2.16.2009

When in Romans...

In the late 50’s AD, close to 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, a missionary/church planter named Paul sits in a home in the Greek city of Corinth. Maybe he is having dinner with his friends Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tent makers and followers of Jesus.
Breaking bread they discuss the many stories they have heard. Lives are being transformed by the message of Jesus, a new humanity has started, and a new kingdom is being formed right under the nose of the oppressive Roman Empire.
Speaking of the Romans, Aquila tells Paul a story of a church community he was a part of in the Empire’s capital city, Rome. This is a very dangerous place to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and Caesar is... well… a salad.
Aquila and Priscilla break the news to Paul that they are moving to rejoin this community in Rome. Paul is excited but also sad, the kind of feeling you get when you find out your close friends are moving to San Diego to take a great job.
Paul has a desire to go, he even feels called to go further west into Spain. Yet he is not sure if he will ever make it, he already has so much on his plate (figuratively speaking of course, any abundance of food was usually shared with the hungry by the early Christians :)).
A few days later (maybe years) Paul decides to write a letter to this church in Rome. He knows his pen has great influence, almost like there is Someone helping him write. He wonders what he should put in this letter. He knows many of the people in this church, but he is not familiar with specific situations. He decides to write what he believes is essential for the church in Rome to hear, his foundational theology. Just in case he never makes it, he wants the church in Rome to be clear on where he stands.
Let’s see what Paul decided to write…


PS- I am not sure this is what happened, just trying to paint a picture ☺

2 comments:

  1. Today is the start of a new book. If you were not able to keep up with Matthew, this is a great place to start up again. Romans is only 16 chapters. Invite friends to join the conversation. Have a great day!

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  2. Verses 18 - 28 are referred to in one of the translations I read as "God's Wrath Against Mankind" (as a general heading to the passage). I viewed this moreso as "Man's Rejection of God". God's natural or general revelation was and should have been enough, but men, generally, rejected this for their own pursuits (so-called spiritual and otherwise). There is no better chapter to clarify that God is both loving, but He is also the penultimate judge of mankind. If we follow, we become part of the amazing fraternity that is God's saints. If we choose to reject Him, we will be judged. God is loving, but He is holy and short of our "emancipation proclamation" through Jesus, we fall short. Man inadequately believes (even often in Christian circles) that we can perform our way to heaven. Without Jesus, our mediator and emancipator, man is eternally lost. Seems pretty clear to me!

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