Let’s Study Romans

Sinclair B. Ferguson

Reviewed by: J. Mark Sallade

Let’s Study Romans, by Sinclair B. Ferguson. Banner of Truth, 2025. Paperback, 452 pages, $18.00. Reviewed by OP pastor J. Mark Sallade.

Few books of the Bible have shaped the church as profoundly as Paul’s letter to the Romans. From Augustine to Luther to Calvin, Romans has been used by God to awaken, reform, and steady his people. For many Christians, however, Romans can also feel intimidating—tow¬ering in doctrine, sweeping in scope, and densely argued. Sinclair Ferguson’s Let’s Study Romans proves to be an able and deeply pastoral guide through this majes¬tic epistle.

Part of Banner of Truth’s well-loved Let’s Study series, this volume spans forty-four chapters across nearly four hundred pages. While it is not a technical, academic commentary, neither is it slight. Ferguson offers sustained engagement with the text while keeping the needs of ordinary believers constantly in view. The result is a commentary that is accessible without being simplistic, doctrinally rich without being cumbersome.

I have personally found this book immensely helpful in preaching through Romans. Again and again, Ferguson’s careful phrasing and theological clarity have illuminated Paul’s flow of thought. He has a gift for identifying the hinge of an argument, the hidden assumption behind an objection, or the pastoral burden driving Paul’s theology. His prose is marked by what might be called “economy with depth”: he wastes no words, yet consistently presses into the heart of the matter.

One of the great strengths of this volume is the way it keeps the gospel central. Commenting on Romans 1–3, Ferguson unfolds the universal sinfulness of mankind with clarity and gravity. For chapters 3–5, he carefully expounds justifi¬cation by faith alone, helping readers grasp both its legal precision and its liberating joy. He is particularly strong in showing how union with Christ undergirds Paul’s teaching in Romans 6–8, so that sanctifica-tion is never detached from justification. His treatment of Romans 8—especially on the Spirit’s ministry, adoption, suffering, and assurance—is both theologically careful and spiritually stirring.

Chapters 9–11, often neglected or avoided, receive thoughtful and reverent handling. Ferguson does not shy away from the sovereignty of God in election, treating it not as a speculative puzzle but as doxology-inducing truth. Likewise, the practical exhortations of chapters 12–16 are shown to be the necessary outworking of the mercies of God expounded earlier in the letter.

Throughout the book, Ferguson writes as a pastor-theologian. His reflections are probing and experiential. He repeatedly asks questions that search the conscience and warm the heart. Romans is not pre¬sented as a theological system to master but as a gospel to believe, love, and live.

A particularly helpful feature is the inclusion of discussion questions in the back of the book, organized into twenty-six studies. These make the volume highly suitable for adult Sunday school classes, home groups, or family study. The questions are substantial and text-driven, encouraging both understanding and ap¬plication. A congregation could profitably work through Romans over the course of a year with this book as a guide.

For members of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Let’s Study Romans will feel like familiar and nourishing fare. It reflects the strengths of our Reformed heritage: careful exegesis, confessional clarity, and pastoral warmth. It would pair well with a sermon series, serve as a helpful supplement for elders and teach¬ers, or provide rich devotional reading for individuals seeking to deepen their grasp of the gospel.

In an era when many resources on Romans tilt either toward the highly aca¬demic or the overly devotional, Ferguson strikes a rare and valuable balance. He helps readers think clearly, feel deeply, and worship gladly.

Let’s Study Romans is not merely a book to consult; it is a companion to keep close at hand. Those who take it up will find themselves better grounded in the gospel and better equipped to live in the freedom and obedience that Romans proclaims.