Theology for Everybody: Romansنموونە

We live in a lonely world. We have no shortage of people but are missing deep, meaningful, loving, and committed relationships. It seems like almost everyone is using and abusing others for their own benefit without concern for the well-being of others.

To make matters worse, occasionally, we are blessed with a warm, loving, devoted, and healthy relationship, only to see it end. The person we love and appreciate dies, moves away, or something blows up the relationship so that it's never quite the same again.

Sadly, many people turn to the rules of religion only to experience more relational damage as people judge and punish rather than forgive and bless. This is precisely Paul’s story. He had plenty of religion, and that was his problem. He needed healthy relationships, starting with Jesus Christ.

When Paul says we are “called to belong to Jesus Christ,” the language is a warm, endearing term for relationship. When we want to begin a personal relationship with someone, we often start by sitting down together for a meal. This imagery is precisely what Paul uses. Jesus welcomes us to sit down, get to know one another, and build a relationship where we belong to one another, doing life together in every way. For those who accept this invitation to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Paul says there are four things that God gives:

·Love—God actively pursues you for relationship and never stops that pursuit.

·Sainthood—God sees you as you will be when He is done with you in eternity, and He builds you up for your future rather than beating you down for your past.

·Grace—God gives blessings you don’t have to earn as free gifts to benefit you.

·Peace—God gives you peace about your past, so you are freed from guilt, shame, and regret, and He also gives peace about your future, so you are freed from worry, stress, and anxiety over what is to come.

Are you tired of people predicting the future and not getting it right? I recently heard an “expert,” whose name I won’t reveal, say, “It will either get better or worse.” Over and over, we try to predict the future, but only God knows the future. The good news is we don’t need to know the future because we can know the God who does. And we can understand that He is the Lord over the future, and He is the Savior through the process into the future. And His name is Jesus.

So let me make this personal. Romans 1:6–7 says you are called to belong to Jesus Christ. The love of God, the grace of God, the relationship with God, the forgiveness of sin, eternal life—it’s all for you. When was the last time somebody said, “Do you know what? I’m for you”? When’s the last time somebody said, “I’m here for you?” When did somebody say, “I want what’s best for you”? Jesus said all those things. He’s for you. You are called to belong to Jesus Christ because you’re loved by God. “And called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Today’s Reflection

How has God called you to belong to Jesus Christ?