“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
~ Romans 1:16
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you embarrassed to be Christ-followers? What does to be a Christ-follower mean to you? Paul was not embarrassed to be a Christ-follower. Paul’s apologetic missive to the Christ-follower community of guys and gals in Rome was to inspire and encourage Tertius – who was one of his colleagues, and the Gentile Christ-followers who were living in Rome how to stand up faithfully in their faith. Your grandpaa thinks that when a guy or gal is going to read the Roman Letter that it would be helpful for him or her to read the last chapter first. Paul was in Corinth when he dictated a theological essay that is now known as the Roman Letter. The Roman Letter was probably taken by Phoebe to the Christ-follower community of guys and gals who were living in Rome. The Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in Rome were apparently struggling with living out their faith in Jesus Christ as being their Lord and Savior. Paul begins his Roman Letter – in Romans 1 and in verse 16, by saying “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first the Jew, then for the Gentile.” When Paul dictated this letter to the Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in Rome, Rome’s population was over one million guys, gals and kids. Rome was a burgeoning city that offered all kinds of special amenities. Rome was known for its imposing public buildings, aqueducts, baths, theaters and thoroughfares. Rome was a geographical and political center. Rome was built on a series of jutting foothills and low-lying eminences – or small hills, which were located near a bend on the Tiber River. The most prominent land feature of Rome was the Capitoline Hill. Temples to Jupiter and Juno were built on the Capitoline Hill. Another well-known site in Rome was the Palatine. Palatine was where the imperial palaces were located. The hub of the Roman empire at this time was the Roman Forum. The Capitoline hill and the Palatine looked down on the Roman Forum. As beautiful and as magnificent as Rome was 2000 years ago, Rome was also the world’s sewer where very wicked guys from all over planet Earth met to live perverse lifestyles. Rome had enormous civic pride for its architectural breakthroughs and city growth but . . . Rome should though have had enormous civic shame for its urban social plights.
Paul called guys, gals and kids fools who were living in Rome who refused to become Christ-followers. How would you like to be called a fool? A fool to Paul was any guy or gal who spent his or her time worshipping images that were handmade to look like mortal men, birds, animals and reptiles. A fool to Paul was any guy or gal who was living an immoral life. A fool to Paul was any guy or gal who God had given a depraved mind because he or she had made the decision to refuse to pass through the faith/grace door to become a Christ-follower. Guys and gals who were living in Rome and who had been given a depraved mind by God would end up living lifestyles that were evil, greedy and unscrupulous. Guys and gals who were living in Rome and who had been given a depraved mind by God were recognized by their actions and attitudes. Guys and gals who were living in Rome and who had been given a depraved mind by God were envious, murderous, strife driven, deceitful, malicious, insolent, gossip mongering, slanderous, God-hating, egotistical, boastful, disobedient, senseless, faithless, heartless and ruthless. Paul understood the daunting challenges that the guys and gals were facing who were members of the Christ-follower community in Rome. The guys and gals who were attendees of the Christ-follower community in Rome were being asked to faithfully adhere to a brand new worship and belief paradigm. Because Paul had centered his life on ridding all Christ-followers from the Judea and Galilee land areas – before a sudden and unexpected flash of God’s glory dramatically changed the trajectory of Paul’s life, Paul could empathize with the guys and gals who were adherents in the Christ-follower community that was in Rome as they faced everyday massive social corruption and atrocious moral filth that was all around them – that was trying to tear them away from living Christ-filled lives.
The Christ-follower community in Rome could be today’s Anywhere Christ-follower community of guys and gals. Guys and gals in Anywhere Christ-follower communities are being challenged today by an acquiescent society that is thriving on ambiguity. Guys and gals in Anywhere Christ-follower communities are being challenged today by a slippery slope with morality teetering on top – about ready to slide down the slope and . . . self-seekers have undermined doing what used to be right to do while the self-righteous have subterfuged standing up for what used to be right to do. Paul’s Roman Letter is today being taught and preached in the context of social relevance instead of being taught and preached in the context that it was written – which was a confrontation against moral decay and social decadence. Paul’s heartbeat was to see guys, gals and kids living God-centered lives that conformed to God’s will versus seeing guys, gals and kids living putrid, self-focused lives. Your grandpaa is having a really hard time today getting it how a leader of a Christ-follower community can condone – and even advocate, lifestyles that are adamantly condemned by guys like Paul – like he did in his Roman Letter. A core component of the Bible education program that your grandmaa and grandpaa implemented in Concepción, Ñuflo de Chávez, Bolivia and which your grandpaa contextualized more in Guatemala was and is discipleship. To be a faithful Christ-follower, a guy, gal or kid needs to be in the infrastructure and network of other Christ-followers who are guys and gals who have been enabled to give Biblically-based responses and Spirit-prompted direction to guide him or her on his or her life trek.
Romans 1 (609)