JC Blog

Who cares about the laundry list of people Paul is thanking? What application does it have for us today? This seems to be a common question that arises when getting to the close of a book of the Bible. In fact, in many small group settings, a large sigh is heard when chosen to read over the list of names, hoping to pronounce them right and wondering why it matters that it is read at all.

As I ponder over these names of countless individuals that helped and ministered with the Apostle Paul these phrases stand out, "fellow workers in Christ Jesus", "They risked their lives for me," "all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them", "worked very hard for you", "They are outstanding among the apostles", "tested and approved in Christ". These are among the few attributes that Paul gives them when instructing the Romans to accept and greet them in the Lord. They obviously come very highly recommended by Paul and deserve a moment for us to ponder as well.

These men and women helped spread the gospel and preserve the written instructions of Paul in the early push of Christianity. Where would we be without these people risking their lives to share the good news of Christ Jesus? What they did was amazing and unbelievable. They evangelized the known world at that time in thirty years. What Paul said about them is true, not only for the believers in Rome but for us as well. They did work very hard for us, they were outstanding among the apostles, they are tested and approved in Christ! As we read about them we should be grateful that these men and women risked their lives for Christ so that we could know him 2000 years later.

What a great testament to know that what you are doing now could affect someone outside of your time and influence. These people had no idea of their impact in the world, they just loved the Lord and spread His good news. We can do the same. We can live a changed life by our relationship with Jesus. Not worrying about the things we do or don't do, but living in the moment with the Holy Spirit as our guide and teacher. If we listen to His direction and follow His leading then we, like these men and women, can bless the body of Christ and encourage each other in Lord, not realizing its impact on others.

This is quite a statement! In the past few verses Paul has unequivocally proven that humans are without excuse before God. Both for Jews, who have the Law and for Gentiles who have the essence of the Law written on their hearts. Everyone has an ingrained knowledge of God and His standards, therefore we also have a knowledge of our condition apart from God.

At the end of time, when unbelievers stand before God for final judgment there will be no excuse available. Paul says that God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, or as the Amplified Bible says, "God by Jesus Christ will judge men in regard to the things which they conceal (their hidden thoughts)." ( Romans 2:16 ) Even if they manage to disregard and suppress this knowledge in the present world, all men's secrets will be laid bare before Him. That knowledge and those thoughts will be the proof to condemn.

Mankind is without excuse but not without hope...

Paul does not want to condemn us, that is not the purpose of this letter. He longed for everyone to come into fellowship with the Lord. He is statically building the case for grace one brick at a time. In the first three chapters of Romans, he is tearing down old weak foundation and excuses to rebuild upon the firm foundation, the institution of Christ. To do that, he must destroy all arguments that counter the message of grace.

Paul calls it his gospel. Not because he created it but because he was obligated to it. He was compelled to preach the good news unto the ends of the earth. Paul receive his revelation of the Gospel directly from God. He was so sure of the message of Grace that he told the Galatians "the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." ( Galatians 1:11-12 )

Paul wanted everyone to know of the good news of Christ Jesus. That news was not to tell men of their sinful condition and hopelessness before God, but that God had sent His Son to be our substitute for the punishment of sin. He bore our sin, our shame, our punishment and gave us His righteousness, His holiness and His forgiveness. Paul's gospel by direct revelation of Christ Jesus declares we are forgiven and in right standing with God the Father. This is completed in us through faith in Jesus Christ alone. It in no way is dependant on our own performance, adhering to the law or because we are basically good.

Today, if you have only experience the condemnation that religion casts, my you find grace. May you understand the Gospel as Paul preached it. The almost too good to be true news of Christ Jesus. May you rest assured that at the end of time, you will not stand in judgment before God but you will accepted exactly as you are, a holy and righteous son or daughter of the most high King.

David wrote something similar in Psalms 139,

The call of Jeremiah came in much the same way...

And of course let's not forget Jesus... Jesus had just returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit shortly after his run in with Satan in the desert where Satan tempted him. Jesus returned to Nazareth, where he grew up and went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and choose to read this passage concerning himself from the prophet Isaiah.

Then what does Jesus say in Luke 4?

Here are four counts of a calling and recognition of what God had ordained for His good purpose from the moment of their conception.

Paul understood this when he said that he ‘was called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.'

These men knew and understood their calling and purpose and because of it they were able to move forward with what the Lord had ordained for them in the first place. Purpose, passion and direction marking their success -

Now Paul considered himself the chief sinner and we are very familiar with how he persecuted the church and hunted down Christians. But in Romans 1:1 he confesses that he is a servant of Christ Jesus - in some translations literally a slave of Christ ordained or set apart from the very beginning for the exclusive purpose of the gospel. Set apart to preach ‘the almost too good to be true news' of Jesus Christ.

Now Paul is laying the ground work for the amazing things he will be writing about in the book of Romans. How he was set apart for this gospel and what this gospel of Jesus entails, but to reflect and recognize that even though Paul was known throughout the early church as a persecutor of the brethren after his conversion is where he says, that he was set apart for the gospel - meaning called, ordained and appointed from birth.

Understanding ones calling and purpose in life will save a lot of heart ache along the way -

In the four examples that I've shared, all of these men knew their purpose along the way, who knew that God saw and knew them from the beginning lived with the ending in mind to the Glory of God.

David was called, ‘a man after God's own heart...'

Jeremiah was a prophet to the nations, just like the Lord had said he would be...

And what can we say about Jesus? Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus defeated sin and death and he redeemed that which was lost when sin entered into the world. Jesus saves all who believe in him to the Glory of the Father because God sent him as a propitiation for our sins. And Jesus fulfilled the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘he has proclaimed the year of the Lords favor"

In the same way Paul knew and understood that he was set apart for the gospel and because of it Paul and His friends evangelized the known world of that time.

What a difference you and I can make when we understand these principals... First that God knows and loves us and created us with a purpose and a plan right from the beginning. Secondly, when we seek him and understand what the plan is, then we will be successful. Third, when we operate in what the Lord has called us to do, this is truly when we will find contentment and overflow with joy in life...

I will leave you with the Prophet Jeremiah in closing, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD" ( Jeremiah 29:11-14 )

May God bless you and show you the purpose he has for your life 

All the writings of the Old Testament, all the law and all the prophets foretell of the gospel of God or good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the epicenter of history past and history future. It is not by accident that Paul starts off this brilliant expose to the Romans with the claim that this good news is one and the same of which the prophets had been foretelling for centuries.

Many marvel and are caught off guard concerning this - many believe that the new covenant or good news of Jesus came about because God just got feed up with the first system of laws and sacrifices and decided to do something entirely new and different. But the truth of the matter is that this was always the plan, the plan before creation, the plan before man and the plan before fall. In fact it is Peter who tells us in I Peter chapter 1, that it is "not with perishable things such as silver or god that you were redeemed from an empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the World, but was revealed in the last times for your sake" ( I Peter 1:18-20 ). Peter clearly teaches us that Jesus was chosen to bear the penalty of our sin before that sin existed. That is why God told the serpent in the garden, "he will crush (or strike) your head, and you will strike his heel" ( Genesis 3:15 ). Right after sin entered into the world, God told Satan that there was one coming or there was one already on the way to undo what he did, and that was Jesus!

Mankind's sin in no means caught God off guard. This didn't send the Lord back to the drawing board trying to figure out another plan after the first one had been foiled. No, Peter says that Jesus was the Lamb chosen before the foundation of the world! And Paul is telling us in the beginning of Romans that this gospel is what was promised before hand through the entire Holy Scriptures. This is the good news of the grace of God to which he was called to be an apostle.

God wasn't doing something new because he got feed up with the first system. Hebrews says that the law was types and shadows of what was to come ( Hebrews 10:1 ). Meaning the law always pointed towards Jesus, the law brought about the conscience of sin indicating the need for a Savior. This Savior is in the person of Jesus Christ and through faith in His blood which he offered for the sins of the entire world ( Hebrews 9:28, I John 2:2 ). For those who believe, this grace is a sweet and precious gift. Sins are completely covered and completely paid for through the redemption that came through Christ's atoning blood.

