If you had to write your faith thesis or dissertation, what would you include? What religious/spiritual topics, doctrines, creeds, or historical events would you incorporate into your document? What would you emphasize and what would you omit?
As I’ve been reading and studying Romans, I can’t help but ponder those questions. What is the gospel message that I preach? Most likely, it’ll be heavy on those aspects of the faith which I find to be personally essential.
Paul’s greeting in Romans is unusually long. However, it makes sense when understanding the relationship Paul has with the Roman church and the circumstances that the city has endured. The book of Acts gives us much insight and information. First, we learn that neither Paul nor any of the other Apostles most likely founded the church in Rome. The gospel probably reached Rome by Jewish men who were present at Pentecost but resided in Rome (Acts 2:10). We learn in Acts 18:2 that the Jews had been expelled from Rome by the time Paul visited Rome, somewhere around AD 49. It is palpable that the Jewish Christians also left, having still identified themselves as Jews. However, by the time Paul actually sets foot in Rome, sometime around AD 60, the Jews had returned. We learn in Acts 21 that Paul had earned a reputation amongst Jewish believers of being anti-Law and anti-Jewish. We discover in Acts 28 that the Jews present in Rome have heard of Paul but have no understanding of his calling or gospel message. Given this background, it’s surprising that Romans isn’t even longer and weightier than it already is.
In the first seven verses, Paul declares the following:
1. His Divine call to an apostle
2. The Gospel that he preaches
3. The special ministry that God has given him
4. The recipients of the letter
His language and words are heavy in Old Testament events and imagery. Paul is going to spend a lot of time discussing the merits of his gospel and the consequences it bears upon both Jews and Gentiles. As I consider the questions posed at the top of the post, I reflect on Paul’s gospel message and how centered it is on Christ; who Christ is and what Christ did. I hope the gospel we confess and live out is just as Christ-centered as the one Paul declared to the Romans 2000 years ago. Blessings.
As I’ve been reading and studying Romans, I can’t help but ponder those questions. What is the gospel message that I preach? Most likely, it’ll be heavy on those aspects of the faith which I find to be personally essential.
Paul’s greeting in Romans is unusually long. However, it makes sense when understanding the relationship Paul has with the Roman church and the circumstances that the city has endured. The book of Acts gives us much insight and information. First, we learn that neither Paul nor any of the other Apostles most likely founded the church in Rome. The gospel probably reached Rome by Jewish men who were present at Pentecost but resided in Rome (Acts 2:10). We learn in Acts 18:2 that the Jews had been expelled from Rome by the time Paul visited Rome, somewhere around AD 49. It is palpable that the Jewish Christians also left, having still identified themselves as Jews. However, by the time Paul actually sets foot in Rome, sometime around AD 60, the Jews had returned. We learn in Acts 21 that Paul had earned a reputation amongst Jewish believers of being anti-Law and anti-Jewish. We discover in Acts 28 that the Jews present in Rome have heard of Paul but have no understanding of his calling or gospel message. Given this background, it’s surprising that Romans isn’t even longer and weightier than it already is.
In the first seven verses, Paul declares the following:
1. His Divine call to an apostle
2. The Gospel that he preaches
3. The special ministry that God has given him
4. The recipients of the letter
His language and words are heavy in Old Testament events and imagery. Paul is going to spend a lot of time discussing the merits of his gospel and the consequences it bears upon both Jews and Gentiles. As I consider the questions posed at the top of the post, I reflect on Paul’s gospel message and how centered it is on Christ; who Christ is and what Christ did. I hope the gospel we confess and live out is just as Christ-centered as the one Paul declared to the Romans 2000 years ago. Blessings.
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