4/7/24 “A Letter to Rome”
“A Letter to Rome”
Romans 1:1-17
For those of us who enjoy the game of college basketball, this is the weekend we wait for all year long.
The NCAA tournament which began 3 weeks ago is down to the final four teams – and one of these teams will become the 2024 national champion.
This year, the men are sharing the national spotlight in a whole new way with the women’s tournament as millions of people are tuning in to watch Iowa’s Kaitlin Clark play her final games as a collegiate athlete.
Clark has broken every major NCAA woman’s basketball record, easily cementing herself as the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time.
Our daughter Lexy had the opportunity to play against Kaitlin Clark in an AAU tournament up in the twin cities when Lexy was an incoming senior and Kaitlin was an incoming sophomore.
As I recall, it didn’t go too well for Lexy’s team as this young incoming Sophomore was draining every 3-point shot she would take…
Later today, the top 2 women’s teams___________________________________ will play for the National Championship…it should be very exciting!
Imagine taking a friend to tonight’s game who’s from a remote part of the world (Say….Easter Island)
…And this friend of yours from Easter Island has never been to a basketball game before – they know nothing about the game.
Then, after the game, imagine your friend goes back home to Easter Island where no one has ever heard of the game of basketball….I know this is far-fetched – just stay with me 😊
Your friend was so inspired by what they saw with you at the national championship game, they decide to organize their own local team of players – including a coaching staff, trainers, etc.
Being on a remote island, your friend has no access to tv, books, or the internet to learn anything more about the game of basketball…other than the single, 2-hour game they watched with you….
Now….how competent do you think this team would be - given their only exposure to the game of basketball was just 1 game…witnessed by just 1 person?
Like me, you would probably assume that this team would not do well if they played another team that had much more experience with the game…
Let’s say a year later, you go to visit your friend on Easter Island – Just don’t touch a Moai statue! (Inside joke for those of you who were here last week) –
…You go to the island and you find out that not only do they have an organized basketball team, but they are very skilled at every position, they understand the rules of the game, and their coaching staff is knowledgeable and effective….this would leave you completely baffled, wouldn’t it?
You would be wondering how one person’s exposure to just a single game could result in such a skilled, well coached team.
Well…believe it or not, the church in Rome has quite a few things in common with this hypothetical basketball team that was organized on a remote Island!
Consider this:
Although Rome was the center of world power and politics in the 1st century AD, it was very isolated from Jerusalem…In fact, Rome would have been about as isolated from Jerusalem in those days as Easter Island is from us today.
1,500 miles separated Jerusalem (The birthplace of the church) from Rome, Italy.
No cars or planes back then….so if your were walking 10 hours a day, it would take 63 days to walk from Jerusalem to Rome.
Very few people had the resources to embark upon such an excursion…typically only the very rich - or those in the Roman government - would have the ability to make such a journey.
If you remember, the apostle Paul, who started churches in Asia minor and Europe during his 3 missionary journeys, never went to Rome (He would eventually get to Rome, but that would be near the end of his life)
And yet, this Roman church had leaders, it had established outreach ministries, it had a very well-defined organizational structure in place…
So, the obvious question is: If Paul didn’t start this church…and Peter didn’t get to Rome until much later in his life….and we aren’t told of any other apostles who would have ventured that far from Jerusalem…then who started the church in Rome?
Well, scripture doesn’t reveal anyone specifically by name – but it does give us a clue.
Acts 2:10-11 tells us that a few brave Jewish people made the extremely long trip from Rome to Jerusalem to undoubtedly celebrate Passover…and, at least some of them, remained in Jerusalem 50 days later to celebrate ‘Shavuot’ (Or, the ‘Feast of Weeks’ as it is also known)
It was during this ‘Feast of Weeks’ that the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers who were gathered together, and the church was born…
Today….we know this celebration better by its Greek name: that of Pentecost.
If you recall, Peter delivers a ‘Championship caliber’ sermon for the ages during Pentecost where we read that over 3,000 people (mostly Jewish people) give their lives to Christ.
It is believed that the relatively small contingent from Rome were the ones who brought the message of Jesus Christ back to Italy…
AND the church of Rome was born.
Like our imaginary friend from Easter Island who lacked basketball knowledge, these people from Rome would have had zero exposure to the teachings of Jesus before witnessing the miraculous appearance of the Holy Spirit and hearing Peter’s sermon at Pentecost.
Imagine that….a sermon and a few conversations with the apostles were all these people had to go on before returning home to start a church of their own – kind of like organizing a basketball team after watching just a single game.
Obviously, the Holy Spirit gave them much wisdom and discernment in launching the church in Rome – the most important city on earth at the time.
And not only did these people begin a church, but they also began a church that thrived!
Paul writes this letter to the church in Rome around 58 AD - roughly 25 years after it was started…. and in that time, this church had garnered a reputation for being strong & steady.
In verse 8 (Romans 1:8) of our passage for today, Paul tells this church that their “Faith is being reported all over the world.”
If Paul were to write a letter to our church today – those are the words I’d want to read….that LaValle Advent Christian Church is known far & wide for its strong faith and commitment to the Lord and His Word
…that we would have the reputation of being loving, effective, and obedient witnesses for our savior!
Someday, I’d like to deliver a sermon entitled: “A Letter to LaValle Advent Christian Church” where we’ll discuss what I see as our strengths and weaknesses…I’m glad there’s an exit door right behind me in this closet – I may need it that Sunday!! 😊
So,…back in November, I mentioned to our Deacons that I was looking at this year’s book-specific sermon series to be on the book of Romans – so, here we are.
Outside of the 4 gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, many theologians consider the book of Romans to be the most important book of the entire Bible.
This is Paul’s most comprehensive and cohesive letter on church doctrine and the application of that doctrine.
The book of Romans has been the direct source text for all of the great reformations throughout history…
It was through the words of this book that St. Augustine would turn his life over to Christ.
It was through studying the book of Romans that an Augustinian monk by the name of Martin Luther in the year 1517 would come to understand the true meaning of righteousness and how it is by our faith alone (Not our works) that we are justified before God.
It would be through the hearing of the words of Romans that John Wesley gave his life to Christ.
Frederick Godet, the famous Swiss Bible commentator, referred to Romans as “The Cathedral of the Christian Faith.”
Current pastor & Theologian John Piper called the book of Romans “The most important theological Christian work ever written.”
Almost any question that you could possibly ask concerning Christianity and the church will have its answer found in this magnificent book.
When most people think of Romans, they think of ‘The Romans Road of Salvation’, which is a reference to a handful of passages from this letter that – when placed together – form a clear and concise path to understanding salvation for the individual soul.
This letter also brings to mind the topic of doctrine…as Paul spends 11 of its 16 chapters discussing the nature of God, the nature of man, the nature of the law, the nature of sin, the nature of salvation, the nature of Christ, the nature of God’s sovereignty, the nature of sanctification, justification & glorification.
These are the truths in which we believe as followers of Jesus Christ…
Sadly, recent polls tell us that fewer and fewer self-described evangelical believers hold to a truly biblical understanding of doctrine.
So…here we go.
Buckle up, because this is a relatively long book.
We’ll be in Romans for quite some time – my goal is to wrap it up just before we enter the season of Advent in late November – that’s about 8 months from now….
Think of it as a 2-semester class in school, covering one of the most important books known to mankind…I don’t know about you, but I’m Excited!!
I’m excited to learn what the Holy Spirit will teach us as we tackle this book together – and how we will all grow in our understanding of proper Christian doctrine & theology.
…And my promise to you is that as we examine this amazing letter together, our conception of what it means to be a Christian – and how to live as a Christian - will be greatly enhanced…
…And greater understanding will lead to a healthier church…
Are you ready for this?...should I keep the path clear to the back door over there? 😊
Ok, let’s do this.
Let’s pick up at verse 14 (Romans 1:14) where Paul writes to the Roman congregation that he is “Obligated both to Greeks and Non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.”
Paul is stating here that it is his specific mission from God to preach the gospel message (The ‘Good News’) to ALL people…no matter their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic standing, or education…
– ALL people are deserving of hearing and understanding the message of Jesus Christ.
This is something that we can learn from today as well…
Never think that some people are more important than others when it comes to sharing your testimony…or inviting someone to church…or asking someone over for dinner…
Every human being is made in the image of God – and therefore every human being is intitled to your best evangelistic efforts.
