What is God trying to do for human beings in the book of Romans?
In Romans, God seeks to reconcile human beings back to what they were in Adam before sin entered. When they believe the gospel, He declares them just as if they had never sinned, so believers are to reckon themselves righteous and restored.
Les explains that the whole theme of this book, from cover to cover, is that God wants to reconcile the human being back to what he was in Adam before sin entered. This is what God can do when we believe the gospel: He can declare us just as if we had never sinned. Les emphasizes that few professing believers realize we are to reckon ourselves just as if we had never sinned, because that is what God has declared us to be. The old body remains corrupt and is not physically renewed—salvation is justified even when a body has been ravaged by sin—but God sees us as Adam was before he fell. Les also uses the psychological illustration that negative expectations can program a person toward failure, while encouragement can lead a young person to be the glory of God in person.