Fully Devoted: The ChurchSample

Romans, Part 1: Divided Christians and a United Church

The book of Acts invites us into the story of the early church as Jesus’ disciples carry the message of the gospel from Jerusalem, into Judea, and all the way to the heart of the Roman Empire. The very next document we come to is Paul’s Epistle to the Christians living in Rome. 

What exactly is an epistle? Epistles are letters written by the apostles to help the early Christians navigate the specific challenges they were facing and to help them understand how to live as faithful disciples of Jesus. 

Of the twenty epistles found in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul is credited with writing thirteen of them. The most influential of these epistles is Romans. Romans is sixteen chapters of spiritual depth, theological brilliance, and pastoral guidance that has arguably had more influence on the shape of western Christianity than any other New Testament writing. Christians throughout history have been inspired and transformed by the words contained within this letter. Not only that, but thousands upon thousands of pages have been written by scholars and theologians in an attempt to grasp what this letter is all about. 

For these reasons and so many more, Paul’s letter to the Romans can be an intimidating book of the Bible to grapple with. So over the next few days, we’re going to walk through the four major movements of this letter to help us better understand what Paul was trying to accomplish and to help us develop skills that will carry over to understanding the rest of the epistles. 

When we read the epistles we’re reading someone else’s mail. Imagine reading a text message conversation in which you can only see what one of the people is saying. You would probably have a decent idea of what the conversation was about, but there would likely be some parts of the conversation that are hard to understand. 

The epistles were each written to a specific group of people dealing with specific issues. This does not mean the epistles are not relevant and applicable to our lives today. They absolutely are! The wisdom and guidance contained within these writings is immensely valuable for us today. But, just like the rest of the Bible, we should always approach these words with humility, because even though the Bible is God’s Word for us, it wasn’t originally written to us. 

If we forget that, it can be really easy to read our assumptions and beliefs into the Scriptures rather than letting the Scriptures reshape our assumptions and inform our beliefs. 

So, who was Paul writing this letter to? 

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people … Romans 1:7 NIV

Paul is writing this letter to the Christians living in Rome. Now that we know who Paul was writing to, what specific challenges was he trying to help them overcome? 

Without asking this question, we can easily start reading Romans as a bunch of abstract theology for how individuals get saved, instead of as a letter written to a specific community intended to help them live as faithful students of Jesus. 

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey demonstrated the power of “beginning with the end in mind.” By beginning with the end of Romans in mind, we can begin to form a more full picture of what the earlier parts of this letter are building toward. 

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:5-7 NIV

This is the grand finale of this masterpiece of Christian theology and practice. The joining together of the divided Christians in Rome into a single united body. A church where Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, the “weak” and the “strong,” could all come together with one mind and one voice declaring that Jesus is King. 

Reading Romans is like trying to swim across an ocean of theological and literary brilliance so deep and wide and vast that, if we’re not careful, we may not make it to the other side. It’s only when we get to the other side that we see the destination this entire letter has been moving us toward: the joining together of a divided community of Christians into a united family through faith in Jesus. 

The rest of this week, we’re going to walk through some of the major themes and ideas found in the four main movements of this epistle, found in chapters 1-4, 5-8, 9-11, and 12-16. 

Along the way, with the Apostle Paul’s writings and the Spirit of God guiding us, we’ll discover all the more what it looks like to love God with all that we are, and to love others as Jesus has loved us. 

Journaling Questions 

• What verse stood out to you the most in today’s reading? Write it in your journal. 
• How does the idea of reading the epistles as someone else’s mail help you understand Scripture better?
• What questions do you still have about that concept? Write them in your journal and process with people you trust. 

Memory Verse

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV