Jensens survey of the old testament adam 447
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12. Those were written during Paul’s rst
Roman imprisonment. Second Timothy,
Paul’s “dying letter,” was written during his
second imprisonment.
13. There is one minor exception to this
order, because Galatians is slightly shorter
than Ephesians. We do not know if this
descending order of length had any bearing
on the original formation of the canonical
listing, whenever that took place.
14. Philip Scha , History of the Christian
Church, 1:740-41.
11Romans: God’s Salvation for Sinners
Romans is Paul’s masterpiece, a key that
unlocks the door to vast treasures of
Scripture. People who have read and studied
this epistle cannot nd words su cient to
describe its worth. “The most profound book
in existence” (Coleridge). “Cathedral of the
Christian faith” (Godet). “The chief part of
the New Testament and the very purest
Gospel” (Luther). “A thorough study of this
epistle is really a theological education in
itself” (Griffith Thomas).
The uniqueness of Romans is not for its
telling a di erent gospel or new teaching,
but for its spelling out the ABC’s of the
gospel of salvation in Christ, in clear, full
scope, so that there can be no question
concerning any important aspect of that
gospel. Romans tells, for example, how
sinful man can be restored to fellowship
with his Creator, the holy God. It was of
divine design that, by interpreting the truths
already spoken by Jesus, one epistle should
be written especially to explain such truths
to people. Paul was the man chosen to be
the writer, and Romans was the epistle.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit this
longest of the epistles has been placed by
the people of God rst in the order of New
Testament epistles.
I. PREPARATION FOR STUDY
In order to appreciate the important place
that Romans occupies in Scripture, it is
necessary to understand something of fallen
man’s utter lack of righteousness as revealed
throughout human history.
A review of the moral history of the race
as set forth in the books of the Bible up to
the book of Romans shows that man is, and
always has been, an utter failure as regards
righteousness. When Adam was tempted in
the Garden of Eden he proved himself a
failure, and all of Adam’s descendants have
done the same. “All have sinned” (Rom.
3:23). “There is none righteous, not even
one” (3:10).
From Adam to Abraham God patiently
dealt with the sons of man, wooing them to
His compassionate heart, giving them
opportunity after opportunity to choose Him
and His way, and so to nd His favor. But
the human race as a whole rejected Him,
and the result was utter failure — failure so
great that God “gave them over” and
allowed them to go their own wicked ways
(Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).
Then God tested the nation of Israel, the
Jews. This is the story of Genesis 12 to the
end of Malachi. Everything was given Israel
