Gracelife Sarasota

I’ve wrestled with how to approach Romans. Because it’s a long, tough book with so much packed in it. Instead of dissecting every phrase we’ll approach it how Paul’s readers would have, in community, in larger sections. Because Romans wasn’t just for theological geeks. It was for everyone. But I’m nervous. Let me tell you why. Have you ever had to have a hard conversation with someone you love that you know will sting, but they need to hear it? You don’t care about being right or winning an argument, it’s being vulnerable enough to tell someone you love the truth. It’s tempting to go soft, to make it taste better, or worse, avoid it all altogether & hope the results aren’t catastrophic. But real love will risk discomfort, say the hard things because their well-being matters more than your comfort. The best way to start is to make sure they know you really do love them. That’s what Paul does first, let's look at Romans 1:1-17.