Introduction:
Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome in the winter of 57 - 58 A.D. while completing his work in Corinth. As you read this letter, it becomes apparent that it is different from any of his other letters.

Paul's other letters were written either to churches that he had started or to people that he knew well, i.e. letters to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Timothy, and Titus. Paul normally wrote his letters to correct problems within the congregations that he had begun or to correct the behavior of individuals and to encourage them to live Christ-like lives.

The Letter to the Romans on the other hand is completely different. Paul was writing to a congregation that he had not begun and to individuals with whom he was not acquainted. The purpose of the letter was not to correct errors, but to keep problems from occurring.

The Letter to the Romans is a theological high point, not only of Paul's letters, but perhaps of the whole New Testament. Just as the gospel of John differs from the other three gospels in that it is a theological treatise or explanation on the mission, ministry, and the mystery of the Christ of God, so the Letter to the Romans is a theological treatise or explanation of the newborn Christian faith.

It has been said that "an ounce of prevention, is worth a pound of cure." If such is the case, then Paul's Letter to the Romans is "a pound of prevention." The Roman congregation was made up of both Jewish and gentile converts to the faith. Paul had seen the Jewish/gentile make-up of other congregations cause serious problems in Jerusalem and Corinth. With that in mind, Paul decided to try to defuse a potentially explosive situation by writing to the congregation at Rome and encouraging the Jewish and gentile converts to receive each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul's Letter to the Romans can be divided many different ways, but the following brief outline is the easiest and probably the most helpful of all.

A. INTRODUCTION 1:1-17
1. Greetings 1:1-7
2. Thanksgiving and future plans 1:8-15
3. Theme of Paul's Preaching 1:16-17

B. UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OF HUMANITY 1:18-3:20
1. All need salvation
  a. Pagans 1:18-32
  b. Jews 2:1-3:20

C. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST
1. All are saved by God's gracious action in Christ
  a. God's righteousness is a free gift 3:21-31
  b. This truth is revealed in the Old Testament 4:1-25

D. FRUIT OF THE NEW RIGHTEOUSNESS
1. Peace through forgiveness ch. 5
2. New life free from sin ch. 6
3. New freedom from the law ch. 7
4. Freedom from death ch. 8

E. GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE JEWS
1. God is just in rejecting Israel 9:1-29
2. God offers his grace to the gentiles 9:30-10:21
3. God will restore his people ch. 11

F. NEW RIGHTEOUSNESS AND NEW LIFE
1. Humility, love, and patience ch. 12
2. Obedience to those in authority ch. 13
3. Helping the weak without being judgmental 14:1-15:6
4. The example of Christ 15:7-13

G. CONCLUSION
1. Paul's reason for writing and future plans 15:14-33
2. Recommendation and greetings 16:1-16
3. Warnings against false teaching 16:17-20
4. Greetings to friends 16:21-24
5. Closing 16:25-27

"What's the problem here?" It's an expression that we have used or heard used when things aren't going very well. It is a question that someone in a leadership capacity usually asks to those who are trying to carry out some task or achieve some goal. The answer to that question and the resultant solution usually return things to normal. Normal means that everything functions as it is supposed to.

Paul looked at the world and asked, "What's the problem here?" He called on us to try to identify the problem, and then he showed us the solution. Let's follow Paul in chapter one in order to figure out what the problem is.

Study Questions

1. Read 1:1-2. What does Paul say about himself and what his mission is?
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2. Read 1:3-7. What does this section say about the two natures of Christ?
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3. Read 1:8-15 Who is the message of the gospel for?
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4. Read 1:16-17. What is the central theme of the message that Paul is proclaiming?
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5. Read 1:18-23. What do these words say about humanity's sin and how it shows itself?
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6. Read 1:24-32. According to Paul how does God deal with sinful humanity? What is the result of God's action?
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7. What one new thing did you learn in today's lesson?
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PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father,
It is easy to look at the world, to throw up our hands, and to believe that the sky is falling. Help us to understand that merely identifying the problem is not enough. Help us to understand that nothing will change, that things will not get better unless the world is put in touch with your saving grace.

Pour out your Spirit upon us so that we might go and proclaim the message of God's love to all people. Help us to understand that the remedy to the world's problem's will come as the world receives the Son of God as Lord and Savior. Inspire us as you inspired Paul to bring the gospel message to the world. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

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