This Sunday I’m beginning a sermon series on St Paul’s Letter to the Romans, which will take us well into July. The Letter to the Romans is the Epistle reading in the Lectionary, but rather than following the exact passages in the Lectionary, I have decided to go through some of the key passages over these weeks.

The Letter to the Romans as long been regarded as one of the key Biblical texts. It has been called the fullest, plainest and grandest statement of the Gospel in the New Testament. William Tyndale described the letter as “the principal and most excellent part of the New Testament, and most pure Euangelion, that is to say, glad tidings … and also a light and a way unto the whole Scripture.”

Martin Luther called it “really the chief part of the New Testament, and … truly the purest gospel.” He continued: “It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul.” Jean Calvin said that “if we have gained a true understanding of this Epistle, we have an open door to all the profound treasures of Scripture.”

It is not only the Reformers who regarded it as one of the key books of the Bible, it has been seen that way through the ages. St Augustine of Hippo, for example, also had a high regard for the Letter to the Romans and it was instrumental in his own conversion.

Nevertheless, it is true that Reformed theologians place particular emphasis on the Letter to the Romans, particularly the emphasis on God’s justification of sinners by grace, in Christ, through faith.

Apparently, there once was a Reformed preacher who had already spent five years on a Sermon series about the Letter to the Romans. Smiling at the congregation, he announced, “Brothers and sisters, I have not been able to do full justice to the profound truths in Romans 11. Forgive me my superficiality, but we are officially concluding Romans 11 today! Next Sunday, we will begin our deep dive into Romans 12:1.”

From the back row, a weary parishioner was heard whispering, “At this rate, I’ll be in glory before we ever make it to Romans 16!”

At St Paul’s our sermon series will only be a few weeks and I’m aware that in this time we cannot do justice to the treasures that are in Romans. I myself feel not quite up to the task, but I thought that I should take the plunge at some point. Here we come!