Romans

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans is a letter written by Paul -- the guy who had the miraculous conversion to Christianity -- to the Romans, whom he was urging to follow Jesus Christ's teachings - the gospels.

Romans is beautifully written, with a message of hope for all, Jews, Gentiles, anyone in the world who is willing to hear the Word of God. Paul's main message in much of this book is that it is more important to follow the laws of God in one's heart rather than simply follow the "rules" in order to be a good Christian and come to understand God/Christ in eternal life. Belief in Jesus as God incarnate is essential, says Paul. And to love Jesus, we have to love one another.

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." -- Romans 12:21

I think this is beautiful. Evilness itself cannot be overcome without the essential act of goodness, just as the only way out of darkness is into light.

Having studied moral philosophy, I'd like to delve much deeper into the New Testament, especially Romans, to pull out the bare essentials of what Paul was preaching. There is so much to what Jesus taught, and I've barely scratched the surface in reading the Bible for the first time. When I get to the end of Revelation I think that will just be the beginning of my Bible studying. I want to REALLY understand what Jesus said.

**NEXT: I & II Corinthians