This has been a busy week for me and I have fallen behind on sending out a daily blog. We have begun a series on the letter to the Romans. Many Christians believe Romans to be the finest book of the Bible. I found this by J.I. Packer, which echoes many pastors and theologians. I thought that I would share his insights into this important letter. He says, “All roads in the Bible lead to Romans, and all views afforded by the Bible are seen most clearly from Romans, and when the message of Romans gets into a person’s heart there is no telling what may happen.” Packer goes on to give 4 reasons that we ought to read, study, and know the book of Romans.
Romans is a book of doctrine.
Romans covers just about everything. Packer says that, “Romans is a book of truth about God taught by God. Romans gives you all the main themes of doctrine: God, man, sin, law, judgment, faith, works, grace, creation, redemption, justification, sanctification, the plan of salvation, election, reprobation, the person and work of Christ, the work of the Spirit, the Christian hope, the nature of the church, the place of Jew and Gentile in God’s purpose, the philosophy of church and world history, the meaning and message of the Old Testament, the significance of baptism, the principles of personal piety and ethics, the duties of Christian citizenship”
Romans is a book of life.
It shows what it means to serve God and not to serve him, the life of sin and the life of grace, and the promise of life found in Jesus.
Romans is a book of the church.
What is the church? Packer says that Romans explains, “It is the true seed of faithful Abraham, Jew and non-Jew together, chosen by God, justified through faith, and free from sin for a new life of personal righteousness and mutual ministry. It is the family of a loving heavenly Father, living in hope of inheriting his entire fortune. It is the community of the resurrection, in which the powers of Christ’s historic death and present heavenly life are already at work.”
Romans is a personal letter.
Romans is a personal letter from God to each one of his spiritual children. Packer goes on, “Read Romans this way, and you will find that it has unique power to search out and deal with things that are so much part of you that ordinarily you do not give them a thought—your sinful habits and attitudes; your instinct for hypocrisy; your natural self-righteousness and self-reliance; your constant unbelief; your moral frivolity, and shallowness in repentance; your half-heartedness, worldliness, fearfulness, despondency; your spiritual conceit and insensitiveness. And you will also find that this shattering letter has unique power to evoke the joy, assurance, boldness, liberty, and ardour of spirit which God both requires of and gives to those who love him.”
I pray that you will join us on this journey through this important letter.