Romans 1:1-7
Romans 1:1-7 (Set Apart for the Gospel)
Food for Thought:
Background: Paul dictated this letter to the Christians in Rome between 55-58AD, likely while he was staying in the house of Gaius who lived in Corinth (Romans 16:23). While belief in Jesus began among Jewish believers (Acts 2), most of the believers at the time of this letter were likely non-Jewish Gentiles.
Why? Well, before this letter was written, Claudius had kicked believing and non-believing Jewish people out of Rome. This lasted for five years until Claudius died and his decree was reversed. Jewish people (including Jewish Christians) returned to the city, only to find a very non-Jewish expression of their faith. This led to disagreements about what someone had to do in order to be saved and identified as a faithful covenant member of Gods family. Did they have to follow the Law (Torah) or not? This was a major point of tension in the early church between Jewish and Gentile believers.
So Paul writes this letter to the Romans as an extended treatment of God’s redemptive relationship with his people from the very beginning, trying to show the universal need - and hope! - of all people. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God to save - both the Jew and the Greek - and the power to live in unity, despite differences in their unique expressions of faithfulness.
The Gospel Is History • As Paul introduces himself and the letter he’s writing, he anchors himself and the good news he preaches in history. God promised to bring good news through the words of his prophets (the people who spoke for him) in the Old Testament, and Paul is now a herald of the good news those prophets pointed to.
Consider your own history. What top three events from your own life would someone have to know in order to truly understand who you are today? Are there things you say or do today because of things that happened before you were even born (in your family, your community, etc.)?
Why does Paul feel the need to anchor the good news (“the gospel of God”) in the history of the Old Testament prophets? Why would that be important to his audience in an introduction?
When you introduce yourself to someone new, what do you say about yourself? Who do you say you are?
What does Paul say about himself here? What can you learn about the way Paul thinks about himself - and what he wants others to know about him?
History Points to Jesus • Paul goes on to say that the promised good news finds its fulfillment in Jesus, who has a history rooted in both the Jewish people and the Spirit of God.
What evidence does Paul give for Jesus’ roots in Jewish history? …as the “powerful Son of God?”
Is there significance to the phrases “according to the flesh,” “according to the Spirit of holiness,” or “by the resurrection of the dead?” What do each of these phrases point to for Jesus’ credibility?
Why would Paul want to remind his mixed audience - Jewish and Gentile believers - of Jesus’ personal history? What difference might it make to them?
What difference do each of those things make to you? Is one more significant than another?
Jesus Is for All • Paul makes a point to include the entire church in the grace and calling of Jesus (“we have received…”, “…among all the Gentiles, including you,” "…to all who are in Rome,” etc.). He concludes his greeting in a way his ends many of his introductions: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Beginning with the Jewish roots of God’s promises and then extending them to the Gentiles is a theme in Romans (and other parts of the New Testament). We may take this for granted today, but can you imagine why this was such a big deal?
Simply imagine if our church merged with another. Even if it was a similar church in theology and practice, what would be hard about that?
Now consider how “church” might be different if the gospel took hold of a Jewish community versus a pagan community. How hard might it be to merge those church communities?
Just in his introduction, Paul is already hitting on a sensitive subject. Why would he choose to do that? What does this say about what he thinks they need to hear most?
Throughout the New Testament, believers are called “saints.” Paul goes out of this way - after calling out both the Jewish-ness and the Gentile-ness of the faith - to restate his greeting simply as, “To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints.” By not distinguishing between Jew and Greek, what’s Paul really saying here?
How can we embody this today in the way we welcome and invite people into our church community? …in the way we think and talk about other church communities?