Romans 1:5-7 (NIV)
Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul concludes his introductory passage with a brief description of his specific calling and the reason he was writing a letter to the Roman Christians in the first place.
Paul reflects back to Jesus, the Son of God, the Lord and Savior of Mankind, whose slave he was. Paul points to two blessings he himself had received from the hand of his Master. He had received grace, unmerited favor, that had changed the whole trajectory of his life, transforming him from Saul of Tarsus, the harsh and pride-filled Pharisee, into Paul, a saint of God.
He had also received apostleship. This means that he had received a mission from Jesus that he was even then diligently fulfilling. He had been sent (the meaning of the word “apostle”) by Jesus specifically to the gentiles, the non-Jewish population of the Roman empire.
Paul’s job among the gentiles was to call them to obedience to God’s standards and commands so that they could take advantage of eternal life, and so that they could live as the people of God. But he didn’t do that by delivering God’s commands to them and urging them to obey. He himself had lived that kind of legalism, and had found it severely lacking, ineffective, and hopeless. Instead, he shared Jesus with them, and led them to repentance and faith. Then, as saved people who had crossed over from death to life, joyful obedience would flow naturally from their lives.
The reason Paul was writing to the Romans was that, as gentiles, they fell under his calling as well, not only for evangelism, but for discipleship as well. The full commission for Paul, as for all apostles, was not just to make converts, but full disciples, which included “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded.” (Matthew 28:19 NIV)
But right now, Paul was writing to Church in Rome, those who had already received salvation by grace through faith. These were loved by God and were true saints, set apart for God’s purpose and made holy through the washing with the blood of Jesus and the presence of His Holy Spirit in their hearts.
By the way, this “Church” to which Paul was writing was not a single congregation that met together on Sundays. Instead, it referred to every Christian throughout the city, spread out over many small groups and house churches. To God, they all composed one Church, the Church of God in Rome.
Paul prays God’s continuing grace on these people, his brothers and sisters in Christ. But he also prays God’s peace on them, His “shalom”. This shalom is much more than just freedom from trouble and strife. It refers to divine wholeness in every area of their lives, the fruit of salvation and the presence of the Holy Spirit living in them and working through them.
Father, it didn’t matter where he was or what was going on, Paul never lost track of who he was, whose he was, and what his mission was. He was steadfast and focused, and always looking for ways to reach out to someone to try to share Jesus with them or help them to grow. And, because of that sharp and continual focus, he was insanely successful and productive for Your kingdom. Lord, we all have a calling on our lives, just as definite and clear as Paul’s, to be involved in the vital kingdom work of making disciples. Help me to live every moment mindful of that calling and putting my whole heart into obeying it. Amen.
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