One of the most enlightening books of the Bible, and indeed of all literature, is St. Paulβs great Epistle to the Romans.
Paul was by nature and training a logician, perhaps the greatest logician of all time, and in this case his words were Spirit-inspired, so that we have in his Epistle to the Romans a powerful logical argument about God and man, condemnation and justification. It is wonderful thus to have Godβs plan of salvation explained for us. This is all too lacking in modern evangelism.
The doctrinal argument of Romans begins with a demonstration of the moral depravity of man. It says, even to the self-righteous:
βThou art inexcusableβ¦β (Rom. 2:1).
The Apostle then goes on to show that the Law was given, not to help men to be good, but βthat every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before Godβ (3:19). The conclusion:
βTherefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sinβ (Rom. 3:20).
The Apostle presses his argument further by showing how the Lord Jesus Christ gave Himself as a satisfaction for sin that we might be βjustified freely by [Godβs] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesusβ (3:24). His conclusion again:
βTherefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without [apart from] the deeds of the lawβ (Rom. 3:28).
βTherefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christβ (Rom. 5:1).
Next he shows how those who trust in Christ are βbaptized into Christβ (6:3), made one with Him by faith. The final conclusion:
βThere is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesusβ (Rom. 8:1).
And the Apostle closes the doctrinal part of this great epistle by exclaiming:
βWho shall lay anything to the charge of Godβs elect? β¦Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?β (Rom. 8:33,35).
Our advice to those who have questions about salvation: Study Paulβs Epistle to the Romans, thoughtfully and prayerfully. source
