Two sentences on Romans 16 as a chapter, then I want to focus on the book of Romans as a whole.
Chapter 16 shows us that Paul was never a lone ranger in the work he did; he always had a team, a support system, behind every ministry endeavor, behind every trip, behind every church plant, behind every letter he wrote. We’d be wise to do the same.
As for the whole book of Romans, much like I said at the beginning of these entries, there’s a reason it’s been a central book for the entire New Testament. There’s a reason it’s been a church favorite for centuries. There’s a reason pastors have taken years, sometimes even decades to try to preach & teach through this book. There’s a reason people end up writing commentaries on the book that are bigger than the entire Bible itself. What’s the reason?
Because people are wordy! 😉
That, and…
It’s so rich. It’s so deep. It’s so intellectually stimulating and heart engaging at the same time. It’s full of beautiful explanations and sound logical arguments. It’s also full of heart-felt praise, raw emotions, and glimpses of God’s masterful plans. It’s a beautiful piece of work, and people love to experience beauty.
I did my best to keep each entry brief, and I feel like I was able to do that. But don’t let my brevity trick you into thinking there’s not much to say about this letter / book.
To read Romans, to grasp it, to comprehend it in its full depth, could take a lifetime. But I hope you’ll at least join me in appreciating a small morsel of each chapter, as you go back and read these previous 16 entries. May you glean something from it. May it deepen your hunger for knowing God. Not knowing about God. But knowing God.
And may these words of Paul to the Romans encourage your heart as much as, nay, even more than, they’ve encouraged mine.
Omer Redden 