Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

As I was growing up, my diet was extremely poor. I ate a lot of junk and fast food. I was a very active athlete, so that I could burn much of it off. But then I went to college, where I was less active. By the time I was in my 30s, I was even less active, and because I wasn’t so young anymore, I was in bad shape. I felt sick all the time. I had heartburn, intestinal ulcers, allergies, brain fog, and low energy. I was a disaster. I went to my doctor to find out what was wrong. He said, “You’re killing yourself.” He told me to eat vegetables, drink water, and stop consuming fast food.

The change was hard at first. Salad tasted like grass, in my opinion. But I got rid of soda and junk food and replaced them with vegetables, fruit, clean protein, and water. I altered my whole diet, and bit by bit, I started getting healthier. I started feeling better. I could sleep, and I no longer had allergies. I did this for years. The next thing I knew, I started enjoying the discipline more and more, and I was feeling better and better.

One day, driving home, I went by a fast food restaurant. I thought to myself, “I have not had fast food in years.” So, I pulled over and bought a hamburger, fries, and a shake. I ate it in the car before I got home because I knew Grace wouldn’t like it. When I got home, Grace asked, “How are you doing?” I replied, “I don’t feel good. I’m not sure why. Maybe I have a touch of COVID-19 or something.” Then I threw it all up. My body literally said, “We are not doing this anymore.” My appetite changed. What I used to eat is not what I eat now. I don’t like that stuff anymore.

In Romans, Paul compares and contrasts life before Jesus to life with Jesus:

-We were unrighteous, but now we are righteous (1–4).

-We were enemies of God, but now we are friends of God (5:1–11).

-We were fallen in Adam, but now we are raised in Christ (5:12–21).

-We were spiritually dead, but now we are spiritually alive (6:1–14).

-We were slaves to sin, but now we are free from sin (6:15–23).

-We were under the law, but now we are under grace (7:1–13).

-We were in the flesh, but now we are in the Spirit (7:14–25).

Today’s Reflection

How was your life before you met Jesus, and how is it different now?