By T. W. Parker

The Book of Romans is one of the most important theological documents of all time. Its influence on the course of Christian history and the development of Christian theology is immeasurable.
The themes of Romans:

1. Fundamental insights into the nature of the human predicament Rom. 1:18-3:20).
2. God’s response to that predicament in the new standing with God offered to all humanity through the work of Christ, the utterly gracious character of God’s provision, and the consequent requirement of faith as the only way to experience that provision (Rom. 3:21-4:25).
3. Security for this life and the future day of judgment that Christians enjoy (Rom. 5:1-8:39).
4. The mysterious and wonderful plan of God to include both Jews and Gentiles as His people ((Rom. 9:1-11:36).
5. God expects transformed thinking and living from His redeemed people (Rom. 12:1-15:13).  

However, the single overarching theme of Romans is the Gospel, which the letter prominently mentions in both its opening and closing (1:1,2,9, 15:16, 19) and which is the lead term in Paul’s statement of the letter’s theme (1:16). “The Gospel, or Good News,” is that God has intervened in our history to reestablish His lordship over His created world that has rebelled against Him. Moreover, Paul emphasizes that God has offered all humanity the opportunity, through faith in Christ, to be placed in a right standing before Him.

This blog will discuss the Gospel’s transforming power (Rom. 12:1-15:13) and how we must conduct ourselves as Christians:

The Gospel provides salvation from God’s wrath and the power to live changed lives. Jesus Christ cannot be our Savior without also being our Lord! Therefore, “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1, NIV). Hence, this is an introductory but comprehensive call to respond to God’s multifaceted “mercy” (Vs. 1, the word is plural in Greek). Accordingly, this call to transformed living is the heading for all that follows. Not just the physical body but the whole person, to engage the world around us.

God’s grace in Christ has made Christians spiritually alive (6:13). Worship is appropriate for thinking creatures who recognize all God has done for them. As a result, it is not confined to Sunday morning worship service; it embraces the believer’s whole life. The “pattern of this world” (12:2), or this present evil “age,” has its pattern of thinking and living that redeemed believers must avoid. The work of God’s Spirit within must reprogram the “depraved mind” (1:28) that characterizes this world. Therefore, we must become humble servants in the body of Christ. Why? Because those who are being transformed through the renewing of their minds will refrain from thinking too highly of themselves and recognizing the gifts of others. Moreover, this is love in action as we demonstrate “sincere” love (12:9) to believers and unbelievers. Indeed, this is a moral orientation toward Kingdom values, a model that Christ Himself lived by daily.

In addition, we must “Keep our spiritual fervor” (12:11); an alternative translation is “be set on fire by the Spirit.” The Scriptures command us to be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer” (12:12). The three commands are related: focusing on the sure hope for the glory that we have in Christ enables us to handle affliction with patience, and prayer taps into this distinctly countercultural mindset (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Followers of Christ cannot and should not please everyone, but we must make the teaching about God our Savior attractive (Titus. 2:10) by the way we love people inside and outside the church!

The author now turns his attention to governing authorities because they are God’s “agents of wrath” (13:4). Believers, because we are committed to Christ as Lord, may be tempted to ignore or even stand against secular rulers; however, believers must recognize the place of government in God’s providential ordering of the world (13:1, 5). Love fulfills the law; genuine love for others inevitably leads us to obey all the other commandments that set forth our obligations to other humans. The day is near; Paul reminds us of the nature of our time: rescued from this “evil age” (12:2), living in “the daytime” (13:13), the time when God’s plan has come to fulfillment, and looking ahead to the day when our salvation will be complete (13:11). In keeping with (NT) teaching elsewhere, that day when Christ returns to redeem His people fully, is imminent (1 Cor. 7:29, Phil. 4:5, Jas. 5:9, 1 Peter. 4:7, 1 John. 2:18). In the closing of chapter 13 Paul uses imagery of putting on clothes to urge believers to adopt the new way of life in Christ (13:14).

The apostle addresses the weak and the strong in Chapter (14:1-15:13). Paul urges us to live in peace with one another, respecting the opinions of other believers that we might differ with on specific issues. In the case of the Romans, it was whether or not the Gentile converts should observe certain traditional Jewish practices derived from the law of Moses. While addressing this first-century problem, Paul’s advice is timeless. The apostle gives believers guidelines on how to get along when they disagree about issues that are not central to the faith. Paul now focuses on the strong and the need for them to avoid creating spiritual problems for the weak, loving them as brothers and sisters: “For this, you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps” (1 Peter. 2:21).