Romans: Rooted in Jesus

 

The Roman church was much like the church today: ethnically divided, struggling in their relationships, locked in a cycle of comparison and self-righteousness, leveraging grace for permissiveness, confused about the role of God’s law, questioning their future, and presenting the world a works-based religion. The Apostle Paul writes the church with the antidote to their anemic, conflicted, and joyless experience. The antidote is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the heart of which is “righteousness from God…apart from the law,” Romans 3:21.

Paul opens and closes explaining of his purpose of his letter, as he says, “to strengthen you,” Romans 1:11, 16:25. The word “strengthen” is better translated establish. Like a builder finding bedrock for a skyscraper, Paul writes to establish the church on the firm foundation of the gospel. But it’s more than being established in the gospel, the bedrock becomes the foundation for our growth and the basis for relational engagements. The gospel is like the deep roots of a tree, stabilizing the tree while promoting its growth. The gospel is our firm foundation and the basis of our growth and interaction with each other and the world.

Join us as we study the book of Romans together this year.

Click on the title below to view the sermons in this series, and on "DQs" to view the discussion questions.

+ Romans: Rooted in Jesus

Tim Locke