Reading the book of Romans will probably change your life. This letter contains a message that Jesus wanted Paul to deliver to the world. He did, and now we can read it ourselves more than 2000 years later. Rome was the center of the world at the time of Paul and it is interesting that many of the problems Christians experienced at that time are still very common today.

Romans is the Christian manifesto. It contains the pure Gospel, which is the “good news” that describes what Christianity actually is. It’s a book that answers questions for new Christains about what Christianity teaches, and helps mature Christians maintain their footing on the most fundamental teachings of the faith.

In Romans we find out that everyone in the world is guilty before God, even to the point of explaining how people who haven’t heard of the Bible or Christianity can still be sinners. We discover why God gave Israel the Law of Moses and why it exists. We discover how Jesus made it possible for the guilty to be innocent again. It teaches us why we struggle as Christians and exactly how the Christian life is supposed to be lived even though we are not perfect. Paul defines how we should view the Jews today, and even warns Gentiles about arrogantly assuming they are better. It explains how all men and women are intended to be equal and united as Christians, no matter what their cultural background or status was in the past.

Although this is a book about the unchangeable basics of Christianity, it also addresses the how to deal with personal convictions that the Bible doesn’t say are right or wrong.

Romans is probably the most complete presentation of Christianity in any single book in the Bible. Whether you read this over the next 142 days, read it all the way through in one day, or use it as a reference, I hope that it will encourage you as you consider what Christianity is really all about.