Introduction to Romans

We’re getting ready to start a study on the book of Romans. It’s a bigger book than we’ve attempted before, but as I’ve been praying about it, God continually brings verses from this book to my mind. There are several areas of concern I have for women, and this book covers many of them. Besides, it’s my husband’s favorite book of the Bible, so I’ll have no trouble picking his brain and getting needed help. 😉

I’ve outlined 18 lessons to discuss from this book, but if it takes us longer because we get bogged down in discussion, then so be it! (That would be great!) The book is large, but I’d like to look at it verse-by-verse, each passage in context with the ones before and after.

Some subjects we’ll be discussing are:
* Why each one of us so badly needs God
* Why God gets the glory for everything good we do
* How to have true peace and joy
* How to conquer that frustrating sin problem we have
* What a God-controlled life looks (and acts) like
* How God has used the nation of Israel (and what this has to do with us!)
* How to be transformed
* What true love looks like (and you thought that was in 1 Corinthians 13…)
* How to handle our money wisely
* What to do when someone believes differently than we do
* How to make our lives count in every meaningful way
* How to avoid getting tripped up by people
…and so much more!

I’m excited!

If you’d like to read a scholarly introduction to the book of Romans, you might enjoy this link:
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1801

Another interesting introduction, a bit simpler to read and understand, can be found here:

However, the very BEST introduction to the book of Romans is just READING it
through for yourself. It took me about two hours last night, with a baby crawling around the room and other kids coming down from bed and asking for drinks occasionally. (I also ate a snack while I read.) But if you don’t have two hours, try reading 4 chapters a day for 4 days. As always, placing a Bible with a bookmark in Romans 1 in a handy spot (such as next to the toilet in the bathroom) will help you remember to do it!

I’ll be back later, Lord willing, with a look at Romans 1:1-17.
Enjoy!
~Anne