HE Book of Acts ended with Paul in Rome. Apparently, sometime prior to his arrival there as a prisoner, Paul wrote this lengthy letter to the Romans explaining the gospel with wonderful clarity. Paul was himself a Roman citizen. He had a burden for the Jews, but God had sent him to non-Jews, including Romans. We know that he had more than a few close encounters with Roman soldiers. It is reasonable to conclude that Paul would have fully understood the Roman culture and the typical mindset of the Roman people. Whatever Paul's mindset was, His letter to the Romans begins with smashing intensity.
In Romans 1:1-15 we read a warm greeting from Paul to the Romans. But it is more than a greeting. It is a section replete with references to the gospel & to Jesus Christ. Verse 16 picks up then with the meat of Paul’s message. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a powerful thing. Those who believe the gospel have a current possession referred to here as "salvation.” Righteousness is the reward for faith (vs. 17). Those who refuse the gospel are relegated to a demise that is described here. The ungodly has only God's wrath in front of them (vs. 18). Those who resist God's revelations and suppress the truth, do so to their own detriment. Paul's unmistakable claim is that God has sufficiently revealed His nature to humanity. And frankly, vs. 22-28 indicate that idolatry & homosexuality are at the end of the path of sin & destruction.
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