BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Paul does lots of theological heavy lifting in Romans 1-4. His main point is that all humanity is trapped in sin, needing rescue. But, contrary to popular assumption, such freedom will not result from following every letter of Moses’ law. Real freedom comes through God’s rescue, and he has rescued humanity by entering creation in Jesus—living, suffering, dying, and resurrecting—as a true human.

Because Jesus fulfills every command of Torah, following Jesus’ way is the path to freedom. He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Remember, Paul’s idea of “freedom” is not freedom from all restraint, as though freedom means “do whatever.” Instead, it’s freedom from anything that once prevented us from loving God and neighbor with heart, soul, strength, and mind.

For Paul’s earliest readers in 1st-century Rome (and for all humanity), this is excellent news. It’s about to get even better.

Today’s reading shows Paul connecting God’s new covenant family to the bigger story of Scripture, starting with one human, Adam. In Genesis 3, the first human’s mistake unleashes a whirlwind of disaster upon the world, trapping everyone in a ruinous pattern.

Like Adam and Eve, who decided it would be good to eat from a tree God had called bad, humans have all chosen to define good and bad on their own terms rather than trusting God’s wisdom. The results are altogether the same: chaos and death.

But Jesus breaks the pattern. Just as one man (Adam) wrecked everything, the new man (Jesus) is restoring everything and everyone. Jesus’ obedience unleashes a whirlwind of grace on the world.

Now the world is being reconciled to God through Christ. Followers of Jesus enter his way of life and, through baptism, follow him into death, where the old humanity drowns—the self-destructive, sub-human enslaved to sin. Then, they rise with Jesus into a new kind of humanity, freed to love God and neighbor wholeheartedly.

Watch today’s video to learn more about how the Gospel creates a new, Jesus-style humanity in the second section of Romans.

Reflection Questions

• Look ahead to Colossians 3:1-17. According to this passage, what does the new humanity created by Christ’s resurrection look like?
• Can you think of any other stories in the Bible where humans passed through the waters of death to new life on the other side? (Turn to Genesis 7-8, Exodus 14, Joshua 3, or Isaiah 11 if you need a hint.) How might these stories help you understand Paul’s discussion of baptism in Romans 6:1-10?