Hi and welcome back. Today we’re going to continue with our study of Romans.
Last week we studied verses 2-6 in chapter one. We left off with the following passage,
Romans 1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
As we stated last week it is God who calls us. We are called to belong to Jesus Christ, but our calling doesn’t end there. As we will see as we go forward with our study today. So let’s take a look at,
Romans 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
To all those in Rome who are loved by God.
God’s love knows no bounds. After all, it was Roman soldiers that nailed Jesus to a cross. Our heavenly Father would be well within his rights to withhold His love from those who are of Roman descent. But our God is a God of love and His plan for salvation was all inclusive even those who nailed his Son to a cross.
How about you, is your love all inclusive?
Is there somebody who has wronged you and you’ve withheld your love for them? Maybe, you’re not only holding a grudge against them, but against their entire family. Guilt by association. Maybe that family has cultural differences and now your lack of love has hardened your heart towards an entire race. There is no specific mention of racism in the Bible. But the following verse sheds some light on the subject.
Ephesians 2:13-14 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
Jesus tore down the divisions of hate and prejudice between groups that hated one another.
If God can open His heart to those who nailed his only begotten Son to a cross, we should be able to do the same for those who have done us wrong.
1 Corinthians 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love.
Continuing on in Verse 7 we read,
and called to be saints
We are not only called to belong to Jesus Christ, we are called to be saints. The word saint is hagios; in the Greek, it means holy one.
It doesn’t mean a select few individuals who are elevated to sainthood. If you are a Christian you are a saint. In actuality you could introduce yourself to someone as saint whatever your name is. I’m sure that would be a great way to open up a dialogue about the gospel. Just a thought.
The next thing we read in verse 7 is this,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The grace that is mentioned in this verse is not the grace that saves, Paul’s readers were already saved. But rather it is the grace that equips and empowers us for Christian Life and service.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
That Grace and knowledge is found in every aspect of our life. Let’s take a look at how that Grace is made manifest in us.
As a Christian you should have a heart of Grace.
That heart should reject idolatry in all its many forms. When we place anything above God we have made that an idol in our lives. Whether it be worldly pleasures, money, drugs, or even your job, anything you place above God has become an idol in your life.
Although some of these things are not inherently sinful, they can become idols to a heart that is empty of God’s grace.
Hebrews 13:9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace…
The next Grace that should be evident in our lives is the grace of humility.
If we are prideful we have elevated ourselves above God. We may obey God, but we tend to pick and choose when we will, because after all it’s all about us.
Allowing pride in our lives means that we have rejected God’s grace, because God only gives grace to the humble.
James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Another Grace we should consider is the grace of weakness.
If we are weak then it leaves room for God to strengthen us. But if we do things in our own strength there is no place for God in our lives.
Paul is a good example of God’s grace in his life. He spoke of a thorn in his flesh and asked God to remove it. But rather than remove it God used it to strengthen Paul.
2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
When we accept our weakness then pride will have no place in our lives and we can be used for God’s glory.
The next Grace is the grace of worship.
Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Our worship is not limited to a Sunday service. If we rejoice in Hope this day and every day, our confidence and our faith will grow stronger so that we may become spiritual leaders in our church and our community.
The grace to serve joyfully should definitely be a part of who we are.
Jesus set the standard when he washed the disciples feet.
John 13:3-5 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
If the Son of God can lower himself to wash a bunch of stinking feet then we should have no trouble serving others.
It takes humility to serve and it should bring us great joy knowing all that we do brings glory to God.
This is a good place for us to bring this to a close. Next week we will continue on with our journey and see which direction the Holy Spirit takes us.