What is the main point of the book of Romans?
The book of Romans shows that every person is a hell-bound, filthy, wicked sinner, potentially capable of the depths of sin. It then presents the remedy: the Gospel. Christ has already forgiven, died, and paid the payment with His blood. Appropriating this requires only believing it. Romans is doctrinal and basic.
Les explains that the whole idea of the letter to the Romans was to show that we were nothing but hell-bound, filthy, wicked sinners—every one of us—whether or not we committed the listed sins, because potentially we were all capable of going to the depths of sin. Then Romans presents the remedy: the Gospel, that Christ has already forgiven us, already died for us, and His blood has already paid the payment. All we have to do to appropriate it is believe it. Les emphasizes that Romans is so doctrinal and so basic. He contrasts it with Corinthians, where problems had to be reproved, and Galatians, where legalism had to be corrected, before moving to Ephesians, which deals with our position in Christ.