A. INTRODUCTION (1:1-15)

• Paul’s introductory greeting; his apostleship (1:1-7)

• Paul’s desire to visit his fellow believers in Rome (1:8-15)

B. RIGHTEOUSNESS COMES BY GOD’S UNDESERVED KINDNESS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST (1:16–11:36)

• 1. Faith essential for salvation (1:16, 17)

  • “The righteous one will live by reason of faith” (1:16, 17)

• 2. God’s wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness (1:18-32)

  • Humans inexcusable for not glorifying God, the Creator (1:18-23)

  • God gave ungodly people up to uncleanness (1:24-27)

  • The consequences of not acknowledging God (1:28-32)

• 3. God’s judgment on Jews and Greeks (2:1-16)

  • Warning against judging others; God will judge all impartially (2:1-11)

  • Those having law but who are disobedient will be judged by law (2:12, 13)

  • People of the nations have a law within themselves, their conscience (2:14-16)

• 4. The Jews and the Law (2:17–3:8)

  • The one professing to follow the Law yet breaking it dishonors God (2:17-24)

  • Real circumcision is on the inside; the real Jew has a circumcised heart (2:25-29)

  • The Jews were entrusted with God’s sacred pronouncements (3:1, 2)

  • “Let God be found true, even if every man be found a liar” (3:3-8)

• 5. God’s righteousness revealed apart from law (3:9-31)

  • All mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin (3:9-18)

  • No one will be declared righteous by works of law (3:19, 20)

  • Humans of all sorts who exercise faith in Christ declared righteous as a free gift (3:21-28)

  • God is not the God of the Jews only but also of people of the nations (3:29-31)

• 6. Abraham declared righteous through faith before the Law was given (4:1-25)

  • Abraham’s faith counted to him as righteousness while he was yet uncircumcised (4:1-12)

  • Abraham received the promise through righteousness by faith (4:13-15)

  • The promise is sure to all who adhere to the faith of Abraham (4:16-25)

• 7. Reconciliation to God; death through Adam, life through Christ (5:1-21)

  • Being declared righteous by faith leads to peace with God, joy, and hope (5:1-5)

  • From being sinners and enemies to being reconciled to God (5:6-11)

  • Through Adam’s sin, death has spread to all and rules as king (5:12-14)

  • God’s free gift through Christ results in a declaration of righteousness (5:15-17)

  • Rule by sin replaced with rule by undeserved kindness (5:18-21)

• 8. A new life through baptism into Christ (6:1-23)

  • Those baptized into Christ are baptized into his death with hope of a resurrection like his (6:1-11)

  • Do not let sin rule in your bodies (6:12-14)

  • From slaves of sin to slaves of God (6:15-23)

• 9. The purpose of the Law fulfilled; sin’s death-dealing power in all humans revealed (7:1-25)

  • Release from the Law illustrated (7:1-6)

  • Sin made known by the Law (7:7-12)

  • The struggle with sin (7:13-25)

• 10. The righteous standing of those in union with Christ (8:1-39)

  • Living in harmony with the spirit pleases God and brings life and peace (8:1-11)

  • God’s spirit bears witness of adoption as sons (8:12-17)

  • The revealing of God’s sons eagerly awaited by human creation (8:18-21)

  • Creation now groaning in pain (8:22-25)

  • The spirit pleads with God for the holy ones (8:26, 27)

  • God makes his works cooperate for those who love him (8:28-30)

  • “If God is for us, who will be against us?” (8:31-34)

  • Nothing can separate righteous ones from God’s love (8:35-39)

• 11. God’s sovereign will and natural Israel (9:1-33)

  • Paul expresses grief over his relatives, the Israelites (9:1-5)

  • Abraham’s true offspring (9:6-13)

  • God’s choosing not dependent on desire or effort of humans (9:14-18)

  • Unwise to find fault with the choice made by God, the Potter (9:19-26)

  • Only a remnant of natural Israel will be saved (9:27-29)

  • Israel stumbled by not showing faith (9:30-33)

• 12. How to attain a righteous standing before God (10:1-21)

  • Christ is the end of the Law (10:1-4)

  • Righteousness results from faith; public declaration for salvation (10:5-10)

  • Both Jews and Greeks need to call on the name of Jehovah to be saved (10:11-13)

  • Preachers sent out so that others can hear, believe, and call on Jehovah (10:14, 15)

  • Fleshly Israel’s lack of response was due to lack of faith, not lack of opportunity (10:16-21)

• 13. The salvation of all Israel illustrated by an olive tree (11:1-36)

  • Rejection of natural Israel not total (11:1-16)

  • Because of lack of faith on their part, some of Israel’s natural branches were broken off and “wild” non-Israelite ones were grafted in (11:17-24)

  • The sacred secret reveals how all spiritual Israel will be saved (11:25-32)

  • “O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!” (11:33-36)

C. ADVICE ON TRUE CHRISTIAN LIVING (12:1–15:13)

• 1. Wholehearted worship of God and proper behavior toward fellow believers and others (12:1-21)

  • Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, with your power of reason (12:1, 2)

  • Christians have different gifts but are part of one body (12:3-8)

  • Show love and honor to fellow believers; display zeal, endurance, and submission in serving Jehovah (12:9-16)

  • “Keep conquering the evil with the good” (12:17-21)

• 2. True Christians and the State (13:1-7)

  • Subjection to “the superior authorities” serving as God’s ministers (13:1-4)

  • Render to authorities what is due them (13:5-7)

• 3. Fulfilling the law of love, and staying awake (13:8-14)

  • Do not owe anything but love to anyone; love is the law’s fulfillment (13:8-10)

  • Walk decently as in the daytime, and imitate Jesus (13:11-14)

• 4. Work for unity; God’s Kingdom means righteousness, peace, and joy (14:1–15:13)

  • Do not judge one another (14:1-12)

  • Do not cause others to stumble (14:13-18)

  • Pursue peace and things that build one another up (14:19-23)

  • Follow the example of Christ, who did not please himself (15:1-6)

  • “Welcome one another”; the nations will glorify God (15:7-13)

D. PAUL REVIEWS HIS MINISTRY AND LOOKS AHEAD (15:14-29)

• Paul engaged in the holy work of the good news of God (15:14-16)

• Paul describes his activity so far (15:17-21)

• No longer having untouched territory nearby, Paul intends to go to Spain via Rome (15:22-24)

• Paul to travel to Jerusalem with the contributions from Macedonia and Achaia (15:25-29)

E. FINAL EXHORTATION AND GREETINGS (15:30–16:27)

• Paul urges the Christians in Rome to pray for him (15:30-33)

• Paul introduces Phoebe, a minister of the Cenchreae congregation (16:1, 2)

• Paul’s personal greetings to individual Christians in Rome (16:3-16)

• Warning against divisions (16:17-19)

• God will crush Satan shortly (16:20)

• Greetings from Paul’s coworkers (16:21-24)

• Glory to God, who alone is wise, through Jesus Christ (16:25-27)