The purpose of the letter
Romans is unlike any other of Paul's letters.  It reads more like a testimonial of Paul's personal faith journey rather than a letter only about the issues of a particular church.  All the same, we do need to recognize there were some very specific issues that Paul was addressing in this testimonial.

• The Jewish Christians of Rome were trying to force the newer, Gentile Christians to adopt their rituals before being allowed into the fledgling church;
• If this had happened, Christianity would have become a sect of Judaism and died on the vine;
• It took someone of Paul's strong Jewish background to become the champion for the Gentiles.  No one but Paul, the former Pharisee who traded his title for Prisoner of the Lord, could take the Gentiles under his wing and fight for them so valiantly.

Through this letter, we can go with Paul to the front lines of the battle in the birth - not of a religion - but of a faith.  Unencumbered by ritualism and denominationalism and centered in relationship.  Romans gives us a model for what The Fellowship must strive to become and also what the church must prevent from happening: Exclusivity and Ritualism.

It challenges us to move our fellowship out of complex politics and tradition and into simple relationship.  Perhaps the best summary verse of this letter is Romans 10:8

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, [9] that if you confess with your mouth Jesus {as} Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved."