 Living Sacrifices
6/25 | 12:3-8 One Body, Many Parts
6/26 | 12:9-13 Love in Action
6/27 | 12:14-16 No Cursing
6/28 | 12:17-21 Burning Coals

WEEK 13 | Chapter 13: Love is the fulfillment of the Torah, the church ought to display this.

7/1 | 13:1-5 Submit to Authorities
7/2 | 13:6-7 Give What is Owed
7/3 | 13:8-10 Love is the Law
7/4 | 13:11-12 The Day Is Almost Here
7/5 | 13:13-14 Clothe Yourselves With Jesus

WEEK 14 | Chapter 14: This new community is to heal ethnic division by showing grace to each other on non-essential issues.

7/8 | 14:1-4 I’m Strong, You’re Weak!
7/9 | 14:5-9 Give Thanks to God
7/10 | 14:10-18 God’s Judgment Seat
7/11 | 14:19-21 Drinking Alcohol
7/12 | 14:22-23 Between You & God

WEEK 15 | Chapter 15: This new community is a reflection of the character of Christ, there is much work to be done reaching the lost!

7/15 | 15:1-6 The Mind of Christ
7/16 | 15:7-13 The Root of Jesse
7/17 | 15:14-16 Paul’s Priestly Duties
7/18 | 15:17-22 Where Christ Is Not Known (record with Matt Pfaff)
7/19 | 15:23-33 Itinerary: Jerusalem, Rome, Spain

WEEK 16 | Chapter 16: The work of the gospel is far to big for one person, it requires lots and lots of collaboration for God’s glory!

7/22 | 16:1-2 Are You a Benefactor?
7/23 | 16:3-16, 21-23 It Takes a Village
7/24 | 16:17-20 Smooth Talkers
7/25 | 16:25-27 The Hidden Mystery