Day 193

1 Chronicles 12:19–14:17; Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 19:4-5

AS WE TRAVELED through the book of Acts, we had the good fortune of getting to know the apostle Paul and his passion for Jesus. We journeyed many nautical and land miles with him and experienced what it looks like to be at the leading edge of the struggle between light and darkness.

Today we turned the page and began the book of Romans —the first of many of Paul’s letters recorded in the New Testament. Most scholars agree that Romans is Paul’s most comprehensive work. Much of our theological understanding of the Good News of Jesus finds its origin in this lengthy letter.

It’s likely that Romans was written from the city of Corinth, where some of Paul’s greatest missionary work had been accomplished, and it was likely penned in mid first century. When Paul finished Romans, he sent the deaconess Phoebe from the church in Cenchrea (which was just outside of Corinth) to hand deliver the letter and make an introduction for him (Romans 16:1-2).

The church in Rome was not planted by Paul. We don’t actually know who brought the gospel of Jesus to Rome. The most likely speculation is that someone or a group of people who were influenced by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost carried the gospel back to Rome and established the church there.

Paul, a naturally born Roman citizen, looked forward to visiting Rome, but he had other business to attend to before he could go there. In obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading, Paul first journeyed back to Jerusalem, where his plans took a seemingly unfortunate turn —he was arrested and kept in captivity for several years. Eventually, Paul did make his way to Rome but —as we learned at the close of the book of Acts —he went as a prisoner.

Aside from simply adhering to the teachings of Jesus, Paul was imprisoned largely because he taught that the gospel was given to Jews and Gentiles alike —that God welcomed all who believed in Jesus into His family. This was a massive reframing of perceptions and traditions for devout Jews and was one of the reasons Paul found himself amid regular riots.

In Romans, Paul explained how he arrived at this truth —and he wrote after a fashion that devout Jews could understand. He beautifully connected Jesus to a story that had been taking place among the Jews since the patriarch Abraham. Paul explained the Mosaic law and its purpose, while revealing that no one had ever been able to obey it perfectly —no one could become perfect before God on their own. But Jesus fulfilled the law, and through Him we can all be made righteous before God.

When William Tyndale translated the Bible into English, he said of Romans, “The sum and whole cause of the writings of this epistle, is, to prove that a man is justified by faith only.”

Let’s enjoy one of the greatest doctrinal works we have in all of Christianity as we drink deeply from Paul’s letter to the Romans.

MEDITATION:

The LORD is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.