Bible Study: Romans - The Grounds of God’s Judgment

Having enumerated the sins humans commits against God, especially that of twisting the truth and worshiping false gods of their own creation, rather than worshiping the one true God revealed in His creation, Paul goes on to describe the basis of God’s judgment against humankind for their sinful behaviour.

In Chapter Two, verse one, Paul admonishes the people, the Jewish congregation of the church in Rome, with whom he is having an imaginary debate, that they have no excuse to behave like the others in the world. They may pass judgment and be critical of others, the non-Jewish population, condemning them for practicing sexual perversions, idolatry and violence. But Paul’s point is they are no better.

Jesus is also very clear in this regard. In Matthew 7:1-2, he says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” We have been warned not to be critical of others, without being self-critical of ourselves first. Matthew 7:3-5.

It is similar to the woman caught in the act of adultery, brought to Jesus for his judgment. Jesus did not condemn her, and told the teachers of law and Pharisees who brought her up to him, that “if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7. Stricken by their conscience, they all left.

Again, David in his sin against God with Bathsheba, was quick to condemn the rich man who took the poor man’s ewe lamb to cook for his guest, without realizing he had committed the same type of sin, in getting the husband of Bathsheba killed in the battle and taking her as his own wife. 2 Samuel 12:1-9. So, we need to be careful that we are not committing the same sin that we are condemning in others.

Coming back to Paul’s point, there is no differentiation between the Jews and non-Jewish people, for all have sinned. Rom.3:22-23. The Jewish population has also sinned despite having the Law and knowing the Truth about the One True God, the Creator. The Jew also is guilty of the same sin, sin of being unfaithful to the truth, in their case, revealed through the Law. Verse 2.

The first basis of God’s judgment is Truth, truth about Himself. V.2

In Verse 3, Paul is asking his Jewish listeners, will they escape judgment, when they have done the same things as those of the pagan world? Or is it that the Jew is so complacent, because of the kindness, tolerance and patience that God has shown towards them throughout their history?

In Exodus 34:6 God describes Himself as “The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving weakness, rebellion and sin.” But the very next line says, “Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

The moral in this for us is not to take the kindness of God for granted. He is kind, especially to His chosen children, be it a Jew or a believer, but were they to disobey Him and His commandments, then His punishment will come riding fast on their heels.

All these kindnesses shown by God to the Jews is a measure of His patience, to goad them towards repentance of their waywardness and not because of any partiality. V.4. Israel was chosen, not to gloat in their own blessedness, but to pass on this blessedness to others in the world. That was their mission and they failed in it miserably. I think they were not even conscious of it.

Paul reminds his Jewish readers that Jews are known for their stubbornness, unrepentant heart and God’s righteous judgement is reserved for such of them who are rebellious against God. V.5. Such a conduct is equal to idolatry by a non-Jew.

Thus, the second ground for God’s judgement will be ‘God will give to each person according to what he has done.’ V.6. Each person will be judged according to his or her deeds on earth. It is surprising to note that this sounds so similar to Hindu concept of karma theory, where a person’s karma, good or bad deed will decide his place in the next birth.

The difference is Karma becomes the judge here. It is of course merciless and grinds on mechanically and Hinduism teaches that Karma is so powerful that even gods cannot change its course of action.

The God of Bible, whom Jesus called his Father, is on the contrary merciful and willing to forgive the sins and rebellion if only the person concerned will repent and seek forgiveness of God. 1 John 1:9.

Of course, we, Christians do not have the concept of repeated births and deaths; we have one life and depending on how we lived that life, we get eternal life or eternal death on the Judgment Day.

Next few verses elaborate this concept of each according to his or her deeds more fully. Those who persist in doing good, God will honour with eternal life. V.7. And those who are self-seeking and reject the truth and follow evil, God’s wrath and anger will be poured upon. V.8. This is for every one; first for the Jew and then for the Gentile or non-Jew. V.9, 10.

What you sow you reap. Galatians 6:7. God is not mocked. If your deeds are good, peace and honour and glory will follow you; if your deeds are evil, trouble and distress follow you.

Thus, God does not show favouritism; the third basis of God’s judgement is impartiality. V.11.

In verses 12 to 15 Paul is laying down an important doctrine for us to follow, even in today’s world, which is divided as Christians and non-Christians. Jews and Gentile are judged by the light each one has received.

