Text: Romans 1:1-7 (NKJV)
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Devotional Thoughts and Commentary:
Note in verse 1 that Paul calls himself a bondservant, or literally a slave, of Jesus Christ. This transcended the Rabbi / Follower relationship that existed while he was on Earth. Roman and Greek culture well-understood what slavery meant, and they most likely would be taken aback by such a strong assertion. A slave gave up their will for total submission and service to the master. One of the great ironies found in Christianity is that true freedom comes from entering into slavery to Christ. It is not our will that matters, but His.
Paul began this letter with a greeting passage, much like in his other letters. This introduction though was far more than just introducing himself; rather, he took the opportunity to essentially present a condensed version of the Gospel (good news).
Verse 7, as well as other such statements in Scripture, I find very intriguing. In American culture today, greetings are merely a gloss, not taken seriously. It is easy to gloss over "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" as some fancy schmancy way of saying "Hi." Even the Hebrew "Shalom" is overshadowed by this weighty greeting. To the Christians in Rome, Paul commended grace and peace. Soon to be the seat of persecution against Christians, what peace did he want for them? What grace did God send them? Simply put, the Gospel- the good news of salvation through Christ, how He died sinless and was buried and resurrected. God loved the world to send His only Son to die for the sin-debt of all men from all time, and that is the only avenue to true peace. Commended peace in the face of a rising tide of persecution. What a faith!
Applications:
The most important thing to glean from this passage is the Gospel. If you don't know for sure that if you were to die today and go to be with Christ in Heaven, please please please make this your top priority. Contact me or talk to a Christian you know about it. If you are a Christian, please appreciate what Christ did you on the Cross.
Christians should also understand that the same grace and peace available to the Roman Christians is available to you. Will your life be roses and gumdrops? Probably not, especially over the long haul. Still, you should have peace knowing that a God Who loves you controls the future and guards your eternal destiny.
Look Ahead:
In the near future, we will be looking at the grace of God, weighty theology, and the work of God in Israel compared to His work with the rest of the world. Romans is really one of the most (probably the most) doctrinally dense books in the Bible. Take heart, read on, and pray for wisdom!
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