I am in the middle of preaching through Paul's Letter to the Romans. This task is one of the most daunting things I have ever done. As I am taking the congregation God has given me to shepherd through what is called by the pastors and Bible scholars I read, "The Greatest Letter Ever Written," my head has been spinning as I try to communicate the deep truths that God had Paul pen under His inspiration.In the past ten years I have preached verse-by-verse through the gospel of Mark, The Letter to the Hebrews, the life of Abraham from Genesis, and other Old Testament and New Testament books and passages, but Romans seems to be in a class of its own.
Don't get me wrong, I believe that every word in the Bible, Genesis through Revelation, is the very word of God without error in the original manuscripts. Period. Paul's Letter to the Romans is included. But Romans, with its tremendous truths of: depravity, justification by faith, sanctification, glorification, predestination, election, Israel, love and grace is truly special.
The last few weeks in chapter 7 my head seemed to be spinning as I studied Paul's writing concerning the two natures conflict within him. And chapter 8 is even more daunting. It might be the highlight of the letter, but as I talked to a colleague of mine today he told me to "wait 'till chapter 9 and my mind will be spinning again."
So, going verse-by-verse through Paul's Letter to the Romans is a sobering, scary yet exciting exercise. Pray for me as I continue studying and communicating God's great truth.