Jews know the Truth through the written Law and direct revelation of God. Hence a Jew will be judged according to this, whether he obeyed the Law or not. Those who obey the Law and not just those hear it are declared righteous by God. James 1:22 says “But be doers of the word and not hearers only…”

A Gentile, who does not have the law, still has these standards of moral conduct written in his conscience and thus if he lived according to these standards, he will be judged favourably. A Gentile will be judged favourably, if he followed the requirements of the Law naturally, even though he did not have the Law.

Greeks of Paul’s days, had their philosophers like Aristotle and Stoics, who talked about an inner law, a law of nature, which a rational man had in his conscience. He knew what was right and what was wrong and was to act accordingly. For according to the Stoics man was a rational and moral being and hence he was able to recognise the immanent law of his nature and judge his actions by that standard.[1]

 Paul now rounds of his arguments by saying on the judgement day, God will to all the believers, the Christians, who are to operate under the law of Christ or the Law of the Spirit. For the Jew, it is the Law of Moses, for the Gentile, it is the Law of Nature, but for the Christian, it is the Law of Christ. Accordingly, God will judge human beings, including their innermost secret thoughts.

God, according to Paul, will judge humankind on four grounds:

1.    God will judge humankind based on truth. V.2

2.    God will judge according to men’s deeds. V.6

3.    God will judge with impartiality. V.11

4.    God will judge the secrets of men. V.16.

Being born as a Christian or going to church on Sundays and listening to the sermons, will not make us righteous in the eyes of God, the Judge. It is the ‘doer’ or one who obeys the Law, the Law of Christ, who will escape from the wrath of God.

The Law of Christ means we believe in the work that Jesus did on the cross and appropriate it by repenting and seeking his forgiveness and obey whatever he taught us, as written in the New Testament.

So let us take care to be doers of the law of Christ, and escape the wrath of God and find favour in His eyes on the Judgement Day.

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[1] C.H. Dodd, “The Epistle of Paul to the Romans,” Fontana Books, 1959, p.61

Sin against God and His Wrath

After laying the foundation for his letter to the Romans, Paul now turns to describe the wrath of God on mankind for wrongs committed against Him. In verses 18 to 32 Paul narrates the universal wrongs and sins committed by mankind against God’s revealed truth.

What is Truth? Pilate very casually raised this question with Jesus during His trial. John 18:38. Not that Pilate expected any answer! It was just a philosophical question for him in which intellectuals of his day indulged in and debated.

Most people are not sure of this concept Truth, especially Hindus, atheists and those who believe in some universal truth, some super intelligence without a name out there. If pressed for an answer they would say that they are still searching for the Truth and that they are the Seekers.

Jesus very clearly says that ‘I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life.’ John 14:6. That clarity and assurance and confidence comes because He is the Truth, truth that descended from the Father, God of this Universe.

When people refuse to believe this and go in search of their own, they are not only groping in the dark, but also start to make gods of their own and begin to worship these gods whom they have created. Truth thus gets twisted and they run after false gods of their own making and imagination.

This is the major sin that humanity commits against the True God and God’s wrath is kindled against mankind because of this rebellion against Him. Sin or rebellion against God becomes the cause which incites the wrath or anger of God against them. Simply put, sin is the cause and wrath is the effect, a simple law of cause and effect in a moral universe.

In verse 18, Paul observes that the wrath of God is revealed against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. This applies to all mankind, both the Jew and the Gentiles, the Christians and the Pagans and in today’s parlance, the believers and the unbelievers.

It is those who suppress the Truth of God and twist it to suit their convenience and also lead others into such darkness, that Paul is mentioning here. God has revealed the Truth about Himself through His Creation and through His Son, Jesus Christ. Yet, human mind refuses to grasp this truth and decides to run after its own imagination.  

In the next few verses, Paul points out that God has made plain the things that are to be known about Him through His creation. No one can give an excuse that they did not know about the One True God. It is written all over the creation. God’s invisible qualities like His eternal power, His divine nature have been made so plain for anyone who cares to observe and understand.

The atheist and the unbelievers of the other religions like Hinduism or Jainism or Buddhism, who deny God and seek the explanation of the power of God, which has been displayed in His creation, in some ‘universal mind’ or ‘supernatural force’ are evidently refusing to accept the truth of God, who created this Universe.

Islam also errs in that though it believes in God the Creator, it does not believe the other revelation of God, made in His Son, Jesus Christ. Thus, they too deny God.

When humankind goes away from God despite God’s revelation in His creation, they are without excuse for their wanton behaviour. The sin that this attitude created is that mankind exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to resemble man or woman or birds or beasts. Verse 21-23. They thought they were wise but in reality, they were foolish to the core with darkened minds.

