Romans: Overview!

Wow, I’m done with Romans already! Before moving on, I will do an overview of this wonderful book. Also, I am very sorry for not doing any chapter expositions or summaries; I will attempt to keep that up more regularly for the next book I move onto.

Favorite Verse: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ; for by CHRIST the law of the Spirit, who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1)

This verse is my favorite of all of Romans. Why? As a writer, one of my favorite quotes to remember is how “Every first draft is perfect because all a first draft has to do is exist.” To remember that even though my work isn’t perfect at first, that doesn’t mean there’s no hope for me as a writer. Just like sinning and falling aren’t the end of me as a Christian either—God’s grace is sufficient for everything! Because of His love, because of Christ, I can get up and try again. Making mistakes, sinning, my awfulness—it’s not the end.

How Did You Study It? Highlighters. I went through the whole book (well, most of it…) and marked warnings in orange, encouragement in blue, commands in pink, prophecy/OT truths in yellow, and verses on jealousy and envy in green.

What part did you least understand? The part I least understood was the ‘Gentiles Grafted In’. I failed to see how that was applicable in my life.

Any other favorites? One other verse I really liked was, “For if you life according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Flesh=Death. Spirit=Life. Couldn’t be clearer. Writing this verse down (I wrote it on my arms) can help remind you during the day what to keep your thoughts on. Verse 17 of chapter 12 I also loved: glory after suffering. Suffering, yes, exists, but the future glory will be so much better!

Which verse(s) did I have to remind myself of the most? Definitely the “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. I wish I had remembered it when I was actually with that person but reminding myself of it during the day helped turn my thoughts away from bitterness towards him.

Which verses do I need to “work on” ( as in applying to my life?) Ahhh…”Marks of the True Christian” made me feel really guilty. (Romans 12: 9-21) There is so much I don’t live up to. Reading this passage every day before beginning your quiet time might be a nice way to ease you into the right mindset of what you are aspiring to be as a Christian.

Final Thoughts? I LOVED Romans and would 100% recommend it as part of your quiet time! It was extremely easy for me to study and very meaningful. So many jewels of wisdom…Once, my youth pastor said that reading the Bible is like diving and finding gold and jewels: even if you spend just 10 minutes, you get tons of diamonds and gold. And he’s right. Romans is an especially good place to acquire jewels of wisdom. So I end: Read the Bible. Read Romans. Highlight. Underline. Memorize. Write the verses on your arms. Wake up early and read it, read it on the bus to school, during lunch, before dinner, anytime you can.

And with that, we close Romans and will enter a new chapter: First Corinthians!

-Priscilla