Read the Chapter Twice

Romans is dense. Paul argues, qualifies, doubles back, and stacks one therefore on top of another. Reading it once at normal speed usually leaves you with a vague sense that something important was said and no clear idea of what. The tip for this week is almost embarrassingly plain: read each chapter twice, in one sitting, and do the second reading with a pencil.

The first pass is for the shape. Do not stop for anything. Just get to the end and notice roughly where the argument turns. The second pass is for the joints. Every time you meet a connecting word, therefore, for, but, so that, how much more, underline it and ask what it is connecting. Paul's logic lives in those small words, and once you see them the chapter stops being a fog and becomes a road.

Try it with Romans 5 this weekend. You will find that the chapter has two halves, that each half builds on a therefore, and that the whole thing is held together by the phrase how much more. Fifteen minutes is enough. Twice through, pencil in hand, and the letter that has shaped centuries of Christian thinking begins to open for you as well.