Romans 1:1-7

This is Paul’s introductory letter to a church of believers in Rome whom he had not yet visited at the time of its writing, near the end of his third missionary journey around A.D. 56–57. However, he undoubtedly knew some of the believers there from his missionary travels. Little did they know that he would indeed travel to Rome later—but as a prisoner, as we just read in Acts.

In this letter, which we know as the Book of Romans, Paul addresses one of the core theological truths at the heart of the Gospel message: justification by faith. We have all sinned, but because of Christ, righteousness has been made available to all who believe—Jew and Gentile alike.

Paul refers to himself as a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle, and sent out to preach the Gospel. Notice a few things here. Paul humbly refers to himself as a slave—not the grand poobah. He states that he was chosen—not self-appointed. And although his calling came directly from Christ, he was also commissioned and sent out through the church at Antioch. Paul understood both spiritual authority and accountability.

There is something important for us to learn from that. Too many people simply do their own thing without any spiritual oversight, which can be dangerous. We should not be in authority if we are unwilling to be under authority.

The Good News is that God promised long ago through His prophets that He would send His Son as a gift to mankind. According to His earthly lineage, Jesus came through the royal line of David, just as the prophets foretold, and He was powerfully shown to be the Son of God through His resurrection from the dead.

Of particular note is that this salvation has now been made available to the Gentiles as well—to all who would not only believe in Christ but also walk in the obedience that comes from faith. They are the ones who belong to Christ.

Do we belong to Christ? Do we not only believe Him, but obey Him?

Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” And when we live in that kind of surrendered obedience, notice what Paul says happens: we bring glory to His name.

The purpose of life really is that simple—and that hard. We wrestle with our own self-will and lack of surrender at times, and those are often the very things that repeatedly get us into trouble. As we go through the Book of Romans, we will see Paul’s transparency concerning this struggle, but we will also see the overwhelming grace of God that is more than sufficient to meet us in the midst of it.

What a wonderful way for Paul to begin this letter: we are loved by God and called to be His holy people.

The question is: Will we respond?