The Apostle Paul is believed to have written the letter to the Romans from the city of Corinth in about the mid to late 50s AD while he was on his third missionary journey. He had not yet been to Rome when he wrote this letter. The Bible doesn't tell us who first took the gospel to the Romans, but Paul writes his letter to a growing Christian community there. We are going back several years in time when we study this letter, for when we concluded the book of Acts yesterday we found Paul a prisoner at Rome in around 60 AD, being held under guard in a private dwelling as he waited for his case to come up in Nero's court.
Paul's letter is addressing Gentile believers, so as usual we find him speaking in a different way to Gentiles than he speaks to Jews. When speaking with the Jews he tends to begin his exhortation with Abraham or Moses and then he goes through the law and the prophets in order to prove to his listeners that everything regarding Jesus Christ was foretold in the Old Testament. But the Gentiles don't have this heritage. The law wasn't given to the Gentiles and the prophets weren't from among the Gentiles. If he begins preaching in detail to them about the law and the prophets they will be thoroughly confused. Paul has to appeal to Gentiles from another angle, and that is usually by offering them freedom from useless idolatry by presenting to them the living Christ. Their pagan religions haven't satisfied them. They don't feel loved or helped by their pantheon of gods. All their lives they have sought salvation by works without ever knowing if any of their deeds or offerings have appeased the gods. Paul's intention with the Gentiles is to turn them toward the living Christ and in so doing to turn them away from worshiping gods who don't exist. At last they can have a relationship with their Creator. Finally they can find satisfaction in religion. They can stop depending on their own works and trust in the work Christ did for them.
We begin with Paul's salutation to the believers at Rome. "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God---the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 1:1-4)
Paul speaks to these Gentile believers in a way they can understand. They are able to grasp the idea of sacred writings and they know what a prophet is, so Paul reminds them that God the Father in the Holy Scriptures foretold the advent of God the Son through the prophets. They have heard of King David and can clearly see where Paul is going when he points out that Jesus of Nazareth is descended from David, for this means Jesus holds the title to the royal throne of Israel. This also means Jesus is the Promised One who was to come from the line of David, and to prove it God raised Him from the dead. Paul is saying something like, "Jesus of Nazareth is both God and King. Everything about His life is just as the prophets foretold. God promised a Redeemer was coming and God kept His promise. We need have no doubts about the identity of Jesus. While alive He presented His credentials as the Messiah by performing the deeds the prophets said He would. After His death He rose again. A mere man cannot do the things He did."
Paul also presents his own credentials. He tells the Romans he is a servant (the Greek "doulos" which literally means "slave") of Christ Jesus. Paul asserts, "I am not my own. I belong to Christ. He paid the price for me. I am His." Paul isn't speaking to them by his own authority but on the authority of Jesus Christ, the One who called him to be an apostle (messenger, ambassador) and the One who chose him to be a minister of the gospel.
"Through Him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for His name's sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." (Romans 1:5-6) Christ is an equal opportunity employer. He does not discriminate. His offer of salvation is all inclusive. Paul says to the Romans something we all long to hear, "You are wanted. You are loved. You are chosen." Salvation is not just for the nation to which Jesus belonged; it is for "whosoever will". (Revelation 22:17) Salvation is for whosoever is willing to receive it. Paul assures the Romans, "God is calling the Gentiles into His family. That means you too! He hasn't left you out. You also are among the Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ."
He concludes his salutation, "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 1:7) Paul the apostle, who was once Saul the Pharisee, considers these Gentiles his equals. At one time he would have gone out of his way to keep even the hem of his robe from brushing against the hem of Gentile's robe as they passed each other on the street, but since he came to know Christ as his Savior he loves the Gentiles with all his heart. He considers them his brothers and sisters; we know this because he uses the term "God our Father" in verse 7. They are saved by the same grace with which Paul is saved. They are redeemed by the same Redeemer. Therefore they have the same Father who loves all His children equally.
In case anyone hasn't told you today: You are wanted. You are loved. You are chosen. Jesus loves you so much He thought you were worth dying for. Your great worth is demonstrated in the fact that the holy and sinless Son of God--the King of kings and the Lord of lords---didn't want to spend eternity without you. So He did what had to be done to secure your place in His family. He did for you what you couldn't do for yourself. There is no greater love than this.
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