Choice Gleanings from the Book of Romans

Dr. Agness Chisanga Tembo

• Publisher: Elm Hill
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781400325955
• eBook ISBN: 9781400325962
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

The book of Romans elucidates God’s plan of salvation and His relentless grace for both the Jew and the gentile. God’s love and faithfulness are vividly revealed through the sacrifice of Jesus His only begotten son as an atonement for our sins. Emulating God’s love, Paul yearns for his kinsmen’s salvation as he continues to preach the gospel. In summary, the book of Romans is a powerful toolkit for salvation and Christian living.

 

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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

The book of Romans was written by Paul to the church in Rome when he was completing his third missionary journey. He planned to visit Jerusalem and then Rome. It is not very well known why Paul wrote this letter, but it is assumed that he might have written it in preparation for the visit.

The theme of the letter is righteousness. He teaches that no human being is righteous, Jesus Christ is perfectly righteous, we are freed from the power of sin by having faith in Jesus, and that we should live lives that are holy and pleasing to God.

Read Romans 1: 1–17, NIV

In verse 1 Paul identifies himself as “a servant of Jesus called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God.” What is the significance of the terms ‘servant”,’ ‘called,’ and ‘set apart’?

SERVITUDE

From his letter, Paul identifies himself as a servant of God as an elucidation of his humility and honour as an immediate attendant in the kingdom of God. As a servant of God, Paul surrenders himself to serving God through the dissemination of the Gospel as well as being a servant to God’s people. He was in essence fulfilling or obeying the Lord Jesus Christ’s commandments to serve him by serving His people even as the Lord said, “Whatever you did for the least of my people, you did it for me (Mathew 25:31–46). Servitude is a mark of good leadership. It is a charge which the Lord gave us (Mathew 20:26). The consequences of upholding self-importance and pride as a leader are well known as evidenced by King Jeroboam’s deposal from the throne (1 Kings 12:1–15).

Unfortunately, as Christians most of us want to be served and not serve others. Take a moment, dear brethren, and reflect: when was the last time you stopped to think and ask God to show you the needs of another saint so you could actively serve them? Servitude is evident not only in acts of giving but also in praying for them, saying words of encouragement, etc. You might be wondering if you are a young Christian or even a mature one, for that matter, how you can possibly see to the needs of others when you yourself need to be ministered to. Fortunately we need God’s guidance, the wisdom that only comes from Him to humble ourselves and serve others in humility both to God and to our brothers and sisters. God is always ready to give us wisdom. Thank God that in and of ourselves we cannot fulfil the Gospel; we have to be called to the life of servitude.

CALLED

Paul was literally called by the Lord Jesus (Acts 9:15) and it is upon this fact that he built his authority to minister in the kingdom. He acknowledged being an apostle (1 Corinthians 15:9) and as such an instrument of God through whom the Lord ministered to His people Israel and the Gentiles. As believers we are all vessels or instruments through whom God works more so as leaders in his kingdom here on earth. The Lord used the analogy of the potter and the clay. The Lord is the Porter and we are the clay, and He has moulded us according to his will to fulfil his purposes here on earth. The song “Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Worship” by Robert Bicknell means more than just song and praise but also servitude in its various forms. For it is through doing everything we are called to as unto the lord be it in formal jobs or home duties that we are called to worshiping God (1 Corinthians 10:31–32; Colossians 3:17). Unfortunately, today’s Christians want to be in the limelight by but not limited to being a song leader or a pastor for only those who can tithe and build the church’s finances. What about the poor, the prisoners, and the sick? For it is for such as these that the Lord came (Mathew 25: 36). Hence whatever we do we need to realise that we are a special people set apart for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. Just as Paul states that we have been called through and for Christ’s sake to obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5 and 6).

SET APART

Here again Paul perpetuates the state of devotion to the call to be an apostle by being entirely devoted to the Gospel of the Lord. He highlights a shift from being a devoted Pharisee to being a committed apostle to the authentic word of God whose author is God. In underscoring this point, the authenticity of the Gospel, Paul refers to the Gospel as a promise that was made through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures. He reveals the origin as well as the authenticity of the Gospel and connects it to the Lord Jesus as evidenced in Verses 3–4 where he talks about Christ as the son of David and the son God. By referring to Christ as the son of David and the son God, Paul reveals the human nature of Christ as well as the Divine nature of Christ. Further emphasising the nature of Christ in relation to our position as children of God.

As children of God we are loved by God, and as such we need to reflect that love to others through word of mouth and deeds just as Paul made it known to the Romans that he loved them and that they were loved by God. Now this can be tricky because one may ask, “Is it not natural that as Christians we love one another after all that is what Christ commanded us to do (John 13:35)?”Let me pause here and ask a pertinent question: How do you as a saint treat a brother or sister who has fallen from grace? When you are being judgmental or critical of other Christians, are you demonstrating love as Christ commanded?

