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Well, church, I'm thrilled to say today we're turning to the Book of Romans. As I was studying this, I did a deep dive into the Roman Empire and Roman history. I came across some really bad Roman jokes—the kind of dad jokes you might expect. But let me tell you, this book has some of the greatest nicknames.
Academic scholars and theologians throughout history refer to Romans as the greatest theological treatise ever written. It's profound, brilliant, complex, and mesmerizing. No other book in the entire Bible has had greater systematic theological influence on the church than Romans.
Some refer to it as the great epistle; others call it Paul's Masterpiece or his Magna Carta. My favorite nickname is the Believer's Constitution. This is foundational to understanding what we actually believe as Christians.
If you're on the fence about faith or contemplating what you believe, I'd ask you to consider giving the next few months to diving into this study. We live in times with wonky interpretations and poor communication surrounding the gospel. Many people are walking away from faith saying, "I could never believe in that." But often what's turning you off isn't even what the Bible actually teaches. You owe it to yourself to know what the Bible declares and what faith we're trying to anchor our lives to.
This book has had tremendous impact throughout human history and has shaped some of the greatest figures in church history. Saint Augustine's life was changed by Romans. Martin Luther's life was changed by it. John Wesley's life was changed. Calvin was marked by this book. These individuals would get into this text, their hearts would be changed, their eyes would be opened, and they were left forever changed.
The question is: what are the chances that could happen in our lives as well as we open up to what God wants us to understand about the gospel found in Christ alone?
Paul starts out this letter saying, "I Paul..." The temptation when reading scripture is to skip over the salutations and introductions to get to what we'd call the more meaty parts. But when you skip introductions, you forfeit valuable insight, context, and principles modeled by heroes of faith that we can look to for inspiration. We can model ourselves after the way they thought and approached their faith.
If you don't know Paul's story, you should. It's as remarkable as the book of Romans itself. Paul was born in Tarsus, a prominent Roman city, meaning he had Roman citizenship. Yet he was also a Hebrew of Hebrews from the Tribe of Benjamin, raised in a strong Jewish tradition.
Early on, Paul showed great intellectual strength and ability to grasp big concepts. He was put on a track of training mentored by Gamaliel, who was known as the greatest Rabbi of the time—the rising star within the Pharisaic tradition. Paul became their poster child, their future superstar. He was anchored to and ambitious for representing God and carrying His mission forward.
When Jesus arrived, conquered death, hell, and the grave, and ignited this movement with people pledging allegiance to Him, Paul saw it differently. He saw it not as God's work but as a blasphemous contradiction. He was bent on stomping out the Christian faith, viewing it as some bizarre cult.
In Acts chapter 9, Paul was heading to Damascus to persecute, arrest, and even murder those calling themselves Christians. On that road, he encountered the Risen Christ. Jesus had such an impact on his life that Christ commissioned him to be an apostle to both Jews and Gentiles.
When Paul says, "I Paul," his story was known: You were the guy who hated Christians. You thought the Christian faith was nonsense. You couldn't stand anyone saying the name of Jesus. Now you're going to give your life to championing and promoting Christ? That's a complete 180—and that's what Paul tries to convey in all his letters.
In some of his letters, he says, "I am the chief sinner. If there's anyone who should have been outside God's grace, anyone who doesn't deserve His love or a second chance, it's me. I was living in strong resistance, yet somehow He met me on a road heading in the wrong direction, for the wrong reasons, with the wrong people. Yet somehow He got it right."
Paul's admission to everyone he encounters is the same: this God has altered my life. The grace made available to me will alter your life too. It has been made available to you as well.
When you hear the name Paul, you should think: My goodness, if God can use someone like Paul, certainly God can use someone like me. Be thankful that none of us are outside the reach of God's love. His grace is sufficient for every single one of us.
Nothing you can do can earn more of God's love, and nothing you could ever do could lose God's love. That's an amazing thing. God loves you not for who you are, but because of who He is. He is full, complete, perfect love. This love is an absolute game-changer.
Paul begins his letter from this perspective: "I am an imperfect, broken person who has been radically rescued, transformed, and changed by the grace of God."
Immediately, Paul says: "I Paul, a servant of Christ." The very first thing he wants you to know is that he's a servant of Christ, serving to the very best of his ability. The word he uses is doulos, which means "bondsservant."
