Well, my friend, we are drawing to the completion of The 4/90 Challenge – reading the 4 gospels in 90 days. I pray it has been a blessing and a worthy undertaking in your journey to know Jesus!
Coming up this summer, our church will return to the Book of Romans, picking up where we left off at the end of last summer. If you were with us then, Pastor Lincoln led us through a study of contrasts found in Romans chapters 1 through 8. I am feeling like a refresher is needed before I jump into chapters 9 through 16. And a refresher is always more fun with friends, right? So I’m inviting you, encouraging you, to read chapters 1-8 in the upcoming weeks. This week, how about the first three chapters?
Refresher piece for today: Who wrote this Book of Romans and why?
Our author is the Apostle Paul, formerly the zealous Pharisee who defended the Jewish faith to great extremes, even breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He has had the most awesome heart change. It is in the Book of Acts where we read of Saul (who later became known by his Roman name, Paul) meeting his Savior … and how Jesus drew him fully to Him with a purpose.
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he (Saul) went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he (Saul) said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he (the Voice) said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Acts 9.1-5
But the Lord said, “… he (Saul) is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. Acts 9.15-19 (emphasis added by me).
The rest of Paul’s life is dedicated to going wherever the Holy Spirit sends him to share his testimony and exhort others to come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. He equips others for the mission of carrying Jesus’ name, establishes churches in Gentile territories, and was inspired by God to write 13 letters to groups of believers which are included in The Holy Bible.
Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome was written about 20 years after his conversion. He strategically lays out every reason to believe, to defend, and to be unashamed of the gospel of Jesus the Christ, and how to live because of this gospel.
Within just a few sentences into his letter to the Romans, Paul delivers the theme of his entire message …
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1.16-17
- Not ashamed to confess that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and was resurrected to new life – all to pay the debt for my sin that I could not ever pay.
- The power of God, like no other, is for salvation for everyone who believes, whether you are Jewish or whether you are Gentile (sometimes called Greek, both indicating not Jewish).
- God’s righteousness is made evident in the gospel message. For any man or woman to spend eternity with Him, we had to be made righteous and that is only possible by Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins.
- And it is only by faith – not seeing, not working, not bargaining – only by believing in Jesus’ finished work on the cross are we gifted eternal life by the grace of God!
Amen and Alleluia!
My friend, may your time reading in Romans this week be blessed as you consider how much God loves you, that He sent His Son the Christ to rescue and redeem you. As in most undertakings, we have to acknowledge the hard stuff before appreciating the good, good news so Paul’s letter to the Romans starts off reminding each reader of what we were before Jesus and what we are equipped to know, believe, and share after we know Him! What a remarkable Book lies before us! Just keep reading!
Blessings, Colleen