The book of Romans is arguably one of the most profound epistles in the New Testament, and perhaps the most important book in the bible. The book centers on Christian faith and the basic christain values that Paul advocated for the church.
It is for this reason that the book is vitally instrumental for evangelical ministries as it directly speaks to the conscience, and invokes redemption. It entails messages of good news, explaining the blessings Christians have for being saved by Jesus Christ.
As a means to glorify God, the book reveals the truth of the gospel, which is supposed to strengthen the faith of believers. The book provides a complete theological framework of Paul’s epistles, laying down the fundamentals of the gospel.
Chronologically, the Romans have played a vital role in the growth of the church over the years; making the scripture essential for every believer to master.
The power of Holy Spirit is severally mentioned in the epistle, and is seen to bring joy, peace and fulfilment. However, it is only attained with salvation, and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the savior who died so the world can be saved from eternal pain in hell.
Basically, the epistle is a guide for citizenship in the kingdom of heaven; in other words, it lets Christians know how to live righteously in preparation to the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.
Theoretically, every citizen of the kingdom of heaven is an immigrant, and therefore, there is the need to study the manual that instruct on the ways of the kingdom. Temptation of the body is a topic that Paul immensely covers; explaining how to overcome the lust for flesh (Ehrman 34).
It is all about living the right way; the way that God created humans to live, the righteous way. Through faith sinners are transformed and are assured forgiveness, which then allows them to inherit the kingdom of heaven after death.
The book insists on commitments in the responsibility that one pertakes once they declare their believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. Evangelism is seen as a strong message that Paul addresses to the Romans, as he emphasizes on the need to proclaim Jesus as the savior among men.
It is through this acknowledgement that believers get to glorify God by speading the good news to the world. It is through this that evangelism was born as the church was missioned to spread the gospel beyond the church walls.
Paul preached by saying that failing to spread the good news to men only withholds messages that would save them, and also robs God the glory he deserves in his name.
Paul acknowledges that it is impossible to live a pure life without sins, but he also mentions that through the Holy Spirit, believers are capable of living a righteous life as forgiveness is santified by faith.
Women have hugely contributed to the spreading of the gospel, and although Paul is seen condemning them in first Corinthians, it is evident in his epistles that he respects the role they played.
In fact, one can argue that Christianity was invented by women because of the fact that Mary Magdalene was the first to affirm that Jesus had risen from the dead.
It is after this affirmation that the rest of the disciples begun their mission of spreading the gospel, and carrying on Christ’s work (Ehrman 117).
Susanna and Joanna are also examples of the committed women disciples who followed Jesus in his ministry, and helped spread the gospel even after he ascended.
In his letters, Paul greets and appreciates women like Junia, Andronicus, Phoebe, Priscilla, and Chloe, who dedicated their lives in spreading the gospel. Most of them are even imprisoned for their faith, but still remain devoted to Christianity and their mission of preaching the Christian gospel.
Paul’s message in Corinthians that states women should keep silent in the churches (Cor. 14:34), was overated. Paul only meant that they should obey the laws of those times, but never condemned them for preaching the gospel.
Their contribution to Pauls’s church was immense as they not only served in the church, but aso went out on missionary ministries. However, he insisted that women should have self control, and for this, respect their husbands as a wifely duty.
On the other hand, their husband were not to dictate their belief systems especially if they intended to corrupt their faith. As the church grew, women were seen to exercise their various gifts such as speaking in tongues, praying and even interpretting visions.
Today, women like Joyce Meyer have some of the biggest ministries and through outreach programs; they are able to reach out to millions, helping spread the gospel.
The book of revelation views the world in an apocalyptical way whereby all the signs that describe the end time are documented. The book is written in form of visions that are believed to come to pass with time.
All signs point to the final battle where the Antichrist will battle with Jesus in the Armageddon. Some of these scriptures can be scary especially since some of the signs mentioned are happening in the world. However, most people are not scared as they do not believe in Armageddon.
Despite the clear emphasis on the series of events that will take place before the end time, the world’s belief system on prophetic scriptures is not convinved on the genuineness of the biblical texts.
The book of revelation condemns sinners, but at the same time brings hope to Christians especially those that were persecuted for spreading the gospel.
The book comes across with messages of admonition and encouragement, highlighting the triumph of the church after the persecution (Ehrman 92).
The messages in the book of revelation are meant to caution sinners to turn to Jesus Christ who is the only savior. The symbolism of the messages and the apocalyptical view of the current events happening in the world should be a warning for the final days.
In other words, it is a call for preparation for the seven churches mentioned, and the people across the world for Amargeddon.
The world is turning evil as Satan is winning the souls of many by his deceitful ways; however, the prophetic messages in the book of revelation reveal the truth, and with the future being revealed, there is a chance for redemption for everyone who chooses to believe in Jesus Christ as the true and only savior.
Having been offered a glimpse of how heaven and hell looks like, people should be scared of getting caught unaware, and should make their choices.
Regardless of the interpretation, the book of revelation remains to be the detailed piece of literature that transforms the future into reality, revealing future events in an apocalyptic view.
Works Cited
Ehrman, Bart D. A Brief Introduction to the New Testament. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Ehrman, Bart D. Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press, 2005. Print.
Ehrman, Bart D. Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.