Old Testament: Deuteronomy 11 & 12
Poetry: Job 33
New Testament: Romans 1
He is risen indeed! I write this devotion to you on the heels of celebrating Resurrection Sunday with our church family. What a joyous celebration, as we celebrate the victory that Jesus had over death and what that means for us today. The first people who heard that Jesus has risen from the grave were the ladies present when the angel rolled the stone away. The angel told them that Jesus “is not here, for he has risen” (ESV Matthew 28:6). The angel then gave the ladies simple instructions: “go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead” (Matthew 28:7). Go and tell. That’s what the ladies were to do; they were to go and tell others that Jesus is alive. If there has ever been a bona fide star of someone who simply goes and tells others about Jesus, it would have to be the apostle Paul.
From the moment that Paul placed his faith in Christ Jesus, his whole life seemed to revolve around spreading the gospel message of the king and the kingdom. He took a few missionary journeys and wrote many letters seeking to advance the gospel message of the king and the kingdom. What we have here in Romans is another example of Paul’s innate desire to go and tell others about Jesus and what was important to him.
Romans 1:1 identifies Paul as the author of this letter: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” I would say that is a pretty good summary of who Paul is. Paul served Jesus from the moment that Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, and Paul was sent off to advance the gospel message of God. Romans 1:7 identifies the target audience of this letter: “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints.” Paul was writing to all of the saints in the city of Rome. A saint is simply someone who, like Paul, is set apart from the world around them. Paul is writing to those in Rome who have set themselves apart from the world by putting their faith in Christ Jesus.
It is believed that Paul wrote this letter around 56-58 AD – less than 30 years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The Roman Empire is nearing its peak in power. In 49 AD, the Roman emperor Claudius banished all Jews from the city of Rome. This decree lasted until Claudius’ death 5 years later. Thus, at the time of the writing, the Jews were just able to reenter the city of Rome. Around 56-58 AD, Nero would have just become the emperor. He would eventually wreak havoc on the Christians in the city of Rome, but this would not have come until after Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome. The saints in Rome would have consisted of both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. I am sure they experienced similar tension that other groups of Christians experienced as well.
Paul would eventually find his way to the city of Rome in chains, but at the time of his writing, he had not yet been to Rome. Verses 8-15 detail Paul’s desire to go to Rome. We learn that Paul was “eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome,” (Romans 1:15). Paul wanted to go preach the gospel to them in person, but in the meantime, he would write a unifying letter to them about the gospel message. That is largely what the letter of Romans is – Paul’s presentation of the gospel message. I like to break down Paul’s presentation of the gospel message in Romans into three parts: 1. Our sin and need of salvation. 2. God’s plan of salvation for us. 3. How to live a Christian life.
After Paul’s introduction in the first 17 verses or so, Paul transitions into the topic of our sin and our need of salvation. It is not a fun section to read though, but it is needed to get to the fun sections. Why talk about salvation if we have no need of being saved? There would be no point! However, as we will see in the next couple of chapters, Paul does a pretty stand-up job of expressing mankind’s desperate need of salvation.
I look forward to progressing through this letter with you. In the meantime, I encourage you to consider Paul’s task and desire of going and telling others about the risen savior. Just as the ladies present at the tomb of Jesus and the apostle Paul himself, I implore you to go and tell!
-Kyle McClain
Reflection Questions
- Where and to whom might God be directing you to Go and Tell? Paul used both letters and visits to tell the gospel message of the king and kingdom. How could you share the message with those you know – and those you have yet to meet?
- What is the importance of each part of Paul’s message: 1. Our sin and need of salvation. 2. God’s plan of salvation for us. 3. How to live a Christian life? What happens when any one of those are not shared and taught?
- Pray for the God’s wisdom, words and direction as you follow Paul’s example. Then Go and Tell!
Seek Grow Love 