In Paul’s time, it was Greek philosophy that debated the sublime qualities of the Divine, but what Paul saw in Athens and other Greek cities was pure idolatry. While addressing the Athenians at Areopagus, Paul mentions about the existence of an altar made to an unknown god. He was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. Acts 17:16, 23.

Similarly, today for all the high-flown philosophy of Advaita, touted overseas by the gurus and sannyasins of Hinduism, India is ridden with idols of all shapes and sizes covering the land. The caste system and the intensity of injustice of Karma theory are mostly unknown to those abroad, who have willingly swallowed what these swamiji's peddle abroad and come up with their own version of Hinduism and Advaita philosophy in the form of New Age teachings.

These are outright rebellion against God, the Creator of this Universe. In the next few verses, v. 24 – 27, 29-31, Paul brings out the results of such a rebellion. God gave them over to their sinful desires. Having made man and woman with a free will and a rational mind to make decisions, God will not interfere in the depraved thinking of humankind. He lets them wallow in it and bear the consequences.

The vilest sin was to exchange the truth of God for a lie, and worshipping created things than the Creator. If God of the Bible, whom Jesus called His Father is the Truth, then worshipping anyone else or anything else becomes a lie. The sin of unbelievers is that they make an idol to take the place of the living God and give the glory that is due to God alone to these creations of human mind and human hand.

The vices listed in the following verses of 26 to 31 could be classified as sexual sins and anti-social sins. Contemporary literature to Paul’s letters describe Roman society being full of these evils. The most demeaning of sexual sins are unnatural sex. Women having sexual relationship with animals is forbidden in Leviticus 18:23, for it is perversion in God’s eyes.

The next sexual sin would be men lusting for other men, which is homosexuality, and this again is prohibited in Bible, Leviticus 18:22. It is equivalent to defiling oneself. But does it ring a bell?

In today’s world, homosexuality has become so common and commended that governments are rising to protect their interests and allowing them legally to be married and adopt children. In USA, the regular pastors serving in the churches have been asked to solemnize these marriages or face penalty. It is a world turned upside down, really.

A practice condemned in the Bible as abomination to the Lord God, has become a State sponsored reality today. Can you hear Satan clapping his hands in pure glee? No wonder, all over the world, people of God are prophesying that end of the world is nearer than anyone could have thought of.

The anti-social behaviour mentioned by Paul in verses 29-31 are envy, murder strife, deceit, and malice. Gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastfulness. When the renowned Physicist of today’s world, Japanese American Michio Kaku, boasts about human achievement and the capacity of man to find immortality within a few decades, does he not reflect this arrogance against God?

People are senseless, faithless, heartless and ruthless, Paul concludes the list of depravity. Humans are indulging in these sinful acts, not without knowing the consequences, but fully knowing that they are defying a living God and projecting the will of human beings above that of God. Sin brings its own retribution. What we sow we reap. Galatians 6:7. God cannot be mocked.

Even when Jesus Christ, the ultimate expression of God, has come down to earth and died for our sins, if we persist in our sins, rejecting the offer of forgiveness of a kind and loving God, then what follows is retribution, divine judgment and the wrath of God. This cannot be wished away.

So, let’s be watchful and not fall into any of these categories, but watch and pray, wait and seek the face of the Lord in this turbulent world. God give us the strength to fight against these depravities that soil the minds of human beings. 

Bible Study, Romans: "The Righteous Will Live by Faith"

In this one verse, Romans 1:17, the whole theme of the letter that Paul writes to Roman church stands. This is the foundation on which he develops his whole theme, the theme being, there is a righteousness that comes by faith and not by deeds.

In the previous verse, Paul mentions that the Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone, both Jews and the Gentiles. And in this Gospel, he goes on to explain, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness by faith. To support his point Paul quotes Old Testament (OT) book Habakkuk, chapter 2 verse 4, “but the righteous will live by his faith.”

The keywords in this most important verse are ‘righteousness,’ and ‘faith.’ Let’s spend some time meditating on these two words.

Paul says ‘in the Gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed.’ What is this ‘righteousness from God’? Righteousness is one of the most prominent attributes of our God, mentioned in many scriptural verses from the OT.

One will observe that the righteousness of God is always associated with His justice. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne,” says Psalm 97:2. Further the Psalmist mentions that “He will judge the world in righteousness.” Ps. 9:8. It is a moral attribute as well as a divine activity.

