DAY 001: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR – ROMANS 1-2

December 31, 2024

ROMANS 1-2
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DAY 001: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

Welcome to the beginning of our 2024 Journey Through the Bible in ONE YEAR! Our journey for the year begins in the book of Romans, which was written by the Apostle Paul, a man who once sought to kill all Christians, before becoming a tireless evangelist after his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul, a devout Jew who converted to Christianity, finds his assignment is to take the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles.

Ask the Lord for His understanding of Romans 1-2. Read Romans 1-2. Let’s journey!

Paul’s letter to the Romans was written approximately 30 years after the ascension of Jesus Christ. Several years earlier, the Jews (Jews and Jewish Christians) had been forced to leave the city of Rome by the emperor. Following the emperor’s death, the Jews began returning to the city. This letter came to the Roman church at a time of change. A great amount of tension existed between Jewish Christians and Gentiles. Jewish Christians insisted that the laws of Moses, including circumcision and dietary restrictions, must be followed in order to gain salvation. Gentiles were reluctant to abide by the strict Jewish laws. One of Paul’s goals in this letter is to relieve the tension that exists between the two groups.

Romans 1-2: Paul points out that Rome is consumed with the worship of created things and of man-made things (idols), and with sexual sin. He warns not to take God’s patience in bringing judgment as a concession, but merely an opportunity for the people of Rome to re-evaluate what they believe and live their lives accordingly.

Read chapters 1 and 2 and ask yourself these questions: Do you see any similarities between Rome of Paul’s day and nation or nations today? In your reading for today, how is Paul attempting to achieve his goal of uniting the Jewish Christians and Gentiles as one church?

Godspeace!