
We highly encourage students to take their time in completing this course. Because this course covers significantly advanced topics, we suggest students PAUSE after every lecture, and especially after every Section, to let the material sink in. We have found that revisiting the biblical text after a lecture, or even rewatching lectures, can help concept retention. At the end of each video teaching session we have included open-ended questions which allow you to reflect on what you are learning, discuss with others, and/or apply it in your own life.
A document with all of the course reflection questions is included here if you wish to save it and have it available as you watch the lectures. Here are a few questions to get you started:
How would you describe your working knowledge of the early Christian community?
What strategies can you apply to stay focused on Paul’s overall message in Romans, and not get lost among the trees?
Romans has been influential for many Christian theologians down the ages. Does this mirror your experience? Why or why not?
This lecture treats Romans 1–4 as a single symphony, showing how the gospel of Jesus unveils the righteousness of God and fulfills the covenant promises to Abraham.
Paul presents himself as a slave of King Jesus and proclaims the gospel, the risen Son of God and Messiah, rooted in Israel's scriptures for all nations.
Paul outlines God's impartial judgment, reveals the secrets of the heart, and explains how the gospel unveils history, linking the present age to the age to come.
Paul challenges reliance on the law and circumcision, showing true Jew by heart and spirit, not flesh, and warns such hypocrisy harms God's name among the nations.
Explore how Paul shows Jews and Gentiles are under sin, how the law reveals sin, and how the righteousness of God remains faithful through the gospel of Jesus the Messiah.
Explore how Romans 3:21–4:25 demonstrates God's faithfulness to the Abrahamic covenant. Show how the Messiah's faithfulness includes Gentiles and Jews in the renewed covenant and forgiveness of sins.
Examine Romans 3:21–31 with Professor N. T. Wright, revealing God’s covenant justice through Jesus’s faithfulness for all who have faith, apart from works.
Paul argues that justification comes by faith apart from the works of the law, uniting Jews and gentiles into one family through the Messiah.
Explore Abraham’s faith counted as righteousness, not works or the law, and how covenant justice through faith makes him father of all believers, applying to us who believe in Jesus.
Explore Romans 4 through Genesis 15, showing Abraham's faith as the basis of the covenant, welcoming both Jews and Gentiles, with sins forgiven as the core of the new family.
Explores the gospel of God in Romans 1–4, explaining its Isaiah roots, the diatribe style, covenant faithfulness, and how Abraham’s faith justifies the Gentiles.
Examines Genesis 15:6 and the covenantal concept of righteousness, tracing rabbinic and early Christian readings and Paul's claim that justification comes in Christ through the Spirit.
Few writings in the history of the world have had the impact that Paul's Epistle to the Romans has had in the past centuries. Prof. N.T. Wright, renowned biblical scholar and historian, will walk you through Paul's Letter to the Romans. The course shines a bright spotlight on one of the most wonderful and challenging books in the New Testament. The powerful realities Paul expresses in his Epistle to the Romans have challenged men and women for nearly 2,000 years. People like St. Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley were profoundly changed by embracing the essential elements found in this magnificent letter. Dig deep into the New Testament through studying this amazing and pivotal work from the pen of the Apostle Paul through detailed explanation with Prof. N.T. Wright.
This course is Part One of a three-part course covering the whole of Paul and His Letter to the Romans. This course, Romans: Part One, is designed to take around fifteen weeks to complete and will cover introductory issues regarding the whole Epistle as well as in depth exegesis of Romans 1:1 - 5:21. While you may take the course at your own pace, you are encouraged to take time to reflect upon the material presented. Please do not rush. There is so much packed into every lecture. This is material to ponder and prayerfully consider.
If you wish to supplement your learning, we suggest acquiring Prof. Wright's commentary on Romans in the Paul for Everyone series published by John Knox Press in the U.S. and SPCK in the UK.
The structure of the course includes:
Lectures by Prof. Wright
Quizzes to assess comprehension
An optional student discussion forum
Interaction with Prof. David Seemuth, your co-instructor for the course
Readings
If you are interested in a deeper knowledge of this powerful and important letter from the apostle Paul, then you will want to enrol in this course.