Any study of the Roman Empire is interesting, but Rome during the first Century is fascinating. They worshipped idols, actual stone, gold, and silver images, that represented gods of various types. In fact, the Christians of this period would have been considered atheists of sorts for not believing in the commonly worshipped religious symbols. A large group of Jewish people were exiled during this period, and this person named Jesus caused quite an uproar as his very fresh story was told in Rome.

Many have wondered why the Apostle Paul wrote his compendium of theology to the church at Rome – the New Testament book commonly referred to as Romans. The simple answer is that he was about to embark on a dangerous journey to Jerusalem, and he had heard about the strength of this church at Rome and wanted to give them his complete theological knowledge.

The Righteousness of God

The primary theme of the book/letter is The Righteousness of God, and another theme is Justification by Faith. This episode begins a series on this amazing book of the Bible with its beautiful depth. I’m breaking the pattern of varying topics with various guests to focus on Romans for a series of weeks because these truths changed my life. They changed the way I see God, my view of man, and my understanding of how God relates to man. They gave me peace with a knowledge of how God actually saves us and causes us to grow in the faith.

Justification by Faith

I grew up and spent many years of my young adult life not understanding how we are reconciled to God. I really didn’t understand sin, our purpose, and redemption. I failed to see how justification by faith actually works. I struggled with doubts and fears, and I remembered unhelpful sermons and lessons that exacerbated these challenges.

Due in large part to my study of the work of several strong theologians, God used the book of Romans to change my life many years ago. Paul’s ability to pull back the camera to show us the larger truths that he is communicating, helped me understand doctrines that confused me for years.

I hope this series is a blessing to you. We dive right in to chapter one this week! Please don’t hesitate to send along questions and comments. Thank you for your support of Relentless Truth. You can learn more, including our contact information, at johnwarrenmedia.com. Please share this series on social media and through email and text with your friends. I want to share these powerful truths with people who, like me, struggle with guilt and despair caused by a lack of understanding the beauty of justification by faith. Our great hope in Jesus Christ is powerful, and it is this Gospel that compels us to share these truths with others.