James says it bluntly and effectively in James 2:1 “My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”
1 Timothy 5:21 says “I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.”
In verse 15 (Romans 1:15) Paul says that he is excited to someday come to Rome himself and meet the members of the Roman church – partly because it was such a cosmopolitan church with a wide variety of people.
Verse 16 and 17 represent the theme of the entire book.
Remember back in school when your English teacher gave you an assignment to write a lengthy paper of some kind.
Typically, the first thing you would have needed to do when writing a paper is to write a clear and concise sentence or two that summarizes the entire essay or book…this is called a thesis statement.
Verses 16 & 17 comprise the ‘Thesis Statement’ of the book of Romans.
The first idea that Paul expresses in verse 16 (Romans 1:16) is that he is not “…Ashamed of the Gospel”
Wherever Paul went – and to whomever he was speaking – he was never timid or ashamed to tell others about Jesus.
On many occasions, this boldness resulted in his imprisonment, persecution, or even beatings…but yet he continued to tell others about his savior – and that is what we are to do today as well.
The words of Jesus in Luke 9:26 make it abundantly clear that we cannot call ourselves his followers and also be ashamed of him: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
As a Christian, being a Christ-follower is now part of your identity…it’s a part of who you are…
if you are ashamed of that part of you, it would be like being ashamed of your ethnicity, or ashamed of the genes that you received from your parents…or ashamed of your gender (that’s a big one today, isn’t it….)
Expressing shame or dissatisfaction with any of these immutable attributes is an affront to God, because everything about you is in accordance with God’s perfect Will – including your identity in Christ.
Remember, you were chosen by God to be His child through your faith in Christ – being ashamed of Christ, then, would offend God greatly…because it is through Christ that your soul has been redeemed for all eternity!
So…don’t be afraid to be bold in your faith!
Paul also states in verse 16 (Romans 1:16) that the gospel is the “…Power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…”
In other words, it is only through the power that brought Jesus out of the grave that man is capable of obtaining the righteousness of God and – through saving faith - to stand justified before Him.
Paul’s point in mentioning the “Jew and the Gentile” in verse 16 (Romans 1:16) just describes the chronological way in which God chose to reveal Himself to the humanity.
It was through the Jewish people in the OT that God would first reveal Himself – then the message of saving faith would be presented to all mankind through the inception of the Church in the NT.
Lastly, verse 17 (Romans 1:17) is – simply put – one of the most important verses in the entire Bible.
It was this verse that caused Martin Luther to question the works-centric teachings & traditions of the Catholic Church – and inspired him to nail his 95 theses of dispute to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31st, 1517.
(In case you haven’t noticed, this is why some Christian history nerds like myself like to say “Happy Reformation Day” on October 31st every year while the rest of the world is saying “Happy Halloween” …I recommend trying it – it’s very satisfying!)
The phrase in verse 17 that illuminated Luther’s thoughts – as well as many of the early reformers – is the phrase “A Righteousness from God.”
The spiritual lightbulb that went on for Luther and the other reformers was that the Righteousness spoken of in this verse was not God’s inherent righteousness used in punishing the unrighteous…
But rather – as Luther puts it – “I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through grace and sheer mercy, He justifies us by faith.”
In other words, when we are in Christ, the righteousness of God is imputed (Or credited) to us by way of the cross…it is through the blood of Jesus that we are seen as righteous by the Father…this is what is meant by ‘A Righteousness from God’ in verse 17.
Paul expresses this again later in chapter five: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
The prophet Isaiah foresaw this truth long before the time of Christ when he said: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Our salvation really is all about what Jesus did for us through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
As the physician Luke says in Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
This truth is the key to the book of Romans – and really – to the entire New Testament.
It always was – is – and always will be….about Jesus.
…And I so look forward to learning more about this truth with all of you throughout the coming months.
We will encounter some truths that will inspire you…
We will encounter some truths that will challenge you (cognitively and spiritually)
We will encounter some truths that will touch you emotionally…
We will encounter some truths that may make you just plain angry…
And…we will encounter some truths that will cause you to hit your knees in prayer…
But through it all – we will come out on the other side knowing more about our Savior…and knowing more about how to live for Him.
Let’s Pray.