New Study: Romans

Perhaps the most treasured book in all of the Scriptures, Romans is absolutely vital to understanding the mission and achievement of Jesus the Messiah. Romans is also one of the most difficult books to understand and has drawn more study then maybe any other book. So I think it is more than worthwhile to spend a good while soaking in its message. I have a very personal attachment to this book. When I was in high school, I began questioning the faith that I had been raised in. I turned to Romans. Not because I knew it could answer my questions, but most likely because I was taught so many verses from this book. Surely, there had to be something of importance in this oft quoted book of the NT. I was not disappointed. Rather than the fuzzy, warm-hearted mush typical of the Christians that surrounded me, I found deep wells of fiery logic. I didn’t fully comprehend all that I was reading (I still don’t, though I have come a ways), but I did see that this Paul guy thought, and he thought deeply. What’s more is that he felt what he thought. It burned in him. It was in Romans that I first came to realize that it’s all about God. Life is all about God. I can’t point to the exact text, but suddenly it all became clear. Reading this book at the formative point in my life changed the course of my life.

So it is no surprise that I would find myself wanting to spend some more time in Romans, even though the years after that first soak in the book has been filled with many additional and frequent soaks. But I want to try something new with this blog in order to utilize the full power of the blogosphere. When I was youth pastor, I began leading my youth group through Romans. We spent a lot of time just discussing it. I was amazed. These teenagers, many of whom I had to explain almost every word, brought up new courses of thought and application that I had not touched. I learned something that I now hold very dear. Truth is most powerful in the context of community. So here is my proposal. Rather than just me writing some thoughts about each section of Romans, I want to ask some of you to commit to reading the text and adding your comments as well. How is the text impacting you? What are some nuggets that you perceive? How are you applying the text to your life? You can interact with me and with each other. In this way, we can have sort of an e-discussion over some of the richest Scripture in all the Bible. My goal is to post something on Romans three times a week, and usually the sections will consist of less than 10 verses. If you’re game (even if you can only get in once or twice a week) please shoot me an email at dstrong@lebanonbbc.org. I will continue to post my favorite videos on weekends.