The Hebrew word from which this word righteousness is derived, tsadhaq, a verb, primarily means ‘to be in the right,’ or ‘give redressal to’ a person who has suffered wrong. It is closely linked with the sense of justice, where by a ruler or a judge is considered righteous, if he vindicates the cause of the wronged person. He vindicates the right.

God is righteous in this respect. He upholds justice and acts rightly to set right, the wrong suffered by a person, who cries to Him. God saves His people and thus in essence, He is a Saviour who brings salvation to His people. ‘Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.’ Rom.1:16

God is righteous and delivers His people, who come to Him in faith, delivering them from the clutches of sin and its hold on the people. Thus, it is not only an attribute of God, but also His saving act, whereby He brings in deliverance to His people from the power of sin. Isaiah prophecies that the Lord is “a righteous God and a Saviour,” Isaiah 45:21

In Paul’s words, this righteousness of God, the saving act of God, to vindicate the right from the hold of sin, is being revealed in the Gospel. God is putting His people in right relationship before Him, justifying them. This has been done by God through the life and death of His Son Jesus Christ, His resurrection, and the creation of His Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the righteousness from God revealed in the Gospel.

Now to the second word, ‘faith.’ This righteousness of God that has been revealed to the world in the Gospel, has to be obtained by faith, faith in Jesus Christ, ‘a righteousness that is by faith.’ Rom.1:17

As Paul would elaborate further in the subsequent portion of his letter, we are put right before God, that is, we become righteous before God, only by faith and nothing else. We have to acknowledge that in us there is no sufficiency to make us right before God and then depend entirely upon His sufficiency to make us righteous. That is ‘faith,’ faith in God’s sufficiency and His goodness and His trustworthiness.

Paul quotes Habakkuk  here to support his claim, that ‘the righteous will live by faith.’ Hab.2:4. For Habakkuk ‘faith’ meant faithfulness to God, by living a life of honesty, integrity and trustworthiness. But Paul uses the same term faith to mean dependence on God’s promises and His sufficiency.

In the New Testament, this aspect of faith is developed fully, that is ‘faith’ in the God and His promises and His sufficiency. Jesus insists on such a firm faith in God many times. Jesus said to the father of a sick boy, in Mark 9:23, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” In Mark 11:24, Jesus further elaborates this concept by saying, “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

The faith is that God, through His Servant, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is able to do what He had promised through the prophets in the Scripture. If God is trustworthy, then our response has to be faith in Him.

It is not the faith of the Jewish people, a loyal obedience to the Law, the religion of Israel, but a faith in the trustworthiness of God and His promise of salvation in Christ. This leaves no room for our own sufficiency or merit whereby we can earn our salvation. It is by ‘faith’ alone that we are saved.

It is a faith in the righteousness of God, revealed in the Gospel as Jesus Christ, who is the Good News for the world, who is able to save us from our sins, because of what He did on the cross. That faith alone will save us and nothing else, definitely not our merits or our efforts or our goodness.   

This is the foundation on which Paul builds his letter to Romans and this he establishes through various arguments strewn throughout his Epistle. These we will see in due course in the subsequent blogs.

God bless you all. 

Bible Study: Romans - Paul’s Objectives in wanting to visit Rome

Paul, after laying down his credentials and greetings to the believers in Rome, continues his introductory portion of his letter by expressing his longing to visit the Roman church.

Romans 1:8-16: Introduction, continues

Paul thanks God through Jesus Christ for the Roman church, because he has heard of their faith, which has been reported all over the world. The world here refers to all the churches established in and around the Roman Empire.

As a witness to this act of his thanksgiving, Paul invokes God, whom he says he serves with his whole heart by preaching the Gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul remembers the Roman church constantly in his prayers. This shows Paul’s pride in the Roman church and his concern and responsibility to lift them up in his prayers to the throne of the Lord.

Paul desires to visit the Roman church, and hopes that by God’s will, the way will be opened for him to come to see them. It is not his plan but he depends on His plan. Paul, does come to Rome, but not as a free citizen. He comes as a prisoner in chains, but stays in his own rented house and preaches the Word without any hindrance. Acts 28:14,16,31.

Yes, God does answer our prayers, but in His own way. When the answer comes, it may not come in the way we had expected, but God’s wisdom is better than ours and as He knows in His omnipotence the time and the answer to our prayers it will always be good for us.

Further, Paul says, he longs to see the Roman believers, because he is anxious to impart some spiritual gifts to make them strong. Paul has enlisted the spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. It was his desire to impart some of these gifts to the Roman believers so that the church can be edified.

