Paul had heard of the church at Rome, but he had never been there. Evidently the church there had been started by Jews who had come to faith during the Pentecost experience recorded in Acts 2.
Unlike all Paul’s other letters, Romans is not a letter dealing with pastoral and theological questions raised by a congregation, but a carefully-argued treatise, answering the common questions asked by thoughtful Christians of the time. It focuses on the purpose and effectiveness of Christ’s death and resurrection, and stresses the need for faith as the way to access God’s salvation.
Its main message revolves around one statement: the just shall live by faith. The book also describes the central purpose of Christ’s mission. This is the Bible’s longest and most thorough exploration of how and where the ‘sacrifice’ of Christ, made through his death and resurrection, fits in with God’s plan of salvation.
To introduce Paul to the Romans and to give a sample of his message before he arrives in Rome.
Paul
The Christians in Rome and believers everywhere.
The date is believed to have been around AD 57, from Corinth, as Paul was preparing for his visit to Jerusalem.
Apparently, Paul had finished work in the East and was planning to visit Rome on his way to Spain after first bringing a collection to Jerusalem for the poor Christians there. The Roman church was mostly Jewish, but also contained a great number of Gentiles.
Jesus in Romans: Jesus is the promised Seed of Abraham, who will bring blessings to the nations.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (5:1)
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (3:23, 24)
How do we understand God’s grace in our lives?