For fun, I decided to write a little paraphrase, chapter-by-chapter, of the book of Romans. While I hope that it is accurate, I do not want to hold any pretense that everything I’ve written is true – so if there is anything that y’all find that is a bit questionable, please let me know!

Romans 1: An introduction, opening remarks, and what man is like without God. Man without God is depraved, and God has allowed that wickedness to continue to its logical end.

Romans 2: Everyone, even Christians, have come from such depravity. Therefore we shouldn’t judge others, since we are no better off than they, as though we are holier than they are. What separates holy from unholy takes place in the heart, not by external marks (like circumcision) or external acts (like keeping only parts of the law).

Romans 3: The Law (and our fallenness) display God’s righteousness. That does not give us an excuse to continue breaking the Law. At the same time, the Law was given to show us how depraved we are, not to redeem us, because no matter how hard we try we will never achieve perfection on our own merit. In fact, the Law shows us that we are all guilty, because we have all broken some part of the Law. Out of His mercy, God gave us another way to attain righteousness. The righteousness that redeems us comes by grace through faith.

Romans 4: Abraham, the father of the Jews, was made righteous through faith. If it had been by works, then Abraham would be able to claim some credit for his righteousness, when God deserves all the credit. Anyone who follows in Abraham’s example of trusting God is Abraham’s descendant, and if we have faith like Abraham we will also be made righteous by God.

Romans 5: Being made righteous through faith means that we can now approach God without fearing His wrath. Jesus Christ made that happen by God’s loving plan – that even when we deserved God’s wrath, Jesus died for us in order that we might be able to enjoy good relations with God. This works because, just as Adam’s failure set all of mankind on the path of destruction, Jesus’ sacrifice became the only necessary act for all of the sin in the world to be declared “paid in full”. While the amount of sin in the world continues to increase over time, the grace afforded to us by Jesus’ blood will always surpass the total amount of sin, because the infinite price of Jesus’ blood always trumps the death penalty that we’ve earned by our sins.

Romans 6: This doesn’t give us an excuse to sin more though, because if we have believed God and trusted Him through Jesus, we have given up the sins that contributed to Jesus’ death in order to live with God. We can live with God because Jesus, being God, died and resurrected, and if we place our faith in God through Jesus, we are given the same transformation. We now have the freedom to do good and right, and we can choose to ignore the temptations to sin. Grace is not a free ticket to sin! Before we believed in Jesus, we sinned because it was our natural tendency. Now that we have this relationship with Jesus, our natural tendency SHOULD be to do what is right, but we must choose to accustom ourselves to doing what is good and right.

Romans 7: We have a new way to live – we are no longer bound by the law, because we were set free through the death we claim with Jesus Christ. At the same time, the freedom that we gained means that we now CHOOSE to do what is good and right. Now, this new self that has been placed in us continues to war against the old nature that we used to have – because while we still occupy our bodies here, we struggle between our new desire, which is to do what is good, and our old tendencies, which we lapse into even when our overall intention is to do what is good and right. If we were left to our own devices, we would be tormented forever by this vicious cycle. But that’s the beauty of God’s grace through Jesus Christ – Jesus provided us a way that, not only are we free to choose what is good and right, but we are also freed from the death that our lingering sin would earn us as well.

Romans 8: Those who have placed their faith in God through Jesus Christ don’t have to be ashamed, because when Jesus came, He took upon Himself the condemnation that our sin deserves. Jesus paid for that condemnation in full, so that those who trust God through Jesus may yet be counted as righteous, just like Abraham. Those who trust God have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, guiding our steps, instructing us on how to live good and righteous lives. As a result, we should strive to listen to the Holy Spirit, rather than give into the pull of our old tendencies to do bad. Our allegiance is now to God and the Holy Spirit. In fact, God has made us His children, so that we have nothing to fear. We no longer have to fear the consequences of sin, because we strive to live according to the Holy Spirit. And because we are children of God, we share Jesus’ sufferings just as we share His glory and righteousness through His death. So while we may not completely understand why it is that we are sometimes made to suffer, we can have the confidence that, as God’s adopted children, He will ultimately orchestrate the best good in all circumstances – and how much more so for those who have trusted Him! So there is no reason to accuse God of being unjust when we suffer, because even when bad things and difficult things come our way, God’s love is always available to us. Nothing will ever separate us from that love.

Romans 9: The nation of Israel has squandered a tremendous blessing from God – so much so that Paul wishes that he could take the punishment on their behalf. Israel’s history has been marked with God’s abundant grace, that they would be at the forefront of receiving the adoption that is now available to everyone…yet they rejected it. God shaped history around Israel to demonstrate His own glory to the whole world – it was not a choice made by birthright, as though Jacob were better off than Esau, nor was it a choice made by inheritance, as though only people genetically related to Abraham were blessed, nor was it a choice made by works, as though following the law God gave the Hebrews would earn them their salvation. God mercifully chose one lineage for the sake of making His grace available to everyone, because anyone who follows in Abraham’s example of faith is considered to be his descendant. The law, then, became a hindrance to Israel’s righteousness.