A bondsservant would come about in this way: individuals would look at someone overseeing a household or an estate and say, "I am going to sell myself into your service. My life would be better in your household, under your covering, under your leadership and rules." That's what a bondsservant was.
Paul immediately says: Yeah, that's how I think of my life with Christ. I reached a point where I realized my life would be better under the rule, reign, guidance, and covering of King Jesus. I am a servant of Christ.
This is such a contradictory statement Paul makes in a Roman Greco-Roman culture and empire that despised service. The Roman Empire was arrogant and pompous. They viewed service as something for peasants and those lesser than themselves.
Yet Paul shows up and in his very first sentence, there's no pride, no arrogance, no pretense. He says: "Folks, I am a servant of Jesus Christ. If there's anything you should know about me, it is that I have given my entire life to advancing His cause. He is the center of my life and the theme of my being."
This raises the question: Is Christ the center of your life? Is he the theme of your being, or is he an accessory to your life? Paul says no. For him, he recognized all that Christ has done for him, and he cannot help but live every single day trying to do all he can in response—not because he has to, but because he gets to.
Paul doesn't just say this flippantly; this is not lip service. Paul gave Christ a lifetime of service. He committed to becoming an apostle—an instrument of hope and the gospel—throughout the region, telling anyone and everyone, both Jew and Gentile, about Jesus Christ and the finished work of the Cross.
Paul went on three missionary journeys over 15 years, covering 22,000 miles throughout the Roman Empire. That's a lot of travel, especially in Paul's day. Paul doesn't just call himself a servant of Christ; he modeled it. He gave all he could to serving Christ to the very best of his ability.
A good courageous question for us is: What would it look like if Christ was the center of my life? What would it look like if Christ was truly the theme of my being? Or perhaps: Is he at all the center of my life?
For Paul, there's no question: Jesus Christ is a big deal. And if you should know anything about him, it's that Christ is his Lord, and he wants to advance His purposes in the world.
In fact, throughout Paul's writings, every time he writes a letter, he can't even begin without shouting the name of Jesus. Right here in these first seven verses, he mentions Christ five or six times. In Ephesians, he says the name of Christ about 14 times in his introduction: Christ, Christ, Christ. The moment he opens his lips, he wants to talk about Jesus.
I wonder: How often do we find ourselves discussing and celebrating, engaged in conversation where we find ourselves in awe and wonder at the goodness of God and all He's doing in our life? Is Christ the center of your being?
This letter is written by someone who had an unwavering, unyielding devotion to Christ who said: He is the center of my life.
Paul goes on to say he was "called to be an apostle." This is an amazing statement because this idea of calling doesn't just apply to Paul. Every single one of us has a calling upon our life.
You were made on purpose and for a purpose. One of the great joys of the Christian life is discovering why God created you the way He created you and why God placed you in your specific context and situation with your particular personality, experiences, dreams, and visions. Why did He instill all that in you during this time?
What is it that He seeks to do in and through your life? You have a calling upon your life. God wants every single one of us to participate in His redemptive work in the world.
We say to our kids: "Who you are is God's gift to you, but who you become is your gift to God." It's waking up every single day saying, "Lord, I want to discover who you made me to be, and I want to live open-minded and with an open heart to the assignments and things you've placed in front of me. Lord, if there is ever an opportunity for me to glorify you and introduce other people to Christ, help me have the courage and motivation to step outside my comfort zone and do so."
That is who He is. We're all called to model the fingerprint of God upon our lives as well as to participate in His redemptive work in the world.
Tragically, when it comes to calling, we've reduced this idea to individuals who work within churches. That's a terrible myth. It's not only people who work in churches who are called by God. Every single person has a calling and a purpose upon their life.
In fact, I'm greatly encouraged that the vast majority of people are not called to work within the local church. It takes all kinds of people to reach all kinds of people. There are people in your sphere of influence that God seeks for you to have impact over—people that I could never reach from my position. This is a team effort.
Most of us have bumped into individuals where we've experienced things and seen someone functioning in a way where we recognize: That person is doing exactly what God created them to do.
