Romans – God’s Grace
He didn’t start it, nor had he been there. But Paul had heard about the growing group of believers in the heart of the Roman Empire, and longed to visit them in person. Having finished his foundational work establishing home churches in the east, Paul planned to work his way west toward Spain, spending time with the Roman church along his route.
Until that time came, he wanted the church to continue growing in the truth. So he wrote the Romans a letter, a work intended to ground the Christians in the gospel of grace and dispel the divisive tension between the Jews and Gentiles who worshipped together. Perhaps the most comprehensive explanation of God’s salvation plan, Romans became a pivotal summation of the Christian faith for believers throughout history.
For the sake of church unity, Paul needed to make one important truth clear for all. Neither Jew nor Gentile had any advantage toward earning God’s favor. In fact, Paul opened his letter with a look into man’s utter depravity—a condition that affects every human except Jesus ever born, no matter what his lineage. We are all equally lost and in desperate need of saving grace.
Paul goes on to explain how Jesus Christ came as fully God and man to live a life we never could. His death paid the punishment for our sins, inviting all who place their trust in Him to become a part of God’s family. Because of Jesus, believers are united as one body with each member uniquely equipped to serve the church and complete God’s call to reach the world with the gospel message.
Despite our opposition to admitting weakness, Romans helps us realize how strong a role humility and repentance plays in Christian growth. Without them, even believers are tempted toward pride, placing undue emphasis on external behavior while neglecting the heart matters that concern God most. With a proper view of our own helplessness, however, our gaze is forced upward to the One who has solved the dilemma for us. Christ’s righteousness covers us and forever silences the condemning voices within and around us. In God’s sight, believers stand as perfect in Christ, even as we struggle daily against our sinful nature that will not be fully subdued until heaven.
Oh, The Problem of SinWho was Paul and why did God choose him? Read Acts 9:1-19
What does Paul say about faith? Read Romans 1:16-17.
Do you live by faith?
What does Paul teach you in Romans about life?