Romans: Intro and Background

Romans

Today we begin a journey through Romans together. I will be upfront right from the start when I tell you that Romans is a book I have never fully grasped. Yes, there are truths that are very clear and powerful such as Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, and Romans 8:38-39 that I am familiar with, but even these verses can potentially be misconstrued and misinterpreted, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

I have wanted to do a deep study for a long time but have never taken the first step to do so. I have tried to read it through slowly and hope that it would click, but so far it hasn’t. For some of you, this is how you learn. You can read through something, and it makes sense. For others (like myself), we need to slow it down to fully grasp what God is saying through His Word. That is my intention as we begin this study. My hope is that we will learn all about the book of Romans as we study through it verse by verse together.

Romans was written by the apostle Paul to, well, the Romans. We know Paul wrote it because of Romans 1:1 (Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ…), and we know it was written to the Romans because of Romans 1:7 (To all who are in Rome…). In fact, verse seven also shows us that it was written to believers (…beloved of God, called to be saints).

John MacArthur points out in his commentary of the book of Romans that Paul likely wrote this book from Corinth. His reasoning is because of Romans 16:1 and 23 where Phoebe, Gaius, and Erastus are mentioned, all of whom were associated with the Corinthian church. It also appears to be near the end of his third missionary journey (Romans 15:25).

Paul started a lot of churches, but the church of Rome was not one of them. It is not known who started it, but it is possible that those who were converted on the day of Pentecost did (Acts 2:10). Paul was placed under house arrest in Rome near the end of his life and therefore may have been able to visit the church or at least meet believers from the Roman church at that time (Acts 28:11-31).

Romans is full of doctrine, and therefore, inhibits debates and disagreements. As is my goal in every article I write, I aim to share the truths of what Scripture says. In fact, this is part of our purpose statement at He Must Increase. The Holy Spirit is Who we all must rely on to give us discernment and understanding of His Word. This does not mean that what I write is perfect, I am still a prideful man with a sinful, wicked flesh. But my goal is to write what I believe Scripture says with the help of the Holy Spirit as well as other godly men who have studied scripture deeply for many years. My prayer and aim is that the Holy Spirit will give me the strength and wisdom to rightly divide His Word.

I hope you all will join me as we dive into the first verse next week!

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