Overview of Romans 1-4

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Paul was a Jewish rabbi who radically converted from persecuting the Christian church to becoming its greatest missionary. Paul’s letter to the Romans is one of the most significant letters that the apostle ever wrote, and chapters 1-4 lay the groundwork for understanding the entire book. Here’s what it teaches:

All Humans Need to Be Saved by Grace

This is because everyone – no exception – has a sin problem. Sin is trusting and acting on our own opinions or feelings rather that trusting and acting on God’s truth. The result is a distorted humanity.

Romans 1:30-32 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

This brokenness is not just a Gentile (non-Jewish) thing, Paul writes. He tells the church that Jews, too, are affected by sin. The Old Testament stories make that clear.

Romans 2:1 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.

Romans 2:12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.

Salvation Happens Through Trusting in Jesus, Not Through Keeping the Law of Moses

So what’s the solution? Paul gets right to it. Salvation is a faith thing, not an Old Testament law thing. Trusting in Jesus Christ – and in his work on the cross to justify us and make us right with God – is the only thing that can solve our sin problem. And this is true for both Gentiles and Jews.

Romans 3:21-24 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

God’s Purpose Was Always to Have a Multi-Ethnic Family

God’s goal was not to make everyone Jewish and obey Jewish practices. His plan all along was bigger than that. He wanted to make a family out of all nations who would be saved by Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. This idea was scandalous at the time, so Paul had to demonstrate it’s truth from the Torah itself, and especially from the story of Abraham.

Romans 4:16-17 So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

What does all of this mean for us today? These truths that span across ethnic boundaries also span across the generations. Anyone who trusts in Jesus for salvation will be a part of God’s family – both now and forever.