Welcome to Studies with Stearman.

Join us as we look deeper into the Bible.

Strengthen your faith with us, even as we see the day approaching.

And now, here's Gary.

Turn to Romans chapter 7, we're going to launch into that.

Just to review briefly in our study in Romans, and this is particularly applicable for today,

Paul wrote Romans in the midst of a firestorm in Rome.

When he wrote, he essentially, I think, had the sense

that he was right in the middle of a situation

that was about to become explosive.

I believe the Lord let him know that in advance.

He wrote Romans in AD 57, and when he wrote, there was in Rome, and in fact, throughout the

Roman Empire, a growing hatred of Christianity, and the Roman emperors did not know what to do about

it. Paul wrote, as I said, in AD 57, and in AD 64, Nero burned Rome.

So from 57 to 64, there was a growing hatred of Christianity,

and Nero came up with the perfect solution.

In AD 64, he burned Rome and blamed the Christians.

And that started a whole era of Christian persecution that went for the next half century or so. Under

those conditions, just think about this now. Under those conditions, would you be concerned

about heavy theology? No, you'd be concerned about saving your life.

And yet, the epistle to the Romans is probably the most well-thought-out and most complicated literary structure in the history of Western civilization.

It was right in the middle of this ferment that Paul wrote Romans, and why did he

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