Again Paul sets a presidency here. He addresses the Romans as “loved by God and called to being saints” and makes it known to them that he thanked God for their faith in verse 8 and prayed for them and claimed that God bore witness to that. One might be wondering, “How does praying for saints demonstrate love for them?” Praying for one another as saints is a fundamental mark of being a loving Christian. Christ Himself commanded us to pray for one another. Christ prayed for his disciples and those of us who were yet to come. How much more now when the world seems increasingly evil and against Christ and his people? In addition, as we pray we need to make it known to those we are praying for that we are doing so because that is a source of encouragement, knowing that they are not on their own as they face a particular battle.

I remember as a young Christian trying to settle into a new place away from home looking at a poster of a meadow with just one sentence which said, “We prayed for you today.” How transformed I was just by realising that unbeknown to me, someone somewhere was praying for me. Dear brethren, there is power in prayer; so much more when it is rendered as a supplication for others. Pray for one another; it is the best gift you can ever give!

Praying alone is not enough as a demonstration of love: do you visit the saints in whatever state they are, more so when they are in a crisis of some kind? In verses 10–15, Paul reveals his longing to visit the Romans because this again is a mark of love for them. We cannot love without seeing or fellowshiping with the people we are praying for. By being with others, we get to know what their specific needs are and as such get specific in our supplications.

In today’s world where every wind of doctrine seems to suffice, fellowship with one another not only demonstrates love but also uplifts the weak and sustains the commitment to the Gospel. There is strength in numbers, even as the writer to the Hebrews says, “Do not neglect the habit of meeting together as some do but encourage one another especially that the day is approaching (of our Lord and Saviour’s return)” (Hebrews 10:25). 5 Stronger Christians can help weaker ones to be strong just as Paul declares that he is not ashamed of the Gospel (Verses 16–17). In demonstrating love for the Romans by being with them, he was encouraging them to stand firm in the Gospel just as we need to be doing today in these dire times when the Christian faith is being attacked by all sorts of people. I pray, brothers and sisters, that you will not be ashamed of the Gospel because it is the power of salvation, the most important demonstration of love for man from God which we must emulate and share.

STRENGTH FOR THE WEARY MISSIONARY OR CHRISTIAN ROMANS 1:18–32

But one can grow weary when there are no apparent results. In today’s world, sin is on the increase and opposition to the Gospel is becoming stronger, which begs the question: What are we to do then? Is God seeing or listening? Is He moving at all? The more the Gospel is preached, the more opposition and ridicule the child of God receives. Take heart, Christian, for God is enthroned and is still in control. I cannot emphasise this more than I have because the bible says the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness from men who suppress the truth by their wickedness (Romans 1:18). But then again one might ask: In what way is this evidenced in our times? We need not go any further than our doorsteps: drug abuse-related conditions and violence are rising; nation rising against nation yet the man of God though besought by many afflictions is kept in perfect peace. The contrast between the nonbeliever and the Christian in times of tribulation is vividly elucidated in scripture (Romans 1:18; 2 Cor. 3:18; Psalm 84:7; John 17:22–24).

This is the reason why we need to grieve for the lost and be eager to share the Gospel with them. They need to share in the goodness of the Lord with us and we need not be selfish by not sharing this great news. The benefits of salvation are evident even in ministry because we are never alone. God has promised to be with us (Deut. 31:6, 8: Psalm 94:14). The same encouragement and truths that were given to our forefathers are true to us today for you and for me in our ministry. By this I mean both full time and ordinary, as Christians we will face opposition and even persecution, but our consolation is that Christ and Christ alone goes before us and He will not leave nor forsake us. God’s promise to Joshua (Joshua 1:5; Psalm 37:28) is alive and applicable today as it was with him that day because God is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and for years to come. He is Jehovah Tsabaoth the Lord of hosts, the Lord who goes before and defends us. We must always direct our eyes to Him because that is where our help comes from (Psalm 121: 1). Another contrast is that while the Lord watches over the believer, he punishes the nonbeliever.

Despite enjoying God’s strength and faithfulness, the believer may be tempted to judge. However, judgment belongs to God and so is vengeance, because it is only God who is justified to judge as He knows even the hidden things of hearts (Luke 8:17). But is God justified in punishing wickedness if salvation belongs to Him? The answer is yes, because everything that needs to be known has been revealed and made plain so that none is left with an excuse (Romans 1:19–20). In Roman times, the knowledge of God was abundant as was revealed by philosophers like Pythagoras, Plato, and the stoics who believed th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Preface
• Contents
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Back cover