Greetings From Paul (Day 1)

Read Romans 1:1-7
 
   Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome. Neither he nor the other church leaders, James and Peter, had yet been to Rome. Most likely, the Roman church had been established by believers who had been at Jerusalem for Pentecost (Acts 2) and by travelers who had heard the Gospel in other places and had brought it back to Rome. Paul wrote the letter to the Romans during his ministry in Corinth to encourage the believers and to express his desire to visit them someday. The Roman church had no New Testament because the Gospels were not yet being circulated in their final written form. Thus, this letter may well have been the first piece of Christian literature the Roman believers had seen. Written to both Jewish and Gentile Christians, the letter to the Romans is a systematic presentation of the Christian faith. 
   When Paul, a devout Jew who had first persecuted the Christians, became a believer, God used him to spread the Gospel throughout the world. Although he was a prisoner, Paul did eventually preach in Rome (Acts 28), perhaps even to Caesar himself. 
 
   Paul humbly calls himself Christ’s slave and an apostle. For a Roman citizen, which Paul was, to choose to be a slave was unthinkable. But Paul chose to be completely dependent on and obedient to his beloved Master. What is your attitude toward Christ, your Master? Our willingness to serve and obey Jesus Christ enables us to be useful and usable servants to do work for Him: work that really matters. 
 
   Paul states that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and the resurrected Lord. Paul calls Jesus a descendant of King David to emphasize that Jesus truly had fulfilled the Old Testament Scriptures predicting that the Messiah would come from David’s line. With this statement of faith, Paul declares his agreement with the teaching of all Scripture and of the apostles. 
 
   In these verses, Paul summarizes the Good News about Jesus Christ, who 1) came as a human by natural descent, 2) was part of the Jewish royal line through David, 3) died and was raised from the dead, and 4) opened the door for God’s grace and kindness to be poured out on us. The book of Romans is an expansion of these themes. 
 
   Christians have both a privilege and a great responsibility. Paul and the apostles received the privilege of being called, but they also received the authority and the responsibility to share with others what God has done. God also graciously forgives our sins when we believe in Him as Lord. In doing this, we are committing ourselves to begin a new life. Paul’s new life also involved a God-given responsibility: to witness about God’s Good News to the world as a missionary. God may or may not call you to be a foreign missionary, but He does call you to be Christ’s ambassador and to witness to the changed life that Jesus Christ has begun in you. 
 
   Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire that had spread over most of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. In New Testament times, Rome was experiencing a golden age. The city was wealthy, literary, and artistic. It was a cultural center, but it was also morally decadent. The Romans worshiped many pagan gods, and even some of the emperors were worshiped. In stark contrast to the Romans, the followers of Christ believed in only one God and lived by His high moral standards. 
 
   Christianity was at odds with the Romans’ dependence on military strength. Many Romans were naively pragmatic, believing that any means to accomplish the intended task was good. And for them, nothing worked better than physical might. The Romans trusted in their strong military power to protect them against all enemies. Christians in every age need to be reminded that God is the only permanent source of our security and salvation.
 
   Paul says that those who become Christians are invited by Jesus Christ to 1) belong to God’s family, and 2) be His very own people. What a wonderful expression of what it means to be a Christian. In being reborn into God’s family we have the greatest experience of love and the greatest inheritance. Because of all that God has done for us, we strive to be His holy people.