INTRODUCTION
Here are very important beginning ideas which make the Roman letter mean more:
Romans were people living in Rome, the capital city of the largest nation of an ancient time.
Jews were a tribe of people. Twelve clans of people were all descended from one common ancestor named Abraham. All twelve clans lived in one country, spoke one language, and knew that they were different from all others. A few Jews lived in Rome when this letter was written.
The Old Testament was God’s message written down so all Jews could understand clearly who God is and what He wanted men to do.
The New Testament is the book written about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and what happened among His followers after He went back into heaven to be with God. The Acts of Apostles tells what His followers did after He went back to heaven. Romans through Revelation are the writings of these special servants of God, the apostles and prophets of God. Many things which God did in the Old Testament help us to understand what happens in the New Testament. (Read Romans 15:4.)
The Book of Romans explains why all men need a Saviour. It also teaches how the Saviour works with power to save us, how God has planned for both Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) to be saved, and how people who have believed in Jesus should live.
Romans 1:1-12
1 1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. I was chosen to be an apostle – especially selected for telling God’s Good News. 2 God promised the Good News in the Holy Scriptures long ago through His prophets. 3 The Good News is about God’s Son who, on the physical side, was a descendant of David. 4 But long ago, it was planned that our Lord Jesus Christ be the Son of God with power in a holy, divine way. How? By rising from death! 5 Through Jesus we have received gracious love and the work of apostles, so that for Jesus’ name, we could try to persuade all non-Jewish people to believe and obey. 6 You are some of them. You were called by Jesus Christ. 7 To all of you in Rome who are loved by God and called to be holy people. May gracious love and peace come to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, through Jesus Christ, I thank my God for all of you. People all over the world talk about your faith. 9 My spirit serves God by telling the Good News about His Son. I never forget you. God is my witness. 10 You are always in my prayers. I ask God for some way that I may come to you – if that is what He wants. 11 I want to see you very much, so that I may give you a spiritual gift; it will make you strong – 12 that is, so that we could encourage each other. My faith would help you and your faith would help me.