This was always the plan, this was always the way and this good news is what the prophets foretold and promised through the Holy Scriptures. And this good news is what Paul was set apart for. This good news is what will save us and give us abundant life if we believe those prophets and Paul and believed in Jesus as our Savior, to the Glory of God.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:20, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." To the average Joe, that statement seems unreachable, because the Pharisees 'righteousness' far exceed that of the everyday man. But what Jesus was saying is that that to obtain the kingdom of Heaven you need a right standing with God, and to have that you needed to be spotless, blameless and sinless before Him.

For us, this is an impossible accomplishment on our own, because Isaiah tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags ( Isaiah 63:6 ). Not our sins or our misdeeds, but our righteousness. Everything that we do or could do to obtain a right standing with God is as a dirty soiled rag.

However, Paul tells in in Romans 1:17 that "in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith..." the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven is that Jesus paid for our sins and provide for us a way to have right standing with God. He swapped our unworthiness in our state of sin and shame and has provided His righteousness for us. Because of His sacrifice on the cross, we are spotless, blameless and sinless before God if we believe in Jesus whom He has sent.

Ephesians 4:24 says to "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. " When we call upon the name of the Lord, in faith we believe that He has saved us and that he puts His Spirit within us and as such, we are new creations in Christ Jesus ( II Corinthians 5:17 ) In verse 21 of the same chapter in II Corinthians Paul says , "God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." ( II Corinthians 5:21 ). According to this verse, through our Faith and reliance on Jesus, we have the His righteousness and because of that was will see the Kingdom of God because God's requirements have been completely satisfied through Christ Jesus.

Today, if you call Jesus your Lord, I want you to know that you have obtained the righteous that far exceeds that of the Pharisees. You have the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Paul told us that the righteous will live by faith and it is only through our faith in what Jesus did for us that we can be confident before the Lord in true righteousness and holiness.

There is power in the Gospel. The gospel allows God to move on this earth. When a person accept the gospel as the only way to God, then a miracle occurs. Colossians 1: 13 says, "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves" Or the King James put it this way, " Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son"

At salvation perhaps the greatest miracle of all takes place. We have been taken out from under the control or power of darkness and immediately put into the kingdom of Heaven, with Christ, our Savior sitting at God's right hand and His Holy Spirit dwelling within as our deposit. Now that is power. No longer bound to the king of this world, but 100% seal, sanctified and set apart for His good pleasure.

Paul knew this power. Paul was not ashamed of this power. Paul experienced this same power that raise Christ from the dead everywhere he went. All he had to do was preach the gospel and the power of God was present to save every person who believe it. There was no distinction... God's Salvation extends first to the Jew and then to the Gentiles which includes everyone else.

Today, if you want to experience this power, the same power that Paul knew and was bold to share, then Romans 10:8-11 says, "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

It is as simple as that, Romans says, to confess with your mouth that Jesus is the only way, and believe in your heart that God raised him (Jesus) from the dead and you will be saved and never put to shame. It is my prayer that today if you have never made that confession of Faith in the Lord Jesus, that you will do and experience the power of God is a real and first hand way. May God bless you richly today!

Are you ready and willing to be used by the Lord for his service? Paul knew what the Lord had called him to do and he was prepared, willing and ready to go. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do". This verse isn't taking about working to obtain right standing with God. However, after we've obtained it through the gift of God's grace the verse states that we have a purpose and mission to fulfill. This mission has been prepared in advance for us.

Once you get a revelation of God grace and mercy, service to him comes out of love not obligation. Paul is a great example of this. He was a servant of Christ Jesus and was mission focused every where he went. Paul's mission was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God and his eagerness to do so stemmed from knowing his mission and walking in it.

