Romans 1:7-8

Passage

To all the beloved ones of God who are in Rome – called to holiness: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ regarding all of you because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul calls the Romans “beloved” and “called to holiness.”  The Christians in Roman are beloved – loved unconditionally – by God.  That’s just a reality.  God’s love for all those in Christ is unconditional.  Paul also tells the Romans that they are called to holiness.  They word holy doesn’t mean “religious,” it actually means “separate” or “different.”  Paul is reminding the Christians is Rome that they are to be different than the Romans around them.  It is alright that they are in Rome, but they need to be different than the culture around them.

Are you beloved by God?  How do you know?  How do you live that out?  Are you holy?  Are you different than the world around you?  How do you live that out?

Second Thought:

Paul assures the Romans that their faith is being proclaimed in the whole world.  This is neat for two reasons.  First, remember that this letter is to the church in Rome.  Rome is the center of the Roman Empire.  It is a church at the core of Roman Paganism, Roman Emperor worship, and Roman legality.  In the midst of these oppressive forces, the church in Rome is thriving.  Christians throughout the empire (the known world) are marveling at how a church can not only exist but thrive in such a culture.  The Romans did not let their culture influence or stop their witness to the Gospel.

What modern comparison might you make to the church in Rome?  What are some places in the world that you wouldn’t expect a church to be able to survive?  What do you believe is the source of strength that is causing the Romans to thrive?  What might their motivation be for thriving?

Third Thought:

The second reason that this is neat is because of the witness that the congregations in Rome are giving to the world.  If a church can survive in Rome, then it can surely survive anywhere, can it not?  Paul is reminding the Roman congregations of their witness to the world.  They are an inspiration to others.  Paul is reminding us that we are more than just Christians where God has planted us.  We are Christians here to transform lives in our locality as well as to be a witness and a story used to inspire followers of God in other locales!  We are here to ignite and motivate faith elsewhere in the world!

Do you think God is able to use you to ignite faith anywhere else in the world?  If so, how is He doing it?  If not, what is preventing Him?  Why can it be challenging or even threatening to see yourself as an agent of change and inspiration in your current locale as well as potentially around the world?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 1:9-12