Romans 1:1-7 The Gospel and Commission in 7 Verses

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. NIV

 It's amazing how much Paul packed into these seven verses. In them we see the trinity, prophecy, the gospel, the lineage of Christ, our calling as believers, and our hope. As well as a greeting to the Romans.

Over the next few posts, I will need to break this passage down verse by verse. But today, I wanted to look at it in its entirety simply to see that being a Christ follower is not complex. Here we see it summarized in six short verses. Isn't that amazing? The power of the Creator who sent His Son to change the world and bring it hope can be written about in just a few words. And yet, we want to make it so complicated.

Jesus Christ did come to upset the apple cart, but not to complicate. In fact, His presence brings more clarity to our lives than we will ever experience through any other means. He is our only hope. We simply must believe and walk in that faith. How beautiful is that?

Father, I continue to complicate your gospel and commission by placing it in time and space; by breaking it down into too many parts; by letting it be overshadowed by my sin and chaos. And it is much simpler than that. Forgive me, Lord. You love me; I accept Your love and forgiveness; I will live to serve You. Period. So be it.

Further Thoughts: 

1. Read this passage again 2-3 times slowly. Let your mind and heart absorb all it has to say. 
2. Read this passage here in other versions. Notice below the passage, you can click on "view in parallel." Then you can select other versions to read. I particularly like the English Standard Version of this passage.
3. Define gospel.
4. Read The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
5. Write out for yourself in a few words a definition of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Great Commission. Memorize it to be your 30-second explanation you can give if someone asks you what you believe.

Matthew 28:16-20 "The Great Commission"

Read Matthew 28:16-20.

"Therefore go...." NIV

Here's our job -- our purpose on this earth. We were not made to sit on our hands and wait for Christ to return. He's given us something very important to do and that is to share Him with the world. He desires none to be lost, but all to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. That is a pretty tall order and we all must do our part. If we were just to receive Christ and then sit around waiting for Him to come back, we might as well just die and go to heaven. There's nothing left for us to do. But that's not how He planned it, and we need to be obedient to His calling on our lives.

Last night, I was at my library's book club (yes, I'm a book club geek;-) We were discussing Lying Awake by Mark Salzman. It's about a cloistered nun. I thought it was interesting that in the discussion, a non-believer said that he thought it was very selfish of her to spend so much time in silence and prayer and not share what she had learned with the world or to help people other than the other 11 nuns in her convent. Now, I'm not speaking against cloistered contemplatives; we have learned from the writings of many of them over the years, such as, Teresa of Avila. But God calls very few people to an isolated contemplative life. Although we all should take regular times of prayer and contemplation, we are to live in the world and share what we learn and live with others. Not only do we have this Great Commission, but we have the greatest commandment that we discussed in an earlier post -- love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and the second, love your neighbor as yourself. To do so, we need to be out among people.

So how are we doing with the great commission? Obviously, we love studying the Word, and I, personally, am a lover of silence and solitude. But we can't just sit here with our Bibles all day. We also can't just go about our day in the world without letting people know about Jesus. We have a simple calling, lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus and teach them how to live an obedient life. As we close out the Gospel of Matthew and studying the life of Jesus, now is a good time to evaluate how we are living our lives. Jesus not only came to save us through His crucifixion and resurrection, but He also is an example of how to live. If a gospel was written about us, what would it say about us in accomplishing the calling God has put on our lives? Maybe it's time for a few contemplative moments.

Further Thoughts:

1. Matthew gives a very shortened version of Jesus Christ's life after the resurrection. For a broader view of His activities and lessons, read the other three gospels.
2. Take some time today to list ways that you are living out the Great Commission. How are you doing?
3. What are some giftings God has given you that you could put to better use to reach people for Him?