What does the book of Romans tell us about the Christian faith?

What does the book of Romans tell us about the Christian faith?

In chapters 1-3 we learn that every person is declared guilty before God because of sin. The law condemns us utterly as sinners. Not one person is adjudged innocent by God’s perfect standard. There is no salvation in the law. It simply points out our guilt and depravity.

Rom 3:20  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 

Because of our hopeless state, God had to do something to save us. To do this, God chose to save us, not by the righteousness of the law, but by the abundance of His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross, the shedding of His pure and blameless blood, paid the price for us. God, who is absolutely just, was now able to justify the guilty, because a payment was made to sufficiently cancel the sin debt for every person who ever lived.

Rom 3:26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Who receives benefit from this incredible act of grace? To whom is God’s grace accounted to? It is to them that ‘believe’ in Jesus. Although the payment was sufficient to save the world, only those, who place their trust in Christ, and believe in Him to save them, will benefit.

Rom 4:24  But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Justification is the work of God. We have no say in this act of grace. It is God who decided (before the world began, 1 Cor 2:7; 2 Tim 1:9; Titus 1:2) that He would declare sinners as innocent if they simply trusted in His Son. The work of Jesus Christ was a perfect redeeming work. Nothing needs to be added to it. All we need to do is receive the free gift of grace and salvation of God.

Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

But, must I not confess my sins to a priest? No! But, must I not get baptised in water? No! But must I not join a church? No! But what about spirit baptism and tongues? I’m told that I’m not saved if I don’t speak in tongues? No!

Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

So, what must I do? Believe in Jesus! This is the only condition. There is nothing you need to, or can do, to save yourself. The faith of Christ is all sufficient. Simply believe in Him.

1Co 15:1-4  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;  2  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

To those who believe in Jesus for their salvation, where to from here? What do I do now? What does God require of me?

1Ti 2:3 …God our Saviour; 4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

Once you are saved, God desires only one thing from you. He wants you to come to the knowledge of the truth! God wants you to learn His Word. He wants His Word to fill you, to saturate you, to influence you and flow out of you. If you live by the knowledge of His Word, and your thoughts, your speech, your actions and reactions, and your decisions, are influenced by, and in accordance to His Word, you are walking in the Spirit. Jesus says, “My words are Spirit and they are life.” When the Word of God is the source of all your life, then you walk by the Spirit. Most people think it is some ethereal voice in the back of their head! No! It is being influenced by the knowledge of His Word. The more you know God’s Word, the more you know His will and ways, and the more you walk in them. When this happens, you start to mortify the deeds of the flesh.

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 

The more the Word flows out of you, the more of Christ’s life is released from your life. This is how to overcome sin. This is how to defeat the flesh. It’s not by setting rules. It’s not by discipline. It’s not by self-will and human strength. All this will fail, and condemn, and will bring death to the functioning of the Spirit in you. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. So, I say again, what does God want from you? He wants His Word to get into you, to such an extent, that it just flows out of you, to the glory of Christ.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind [in the Word of God], that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: [by the Word of God] and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The book of Romans tells us all this. Romans is the foundation of our faith. It is the template of the Christian life. If you read through Romans and allow it to start to work in your life, it will completely change you. It will free you from sin. It will free you from the bondage of the law. It will set you free in the liberty of grace and in the life of Christ. It will allow you to become stable in the Christian walk, so that you can start to mature in Christ and grow up to become an adopted son of God, looking up to the vocation that lies ahead, prepared to reign in the heavens, and executing the will and ways of God under the headship of Christ.