Jason Burgess

This was the first lesson from the 2025 Adult Discipleship Course, “Romans: Tracing God’s Plan.”

Personal Story: A Conversation with a Mormon

I met a gentleman who was a leader in the Latter-Day Saints (LDS) of the area. This guy was exactly what you think when you think of the leaders of one of the Mormon groups or the Mormons from North Carolina. He was a sharp guy, a successful guy. Just exactly what you think.

I didn’t have a whole lot of knowledge on the Mormon faith at this time, but I knew in general what they believed. I started talking to this guy one day after practice, and I didn’t realize he was a Mormon. We talked for a little while, and he’s like, “Why’d you move here?” I told him I moved here to go to seminary.

At that time I was a seminary student. He’s like, “I’m a Mormon.” And I’m like, “Oh really? Interesting.” And then we talked a little bit.

He said, “Would you like a copy of the Book of Mormon?” I’m like, “No man, I’m okay. I got access to it. I’m gonna read it.”

A little while later, a week or so later, I got thinking about the conversation. So I approached him one day after practice. I was like, “Man, I just got a question for you.” I asked him this: “What do you do with your sin?” He was kind of taken aback that I’d asked him that question.

He’s like, “What are you talking about?” I was like, “Your pride, your lust.” He said, “I guess if you struggle with it in the Mormon church, you go to the elders and they will tell you, give you things to do.”

I’m like, “So you work it off?” He kind of got around it; he knew where I was going. Anyway, we talked a little bit, didn’t really get anywhere. He didn’t get anywhere on me, I didn’t get anywhere on him.

But that’s a big question to be answered: what do we do with our sin? And the book of Romans answers some key questions.

Why Romans Is Incredible

It’s an incredible book. A lot of people say the greatest letter ever written. I would agree. When you start studying and looking at it and what was going on and what Paul is saying in it, it really is incredible. It’s tremendous depth.

In this Adult Discipleship Course, we’re going to look at passages that quote the Old Testament. We’re going a little deeper. We’re going to look at these Old Testament passages when Romans refers to them. There are three contexts we’re going to look at: the context of when the Old Testament passage was spoken and written, the context of first-century Rome and the Roman church (scholars believe Paul wrote this around A.D. 57), and then our context—how does it apply to us? How does it apply to me or to Greg tomorrow morning at work?

This is an introductory class, so we’re going to answer a few key questions about it.

A 30,000-Foot View of Scripture

To look at a 30,000-foot view, I want to start and go up over Romans and just look at a 30,000-foot view of Scripture. This is the four parts of Scripture: Creation (Genesis 1—how did it all begin?), the Fall (what went wrong—Genesis 3), the Rescue (which is the Gospels), and the Restoration (eschatology, Revelation).

Everything in the Old Testament is pointing to the Rescue, starting in Genesis 3. Some really good Hebrew scholars argue it’s pointing there the whole time, and you can make a good argument for that. Romans fits right after the Gospels in the narrative and in chronological order.

Paul refers back to the Old Testament a lot. Our goal anytime we study Scripture is to get to what the original writer intended. That keeps us from taking it out of context and applying it wrongly. When we’re looking at any book of the Bible, specifically Romans, we’re trying to figure out what Paul originally meant.

Key Questions Romans Answers

Romans as a whole addresses four or five key questions that everybody has to answer. These are very good when you’re trying to open up dialogue with people too.

1. What went wrong, or what’s wrong with me? Romans is very personal—what’s wrong with me?

2. How can I be reconciled to God? That’s the biggest question. How does that reconciliation or rescue happen? How does a holy God associate with a fallen human being? Romans answers that.

3. What does the life of a Christian look like? How are we changed? How are we sanctified—how am I going to get better at this, more like Christ? Romans answers that.

4. What does the future hold? Anxiety is probably the most common problematic emotion, and a lot of it is rooted in this question. Romans answers that.

