This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Romans 1-6, which includes the Apostle Paul’s teachings on repentance, justification and grace.

Church News recently dug through archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to learn what leaders and scholars have said about these chapters.

Paul’s epistle to the Romans

“The Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans is profound. The early Church in Rome was composed of Jews and Gentiles. These early Jews had a Judaic culture and had ‘won their emancipation, and began to multiply and flourish’ (Frederic W. Farrar, ‘The Life and Work of St. Paul’ [1898], 446). …

“Paul sets forth the gospel of Jesus Christ in a comprehensive fashion. He chronicles pertinent aspects of both Judaic and Gentile culture that conflict with the true gospel of Jesus Christ. He essentially asks each of them to leave behind cultural impediments from their beliefs and culture that are not consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul admonishes the Jews and the Gentiles to keep the commandments and love one another and affirms that righteousness leads to salvation.

“The culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a Gentile culture or a Judaic culture. It is not determined by the color of one’s skin or where one lives. While we rejoice in distinctive cultures, we should leave behind aspects of those cultures that conflict with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our members and new converts often come from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. If we are to follow President [Russell M.] Nelson’s admonition to gather scattered Israel, we will find we are as different as the Jews and Gentiles were in Paul’s time. Yet we can be united in our love of and faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans establishes the principle that we follow the culture and doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the model for us even today.”

— Elder Quentin L. Cook, October 2020 general conference, “Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity”

Romans 1: ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”

“The Apostle Paul boldly declared, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth’ (Romans 1:16). This same boldness is declared by our full-time missionaries as they serve in many parts of the world.”

— Elder L. Tom Perry, April 2008 general conference, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ”

This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide includes the Apostle Paul’s teachings on repentance, justification and grace.

The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints

Romans 3: Repentance

“Through His suffering and death, Christ paid for the sins of all mankind on condition of individual repentance.

“Thus, if we repent, we can be forgiven of our sins, the price having been paid by our Redeemer. This is good news for all of us, ‘for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). Those who have strayed significantly from the paths of righteousness desperately need this redemption, and if they fully repent, it is theirs to claim. But those who have worked hard to live good lives also desperately need this redemption, for none can get to the presence of the Father without Christ’s help. Thus, this loving redemption allows the laws of justice and mercy to be satisfied in the lives of all who repent and follow Christ.”

— Elder LeGrand R. Curtis Jr., October 2011 general conference, “Redemption”

“We acknowledge that ‘all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23), but we also declare with firmness that repentance and forgiveness can be as real as sin.

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ causes each person to be accountable for his or her individual sins. We will overcome the consequences of individual sin by claiming the blessings and benefits of the Atonement.”

— Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2007 general conference, “Point of Safe Return”

Romans 3: Justification

“How does one put into words all that Jesus Christ has done for us? For Paul, the answer was to use concepts that were familiar in his time and could be likened to Jesus Christ — concepts such as justification, grace and propitiation/atonement.

“While each of these concepts may sometimes be misunderstood in the present day, in Romans 3:24–25, Paul used them as metaphors to explain salvation in terms that Christ’s followers at the time might have better understood. Therefore, knowing more about the original contexts of these words can help us better understand Paul’s teachings about our salvation in Jesus Christ.

“The word justification was used in the Old Testament to teach Israel about their relationship with God. The idea comes from a legal context. For example, in Deuteronomy 16:18–20, Israel is commanded to appoint judges to render ‘just’ decisions and pursue what is ;altogether just’ (in the original Hebrew this reads, pursue “justice justice,” repeating the word justice twice for emphasis). Just and justice derive from the same Hebrew and Greek roots as justification.

“Prophets used the image of a law court, with God as judge, to poetically warn Israel and its neighboring nations (see Isaiah 3:13–14; 41:1–9, 21–24; Micah 6:1–5). … To be justified (declared just or pardoned) would be the hope of anyone brought to court. …

“Yet some Old Testament authors were concerned that God’s ‘justice,’ or His ‘righteousness’ (both translations of the same word in Hebrew and Greek), would condemn people. The psalmist acknowledges, ‘For in thy sight shall no man living be justified’ (Psalm 143:2). Paul refers to this psalm in Romans 3:20: ‘By the deeds of the law [of Moses] there shall no flesh be justified in [God’s] sight.’ Paul then presents the solution. God, our great divine Judge, chooses to declare us just (or righteous) because of Christ: we are ‘justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 3:24).”

— Jason R. Combs, assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, in the August 2023 Liahona article, “Paul’s Metaphors of Salvation in Their Ancient Contexts”

Romans 3 and 5: Grace

“The word ‘grace’ was not originally a religious term. In the time of Paul, grace (in Greek, charis) was commonly used to describe the relationship between a patron and a client. A patron possessed the power, authority or financial means to grant a gift to clients they could not earn for themselves or repay in kind. Clients felt obligated to honor their patron by publicly showing their gratitude and fidelity. …

“Paul underscored that [grace] is the gift of God as our patron that we cannot repay and should accept with public expressions of our gratitude and faithfulness.”

— Jason R. Combs, assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, in the August 2023 Liahona article, “Paul’s Metaphors of Salvation in Their Ancient Contexts”

“In my life... I’ve seen how the Lord compensates for the forces of evil with the power of His grace. Where sin abounds because of the Fall, grace abounds also because of Christ and His Atonement. ...

“I have felt His grace. Tangible. Thick. Powerful enough to penetrate a heart. Paul described it by saying that where sin abounds, grace does ‘much more abound’ (Romans 5:20). I have witnessed that truth. …

“Do you ever feel like your past might destroy you? There is One who sees the good in you, no matter what your life has been like. He knows your name. He has great things in store for those who seek the Lord. In that place where you feel bound, plead for His grace. Trust that it is available in abundance.”

— Emily Belle Freeman, in the February 2021 Liahona article, “Christ’s Grace in Abundance”

This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide includes the Apostle Paul’s teachings on repentance, justification and grace.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Romans 3: Propitiation

“The word translated as ‘propitiation’ may also be translated as ‘atonement’ or ‘mercy seat.’ In the time of Paul, when most Jews heard the word atonement, they would think first of the work of priests at the temple.

“For instance, Leviticus 16 describes how the high priest, on the Day of Atonement, is to sprinkle the blood of the animal sacrifice ‘upon the mercy seat’ to ‘make an atonement’ (Leviticus 16:15–16). Paul uses the word propitiation to compare the saving work of Jesus Christ to something his readers were familiar with: the work of priests in the temple to take away the people’s sins and reconcile them to God. Paul, however, clarifies that it is not the blood of animals that saves but rather ‘propitiation through faith in [Christ’s] blood’ (Romans 3:25).”

— Jason R. Combs, assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, in the August 2023 Liahona article, “Paul’s Metaphors of Salvation in Their Ancient Contexts”

Romans 6: Resurrection

“According to the Apostle Paul, baptism also denotes our descent into a watery grave from which we are raised with ‘newness of life’ (Romans 6:4) in Christ. The ordinance of baptism symbolizes Christ’s death and Resurrection — we die with Him so we can live with Him. In this sense, baptism is the first saving ordinance, and receiving the Holy Ghost helps each of us press forward and endure to the end.”

— Elder L. Tom Perry, April 2008 general conference, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ”