The early chapters in Romans are clear and offensive to many people, but we must wrestle with them, as this is God's Word. Paul is not trying to tickle our ears here! He is telling everyone about the nature of sin and its consequences. He spends a lot of time talking about human depravity and God's righteous judgment, but this is a gift. Until we know we need the gospel, we will not cry out in repentance toward God and in faith in the Lord Jesus.
Over the centuries, theologians have called the two verses before us the thesis statement of Paul's letter to the Romans. While we can’t hold Paul to the writing formats of our own day, we can certainly appeal to the idea of a thesis statement and appreciate that most of what Paul writes in the chapters that follow, in one way or another, stem from these two short verses.
Paul wants the recipients of his letter to know of his personal desire to see them, the reason for his visit, and the overall thrust of Paul's gospel ministry. At the heart of Paul's agenda is his passion to preach the gospel to the nations. Without clarity on this mission, Paul and the church in Rome were liable to drift from their God-given purpose in life - to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Romans is one of the most powerful and influential books ever written. Paul’s letter to the Romans has been the written force behind some of the most significant conversions in church history. Studying this letter to the Romans produces great excitement and genuine trepidation—excitement because of the possibilities the life-changing themes that it brings, and trepidation at our ability to reasonably expound on the massiveness of these themes.