Historical Impact of Romans

Romans really changed history. Think about the Reformer Martin Luther. It was him reading Romans that transformed everything for him. He was stuck in this cycle of seeing the holiness of God and knowing deep down he wasn’t measuring up, even as a monk.

When he read Romans and grasped “justified by faith,” that was where the Reformation happened. It influenced the settlement of the West—many who came over were oppressed people part of the Reformation, wanting freedom to believe in salvation differently. It was rooted in Romans.

Here’s Luther’s quote: “I labored diligently and anxiously as to how to understand Paul’s word… the righteousness of God… I took it to mean the righteousness whereby God is righteous and deals righteously in punishing the unrighteous. Although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner… Therefore, I did not love a righteous and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against Him. Then I grasped that the righteousness of God is that righteousness by which, through grace and sheer mercy, God justifies us by faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise… And as I formerly hated the expression ‘the righteousness of God,’ I now began to regard it as my dearest and most comforting word.”

That’s how powerful the gospel is, and how powerful Romans is.

Background on the Writing of Romans

Most scholars say it was written around A.D. 57 while Paul was in Corinth on his third missionary journey (see Acts 20). This is later in his ministry—he’s been a church planter and leader for about 25 years.

We’re looking specifically at passages from Romans that include the Old Testament. One goal is to become better students and interpreters of Scripture: dig deep into context, do word studies, and understand exactly what Paul meant when he quoted the Old Testament. Hopefully, we will all know and love Christ more and have a deeper understanding of the good news of the Gospel.

Digging into Romans 1:1–17

Let’s look at Romans 1. This sets the tone for the whole letter.

Romans 1:1-17 (ESV)

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Paul’s letters tend to be addressed to a specific church, but this one is to every Christian in Rome—likely house churches, as Paul had never been there. It was a mixed church of Jews and Gentiles.

Paul lays out doctrine on the gospel of God—what a gift to us.

Who Was Paul?

Remember Paul’s story: Acts 9:1–19 (his conversion) and Philippians 3:4–7 (his former confidence in the flesh, now counted as loss for Christ).

Observations from Romans 1:1–17

– Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures (Romans 1:1–2).

– He pulls in the Trinity, David, and points everything to Jesus (Romans 1:3–6).

– The whole Bible is about one person and one thing: Jesus Christ and the gospel (Alistair Begg).

– Jesus’ view of the Old Testament: Matthew 5:17 (“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them”) and Luke 24:27 (beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself).

– Paul is very missional—he wants to reap a harvest among Jews and Gentiles in Rome (Romans 1:13).

First-Century Context in Rome

The church likely started from visitors at Pentecost (Acts 2). Claudius expelled the Jews in A.D. 50, so the church became mostly Gentile. The edict lifted around this time, Jews returned, and there were tensions between Jewish and Gentile believers.

Looking at Romans 16: Community and Commendation

Romans 16 mentions 26 individuals, two families, and three house churches. Paul knew many of them personally (e.g., Priscilla and Aquila, expelled Jews who hosted churches). Phoebe likely delivered the letter—a deaconess, possibly wealthy, supporting the church.

These are real people in the local body, just like us—commended for being useful for the kingdom.

Paul shows humility (fruit of the Spirit). He warns against divisive false teachers with smooth talk (Romans 16:17–19)—when we get the gospel wrong, it divides; when we get it right, it humbles.

The book is missional throughout. Paul references Genesis 3:15 (the protoevangelium) in Romans 16:20—Jesus will crush Satan, connecting the whole Bible.

Closing Doxology and Summary

What is Romans about? It addresses many things—reconciliation, sanctification, the future—but the underlying foundation and thrust is the gospel.

God created—it was very good. Adam and Eve disobeyed, separated from God. He rescued through Christ: God became man, died, buried, resurrected. By faith alone, we can be saved — nothing else can save. And eventually, God brings restoration.

In the meantime, while we wait for restoration, we repent, grow together, encourage one another, and live for the mission of God.

“Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” (Romans 16:25–27)

This article has been edited from the Adult Discipleship Course lesson transcript for format and length.