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The book of Romans is easily one of the most misunderstood books in all of scripture. That does not necessarily mean it is difficult, although some would argue that it is. But much of the controversy which has swelled around this epistle is due to the preconceived ideas which readers bring to it. Martin Luther, for instance, brought Augustinian ideas about grace to his reading, which so colored his thinking that it caused him to deny the epistle of James a place in the canon of scripture, because he found James to be too at odds with Paul. Today, many with radical ideas are trying to force their teaching into Romans 14 in attempt to gain acceptance. And there is, in the denominations, the specter of Calvinism which pervades almost all commentaries on the book.
Where then, does one find truth. One important way is to sit down and read the epistle, from beginning to end, before picking up any commentaries, companions or even this issue of Abundant Life. We do not want readers who take our word without investigating for themselves first. Most of the concepts found in Paul's letter are best understood within the framework of the letter as a whole. It is no wonder people become so confused about Romans 4, 7 or 14, for out of their context, one can often make either more or less of Paul's actual points, depending on what the reader wants to see. Context is important.
Having done that, find a good Bible dictionary and look up any words you don't understand. Then, look up any words which Paul uses over and over. Having read the book through, try to decide why Paul uses certain words so often. Again, do this before picking up a commentary.
Finally, and only after having done these things, go to some commentaries for help in passages which may still be giving you trouble. Read more than one to see if a view is a consensus of scholars or simply the radical notions of a writer with an agenda. But remember, all commentaries, even the ones we like, are man-made and thus, not inspired by God, so do not put your faith in everything a commentary says.
In this issue, we have endeavored to help readers with some of the problem passages. First, we have provided a short summary of the book, as written by Robert Turner. Brother Turner's work, we believe, is a fine companion in helping to understand the overall view of the book, the big picture. Again, before reading any of this issue, we recommend the steps outlined above. We do not suggest that this four page summary is a substitute for an in-depth commentary, but in order to quickly understand the scope of the book, it is highly valuable.
The other articles on these pages all refer to a specific chapter of the epistle, but we have attempted to mind our own warnings about context. We hope these too, will provide insight in your study of this marvelous book. Please study with us.