This past week, one of our kids had some serious health issues, so we were in a doctor's office. This doctor is a believer and was a tremendous blessing to our family during that appointment. I told my kids afterward: "It's amazing when you get to see someone doing exactly what God called them to do. Kids, you need to understand—the same way Dad gets to minister to people, isn't it great that God has people like that in position who get to minister to us as well?"
Every single one of us has a ministry assignment and a calling. You would do yourself such a great service, in fact you would find it incredibly rewarding, to open your heart to the fact that God has called you to a very specific purpose. It's about learning to lean into God's Word, understanding His general will for your life, and then developing the ability to discern His special will for your life.
Now Paul says he was "called to be an apostle." To my Catholic friends, hang with me on this. I'll let you know where I'm at when it comes to the apostles.
When we refer to the apostles in scripture, sometimes you'll see the root word applied to a vast group of individuals. In essence, the word "apostle" means to be sent out, to be a representative. Sometimes you'll see that root language attached to people like Barnabas and Timothy.
But it's clear in Scripture that there was a specific group of people who were the apostles—the original 12. Judas fell away, and it's clear they needed to appoint another to take his place—someone who had traveled with them, someone who witnessed the resurrection of Christ, and someone who had been personally commissioned by Christ.
This group of individuals was sent out by the Risen Christ Himself. Paul was in that category. As I said, in Acts chapter 9, he encountered the Risen Christ Himself and was then commissioned by Christ as an instrument for the work of God in the world.
The reason I say this is important: these apostles were entrusted with great authority. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they laid the foundation of doctrine and theology, established the local church within the world, and were representations of Christ Himself within their regions.
Once a foundation is laid—and anyone who's ever built a home knows this—you don't have to lay another one. What you might find in the Catholic tradition is the idea of apostolic succession: the same authority given to the original apostles has been passed on to each Pope as they've taken office.
You can find support for that in Catholic tradition, but you can't find any support for that in scripture. You owe it to yourself to look into that. Why is that even important? Anytime an individual overestimates their authority and over-leverages their responsibilities, disruption and dysfunction make their way into the local church. This isn't just found on the Catholic side; you can find this in very charismatic movements today where individuals claim to have the exact same authority as Paul, Peter, and John.
Be very careful around that type of thinking. The foundation has already been laid, and God is not imparting to individuals today what He imparted to the original apostles.
If you don't have this understanding, you can sometimes get duped into wonky theology where individuals overestimate their authority. Paul says he's an apostle, and Peter and the others would affirm: Yes, he is an apostle. He encountered the Risen Christ and was commissioned by Christ. He set out in the world to be the apostle to both Jews and Gentiles.
Paul was living during a unique time in history referred to as Pax Romana—the Peace of Rome. This is a bit misleading.
There was an emperor named Claudius, and all these emperors throughout history were absolutely unstable. When you go through Roman history, you find these individuals were just very consistent when it came to their temper tantrums. You know someone in your house who throws a temper tantrum? These emperors were like that—underdeveloped individuals, and it showed itself all the time.
Emperor Claudius at one point became so frustrated with the Jewish community that he decided to ban them from Rome. Every single Jew had to leave Rome.
When Emperor Claudius passed away, a new emperor took office: Nero. He too was unstable. In Roman history, each new emperor meant a brand new policy. It wasn't like our government where things translate to the next administration. New emperor, new policy.
As Emperor Nero came to power, maintaining the ban on Jews being in Rome wasn't on his radar. So Emperor Nero stepped into power and Jews began making their way back to Rome.
Here's what's fascinating: The church they had left in Rome still existed, but now it looked radically different. All the Jews had been pulled out, and when they returned, they found a unanimously Gentile church—the first unanimously Gentile church in church history.
The church had different customs, different preferences, different traditions. When the Jewish people showed up, they were frustrated by what they were seeing in the church in Rome. Much of Paul's writing in Romans addresses this tension between Jews and Gentiles in the church.
Many will ask: How was there even a church in Rome? Here's what you find: no apostle had direct connection or leadership responsibility of the church in Rome. Every other church was planted, led, shaped, guided, and empowered by the apostles. With that came many miraculous signs and wonders—epic moments where they would recognize: only God could do that.
But in Rome, they didn't have apostolic leadership and they didn't have miraculous signs and wonders. This was the first lay church in church history.
