Thoughts on Romans
I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles." Romans 1:8-13
So, he's writing a letter to a people he's never met and to a church he didn't start (which is the only such letter we have); even though he had close friends that were now living in Rome and were part of their group. He knew that these people were "rock stars" in the kingdom and he really wanted to see them (and he would eventually, just not in the way he probably would have hoped).
It got me thinking, if I were someone of Paul's stature and I was writing a letter to a church I had never been to, what would I write? Not a church that was struggling, but one of whom I could say that "I thank God for you because your faith is being reported all over the world?" If I wrote Bill Hybels, or Francis Chan, or any one of the leaders of Northpoint's GlobalX partners that I have not visited, what would I say? What would I say that would actually be relevant? I mean, these guys get it.
Well, if you've read this letter that Paul wrote to the early Christians in Rome, you know that he explained... point by point, in detail... the gospel. This good news that he preached that God rescued us from a life enslaved to sin to a life lived through Him by grace that had meaning, fulfillment, and purpose.
A life that included struggle, but that we have hope in a new life free from this struggle and that in this struggle we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us (8:37). A life in which no matter what happens, God is with us and working for the good of all who love him (8:28), and that nothing... and he goes to great lengths to iterate that NO-THING can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (8:38-39).
And Paul iterates over and over and over again that this new life is by grace lived out in connection to our loving Heavenly Father... it is not a life of rules, of ceremony, of tradition... it is a life lived out in the power of God who loves us.
Most people that noodle over how this church even came to existence talk about how there was people from Rome in Jerusalem during Pentecost, and that some of those people became Christians when Peter's talk moved over 3,000 to come to faith in one day. As we know in Acts, a mass persecution led by a young, ambitious Pharisee named Saul caused many to flee Jerusalem and go back home. Some of the older Christians in Rome may have been, or been related to, some of these followers of the Way that fled Saul's persecution (that's my uneducated thoughts having not been to Seminary ;-) ). Now, as we know, (grossly paraphrased story) this Saul guy saw a bright light one day going to carry out a bunch of Christians in Damascus, heard Jesus, and became a Christian himself... and now went around as a missionary for the gospel of Jesus under his Greek name of "Paul" apostle... and this is the man writing this letter.
Also, I'm sure that - perhaps either because of a nudging in his soul or some of the things he's heard from his peeps living in Rome at the time... that the new Emperor (Nero) isn't a big fan of Christians (gross understatement). I'm not sure if he knew what was about to go down in Rome, but I sometimes wonder when I read chapter 8 whether he had an inkling. Perhaps (and I'm just speculating), Paul's knowledge of what was going on in his heart in his past life may have given him a little insight into some of the pressures coming down the pike from the Nero regime.
Because, here's my thought... many of the Romans in Jerusalem were Jews coming down to celebrate the Passover and obviously carried a lot of their Jewish-ness with them, including the Law, traditions, etc. A lot of churches in the Greek world that had Jewish contingents struggled with the paradigm shift between relating to God by Law and relating to Him by a relationship fueled by grace. It is probably safe to say that many Jewish believers in Rome had the same struggles, and that the "Gentile" (that would include people like me that are non-Jewish) believers just followed their lead and tried to "do the deal" while living in this grace-faith that they talked about. Unfortunately, when things get hard, a religion of following the rules isn't going to keep someone pursuing Jesus.
And, as Paul would tell them, that's not at all what it's all about.
If this Christian thing was just a system of do's and don'ts.. of tradition and laws, then it would have been very easy to give up when the first Christians were being carted off to be lit on fire as torches for one of Nero's parties... it would have been very easy to bail when the first Christians were carried off to be eaten by the lions, or made sport of in the gladiator tournaments, or any number of the masochistic things that Nero did in his lunatic lust to destroy Christianity.
But they didn't bail. They did go underground (which was smart :) ), but they never gave up on Jesus. Because as Paul told them early on in his letter, which they obviously got, and held onto...
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." - Romans 1:16-17
This is salvation that is more than mere "fire insurance," this is faith that carries you from the first to the last... through anything that life throws at you.
When circumstances told these guys that "it's too hard, just give up," the gospel says that "I consider our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (8:18) When circumstances told them that they were victims of Nero's schemes, the gospel says that "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (8:37) When circumstances told them that they were powerless in the world they lived in, the gospel said that "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (8:31) When circumstances told them that they were condemned as an enemy of the State (We know from history that when Nero burned Rome, he framed the Christians for it), the gospel says "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (8:1) And for those of whom circumstances would say "I'm not good enough and never will," the gospel says that "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." (8:30)
The life that God called these guys to was one of extraordinary faith and power... and in time and through them living out the gospel in the city of Rome and the world seeing the love they had for each other and for their city, Rome eventually, under Emperor Constantine, was declared a Christian empire. THIS, did not come about because people followed rules and traditions, but instead held strongly to a mighty Savior that gave His life up for us so that we could truly live. This is the gospel (in a nutshell). And today, in America and around the world, this is still the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. It is God reaching down to you and me and offering a life beyond comparison if we take Him up on it. It is knowing and having a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
And that, is awesome!
Signing out... as one who is LOVED by an amazing savior and loves living the great adventure of live lived in grace.
Chris <><
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