Theology for Everybody: RomansSample

In writing his longest and deepest letter, Paul starts with Jesus. As obvious as this might seem, it really is the secret of Paul’s success.

Let me tell you about Jesus. His earthly name is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, or Joshua. As Joseph’s adopted son, he would have been known as Yeshua ben Yosef. We also know Him as Christ, which means ‘anointed,’ chosen by God as the Savior and Messiah. Jesus lived about 2,000 years ago. He grew up in the town of Nazareth. Today, it is the largest city in the northern district of modern Israel, but when Jesus lived there, it was a small rural village. His working-class parents were poor. They were probably teenagers when he was born, although Joseph may have been a little older. The size of the house where He grew up was likely just a little larger than a parking space.

For the first 30 years of his life, Jesus lived in obscurity. He swung a hammer working with His dad. At 30, He embarked on a three-year public ministry preaching sermons, healing sick people, casting out demons, and performing other miracles with God’s power. Broken people loved Him, but religious people hated Him. Arrogant people didn’t like Him either. They opposed Jesus, harassed Him, and lied about Him. Ultimately, they betrayed Him and took His life. Arrested and crucified Him, Jesus endured the wrath of God. As God promised, however, three days after dying in your place for your sins as the Suffering Servant, Jesus came roaring back to life. He conquered sin, death, and Satan.

When Jesus appeared to Paul, the educated Pharisee could no longer deny Him. Paul then knew Jesus is who He says He is, and Jesus does what He says He does. Paul became a true believer, a Christian. Paul’s conversion in the wake of Jesus’ Resurrection birthed the biggest movement of any kind in the world's history. A billion people on earth today claim that Jesus is their Lord. We measure time before Him (BC) and after His earthly life (AD or Anno Domini, which means ‘the year of our Lord’). The world celebrates Jesus’ birth every Christmas. Believers celebrate His Resurrection every Easter Sunday. More songs have been sung to Him, more pictures painted portraying Him, more books written about Him, and more lives devoted to Him than anyone who has ever lived.

If we want our lives to experience the blessing of God’s anointing, we must prioritize service to Jesus Christ above all else. Too often, we seek success and focus our time on the pursuit of fame. Then we wonder why God does not show up in power to make our dreams come true. God does not want to serve our vision; He wants us to serve His vision. God does not want to bless us for doing what we want; He wants to bless us for doing what He wants.

Consider the parent-child relationship. Children who ignore their parents, make plans with which their parents do not agree, and then demand that their parents obey them should not be surprised when their parents remind them who the real authority in the relationship is. We are the children in our relationship with God, and the Father is the parent. He is in charge, not us.

God’s plan and highest priority is for everyone everywhere to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. People have many problems, but their first and biggest problem is separation from God brought about by sin. We introduce people to Jesus Christ so He can fix their biggest problem and then help them with all their other problems. Practically speaking, this means we should start everything with Jesus Christ. We should start our day by meeting with Him. We should start our marriages by devoting them to Jesus Christ. We should start our budget by giving first to Him. We should begin our parenting by dedicating our children to Jesus Christ. We should start our friendships by praying for people through Him. Jesus must always be first if we hope to have anything else blessed.

Today’s Reflection

Is there any area of your life that does not have Jesus Christ as the top priority? If so, what is it?