The Book of Romans Overview & Word Study

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A verse taken out of context, or even a chapter, can have a meaning completely different than what the author intended.  The above study was an attempt to document the big picture view of what Paul was trying to accomplish in his letter to the Romans in A.D. 57.  For me personally, it was a journey that began in my struggles to understand Chapter 9.   

Paul has a very distinct purpose when he is writing and that purpose is properly understood when it is seen holistically from beginning to end across all 16 Chapters.  Though words themselves can have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used, we can still learn a lot about a specific section of scripture simply based on their presence or absence or frequency of use.  Some observations that I find interesting:

1. The strong contrast between Chapters 7 & 8 with respect to the usage of the word "law" and "spirit"
2. The strong correlation of the increase of usage in Chapter 8 for the words, "Christ", "Spirit" and "life"
3. The reference to the word "Israel" only occurs in Chapters 9, 10 & 11.
4. The transition in Chapter 2 from the usage of the words "law" and "circumcision" to the usage of the word "faith" in Chapters 3 & 4.  
5. Paul's use of questions throughout the chapters (see bottom axis above) as we see the highest number of questions occurs in Chapter 3 with (16) questions, followed by Chapters 9, 10 & 11 with (10) questions each, followed by Chapters 2, 6 & 8 with (8 or 9) questions each.  Questions are used in order to get the reader to think.  It's therefore important for us to consider these sections to determine what major point/s is Paul trying to drive home!

The Book of Romans is probably one of the hardest books in the bible to understand but at the same time, it is full of tremendous blessings to the reader who perseveres through careful study.  Approach it by forgetting all that you've heard man say about it, study every verse and chapter in context and go back and read every referenced verse from the OT in it's context too.  In all that you do, stand in Faith upon The Word and promises of God, in Christ Jesus!