Introduction

"The letter to the Romans is placed first not because of the priority of its date but because of its superlative excellence, it being one of the longest and fullest of all, and perhaps because of the honour of the place to which it is written." The first eleven chapters are doctrinal and the last five are practical, which shows us that this letter "is designed both to inform the judgment and to reform the life."

Romans 1:1-15

v1-7: Christians are those who are loved by God with a special and distinctive love, and because of this wonderful privilege, they have a particular duty which is to be holy.

v8-15: We show our love for other Christians not just by praying for them, but also by praising God for  them.  Though we should pray for all saints in general, "it is not inappropriate sometimes to be explicit in our prayers for specific churches and places."