When In Romans Introduction, Pastor Chris Sherwood

We stand at the threshold of one of Scripture's most transformative books—Romans. Written to a church fractured by cultural and theological divisions between Jewish and Gentile believers, this letter speaks powerfully to our own divided times. The church in Rome faced real tensions: Jews who had been expelled and then returned found their worship practices displaced by Gentile traditions. Sound familiar? We too navigate differences of opinion, political affiliations, and varied perspectives on how to live out our faith. Yet Paul's message cuts through all our divisions with a singular focus: we are being conformed to the image of Christ. This isn't about cultural Christianity or maintaining comfortable traditions—it's about laying everything on the altar. Following Jesus costs us everything precisely because it's worth everything. As we journey through Romans together, we'll wrestle with the complexities of the gospel, learn how to think and act as transformed people in a broken world, and discover what true unity looks like when we seek God first and love each other well, even in disagreement.