Romans 1. Yesterday we closed out the gospel of Mark with Jesus’ instructions to go tell the world. Today we pick up in Romans 1, Paul’s extensive effort to go tell the world the truth of the gospel! Honestly, I both love Romans and find it intimidating. My goal for all of us as we make our way through Romans, is to simply identify key truths in each chapter that affect how we live and understand the world. I encourage you to use colored pencils (or digital highlighters) to mark these key truths as we read daily.

The Apostle Paul, writing to the mixed-race churches of Rome, gives us the key argument of the whole letter right up front. “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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith”.” (1:16-17)  

The gospel message has power, the power of God for salvation. God’s righteousness is available to us, we need it, and it is what saves us. The gospel message is also for everyone who believes. It is not just for the Jews, it is also for the Gentiles/Greeks/non-Jews (that’s us!). Paul argues that this has been God’s plan all along – it was promised long ago (1:2), and it is for all nations (1:5).

Another important truth is this: What is our calling? We are called to belong to Jesus Christ (1:6). The gospel message starts with that premise – we are called to belong to Jesus Christ. We have received grace through Jesus Christ (1:5) that makes fulfilling our calling possible. We are called to become Christ’s people. The essence of our calling is to BE – to find our identity in Christ – no to DO. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because it is the best news ever and everyone needs to hear it!

A third key truth in this chapter is this, “What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. His invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world… so they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God…” (1:19-21). God has revealed himself. His existence is plain to all people. People have no excuse. When people refuse to acknowledge God and deny truth, then their minds grow ever darker. God allows people to choose their own response, and those who walk away are increasingly deceived (1:18-32). Sin is real, and so are the consequences.

In his devotional on Romans, JD Walt asks this question of Romans chapter one: Where is our focus? Is it on the Burning Bush or on the Burning House? In the second half of this chapter (1:18+) we see that the world is very broken, people have denied the truth of God and a great wickedness has affected the everyone. Our proverbial house is on fire. Yet, the Burning House is not to be our focus. The woes of sin and its destructive cycle must not become the thing we are consumed by. Instead, we are to be like Paul (in 1:16) who is not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of salvation. The Burning Bush is where God has revealed himself to all and offered salvation to all, the opportunity for things to be made whole and right again. Our minds must be focused on the gospel and on Jesus, so that we are always moving towards him. Our calling is to belong to Jesus.

What stands out to you in Romans 1? Did you know that our essential calling is to belong to Jesus? Are you distracted by the “Burning House” and all the brokenness in our world? What would help you focus your mind on the “Burning Bush” where God has revealed himself and his great grace to all of us?