The main takeaway from the epistle to the Romans is that, for those who believe, God can save them through the gospel (Romans 1:16).
We all need salvation
Paul emphasizes that everyone has to be saved at the beginning of his letter to the Romans. It is evident to everybody that there is [a powerful God], but He is not being worshipped (Romans 1:19–21). According to Romans 1:22-277, the gentiles are sexually immoral and idolaters. Although the Jews are aware of God’s rule, they disobey it and continue to sin (Romans 2:17–24). Since everyone is a sinner, everyone is [subject to God’s judgment]. We are incapable of resolving the issue on our own. No matter how hard we try, we cannot be saved by following God’s commands because, according to Romans 3:20, “no human being will be justified in his sight by the works of the law.”
Hope from God
After it is explained that there is no hope for us through the things that we do for God, we read that there is hope through what God did for us: we “are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Not our works, but God’s grace brings salvation to those “who have faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). God justifies sinners. That means: He sees them in Christ, and in his eyes they are as righteous as Jesus was, because his righteousness is attributed to them. This is a wonderful proof of God’s love for us (Romans 5:8). Because He pours out love in our hearts (Romans 5:6), our lives are full of hope and rejoicing. We are no longer enemies with God, but friends!
Friends with God
How should we live when we have been reconciled with God and have been forgiven of our sins? According to Romans 6:11, you “must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” We are now slaves to God rather than to sin. Because of this, we lead holy lives and are headed toward eternal life (Romans 6:22).
Serving God in the new way of the Spirit
The law could never bring us to redemption, so Paul goes on to say that we serve God “in the new way of the Spirit” (Romans 7:6) rather than the old way. But according to Romans 7:17, he admits that sin still exists inside him. He lacks the ability to act morally, even when he wants to. In the life of a Christian, the struggle between sin and obedience to God never goes away. However, we are glad that people who follow Jesus will not face judgment (Romans 8:1).
Pleasing God by obeying Him
The doctrinal part of Romans ends with chapter 8. We read how believers are filled by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9). Because the Spirit lives in us, we please God by obeying Him (Romans 8:9); we can be sure of the resurrection of the body when Jesus returns (Romans 8:11); and we know we are beloved children of God (Romans 8:16). This is all such a wonderful proof of God’s love for us that Paul ends Roman 8 with this joyful exclamation that we may celebrate with him: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God’s relationship with Israel
The apostle Paul states in chapters 9–11 that his people, the Israelites, are the source of his “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” in his heart. As God’s particular people, they occupy a unique position. They were the ones to whom the Lord first revealed Himself; He [formed a covenant with them], gave them several predictions, and Jesus Christ was born into their race. But the majority of Israelites reject Him. They do not consider Jesus to be the prophesied Messiah. Paul is deeply saddened by this, since it implies that their eternal salvation is on the line. Paul does, however, assert in Romans 11:2, “God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew.” One day, according to Romans 11:26, “all Israel will be saved,” and Israelites and Gentiles (people from other countries) will make up the global church.
A life for God
The apostle Paul exhorts his followers to totally commit themselves to God and undergo mental regeneration in the final chapters of his epistle to the Romans (Romans 12:1-2). Then, to the glory of God, he writes about a variety of topics related to this new life, including spiritual gifts, brotherly love, deference to authority, and acceptability among churches.
Paul concludes his letter with the following words, “To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen,” after outlining his journey itinerary and exchanging greetings. (Romans 16:27)
