Romans: God’s Gospel of Sovereign Grace

I’ll never forget meeting a young man in a bookstore coffee shop in Kansas City. My wife and I were on a weekend trip with some friends in a popular shopping plaza, taking a break from all of the walking around. We see this guy reading his Bible, Greek helps out on the table. My wife, being the well-assuming kind of person she is, figures that if he has his Greek helps out, he must be our kind of guy.

As it turns out he was a charismatic who believed that baptism is necessary for salvation. “Believe and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (acts 2:38…uh…sort of).” was all he kept saying. According to this guy, Acts was the ONLY book of the Bible that contained the gospel.

So I asked him, “What about Romans?”

He actually said, “The gospel isn’t in the book of Romans.” That was it for me. At that point I was no longer interested in discussing the nature of the gospel with him. His gospel was a perverted, works-based gospel, and he clearly approached Scripture with heretical baggage. If he didn’t find his twisted message, there was no message at all.

That encounter, among other things, left me with the impression that what you believe about the book of Romans says a lot about you. Time has done nothing to change that.

As my pastor is warming us up to go through Romans, he has been showing us many facets of the book. One things that stands out to me is that Romans makes clear, expansive statements about controversial documents. I can only think that these doctrines are controversial because people don’t take Romans seriously, or the Bible itself for that matter.

Romans teaches at length about such difficult subjects as the total depravity of man, the necessity of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation, the Lordship of Christ, and the perseverance of the saints. Romans is steeped in the doctrines of sovereign grace, teaching that because of the depravity of man, we depend on God to initiate our salvation and carry it out to its end. Romans teaches that the nature of salvation is to glorify God, reflecting His nature in His subjects, meaning that God’s salvation produces holiness and endurance.

Why do people resist the doctrine of Romans? The doctrine of Romans is consistent with the rest of Scripture, and yet Romans is explicit about the gospel of God’s sovereign grace in a way that pushes people’s buttons. What button is that? I’d say the main button pushed is the “pride” button.

The gospel destroys boasting (Rom 3:27). It strips a man of his ability to congratulate himself on his salvation. To tell a man that he not only isn’t a partner in his salvation but an unwilling, resisting rebel can really sting. To tell a man that God alone acts to save can sting too.

Beyond pride, Romans exposes doctrinal laziness. For the professing Christian who does not prize wisdom and learning, Romans is pretty intimidating. Some professing Christians do openly disdain doctrine with a kind of “all head and no heart” criticism of scholarship, but most claim to be interested in learning the Bible. However, Romans is a book that when opened up for discussion draws a lot of blank stares. It reminds me of when Jesus began teaching in parables (Matt 13:13, Mark 4:10-12). By simply covering His teaching with a thin layer of effort, many turned away.

Romans also exposes hardened hearts. Its teaching about the depth of sin and the importance of God’s election has often resulted in the hearers changing their opinion about God. When confronted with the necessity of election, I have personally heard many turn and try to place the blame for their sin on God (Rom 9:19). I think this is because Romans is so direct, so plain, it is like a theological jackhammer that doesn’t let you say “Well, let’s just agree to disagree.” Romans says “It’s my way or the highway.” Sadly, theological push comes to shove.

I’m looking forward to going through Romans, though my participation in the starting of a new church campus will prevent me from hearing most of it. I have been reminded what an exciting book Romans is. The precision of the arguments pt forward have always appealed to be. I love, like in Romans 6:1, Paul keeps anticipating our response (”What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”) and crushing our objections with truth, unto the mercy of His gospel.

I am reminded that I was saved during my same pastor’s teaching of the book. I can’t recall an exact moment. There was a period of time in which I came to see that my beliefs had changed; I knew I then understood the gospel, and that I hadn’t understood before.

What a great book. What is your response to the book of Romans? Do you love it? Do you find it difficult? Do you find it dull. Are you indifferent? Have you even read it all the way through, once? My challenge to you is to read through as often as you must to gain an understanding of its meaning and flow. Gauge yourself as a Christian by how you respond to its teaching. I pray that it will direct to glorify God for His gospel of sovereign grace!