The question is: How was that even possible? How did the church make its way into the Roman empire, into such a hostile environment, without apostolic leadership and miraculous signs and wonders?
There are three primary theories. The first would be Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2. The Holy Spirit arrived on the scene and the apostles went out into the streets declaring the gospel. On that day, the church was born. Acts chapter 2 says that when the Holy Spirit showed up, there were visitors from Rome. Some people say it was those visitors who were in Jerusalem during Pentecost who returned to Rome and started telling people, "We were in Jerusalem and there's this Jesus..."
What makes the Roman church particularly remarkable is that it had no apostolic leadership and no miraculous signs and wonders—it was the first lay church in church history. The question becomes: How was this even possible? How did the church establish itself in Rome, such a hostile environment, without apostolic authority or miraculous validation?
There are three primary theories about how Christianity reached Rome. The first is Pentecost (Acts 2). When the Holy Spirit arrived and the apostles declared the gospel in Jerusalem, there were visitors from Rome present. Some scholars believe these Roman visitors returned home and began telling people about Jesus and what He had accomplished.
The second theory involves Paul's personal relationships. When Emperor Claudius banished the Jews from Rome, they dispersed throughout the region to cities where Paul was working. Individuals like Priscilla and Aquila—who became some of Paul's closest friends in Corinth—were forced to leave Rome and became great leaders in the church. Another notable figure was Rufus, whose father carried Christ's cross to Golgotha. If Rufus became a leader in the Roman church, his family's direct connection to Christ's crucifixion would have profoundly shaped both him and the entire church.
The third theory focuses on Rome's geography and culture. Rome was the epicenter of social and economic life—a hub where merchants and tourists traveled constantly. Eventually, Christians would naturally arrive there through commerce and travel.
Regardless of how the church began, Paul faced a complex situation. The church in Rome had become predominantly Gentile but was now facing tension with returning Jews. Paul saw Rome as more than a church to address—he saw it as a launching pad for reaching the rest of the world with the gospel. In fact, his desire wasn't simply to end in Rome; he wanted to reach Spain, the edges of the known world.
Because Paul had no direct involvement with the Roman church, his letter reads very differently from his other epistles. In letters to churches like Corinth, Paul addresses specific problems: gossips, troublemakers, false doctrines, and other issues. But in Romans, he launches immediately into solid theology. This tells us something crucial: Paul believed the Roman church was rock solid—spiritually mature enough to handle deep theological conversation.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul says some believers can only handle spiritual milk because they're infants. But when he looks at Rome, Paul thinks, "This group can handle meat and potatoes." The aim should be for every church: to be established in solid doctrine and theology so we can move forward in strength and accomplish our purpose.
Paul introduces himself as called to be an apostle so he can extend the gospel of God. The word "gospel" means good news—and this is sometimes missed in Christian conversations. When believers express or share their faith, it often doesn't sound like good news at all. We need to ask ourselves: Do I articulate my faith in a way that makes people think, "That's amazing! God did what? And for who? Including me? That's great news!"
This is fundamentally God's doing. Paul emphasizes that we have received grace, not achieved it. This isn't something we earn. Paul is writing in a culture steeped in performance-based religion and performance-based theology, and he declares: what is being offered to every single one of us has nothing to do with our performance. Only the performance of Christ makes any of this possible.
This distinction is radically different. It removes the pressure we often develop in religious spaces and creates freedom and joy in following Christ. There's a profound difference between forced obedience and free obedience. Scripture says that obedience comes from faith—the moment we place our faith in Christ and recognize who He is and all He's done, it naturally produces a response: "I want to live in His footsteps, following the model He laid out for me."
Paul immediately clarifies that this is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. More importantly, this is not new. This is not a new story or new philosophy. It was promised long beforehand and articulated throughout the centuries by the prophets. Christ is the fulfillment of all scripture—every sentence, page, paragraph, chapter, and book points to Jesus.
Most people don't realize this truth: Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the scripture we read. Paul wants readers to understand this isn't some trendy idea here today and gone tomorrow. This is a timeless truth that has stood the test of time. As I tell younger leaders: if you want to say something new, read something old. Stop co-signing whatever is the latest vogue idea. Find a timeless truth worth standing on and lean into that.