When we know God's specific will for our lives, then we can move forward doing it. It sounds simple, but many Christians do now know that God has work for them to do. Something specific to only them. Something He planned out beforehand and took delight in cultivating the necessary qualities to equip them to perform it. Sadly, many Christians coast through life not vested in anything eternal because they are not mission focused.

Today, as you seek God's specific will and direction for your life, be like Paul, learn from him and move forward. Seek the Lords plan for your life and cultivate a willing heart ready to accept it. Decide right now to be useable. Be prepared and take time to prepare daily, even when it seems impossible. Be willing. Greatness starts with a servants heart, greatness starts when no one else is watching. Lastly and most importantly, be willing to go. When you are wiling to be use anytime, anywhere, then God will use you all the time, everywhere!

To have the prayer life of Paul...Paul wasn't casually telling the Romans that he remembered them and prayed for them. Paul did not waste words on the page to say something that wasn't true.

It's not like today when someone shares something with us and we tell them that we will pray for them. We say this to make them feel better and make ourselves look good, all the while we have no intention of carrying through with what our mouth uttered.

However, Paul was genuine, when he advised the Romans that he constantly remember them in all his prayers it was a fact. God was witness to the reality that Paul prayed and remember these Christians. He remembered them in all things, always thanking God the Father when he heard reports of their progress and faith.

Paul also tells informs us as a witness to how much he prayed for these people when he relates the genuineness of his service to the Lord, the Amplified Bible says it this way, "For God is my witness, Whom I serve with my [whole] spirit [rendering priestly and spiritual service] in [preaching] the Gospel and [telling] the good news of His Son, how incessantly I always mention you when at my prayers." He is reminding them of how he serves the Lord in everything, with his whole spirit. He served the Lord passionately and wholeheartedly.

News of Paul and what he did traveled to the known world. Paul was known for being an intense and driven follower of Christ and signs and wonders followed him by what he did. Paul is simply reminding the Romans, that in the same way I serve the Lord wholeheartedly and fully in my whole spirit, this is the same way I remember and pray for you before the Lord... He is my witness.

Today, if you have made commitments to pray for people or want to pray for people but do not know where to start... just start thanking the Lord for their faith and what He is doing in their lives. Remember them before the Lord and praise the Lord because of His goodness towards them. You will find that it is a pleasure to pray for people because you are making it all about the Lord, and this brings Him glory!

The good news is not just good news, its great news. The nuance of the Greek for the word gospel literally means that this news is 'almost too good to be true'. In our world when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. But this is not the case with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This news is true and incredible. And Paul reminds us that beautiful are the feet of those who bring this good news and announce it to the world.

Throughout the book of Romans, Paul refers to the gospel as his gospel. This is because this revelation came directly to him by Jesus. He said in Galatians, "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ" ( Galatians 1:11-12 ). Paul wrote so extensively about the gift of God's grace offered to mankind through the person of Jesus Christ that he claimed this gospel as his own. He lived and breathed this message because it was the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes ( Romans 1:16 ). Paul was set apart, called and ordained to be a minister of the gospel by the will of God. This is an amazing thing when you realize that before his conversion he literally hunted and killed Christians. He considered himself the chief of sinners but after he experienced God's incredible grace and mercy he knew that this good news wasn't too good to be true, that is why he said "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" ( Romans 10:13 ).

In today's passage Paul is reminding us that this news has to be passed on and received before its power is released. People cannot look to Jesus for eternal life if they don't believe in him. They can't believe in him unless they have heard about him and they can't hear about him unless someone tells them. People need to be sent before anyone can call upon the name of the Lord and find salvation. This may seem like a quandary but to use a baseball metaphor; the bases are loaded. God has sent messengers of the gospel forth to preach the good news throughout the entire world. We merely have to step up to the plate and start swinging.

The first thing to consider is that this gospel message originated with God. John said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" ( John 3:16-17 ). God sent his Son Jesus to save the world. This is the good news for which Paul was in chains. God initiated and provided the means whereby we can be reconciled to him. Sin stood in the way, but God sent Jesus to bridge the gap. Paul said in Corinthians, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation" ( II Corinthians 5:18-19 ). God was the one speaking peace over the world through the blood of Christ. He sent Jesus to save the world. His feet were beautiful!

