Publisher's Synopsis
In my youth, I had very high personal standards that I attempted to achieve by my own unsuccessful efforts. Keenly aware of my spiritual and psychological brokeness, I was burdened with guilt. In my frustration, I found new peace and hope in the proclamation in Romans that we must trust in God's forgiveness and cannot be saved by trying to live up to the law. I read and reread the entire epistle many times. Subsequently, as a doctoral student, I engaged in a more "scholarly" study of Romans. Although I learned an enormous amount from the scholars who had preceded me, I also came to the conclusion that they had overlooked a fundamental aspect of the basic structure and purpose of Romans. This is that Paul is here presenting his gospel message in such a way that it will appeal both to Jews and Gentiles. This goal shapes both the structure of the letter and much of its thought and makes Romans especially relevant today as we attempt to deal with pluralism. I have also been dismayed for some time that there is a shortage of good biblical study guides. Most genuinely informed and creative books on the Bible are written primarily for scholars and are too technical (and often too long) to be accessible to general readers. This book is the result. Here I present my own understanding of the structure and purpose of Romans and, at the same time, provide a survey of this epistle that any educated reader can follow and that will be useful for group Bible study as well. I hope that you find it helpful.
