Romans Course
A fourteen-lesson, verse-by-verse course through Paul's foundational letter to the body of Christ.
Romans: The Establishing Epistle
A fourteen-lesson journey through the foundational document of the dispensation of grace — verse by verse, KJV, taught for those who would be settled, grounded, and built up in Christ.
14 lessons · 25 minutes each
Romans 1–16, full coverage
Taught by Pastor Josh Strelecki
Study guide included with each lesson
“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery...” — Romans 16:25
Why Romans?
Of all the epistles given to the body of Christ, Romans stands first — both in canonical order and in doctrinal weight. Paul wrote to a church he had not yet visited, and in his absence he gave them what he could not deliver in person: the full doctrinal foundation of the gospel of the grace of God. Romans is the establishing epistle. Every other letter Paul wrote presupposes its truths.
This course walks the entire epistle — sixteen chapters in fourteen sessions — without skipping, summarizing, or smoothing over. The aim is not information but establishment: that the believer would know what God has done in Christ, who they are in Him, where they fit in His unfolding purpose, and how they are now to walk in this present age of grace under His grace.
The teaching follows Romans on its own terms. Doctrine is rightly divided between Israel’s prophesied program and the present dispensation of grace given to Paul. Cross-references are drawn from across the Pauline corpus and from the Old Testament to anchor each truth where it stands in Scripture.
The Four Foundational Stones
Romans builds the believer’s foundation on Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, in four progressive movements. Each stone answers a different question. Together they leave nothing wanting.
Stone One — Justification in Christ (Romans 1–5) How can a holy God declare guilty sinners righteous? By the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, freely by grace, through faith — apart from the law. All have sinned; all who believe are justified.
Stone Two — Sanctification in Christ (Romans 6–8) Who am I now? Dead to sin, alive unto God; dead to the law, alive in the Spirit. The believer is identified with Christ’s death and resurrection — and walks after the Spirit, awaiting the redemption of the body.
Stone Three — Dispensational Identity in Christ (Romans 9–11) Where do I fit in God’s plan? Israel set aside as the channel of blessing; Gentiles grafted in; the mystery revealed; God faithful to all His promises. Doxology is the only fitting response.
Stone Four — Walking in Christ (Romans 12–16) How shall I now live? Present the body a living sacrifice; be transformed by the renewed mind; let love be without dissimulation. The walk after the Spirit fulfills the righteousness of the law.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Trace the full argument of Romans from man’s guilt before God to the closing doxology — and explain how every section fits the whole.
Define and apply the core doctrines of justification, redemption, propitiation, sanctification, adoption, and glorification from the text itself.
Distinguish Israel’s program from the dispensation of grace — what God promised to Israel, why Israel was set aside, and what Paul’s apostleship to the Gentiles uniquely revealed.
Understand the mystery — kept secret since the world began and now made manifest — and your identity within it as a member of the body of Christ.
Walk after the Spirit — knowing what it means practically to present the body, renew the mind, and prove the will of God in daily life.
Read Paul’s epistles with greater confidence, equipped with the foundation that every other letter assumes.
Lesson-by-Lesson Breakdown
Stone One — Justification in Christ (Romans 1–5)
Lesson 1 — Introduction to Romans: Author, Audience, and the Establishing Purpose
Romans 1:1–17
Paul writes to the saints at Rome whom he has long desired to visit. The letter provides “some” of the spiritual gift to establish them — the fullness awaits his arrival. The four-fold outline is laid out: justification (1–5), sanctification (6–8), dispensational identity (9–11), and walking in Christ (12–16).
Lesson 2 — The Gospel of God, Paul’s Apostleship, and Man’s Departure from God
Romans 1:1–18; 2:1–17; 3:9
The gospel of God concerns His Son — made of the seed of David, declared Son of God with power by resurrection. Paul’s apostleship was received from the risen Christ for the obedience of faith among all nations. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, the righteousness of God revealed, and the wrath of God against ungodliness.
Lesson 3 — The Wrath of God, Man’s Unrighteousness, and the Proof of Guilt Romans 1:18–3:20
Paul proves man’s guilt from creation, the Gentile without law, and the Jew with law. The downward spiral: vain imaginations, reprobate mind, dishonored bodies — God gave them up three times. The verdict is total: every mouth stopped, no flesh justified by deeds of the law.
Lesson 4 — Righteousness, Redemption, Grace, Faith, and Justification
Romans 3:21–31; 4:1–25
“But now” — the righteousness of God without the law is manifested. Justification is freely by grace, through the redemption in Christ Jesus, by propitiation through His blood. Abraham (before the law) and David (under the law) both witness that righteousness is imputed by faith alone.
Lesson 5 — Benefits of Justification, the Much More Love of God, and Adam vs. Christ
Romans 5:1–21
“Therefore being justified by faith” — three present benefits: peace with God, access into grace, and hope of the glory of God. The much more love of God shed abroad by the Holy Spirit. The Adam–Christ parallel closes the stone: sin and death came through one man; righteousness and life come through one Man to all who believe.
