A Concise Guide to the Greatest Letter Ever Written: Romans by Andrew David Naselli
The letter of Romans in our Bibles is so heavy. We could spend the rest of our lives in this book and never exhaust the riches found in it. Many books have been written regarding it. John Piper spent eight years and 225 sermons preaching through Romans. There are thick commentaries and thinner commentaries written on examining it. The book I’m reviewing today by Andrew David Naselli is the latter.
Thinner does not equal not as good. The title states that this is a concise guide to the book and I actually think its brevity is one of its strengths. I think by being brief, you get the big picture of the book and a more cohesive understanding. It’s said sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees, but Naselli is helping the reader see the forest of Romans in all of its beauty.
In the book, Naselli traces the major points of Romans with an overarching theme of God’s righteousness. He breaks down verse sections briefly. It felt like I was flying through the book as I read it and I’d have to make myself slow down at times. However, what I found especially helpful is the way he breaks down certain sections into outlines with numbered a bulleted points. This really helped me see the big picture of certain sections of the text.
The other incredibly useful thing you’ll find in this book are the questions at the back that can be used for further reflection and group discussion. I find these inclusion incredibly useful to make a book like this beneficial for teaching or leading groups.
Naselli says he’s benefited greatly from bigger commentaries from Douglas Moo and Tom Schreiner and we could consider his work Moo-lite or Schreiner-lite. I too have benefited from these works, but I think Naselli has brought something just as beneficial to the table so serious students of the Bible can better see the big picture of the greatest letter ever written.
You can pick up your copy of Romans by Andrew David Naselli at Crossway or on Amazon.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
