Hello Romans

This is our God – immutable, inscrutable, your glory filling the universe. Beautiful in your Holiness, yet overflowing with love towards your creation, especially those whom you have adopted as children into your family. I worship you.

” I receive your worship and adoration, with joy. That is why I have created. So that the joy I can bring and the love I can show will be shared among billions of those who have chosen to follow me and receive my Spirit. I can never have enough praise and adoration – it builds up and builds up and overflows to all the corners of my created universe. So continue with your adoration and appreciation of everything I am to you and I will continually reveal more and more of myself to you.”

So, by special request we are going to embark today on reading through Paul’s letter to the Romans, remembering our aim – to learn to listen to the voice of Jesus as we read His word.

Just a few introductory remarks to help us understand the context and purpose of the letter. That is always so important when we listen for Jesus’ voice. The word He seeks to give us is most powerful when aligned with the purpose He had when He inspired the passage one is reading.

This is the only letter of Paul’s addressed to a church he had not yet visited. Although there are issues he addresses in the letter there is not one that is major. Paul appeared to be intending to visit this church and gather their support for a further outreach in Spain. This is revealed in 15:23 ff.

The letter acts as a sort of CV of Paul which he presents to the readers to introduce himself by explaining his doctrine of the kingdom of God through the work of Jesus. It is probably the best rounded description of the “Gospel” and its application in the bible, which is his main interest.

Let us read the opening 6 verses today. They are a mouthful, if you want to unpack everything that is wrapped up explicitly and implicitly in it. He immediately launches into what the main theme of the letter is going to be about. Can you see what that is?

It is clearly the gospel. Describing himself only in terms of the role for which he has been set apart. V 1, and given the ministry to call the Gentiles. See if you can pick up the main points of his gospel message in the next few verses.

Here is what I saw: The gospel was predicted from the beginning. It has always been the main aim of God’s plan.

The central “Person” about which the gospel is , is Jesus, called here “the Son” and later mentioned by His full name.

He is fully human and at the same time fully divine, which was ultimately proved by His resurrection.

He describes his ministry only in terms of “the Gentiles”, yet there is plenty in the letter later to show that he has plenty to say to the Jews as well. Presumably this means that most of the recipients came from a Jewish background.

Finally there is this interesting description of the gospel in vs 5b: “the obedience that comes from faith” . He is going to have plenty to say about faith, but true faith is always accompanied by obedience (action).

What have you heard Jesus say to you from this passage? For me it is a reminder of the urgency and centrality of my ministry, which is to share the gospel. Especially to make sure it is centred on faith in Jesus which is demonstrated by a changed life.

May I end today’s blog with a statement from John Piper which I read this week which suddenly became an aha moment. “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him”.

May He make His face shine on you this coming week.