Stone Two — Sanctification in Christ (Romans 6–8)
Lesson 6 — Baptism as Operation of God, Dead to Sin, Dead to the Law, and Serving in the Spirit
Romans 6:1–23; 7:1–25
Sanctification begins. Spiritual baptism — performed by the Holy Spirit with the water of the word — identifies the believer with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Dead to sin; alive unto God. Dead to the law by the body of Christ; married to Christ raised, to serve in newness of spirit. The duality of Romans 7 is the honest tension of awaiting the body’s redemption.
Lesson 7 — Walking After the Spirit, Suffering and Glory, God’s Purpose, and Nothing Can Separate Us
Romans 8:1–39
Romans 8 answers the cry of Romans 7:24. The law of the Spirit of life frees from the law of sin and death. Walking after the Spirit is a matter of the mind — the Spirit teaches, quickens, leads, and intercedes. Heirs with Christ; redemption of the body; the golden chain of God’s eternal purpose; nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Stone Three — Dispensational Identity in Christ (Romans 9–11)
Lesson 8 — Cursed Israel, Israel and Israel, Much Longsuffering, End of the Law, Israel’s Rejection
Romans 9:1–33; 10:1–21
Has the word of God failed? God forbid. Israel is accursed from Christ as a nation but not abandoned. Not all Israel is of Israel — children of promise distinguished from children of the flesh. God is the potter; vessels of mercy called from both Jews and Gentiles. Israel stumbled at Christ — pursued righteousness by works. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes.
Lesson 9 — The Remnant, Israel’s Fall, the Olive Tree, the Mystery, and the Counsel of God
Romans 11:1–36
Has God cast away His people? God forbid — Paul himself is proof. A remnant according to the election of grace. Israel stumbled but did not fall. The casting away of Israel: the reconciling of the world. The olive tree — goodness and severity. The mystery: blindness in part until the fullness of the Gentiles; all Israel shall be saved. Doxology: of Him, through Him, to Him are all things.
Stone Four — Walking in Christ (Romans 12–16)
Lesson 10 — The Foundation of the Walk: Living Sacrifice and the Renewed Mind
Romans 12:1–17
“Therefore” — the conclusion of all chapters 1–11. Present the body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable — the reasonable service in view of all God’s mercies. Not conformed to the world; transformed by the renewing of the mind. Prove the will of God: good, acceptable, and perfect. Seven initial expressions of love previewed.
Lesson 11 — Love to the Body, Love to All Men, and Love to the Enemy
Romans 12:9–21; 13:1–7
Let love be without dissimulation. The body of Christ — many members, one body. Bless those who persecute; rejoice with rejoicing; weep with weeping; condescend to men of low estate. Recompense no evil for evil. Higher powers ordained of God: minister of God’s wrath upon violent evil. Subject for conscience’ sake.
Lesson 12 — Love as the Fulfilling of the Law, the Day at Hand, and the Weaker Brother
Romans 13:8–14; 14:1–23
Owe no man anything but to love one another — love is the fulfilling of the law. The day is at hand; cast off works of darkness; put on the armor of light, even the Lord Jesus Christ. Make no provision for the flesh. The weaker and stronger brother: God received both; both serve the same Lord; walk charitably and put no stumbling block in a brother’s way.
Lesson 13 — Receive One Another, Paul’s Ministry, and the Saluting of the Saints
Romans 15:1–33; 16:1–16
The strong bear the infirmities of the weak. Receive one another as Christ also received us — to the glory of God. Paul’s ministry of the gospel of God to the Gentiles — minister of Jesus Christ, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable. The saluting of fellow laborers — the walk in real lives, real names, real labor.
Lesson 14 — Mark and Avoid, the Power to Establish, and the Closing Doxology Romans 16:17–27
Mark and avoid those who cause divisions contrary to the doctrine you have learned. The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The closing doxology gathers up the entire epistle: the power to establish is God’s alone — exercised through His Son, according to Paul’s gospel, the revelation of the mystery, and the scriptures of the prophets. To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.
Who This Course Is For
The new believer who needs the foundation. Romans is the doctrinal floor of the Christian life. If you have come to Christ and want to know what has happened to you and what comes next, this course is the right starting place.
The returning student who wants depth. If your understanding of Romans is fragmented — a verse here, a passage there — this course gives you the whole letter as one argument, in order, with every section in its proper place.
The dispensationalist seeking a thorough grounding. The course honors Romans’ careful distinctions between Israel’s program and the dispensation of grace. The mystery is given its full weight; the prophesied program is given its full weight; neither is collapsed into the other.
The teacher or study group leader. Each lesson includes a complete study guide with discussion questions, a lecture outline, and a quiz. The course is built to be taught as well as studied.
Begin the Course
“To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.” — Romans 16:27
The work of establishment is God’s alone, but He has given the means: His Son, the gospel committed to Paul, the revelation of the mystery, and the scriptures of the prophets. Romans gathers all four into one establishing document. Begin Lesson 1 today.