The purpose of the spiritual gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit is not for our own satisfaction or elevation, but the edification of the church. Ephesian 4:11-13.  

However, Paul has got other ideas too. He would like this visit to be of some mutual benefit to both the Roman’s church and himself. Many times, he has planned for a visit to Rome, but it did not materialise. Paul is hoping to get a rich harvest in the Roman church, just as he had had among the Gentiles. 

Paul might have wanted to get a footing in Roman church, situated in the capitol of the Roman Empire and thus influential. That would enhance his credibility, especially as he was under attack from some leaders that he was not an apostle.

His other plans include opening the way to preach the Gospel in the west, and for this reason to visit Spain. He could do this comfortably from Rome. With these plans in his mind, Paul still wants his visit to be one of mutually beneficial for the Roman church and himself.

His mission, Paul says, is to preach the Gospel to both Greeks and non-Greeks, the wise and the foolish. The Greeks considered themselves as cultured and disdainfully looked down upon those who did not speak the Greek language as barbarians.

The wise and the foolish, again will mean the educated and the uneducated. Anyone who was not educated in the Greek language, letters and fashions were considered uneducated and foolish. At this time, Greek was the lingua franca of the Roman court and the then Roman world. But Paul himself will serve both the Greeks and the non-Greeks.

Galatians 3:28, mentions that there is neither Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus. Paul reiterates this concept in Colossians 3:11, by saying there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all and is in all.

So, Paul is eager to preach the Gospel to those at Rome, because being in the capitol, the Roman church had a good measure of Gentiles as well as Jews. In this context, Paul declares that he is not ashamed of preaching this Gospel, because it is the power of God to save the souls of everyone who believes in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

The Gospel went first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. It was first preached to the Jews because Jesus was a Jew and his Apostles were all Jewish, and geographically the message went first to the Jews. Jews in any case had a priority in receiving God’s saving message, as God’s chosen people.

While sending his disciples two by two to preach the message of salvation, Jesus told them to first go to the ‘lost sheep of Israel.’ Matthew 10:6. Israel was the chosen race by God to bear His light to the world. That they failed in that mission is a different issue.

After the coming of the Messiah, the message of God’s salvation went to everyone, throughout the world, keeping in God’s promise to bring His blessings to all the people of the world through Abraham. Genesis 12:3. Jesus, after his resurrection, commanded his disciples to go to all the world and make disciples. Matthew 28:19-20.

Thus, God’s salvation came to all people on earth, both the Jews and the Gentiles, through Jesus Christ, of which Paul received the commission to preach.  

  

Bible Study: Romans Chapter 1, verses 1-7

In the previous blog, we saw that Paul introduces himself as a servant of Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for preaching the Gospel of God. We need to consider just one or two more facts from this verse 1.

Paul calls Jesus as Christ Jesus here, preferring it to Jesus Christ. As we know the name ‘Jesus,’ ‘Yeshua’ in Hebrew means ‘Saviour.’ The Jews waited for a ‘Messiah,’ in Hebrew it meant the Anointed Saviour, to save them from political oppression through centuries of foreign domination.

The angel Gabriel, however, told Mary that the son to be born to her be given the name ‘Jesus,’ because he will save his people from their sin. This was the fundamental confusion in the minds of the Temple elders about the role of the Messiah. Either way the name Jesus means Saviour. Matthew 1:21

Jesus was first addressed as Christ by Peter, Matthew 16:16, on the Mount of Transfiguration, when Jesus asks his disciples, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter says "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Christ is a title and not a name, and it means ‘the Anointed One,’ ‘Christos’ in Greek, which is the ‘Messiah’ of Hebrew language.

The title Christ is used here by Paul as the name itself. Jesus is not just Jesus Christ, but Christ Jesus. The emphasis here is on Jesus being the Son of God, over the name Jesus Christ, where the emphasis is on the man-part, Jesus being the Son of Man.

Having dwelt sufficiently on that, we can now turn to the last point of interest in Verse 1, that of ‘gospel of God.’ What is the gospel? What do we mean by that? Yes, gospel is the ‘good news,’ we all know. But what is that good news? The good news is that we have a Saviour now, who has the authority to forgive our sins, so that we can be reconciled to God the Father and inherit eternal life.

According to other religions, for example in Hinduism, no one, including God has power to forgive one’s sins. One must suffer the bad effects of one’s bad ‘karma,’ and do meritorious deeds like feeding the poor, visiting places of pilgrimage, etc., thus earning good ‘karmic’ points, to be absolved of one’s sins.

