Romans introduction

Reading Each Book as Its First Readers Heard It

The New Testament contains 27 books—Gospels, history, letters, and Revelation. Each was written by a particular author, to particular people, for a particular reason.

That matters.

It is easy to take a familiar verse out of Romans, Corinthians, James, or another New Testament book and immediately ask, “What does this verse mean to me?” But there is a question we need to ask first:

WHAT WAS THE WRITER SAYING TO THEM?

These studies will open individual New Testament books and follow their arguments in their natural sections. We won't necessarily study every verse or even every chapter. And we aren't trying to write another commentary.

Instead, we'll open the Bible together and ask simple questions:

What was happening here?

Why did the writer say this?

What came before it?

What comes after it?

How does this passage fit the argument of the whole book?

Only then are we ready to ask what it means for us.

That's exegesis—and the best way to learn it may simply be to practice it.

So choose a book below. You don't have to begin with the first study or read them all in order. Each study can stand on its own.

But whenever possible, keep your Bible open.

We want our conclusions to come from the text rather than bringing our conclusions to it.

TEXT B4 TRADITION

Read First. Conclude Later.

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