Romans - The Righteousness of God

Today, Wednesday December 15 –  Romans – It is interesting that the very first epistle (letter), in the New Testament, after the Gospels and the Book of Acts,  is this great foundational, doctrinal book of Romans.  To be able to live right, we must first know right!  And actually, the Righteousness of God, is the theme of the book. The word righteous, is used in one form or another over forty times in these sixteen chapters.  The key verses are, Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."  In chapters 1-3, Paul presents the need for righteousness (“all have sinned”); in chapters 3-8, he shows God’s provision of righteousness in Christ alone; in chapters 9-11, he recounts how Israel rejected God’s righteousness; and in chapters 12-16, he exhorts us with how righteousness must be lived in daily practice. This indeed is a book that will change your life.  St. Augustine was converted through reading the book of Romans.  Martin Luther found his peace with God and launched the Reformation on Romans 1:17, “The just shall live by faith”.  John Wesley, the great founder of the Methodist church, experienced salvation while listening to someone read from Luther’s commentary on Romans. This definitely is a book we should read, understand and apply to our lives!  God Bless!