Romans 10: Paul earnestly desires all of Israel to open their eyes and accept this wonderful righteousness that God has made available to the whole world. Because while the Jews are zealous for God, they refuse to accept God’s goodness and continue to believe that by following the law they can eventually achieve righteousness. But Jesus already made a way for us so that everyone who places faith in God through Him will be made righteous. In order to achieve righteousness the Jews’ way, Moses says that we must obey every single command. Faith-based righteousness, however, isn’t concerned about those things – in fact, it says that we shouldn’t even speculate on who should go to heaven or hell. Faith-based righteousness is more concerned about the urgency of the here and now, that this wonderful message reaches everyone’s ears. And this is the message: that we are made righteous if we realize and verbally proclaim who Jesus is and what He did and genuinely believe and trust that God did the miraculous by raising Him from the dead. There’s nothing else to it – in fact, Jews and non-Jews are saved exactly the same way. This message has already been given to the Jews. They heard it and understood it, and yet many still reject this wonderful message of grace.

Romans 11: This does not mean that God has forsaken Israel. In fact, in His mercy God continued to save a remnant of Israel (those who remained faithful to Him). Those Israelites who rejected God’s righteousness are not beyond saving either – Paul’s prayer is that they would see the grace God has extended to the Gentiles, and become jealous and claim that righteousness for their own. The theme is God’s mercy. It extends to everyone, that anyone who places faith in God through Jesus Christ would inherit Abraham’s promised righteousness. But at the same time, no one should become proud of the righteousness we have gained, as though by our actions we somehow earned it. We should understand God’s mercy as it is – that none of us deserve it, yet God has extended it to us through Jesus Christ. That amazing mystery goes beyond any perceived favor from God to the Jews or to the Gentiles. It is a mercy that is only contingent on our faith.

Romans 12: Because of this wonderful mercy, everything we do and think should have the purpose of glorifying God. After all, we owe God our whole lives! As our thinking begins to parallel God’s values, we are then able to know and understand His amazing will for our lives. Instead of trying to make ourselves seem more important to others, we should recognize how we and everyone else works together as a unit to bring glory to God. God has gifted each of us in different and specific ways for the benefit of everyone, so we should allow people the freedom to use those talents in serving God. Learn how to love each other – whether it is to put others’ needs ahead of our own, being generous with our lives and time, or forgiving everyone who wrongs us and showing mercy to them, we should sincerely love each other.

Romans 13: Show respect to those in authority, because God has established authority over us. The authority is only scary when we do wrong, so why should we rebel against that which God has set over us? So be fair, and give everyone what they are due, with the attitude that they are ultimately accountable to God. Love each other and strive to do what is good and right, because Jesus is coming soon. Let love be the motivator for everything we do, because through love and by love the entire Law is fulfilled.

Romans 14: One way to love our Christian brothers and sisters is to accept them, even when they may still cling to parts of the old ways of earning righteousness through observing the law. There’s no room within love for us to look down upon those who box themselves up with rules about things that don’t matter, and there’s no room within love for us to condemn those who don’t live up to our standards. After all, God has accepted them because of their faith; so why should we try to be more selective than God? Jesus came to even the playing field, such that the only condition for salvation is faith. There is no prize for having more faith, and there is no penalty for having less faith. If you have faith, you are saved. Period. Therefore, let’s stop judging each other for what we do or don’t do, or what we do or don’t say. Instead of trying to convert everyone to our level of conviction, we should love our brothers and sisters by trying to serve them so that they don’t stumble according to what their conscience allows. Because ultimately what we believe about these small things is between us and God.

Romans 15: We should always be seeking to serve others and build them up, rather than trying to please ourselves. After all, Jesus didn’t seek to please Himself, as the Scriptures themselves say. Scripture was written to instruct us, encourage us, and help us endure with hope. Paul’s prayer is that there would be unity to glorify God as one unit. Therefore, we should accept one another in the same way Christ has accepted us – this brings glory to God. For it is because of God’s mercy shown through Jesus Christ that the world praises Him. Paul then gives some final blessings and shares his desire to visit the Roman church.

Romans 16: Paul sends greetings to specific individuals in the church. He warns against those who cause division within the church. Stay away from those who would put obstacles against what has been taught, because their intent is not to glorify God, but to build up their own selfish desires. They will sweet talk and flatter their way into influencing people. Paul encourages the Romans to not only watch out for those people, but to stay away from them. Finally, those who are with Paul in his ministry send their greetings and final blessings.