First,
After the greeting that we covered Thursday and yesterday, this is the first thing Paul wants to say to these Roman Christians.
I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole World.
Paul says that people all over the whole known World are talking about the faith of these believers in Rome! They're famous!
For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the Gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you,
And Paul is also bragging on them, as he goes about proclaiming the Good News everywhere he goes.
always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you.
And he is also constantly praying for them, as he is trying to arrange his schedule to permit him to go to Rome, too.
For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established;
Paul has heard so much about these wonderful brothers and sisters, that he's really wanting to go meet them and be a blessing to them in some way.
that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other's faith, both yours and mine.
He is anticipating a very joyful and encouraging visit with them, that they both would benefit from, hearing each others' stories of how good God has been to them all.
I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far)
He wants to be sure that they know that he's been trying to get to them, every time he plans out the next trip he tries to put them on his itinerary, but it just hasn't worked out yet.
so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Paul wants to help these brothers and sisters in their spiritual growth, as he has been able to do among other churches; growing produces fruit, and he loves these family members and wants to be God's hands and feet to them, too.
I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
He feels that he has a debt to pay, to all the Gentiles, no matter their education or position in their society.
So for my part, I am eager to preach the Gospel to you also who are at Rome.
The debt he owes them is to share God's Love with them all, and let them know who He is and what He's done for them already, in sending His Son to be their Savior.
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Paul was never shy or afraid to speak up, at every opportunity to say something, to let people everywhere know Jesus as Redeemer; whether they lived near or far, whether they were rich or poor, urban or rural; whether they claimed descent from Abraham or Noah; Jew, Greek, or barbarian, or even savage in the jungle; God Loves every human member of Mankind, and wants all to hear and repent and be rescued.
Historically it was to the Jews that the Gospel was first preached in Jerusalem, and it was Paul's routine to go to the synagogue in whatever town he came to, and preach there first, until he was thrown out, then he turned to the Gentiles.
God had chosen the Hebrews to give His Law to, so they would first know how to live their lives, to draw the other peoples also to worship God.
So it was to the Jews first, then also to the Greeks and other Gentiles.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written.
But the righteous man shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2: 4).When Jesus fulfilled the sacrifices from Leviticus in dying as the Lamb of God, He demonstrated what each of us deserves because of our sinfulness. This is God's justice, in meting out the consequences equal to the offenses, perfectly fair. But what is not fair, is that He poured out these consequences upon One who did not deserve it, so that He could pay our debt for us.
It's like if I would offer to pay off the mortgage on the house you bought, that you can't afford, just so you wouldn't have to be evicted. It'd your house, not mine, and you live there, I don't. But I have the finances to carry it off and you don't.
Jesus has the "finances" to pay off our spiritual debt in full for us, and God the Father allowed Him to come and do it. This is right. This is God's righteousness.
This is what is revealed when we believe it. We must have the faith to trust God to be righteous, and just, and compassionate, and gracious.
This faith itself is a gift from God (Ephesians 2: 8), since we are not capable of finding out even that God exists without His revealing Himself to us. So He has.
And people who want to know Him, who seek Him with all their heart, will find Him, because He wants us to know Him. That person will be given the gift of faith to believe who God is and what He has accomplished in His Son for them.
This is the Gospel, that is now our job to teach everyone who wants to know it. Because how can they believe if they've never heard? We'll get into this in Chapter 10. But, know this, brothers and sisters, it's up to us who know the Truth to tell them.
So the faith to believe will grow into the faith to live the Christian life, because when God makes us just, then we will live by that faith that has justified us. In His power and strength we will make the right choices to do the righteous works that God prepared beforehand for us to accomplish (Ephesians 2: 10).
O my Father, You are magnificent! You are awesome! You alone are God!
You have planned and plotted out all of history, which is Your Story that You authored about this whole Era of Time. Our Universe, and our Earth with a Sun to make the perfect environment for us to live and have everything we need here. In order for us to learn how to be Your children, sons and daughters of the great King, in whose hand You have placed the authority and ownership to rule and manage, everything You made. And for us to become Your kings and queens to help Him govern it all.
This is incredible! This blows my mind! I could never imagine such a future, as You have set before me!
Open my eyes to see, open my mind to understand, open my heart to love as You have Loved me, and to live my life totally sold out to You, Father! I belong to You, I am Your property. Help me remember this, every moment of every day I live. Use me Father, as Your feet, Your hands, Your voice speaking and writing Your Truth only. Keep me from putting my own ideas or thoughts into any of it.
Send me, Lord of the Harvest, out into Your fields, ready to be harvested. Send me out to scatter and sow Your precious seed into all the prepared soils ready to receive it; and cause the sprouting and growth to budding and blooming and fruiting and producing to 30 and 60 and 100-fold.
Fill Your great House, Father; let every place at Your great banqueting Table be filled! May the increase and expansion of Your Kingdom have no end, throughout all Eternity Future! (Isaiah 9: 7.)
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will proclaim that Christ Jesus is Lord God Almighty, sovereign King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
