Setting the Stage for the Book of Romans

Why Study Romans? The pressure to perform can be crushing. Who among us lives free from the weight of feeling we must do more, reach higher, go bigger? The pressure is both internal and external. Something in us deeply wants to earn others’ approval, while at the same time we suspect they’re whispering we don’t deserve to be here—at our job, at our church, in this community. We grind daily to prove to ourselves and to others that we’re enough. And yet we know we’re not. Deep down we know we’re sinful, tired, and disappointing. Our spiritual lives are not immune. This same pressure seeps into our relationship with God. We want to somehow earn his love or prove we’re good people. We weigh our good deeds against our bad deeds, comparing ourselves to those around us. This reflex toward self-sufficiency is nothing new. And Paul’s letter to the Romans is the antidote. Romans loudly and gloriously proclaims that our right standing with God is not on us. You and I are not responsible for earning our salvation. Quite the opposite. We cannot earn our salvation. We live by faith. Faith that is mercifully given and gratefully received. Faith in the finished and perfect work of Christ, not ours...