SERIES INTRODUCTION

Last year I attended a tribute retirement service for Dr. Bailey Gillespie. Everyone in the auditorium shared beautiful and meaningful words about this man who has meant so much to them. Then his children stood up to speak. One sentence in particular connects well to this new series and is worth noting. Dr. Tim Gillespie said, “Many have stood on the shoulders of giants, but few have been able to claim they stood in the room with giants.” Every one of us has been influenced by all kinds of remarkable people—past and present—and they have helped make us who we are.

This is a series on the book of Romans, a letter penned by the apostle Paul. His context—past and present, along with all the people he had met along the way—shaped his thinking. But the most important person he met caused him to remap all of the First Testament in light of this new experience. For on the Road to Damascus, Paul saw the “glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6, ESV).

Seven sermon series will explore the letter to the Romans. The series are: Called, Judged, Justified, Sinners, Saints, Family Privilege, and Followers of Jesus. 

The Called explores Chapter 1 which reverberates from Paul's life and his context through to our modern experience.
The Judged explores Chapters 2 and 3 and challenges our ideas of justice and all that Jesus is.
The Justified explores Chapters 4 and 5, approaching the concepts of law and grace with new light.
The Sinners explores Chapters 6 and 7, reminding us that the struggle is real and our Savior is with us.
The Saints explores Chapter 8 using the metaphor of adoption.
Family Privilege explores Chapters 9 to 11, and looks at the responsibility of the Gospel.
Followers of Jesus explores Chapters 12 to 16,  and asks whether we are a blessing to all. 

We recommend that you read Romans Chapter 16 in preparation for all five series. You might find that the insights in that chapter help shape your experience in reading the earlier chapters.

Japhet J. De Oliveira
Senior Pastor 
Boulder Adventist Church

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A Letter to the Romans by William Barclay
Exploring Romans by George Knight
Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching by Paul Achtemeier
Justification by N.T. Wright
Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright
Romans for Everyone, Part One: Chapters 1–8 by N.T. Wright
Romans: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary by Charles H. Talbert
Romans, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 10 by N.T. Wright
Romans: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament by Frank S. Thielman
Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God by Brian Zahnd
The Acts of the Apostles by Ellen G. White
The Epistle to the Romans, The New International Commentary on the New Testament by Douglas J. Moo
The Message of Romans by John R. W. Stott
The Letter to the Romans: Paul Among the Ecologists by Sigve K. Tonstad
The Untold Story of the New Testament Church by Frank Viola