Diving into Romans

My schedule is different in the summer than during the rest of the year, so I try to read books from June to August that have been sitting on my shelf for a while. This summer, one of the books I pulled off the shelf was N.T. Wright’s Into the Heart of Romans: A Deep Dive into Paul’s Greatest Letter. This book looks at Romans as a whole, but focuses specifically on chapter 8. 

I want to read the book of Romans alongside Wright’s book, so I am immersed in the larger context. I figure if I read four chapters a day in Romans, I can read the whole book every week this summer, and have a little wiggle room for days when my schedule varies. 

I appreciate how Paul wrote Romans so that each chapter builds on the one before it. If you pick up in chapter 12, you are missing the context of everything he’s already spelled out. It’s not that chapter 12 isn’t important on its own, but it means more in the context of all the chapters together. 

It’s actually a great reminder that this is true of all of Scripture. We can’t just pick up in the New Testament without considering the foundations laid in the Old Testament. The more we understand about the larger narrative of Scripture, the more meaningful each chapter will be. Not that individual chapters don’t hold meaning. Of course they do. But their depth continues to expand the more we learn of the larger story. 

I love how, when we read Scripture, we notice different verses during different seasons of life. What jumps off the page at us when we are 15 might vary wildly from what captures our attention at 45. Every year that we engage with Scripture, our capacity and understanding will grow. 

As I spend the summer in Romans, I know that there will be particular verses that begin to stir up certain questions within and challenge me to wrestle with the bits that don’t make sense. I am certain that what I know about Romans today won’t be the same in nine weeks, and that brings me great delight.

I mentioned my summer reading plan to a couple of friends last week, and they wanted to join in, which made me wonder if you might also like to read Romans this summer. In Oklahoma, there are about nine weeks until school starts back up, which is a reality likely no one wants to discuss. 

I plan to read through Romans once a week between now and August 14. Maybe that sounds intriguing to you, or maybe that feels like too much. We all engage with Scripture in different ways, and you may be all set for what you want to read in the weeks and months ahead. That’s awesome! But, if you’ve been wondering what to read next and Romans interests you, maybe this would be a great place to spend your summer too. 

Whatever you find yourself reading this summer, I hope you feel expectant as you engage with the Holy Spirit and unpack the ideas that jump off the page. 

~  Melissa