Rich, Romantic and Rifted Romans.

I must confess—this has been one of the hardest letters in the New Testament for me to grasp, and honestly, I still wrestle with it. First of all, it’s too long to be called a letter. Who even writes such a long letter? Who!? Paul just sat there and released over nine thousand words like it was a defense for his master's degree.

This thing caused debates for centuries. Some ancient scholars wanted to cut it after chapter 8, others argued, “No, it only makes sense up to chapter 11!” And every time I read Romans afresh, I find myself repenting for something I misunderstood before. Truly, this letter humbles theologians.

Then there's the scribe. Eh! Can we take a moment of silence for the scribe—Tertius. That brother suffered willingly. The poor guy must have stopped Paul at least twice with, “Boss, ink imeisha.” Then later, “Nisaidie na maji tafadhali.” and definitely at some point, “Back in five—I need the little room.” I pity and celebrate him.

Romans is the one book I’ve written the most about… and edited the most. Every time I revisit it, something shifts while another stands out. Now that we’re going in again, *I implore you: read it.* I’m not joking! Very few believers actually finish reading this document.

A proper reading in one sitting will take you about 90 minutes. An audio play will take you around 60 minutes. However, a good study needs around a week.

You can actually do it. But you must want it.

Now, when I speak of “Romans,” I don’t mean the Church in Rome. I mean the actual inhabitants of the city—the Nairobians of their day. Pomp, colour, wealth, flair… everything. They had money and means. In fact, they were so wealthy that society largely revolved around wealthy Romans and their slaves. They had slaves for almost every form of labour, leaving them with too much free time. And when human beings have too much free time, creativity kicks in. Terenteren!

This creativity birthed sports, theatre, the Olympics, and massive entertainment scenes. If you think the EPL or Rugby 7s fills stadiums with energy, you haven’t met Roman crowds. Their sports weren’t just competitive; they were wild. Men fought men. Men fought animals. Slaves condemned to death were thrown into the arena for public amusement. It was blood in the sand and brotherhood in the stands.

Whenever you have entertainment, crowds, and time—you will always find sexual temptation. Even today, whenever a nation hosts major global sporting events, they prepare by stocking contraceptives like they’re planning for a population explosion. You either need to be married or have self-control set on “active mode.”

Rome wasn’t just rich; it was romantic —in the wrong ways. They experimented sexually in every direction. Homosexuality, lesbianism, and beastiality became common. The culture normalized it. A major driver was the fact that many sports were performed naked. Picture a whole day in a stadium that feels like a strip club. Curves, calves, muscles, sweat—by the time you’re done, your mind is not exactly meditative. You left the arena on a sexual high, ready to try whatever offer came your way. This was the pattern of the city and it’s partly why Paul urged the believers to “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices unto God.”

Their richness and their romance created a rift —bigger than the Rift Valley. You were either rich and romantic in all the wrong ways, or rich and righteous. And neither path was easy. It wasn’t easy to get rich, and it wasn’t easy to remain righteous in a city drowning in indulgence. Paul reminds them, especially in the early chapters and again in the closing sections, that this debauchery was their former life. Some of them were being pulled back by the old ways, tempted to blend in or admire the culture. He tells them: reject that old nature, put on the armour of light, don’t go back. In our days, he would say "Msibackslide."

They were struggling from two sides:

– External pressure: The world’s ways were loud and enticing.

– Internal pressure: The demands of Judaism, especially circumcision, were still hanging over them. Some brothers were still insisting you need to be Jewish to be a saint. Same mistake missionaries who came to Africa did. They gave those who believed English names and changed their dress code from our traditional wear to their traditional attires.

Circumcision dominates the conversation, but it wasn’t the only issue. It however was the loudest because it was the public sign of the Abrahamic covenant. You can hide most religious symbols—this one you couldn’t. That’s why it kept showing up in the conversations.