Romans 16 -- Paul's letter to Ephesus
Romans 15:14-33 -- situation of Romans
Romans 1:16-17 -- the point of the letter
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Paul, a servant of Messiah Jesus, called to be an apostle, having been set apart for the good news of God.
1. "I like it," Tertius said. "Most letters don't expand on who the sender is like that, but it's become your style, hasn't it?"
"Yes," Paul said. "It started as some reminders. For example, in one of the longer letters I sent here to Corinth, I wanted to remind you all that I was indeed an apostle. Then in my letter to the Galatian churches, I went really long, reminding them that my apostleship comes from God."
"So how long are we going to go as we expand on you as sender in this letter to the Romans?" Tertius asked.
"Let's remind them who Jesus is," Paul answered.
Paul's apostleship wasn't universally recognized. There were plenty of people in the Jerusalem churches who thought he was a false prophet. In fact, one of the reasons he felt led to write Romans was to head off any false rumors about him that might be in the water.
For example, his opponents were saying that he was telling Jews to stop keeping the Law of Moses. Because he was arguing that a right standing didn't come from keeping the Law, they said he was against the Law period. They said he taught, "Let's do evil so good may come."
It was definitely something he wanted to address in the letter. He was not in favor of sinning. He had not rejected the Law. Rather, like any good rabbi worth a shekel, he was arguing that it was the heart of the Law -- loving your neighbor -- that was the focus. And it was possible to do through the power of the Holy Spirit!
2. An apostle was someone who was sent. In the Christian context, it was especially someone who was sent as a witness to the resurrection. Jesus had appeared to numerous people after his resurrection. Paul was the last -- the last of the apostles.
The resurrection was good news -- it was a gospel. Jesus had preached the good news that the kingdom of God was soon coming to earth as it was in heaven. But his disciples had not yet understood that he needed to die for the sins of Israel and then rise from the dead. This was the great insight, the great revelation. Jesus' resurrection from the dead was in fact his enthronement as king. He rose from the dead and sat at the right hand of God in the skies.
After the resurrection, it had been obvious after the believers began searching the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit had helped them to see that all these things were part of God's plan. This was the good news that Isaiah and the other prophets had foreseen.
3. It is a gospel concerning his Son, who came from the seed of David according to the flesh and set apart as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness from the resurrection of the dead: Jesus, Messiah, our Lord.
"That's magnificent," Tertius said.
"It comes from some of the hymn writing we did at Ephesus," Paul said. "There were some really inspired poets in the church there. This one captures nicely the two-fold nature of Jesus as Messiah."
Everyone knew that the Anointed One needed to be a descendent of King David. What the Holy Spirit had revealed is that the resurrection was Jesus' enthronement as Lord. It was right there in Psalm 110 -- the LORD had installed Jesus as Lord of the cosmos at his right hand.
Son of God was a royal title, after all. It was right there in Psalm 2, where God installs the king as his Son -- "Today, I have given you birth," they used to say when someone was installed as king.
4. "Now let's make the connection to the Gentiles," Paul said. "Most of the churches of Rome are made up of non-Jews."
"Really?" Tertius responded. "That's really interesting since Jesus is the Messiah of Israel."
"Yes, we'll want to address that enigma strongly in this letter," Paul said. "It is a mystery that, while Jesus is the Anointed One of Israel, more non-Jews are believing than Jews."
"But there are special reasons why the Roman churches are primarily Gentile," Paul continued. "Claudius ordered most of the Jewish believers in Jesus to leave Rome a few years ago. (To be honest, it seems like a lifetime ago, but it was only about seven years ago.) So, the church that was left was predominantly non-Jewish, although now that Claudius is gone, Jewish believers have been returning more and more."
... through whom we have received grace and apostleship leading to the Gentiles having faith and then obeying God's call.
"I want to emphasize to them that I am God's special envoy to non-Jews. That makes me their apostle on behalf of the name of Jesus.
5. "That's a pretty long expansion about you as the sender," Tertius said with a smile. "Can we say who we're writing to?"
"Sure," Paul answered.
... to those who are at Rome.
"Let's expand about them too," Paul said.
"Really?"
... beloved of God, called to be holy.
"And now your signature greeting?" Tertius asked.
"Go for it."
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Nice," Tertius said. "Captures the Hebrew shalom, adds something like the Greek hello, captures both God the Father as the source of grace and Jesus as our Lord, God's viceroy, his appointed king at his right hand."
6. "Time for the thanksgiving section," Tertius continued. "What shall we thank God for about them?"
"Well," Paul said, "everyone has heard about their faith. I also want them to know that I pray regularly for them, even though I've never been there.
"Probably most important," Paul continued. "I want them to know that I have been wanting to visit them for a long time. It's just that circumstances -- and probably the Devil as well -- have prevented me."
"What's in it for them?" Tertius asked.
"I think we will both mutually benefit," Paul said. "They have spiritual gifts that can minister to me, and my faith can minister to them too."
"But most of all," Paul continued, "I want them to know that it is my charge from God as apostle to the Gentiles to proclaim the gospel to them as Gentiles. I've preached to Gentiles all over the eastern part of the Roman Empire. I am a debtor to both Greeks and barbarians, to the wise and the foolish."
"And now it's their turn," Tertius said.
"Yes. Now it's their turn."
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