Romans: Intro and Context
Information today spreads at lightning speed. With one swipe of a keystroke, news can reach to the farthest ends of the earth and the retaliation, response or repercussions of that news can be returned as quickly as it was released. It’s hard for me to imagine a world where news doesn’t travel fast, or honestly, travels at all.
As the Roman empire continued to grow, news began travel as well (all roads lead to Rome, right?). Around 57AD, while in Corinth, the apostle Paul wrote what some call one of the most important and influential letters we have today: the book of Romans.
Paul longed to visit the church in Rome, but God had not allowed him that opportunity yet. Paul had heard of their faith (and their struggles) and longed to see this church in this important city overcome.
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. – Romans 1:8-10
Today kicks off a new series on this blog as we walk through the book of Romans. Each Friday, my dear friend, Stacey Thacker and I will release a new video on my YouTube channel talking through that week’s reading.
Our passion and desire is to see women reading the Bible and building community around the Word. These videos are meant to come at the end of your study week, so that you are first going to Bible then going to other sources.
The reading plan is easy. We will study Romans in three parts, reading about a chapter a week. Part 1 will cover Romans 1-7 and kicks off this week.
So grab some girlfriends (and coffee) and join us as we journey through Romans.
Before starting a study of any book of the Bible, it’s good to start with Context: who wrote it, when was it written, to whom was it written, what is going on in history at this time. It sets the stage for the rest of the study. Do a little digging (hint: most of the answers can be found in the intro to Romans in a Study Bible), then watch today’s video on context.
For this Week:
- Read Romans 1-2, focusing on Romans 1:16-25; 2:1-11
- Gather with some girlfriends and talk about what you read.
- Discover: What three truths did you learn from this passage?
- Discuss: How does God’s kindness lead to repentance? Does this change the way we interact nonbelievers?
- Share: This about the human propensity to turn from the Creator and worship the created. What have you found helps you keep your mind and heart turned to Jesus (Hebrews 2:1)?
- Memorize Romans 1:16 and Romans 2:11
- Come back next week for Video 2.
Erin H. Warren 