This epistle, or letter, was written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome around 57 or 58 CE. Indeed, Paul had never been to Rome and therefore could not have founded the church in that city. Also, he did not write to them to point out problems as he had with the other churches, but rather, the articulation of the gospel before his planned visit to the city and the church. (Romans 1:10-15)
His desire, being two-fold, was to share the gospel with them in person and establish a base for his next missionary trip to Spain. He had finished his missionary activity in Achaia and planned to travel further west (Romans 15:23-24). He desired that they would finance that missionary endeavor.
In this letter, Paul selects three themes; the gospel and law, the significance of Abraham, the future of Israel, (which suggested significant tensions between the Jews and Gentiles in Rome). He wanted to unite them in the gospel and to help them understand that it was the gospel itself that spoke to the issues that divided them.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Romans 1:16-17
These two verses have been called the thesis statement of the whole book. It directed the church to the place where the righteousness of God both demands obedience and offers the gift of salvation through faith in Christ.
The other purpose of the letter was to provide them with the fullest expression of Paul’s theology. It is not a complete summary, but his other letters filled in the missing parts. It was to bring the knowledge that God’s judgment and salvation came through the gospel of Jesus Christ. To read and study Romans would be a learning experience of great benefit to anyone that would take the time.