Romans in 16 days
Romans is a letter Paul wrote to Christians in Rome he had mostly never met, probably around 57 AD, before he'd been there himself. Because he couldn't assume they knew him, he laid out what he believed from the ground up. That's why this letter, more than any other, has shaped what Christians think the Good News actually is. Augustine, Luther, and Wesley all point to it as the thing that turned them round.
It is also dense. Paul argues in long chains: 'therefore', 'but now', 'what then shall we say?' A chapter a day is slow enough that you can follow the chain without losing the thread, and short enough that you won't put it off. If a chapter loses you (9 to 11 lose most people the first time), read the focus line, read the chapter once anyway, and keep going. It is fine to not get all of it. Nobody does on the first pass.
Expect the first three chapters to be hard on everyone, including you. That's the setup, not the conclusion. Expect chapter 8 to be worth the whole plan. And expect the last five chapters to get very practical: how to treat people who disagree with you, what to do about the government, and a long list of ordinary names of the people who made up a real church in a real city.
The schedule
Tap a passage to open that book. Read in any translation you like; the app shows each day in Gen Z beside the original.
| Day | Read | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul introduces himself and the Good News he is 'not ashamed of'. Verses 16 and 17 are the thesis of the whole letter. Then a hard description of a world that knows God and doesn't want him. | Paul introduces himself and the Good News he is 'not ashamed of'. Verses 16 and 17 are the thesis of the whole letter. Then a hard description of a world that knows God and doesn't want him. |
| 2 | The turn: 'you who judge practice the same things'. Paul takes the pointing finger from chapter 1 and swings it round. God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance, not to comfort. | The turn: 'you who judge practice the same things'. Paul takes the pointing finger from chapter 1 and swings it round. God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance, not to comfort. |
| 3 | 'There is no one righteous; no, not one.' Then at verse 21, 'But now'. Everything before it is the diagnosis. Everything after it is the cure. | 'There is no one righteous; no, not one.' Then at verse 21, 'But now'. Everything before it is the diagnosis. Everything after it is the cure. |
| 4 | Abraham as the test case. He was counted righteous by believing, before any rule was kept or any sign was given. 'Against hope, Abraham in hope believed.' | Abraham as the test case. He was counted righteous by believing, before any rule was kept or any sign was given. 'Against hope, Abraham in hope believed.' |
| 5 | 'While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Suffering, perseverance, character, hope, in that order. Adam and Christ set side by side. | 'While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' Suffering, perseverance, character, hope, in that order. Adam and Christ set side by side. |
| 6 | 'Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be!' Baptism as dying and rising. You are not the servant of the thing that used to own you. | 'Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be!' Baptism as dying and rising. You are not the servant of the thing that used to own you. |
| 7 | 'I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.' Paul describes the war inside himself. If you've felt that, this was written by someone who did too. | 'I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.' Paul describes the war inside himself. If you've felt that, this was written by someone who did too. |
| 8 | 'No condemnation.' Then the Spirit, a groaning creation, prayer when you don't have words, and the ending: nothing can separate you from God's love. Read it slowly, maybe twice. | 'No condemnation.' Then the Spirit, a groaning creation, prayer when you don't have words, and the ending: nothing can separate you from God's love. Read it slowly, maybe twice. |
| 9 | Paul's 'great sorrow' for his own people. Hard questions about God choosing, and a potter with clay. He doesn't tidy it up, and you don't have to either. | Paul's 'great sorrow' for his own people. Hard questions about God choosing, and a potter with clay. He doesn't tidy it up, and you don't have to either. |
| 10 | 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.' Confess, believe, call on the name. Then: 'how will they hear without a preacher?' | 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.' Confess, believe, call on the name. Then: 'how will they hear without a preacher?' |
| 11 | Wild olive branches grafted in. Gentiles are told not to boast over Israel. Paul ends by giving up on explaining: 'how unsearchable are his judgments'. | Wild olive branches grafted in. Gentiles are told not to boast over Israel. Paul ends by giving up on explaining: 'how unsearchable are his judgments'. |
| 12 | The 'therefore'. A living sacrifice, a renewed mind, honesty about your gifts. Then rapid instructions: bless those who persecute you, weep with those who weep. | The 'therefore'. A living sacrifice, a renewed mind, honesty about your gifts. Then rapid instructions: bless those who persecute you, weep with those who weep. |
| 13 | Government, taxes, and 'owe no one anything, except to love one another'. Then 'the night is far gone, and the day is near'. | Government, taxes, and 'owe no one anything, except to love one another'. Then 'the night is far gone, and the day is near'. |
| 14 | Food, holy days, and people who disagree. 'Who are you who judge another's servant?' The kingdom is 'righteousness, peace, and joy', not winning the argument. | Food, holy days, and people who disagree. 'Who are you who judge another's servant?' The kingdom is 'righteousness, peace, and joy', not winning the argument. |
| 15 | 'Accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you.' Travel plans, Spain, a collection for the poor in Jerusalem. 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.' | 'Accept one another, even as Christ also accepted you.' Travel plans, Spain, a collection for the poor in Jerusalem. 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace.' |
| 16 | A list of names, and it matters: Phoebe carries the letter, Prisca and Aquila 'risked their own necks', Junia is 'notable among the apostles'. The church was actual people. | A list of names, and it matters: Phoebe carries the letter, Prisca and Aquila 'risked their own necks', Junia is 'notable among the apostles'. The church was actual people. |