In such a scenario, Christ comes offering salvation as a gift, as he has the power to forgive our sins, because of what he did on the cross. That is the good news that we are celebrating as the Gospel of God.

Moving to the second verse, Paul says that this gospel of God, the good news, has been promised beforehand through God’s prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The very day Eve and Adam sinned, while pronouncing the punishments to each one of the erred party, God had made a provision for the salvation of humankind.

In Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” Paul goes on to explain this ‘seed’ as Jesus Christ in Galatians 3:16.

Such references are strewn throughout the Old Testament (OT) books and prophesies, foretelling the coming of a Messiah, a Saviour who will save us from our sins and fallen nature. God selected Abraham and said that through him “all the people on earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:3.

Once Messiah, the Saviour Jesus Christ had come, the way for salvation was thrown open to all humankind, without any difference between Jews and Gentiles. That is the blessing and the good news Paul is talking about here. In Galatians 3:28-29 Paul reiterates this point further.  

This carrier of the good news of God was to be a descendant of David, as far as his human nature was concerned. Romans 1:3. David was promised by God that he will not lack a descendant to sit on his throne. In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, God gave David a promise, a Davidic Covenant, that “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me.” This was fulfilled in Christ, the eternal King, or ‘King eternal,’ as in the doxology at 1 Timothy 1:17.

The next verse addresses the divine nature of this Jesus Christ, the good news of God. Through the Spirit of holiness, the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ was declared the Son of God. Jesus was not just a human being, but was also Divine, the Son of God. He was thus declared as Son of God by the Holy Spirit, through the power of whom, Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

Paul further explains this concept in Romans 8:11, where the emphasis is again on the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead. The power of God, which created the heavens and earth and all that are therein, Genesis 1: 2, is the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and will raise us also on the Judgement Day.

On earth in our present lives, it is the same Spirit, which will transform and renew our minds so that we find approval of God to inherit the eternal life. Romans 12:2  

Paul calls Jesus Christ as ‘our Lord,’ here in verse 4. It was the resurrected Jesus who was addressed as ‘the Lord,’ first by Thomas, who had doubted the resurrection of Jesus, and on meeting the resurrected Jesus personally called Him, “My Lord and my God.” John 20:28. Resurrection was the proof that Jesus Christ was and is our Lord God Almighty. Revelation 1:8.

Paul now rounds up his own credentials by stating in verse 5 that through this resurrected Jesus Christ, and for the purposes of glorifying His name, people like him had received grace and apostleship. To minister to Jesus Christ is a calling, and it is not obtained by our efforts, but it is purely due to grace of God. There is nothing for us to boast. It is by grace of God that we get this privilege.

And the purpose of this calling, bestowed upon the apostles is to call all people, including those of Gentiles to the obedience to Jesus Christ. In today’s parlance, Gentile would mean any non-Christian, anyone who has not yet accepted Christ as his/her saviour and Lord.

The Great Commission given by Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19-20 says, “… go and make disciples of all nations, … and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” This is the obedience that Paul is mentioning in verse 5, and this comes from faith.

Faith believes in the work Jesus Christ had done on the cross, dying in our place, so that we sinners can go scot free. This is the faith that will save us from our sins. As Jesus himself said, we are to believe in the One sent by God. John 6:29.

Paul now mentions in verse 6 that the believers in Roman church also have the privilege of being called to be the ambassadors of Christ, for they also belong to Jesus Christ, mainly because of their faith in Him.   

Paul completes his introduction by addressing this letter to all in Rome, who are loved by God and called to be saints. All believers who believe in Christ are loved by God, the Father, for He has already declared at the Mount of Transfiguration, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5

Are we saints of the Lord? That is how Paul addresses his readers at Rome and almost every church he writes to. To be a saint is to be holy, sacred and set apart. A believer is asked to be holy, and set apart from the ‘world,’ so that he/she is totally dedicated to God through Jesus Christ.

One main theme of OT is God demanding that His people be holy. Lev.19:2, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” This is reiterated in New Testament by Peter in 1 Peter 1:15. Are we worthy of being called saints of the Lord? If not, we need to obey His commandments and make ourselves worthy of the calling we have received.

Finally, Paul extends his customary greetings of extending grace and peace to the believers in Rome, from God the Father and the Son, Lord Jesus Christ.

May I also extend all grace and peace and joy on this New Year’s Day that the Lord has enabled us all to see and enjoy?

Praise be to the Lord God alone.

Amen.