Secondly, after Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and was raised again to life to secure our justification before God, he then turned around and sent us to spread this message of reconciliation. We call this the great commission. "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." ( Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18 ). He won back all the authority and power that was transferred to Satan in the fall, and look what he did, He gave it back to us. He commissioned us to be the beautiful feet that preached the good news around the world. 

What an remarkable thing this is. God has entrusted us with the words of life. We have the power over death through the blood of Jesus and we have been equipped and assigned to share this wonderful news with the world. Paul said, this news was "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" ( Romans 1:16 ). We are entrusted with an tremendous thing. God trusts and believes in us to fulfill this great commission. Isaiah said, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" ( Isaiah 52:7 ). What an incredible thing to share with those around us. God's peace towards mankind, his love for us, his gift of grace and his overwhelming mercy. We have the words that bring life and Jesus has placed His faith in us to share it. Paul said, "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" ( Romans 10:17 ). The Messiah of reconciliation came from the very lips of Christ himself. God was not holding mankind's sins against them and He came to bring us peace with God. It's almost too good to be true but the fact remains that it is true and God calls our feet beautiful because he has sent us to proclaim this message.

Like Paul, I know that this gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. I am a minister of this good news and I will proclaim it for the rest of my days. May you understand your calling in this wonderful plan of salvation. May you share the hope to which you were called. May your feet be beautiful, amen!

What an amazing truth! Throughout life we face many disappointments and discouragements because of situations and people, but Paul said that anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be put to shame. The Amplified Bible puts it like this, "No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed" ( Romans 10:11 ). Meaning with Jesus you will never be disappointed in the abundant life he provides for you. Jesus said in John 10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" ( John 10:10 ). The life he offers doesn't start when we get to heaven, this abundant life starts right now.

This is a message of grace. This is an important truth to meditate on and believe with all your heart. When we place our hope in Jesus we won't be disappointed. This is a theme throughout the entire Bible and is important to grasp. God reminded the Israelites over and over to trust in him and put their confidence in him. David said, "The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him" ( Psalm 34:22 ). By placing our faith in Jesus we will never face judgment. More than that, Jeremiah said, "blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him" ( Jeremiah 17:7 ). By placing our confidence and trust in Him we are blessed. He went on to say, "He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit" ( Jeremiah 17:8 ). By placing our confidence in the Lord we do not have to worry about anything. If the economy is bad then we needn't worry about it, we are in God's economy. It doesn't matter if rain hasn't come, we simply tap into the water source and flourish. The Lord is able to richly bless us and make all grace abound in our lives simply because he loves us and we put our trust in him.

This passage is an amazing glimpse into the heart of God. It shows that God does not choose us based on our nationality, our heritage, the color of our skin or any other criteria. Paul said in Romans 2, "God does not show favoritism" ( Romans 2:11 ). With God there is no partiality or unfairness and he doesn't consider one person more valued than another. The King James Bible says "God is no respecter of persons" ( Acts 10:34 KJV ). This is a great thing because Paul is teaching us that when God looks at us, he does not see a distinction between things like Jews, Gentiles, Americans, men or women. In fact he said that the same Lord is Lord over all and he generously bestows his riches, blessings and favor upon all those who call to him in faith. What an amazing thing. This reinforces the truth that we are accepted and loved solely on the basis of Jesus. What a freeing reality to understand.

All of this is yours through faith in Jesus, for "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." ( Romans 10:13 ). All it takes is to trust Him as your savior and look to Him as your Lord. Paul said, "if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Since God does not show favoritism you can know without a shadow of doubt that you are saved through this promise.

Today, I am blessed to know that my confidence is in the Lord who has saved and redeemed me. I am grateful to know that trusting in Him provides security in an insecure world. My prayer is that you know the hope to which you are called in Christ Jesus and that this truth will resonate in your heart every day for the rest of your life, amen.