The Gospel and us (Romans 1:5-7, 15)

So the gospel powerfully captured Paul’s heart, mind, and passion; but how does the gospel relate to us?

Most Christ-followers I have met are simply not that in awe of the gospel…or they have forgotten…or they feel too guilty…or they just don’t feel. As Paul wrote “Romans,” he not only revealed his heart for the gospel but grounded these young believers in it as well.

We need to think mythically to really get this-we need to see ourselves, like Frodo in the Lord of the Rings, as being caught up in a drama of cosmic proportions. As Christ followers, we need to see that the story of our lives has been written into a much, much larger drama; the gospel has been promised, the Savior has risen, and we now we are the “called,” the “beloved,” the “saints” or holy ones (1:6-7). Humble hobbits we may be, but we’ve been written into the great story of the kingdom of God advancing on this earth.

Notice how Paul describes the radical response of people who believe the gospel message- “the obedience of faith…for His name’s sake” (1:5). In a day when it is hard to tell the difference between genuine believers and those who are merely curious seekers, Paul describes believing as producing obedience, a quest for godliness.

And for his Name’s sake, that is, a spontaneous, un-coerced, organic overflow of doing what God desires out of gratitude for what He has done and awe for Who He is. But as believers, we need to have our minds washed with the truth of what we have been called to; this is why Paul was eager to preach the gospel to the church at Rome (1:15). It was the believers who needed to hear the gospel, believe in the grace God that had given and live as people called to be saints. Preach the gospel to yourself everyday.