The apostle Paul writes to give his systematic presentation (including implications) of the good news of Jesus Christ, who as Messiah is the Savior for all people, who as the Transformer of lives writes His Law on our hearts, and who as the Lord of history is carefully bringing this salvation to all nations — culminating in the full restoration of Israel.
| Chapter | Main Point | Summary Verse(s) |
| Book | God’s power guarantees salvation from sin for those who trust Him because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. | For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” (1:16-17) |
| 1 | We sinned, we experience death, and God abandoned us to our sin and death. | And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, . . . (1:28) |
| 2 | Neither the moral nor the religious person is exempt from the disease of sin. No one can be justified by keeping the law. | for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. (2:13) |
| 3 | We can be justified by trusting that God will forgive us and make us holy because of Jesus’ death on the cross. | . . for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified is a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus . . . (3:23-24) |
| 4 | Abraham & David were justified by their faith, not by their works. Because justification is based on a promise it is guaranteed, and open to everyone who believes. | For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (4:16-17) |
| Chapter | Main Point | Summary Verse(s) |
| 5:1-11 | Justification by faith gives us a reason to rejoice because we have been singled out by God to be made holy. Our hope is guaranteed because our receiving the promise is up to God, not us. | we exult in the hope of the glory of God . . . and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (5:2,5) |
| 5:12-21 | Adam created the problem (sin & rebellion) and Jesus provided the solution (grace). | So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. (5:18) |
| 6:1-14 | We should not continue to sin in order to glorify God because grace involves not only forgiveness for our sins but also setting us free from bondage to sin. | For if we have been united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin (6:5-6) |
| 6:15-7:6 | Even though we are under grace, we have a deterrent from sin: death. The law was not an effective deterrent from sin because it forced us to rely on our sinful selves to be holy. | For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (6:23) |
| 7:7:25 | The Law is holy and good. Without the Law, I would not have known how utterly sinful I am and how much I need a savior. | And I was once alive apart from the Law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died. (7:9) Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? (7:24) |
| 8:1-11 | Faith in Jesus solves the problem of my sinfulness (when the Law couldn’t) because God gives me His Spirit by faith through grace. | For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (8:3-4) |
| 8:12-25 | The Spirit of God confirms our status as believers by producing in us grief over our sin and longing for righteousness. | And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (8:23) |
| 8:26-39 | Because of the Spirit’s work in our lives, we can have absolute confidence that everything that happens to us is in our best interest. | And we know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren… (8:28-29) |
| Chapter | Main Point | Summary Verse(s) |
| 9:1-13 | Salvation is not based on natural advantages; nor does it depend on how “good” or “bad” we are. Rather salvation is based on divine promise. | That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. (9:8) |
| 9:14-33 | God is perfectly justified in choosing some because he is sovereign, and none of us deserve salvation. | For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (9:15) |
| 10 | The Jews sought God’s favor through self-effort while Gentiles sought God’s favor on the basis of grace. | For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (10:3-4) |
| 11 | God did not reject His people, rather He sought to arose their jealousy through inclusion of the Gentiles. | So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! (11:11-12) |
| Chapter | Main Point | Summary Verse(s) |
| 12:1-2 | THEREFORE,serve God with your whole being. | I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (12:1) |
| 12:3-9 | Think soberly and accurately about yourself. | For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (12:3) |
| 12:9-21 | Be passionate and generous in serving others. | Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (12:9-10) |
| 13:1-7 | Submit to those God has placed in authority over you | Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (13:1) |
| 13:8-14 | Keep yourself free from debt and darkness so you are free to serve God. | Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law (13:8) …The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. (13:12) |
| 14:1-15:13 | Accept those weaker in the faith: 1) Do not deliberately shock or offend them. 2) Give up your right when it threatens the peace or hinders growth of another. Be alert to judge yourself in that area. 3) Never act from doubt. Act only from conviction, by the Word, and by the Spirit of God. 4) Choose to please your neighbor rather than yourself. 5) Be careful that your giving in does not confirm your neighbor in his weakness, but encourages him to grow in the Lord. |
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. (14:13) …
So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. (14:19) … Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (15:20) |
| 15:14-16 | Paul reflects on his ministry and sends greetings from those in Corinth to those in Rome. | . |
Copyright 2005 Krisan Marotta. www.WednesdayintheWord.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Part of the series: Romans: Justification by Faith
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