When people tell you they don't believe Jesus is God, you may find yourself unprepared to respond. Here are three miracles impossible for anyone but Christ—three miracles that set Him apart and put Him in a category all by Himself:
If having a conversation with a skeptic, I'd start in reverse order. First, examine the prophecies throughout history and how improbable it was for Christ to fulfill every single one. Then jump to the resurrection, which Paul himself said: if Jesus Christ did not resurrect from the grave, all of scripture is rubbish. Look at the historical accounts and recognize there's more proof that Christ resurrected than proof for many historical figures we teach our kids about in school. This is rock solid and sound—you owe it to yourself to do your own historical research.
A common pushback is: this is all a hoax. Paul wrote this letter two to three decades after Christ died and was buried. That's plenty of time to develop a false rumor and trick people. But this argument is easy to dismantle.
Think back three decades. The Buffalo Bills had an absolute dynasty in 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994—winning four Super Bowls in a row. I can reference something from three decades ago and immediately people in this room object: "That's not true!" They actually lost all four Super Bowls. You see the point: three decades is enough time for everyone to remember and correct false claims.
Yet early Christians went forward unapologetically declaring with boldness and unyielding devotion: Jesus Christ is the Son of God—hung on a Roman cross and buried in a borrowed tomb. What's remarkable is that history doesn't show large groups of people objecting. We don't find documentation of eyewitnesses saying, "Wait a second, we were all there—that's false!" Actually, we find the opposite: some of the early resistors themselves became believers.
This faith that contradicted everything the Roman Empire stood for eventually toppled the Empire itself. By the third or fourth century, Constantine himself said, "I'm in, I'm a believer." There's no strong pushback in the historical record. Isn't there something substantial here that could develop greater confidence in your faith?
Paul establishes this message in a unique and hostile era with an unlikely group of people. Understanding when and where they lived illuminates how remarkable this is. This was the era of Pax Romana—the Peace of Rome—when Rome dominated the known world with the most powerful military ever.
Rome would ransack villages, communities, and cities, claiming everything as its own. Eventually, Rome realized it had spread too thin and needed to push pause on expansion. They needed to establish internal infrastructure and stability. So they brought their most powerful army home.
But an idle army needs occupation, so emperors unleashed this army throughout the region, instilling law, order, fear, dominion, and control. As they did, they built infrastructure—roads and ports. The very roads and ports that Paul himself would travel on to spread the gospel.
Yes, Pax Romana meant peace for neighboring countries who weren't being attacked. But here's what's outstanding: God used this maniacal leader and evil agenda to advance the cause of Christ. The Roman Empire literally paved the way for the gospel. Though the "peace" was misleading, these roads and ports provided the avenue for the message of reconciliation and peace with our heavenly Father to go forward.
The only thing that makes Nero, Claudius, or the Roman Empire even relevant is that the gospel was launched to the other parts of the world through a church that believed Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That's outstanding.
Paul ends by addressing all in Rome—Jews and Gentiles. You're coming back together despite tension, different preferences, different traditions, and different experiences. But here's what matters: we're all sinners saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. We're all on the same team.
This is a timeless message. As we prepare our hearts for what God wants to do in and through our church, consider: Are there any unnecessary tensions between me and other believers that I should recognize as nonsense? These are siblings, brothers and sisters in Christ. We're all on the same team.
Churches that develop competition with each other is such a letdown. We should pass by every church in our community and pray for them. We should celebrate their effectiveness. We should ask God to extend more favor to them. When we see them building, launching a new site, or planting a church, we should say, "Praise God, Amen, Hallelujah—that's amazing!" We're all in it together.
Paul says: grace and peace to you who are called to be His holy people. This calling isn't an invitation—it means you have been appointed. God already knows the good works He has in store for each one of us. He seeks to accomplish His perfect and pleasing will through our willingness to say yes to Him.
If we wake up every day saying, "He's the center of my life, He's the theme of my being, I say yes to Him and I follow His promptings"—I believe God may do amazing things through each of our lives, our church, and all our locations. We'll sit back and realize God truly is on the throne, in control with a plan, working all things together for good.
Even when we live in tough times, we can trust that God will use it all for His glory. So bring a friend, bring your Bible, dial in, and gain an understanding of what the Christian faith is before you dismiss it or walk away from it.
