Paul's letter to the Romans is an inspired masterpiece of doctrine highlighting God's grace, truth, and redemption. Pastor John MacArthur will take you through the book, passage by passage, so that you can better understand everything from the cultural context to Paul's theological points. Within the pages of Romans, the apostle Paul powerfully shares his message of good news and eternal salvation with the church, advises believers on theological truths, gives practical applications for living the Christian life, and shows how God’s righteousness comes by grace alone through faith in Christ. The book of Romans underscores that Christianity is far more than just a doctrine—it is an essential road map for daily living. —ABOUT THE SERIES— The MacArthur Bible Study series is designed to help you study the Word of God with guidance from widely respected pastor and author John MacArthur. Each guide provides intriguing examinations of the whole of Scripture by examining its parts and incorporates: Extensive, but straight-forward commentary on the text. - Detailed observations on overriding themes, timelines, history, and context. - Word and phrase studies to help you unlock the broader meaning and apply it to your life. - Probing, interactive questions with plenty of space to write down your response and thoughts. Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker. He has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four married children and fifteen grandchildren. John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly two thousand English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, and digital recordings by John MacArthur. John is chancellor of The Master's University and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Bestselling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus , Twelve Ordinary Men , Twelve Extraordinary Women , Slave , and The MacArthur Study Bible , a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient. Romans Grace, Truth, and Redemption By John MacArthur Thomas Nelson Copyright © 2007 John F. MacArthur, Jr. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7180-3506-8 Contents Introduction to Romans, 1, 1 The Good News Romans 1:1–17, 5, 2 The Bad News Romans 1:18–3:20, 13, 3 By Faith Alone Romans 3:21–4:25, 23, 4 Grace through One Man Romans 5:1–21, 33, 5 Dead and Alive! Romans 6:1–23, 41, 6 Delivered from the Law Romans 7:1–25, 49, 7 In the Spirit Romans 8:1–39, 57, 8 Israel and God's Eternal Plan Romans 9:1–11:36, 65, 9 Supernatural Living Romans 12:1–21, 77, 10 Living in the World Romans 13:1–14, 85, 11 The Strong and the Weak Romans 14:1–15:13, 93, 12 Ministering Together Romans 15:14–16:27, 103, CHAPTER 1 The Good News Romans 1:1–17 Drawing Near When and where did you first hear the gospel — the good news that Jesus loves you and died for your sins? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ What is so "good" about this good news of the gospel? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ As you begin this study, what do want to learn about the book of Romans? How do you want to grow in your faith? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ The Context Newspapers and television news shows contain constant reminders that most news is bad and seems to be getting worse. What happens on a national and worldwide scale, however, is simply the magnification of what is occurring on an individual level. As personal problems, animosities, and fears increase, so do their counterparts in society at large. A terrifying power grips human beings at the very core of their being. Left unchecked, it pushes them to self-destruction in one form or another. That power is sin, and that is always bad news. The tidbits of good news are oft en merely brief respites from the bad. And sometimes what appears to be good merely masks an evil. One cynic commented that peace treaties merely provide time for both sides to reload. The essence of Paul's letter to the Romans, however, is that there is good news that is truly good! The apostle was, in fact, "a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God" (Ro