7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are volumes in print consisting solely of the letters from and to great writers or leaders. It is one of the sadder things of the modern age that there is little prospect of seeing The Complete Emails of…. Fill in the blank. They are usually bland. From this email address to that one. Not so this letter Paul wrote to the Romans. It serves as a systematic theology textbook, so much so that even who it is written to is a lesson in who God is and who we are. God loved the Romans and in his sovereignty called them to be set apart for his glory. He gave them underserved favor and a sense of well being that no one else can provide. The Lord Jesus Christ is the main character of the opening itself.
He is still the main character in the story of mankind. Even if we don’t read letters anymore, this letter tells us that Jesus Christ is sufficient to save both Jew and Gentile. He extends grace to us so that in response, we turn our lives over to him and do not go on sinning that grace may abound. We know that as much as we try not to sin that we will but praise God for his mercy! We know that there is nothing that can separate us from his love. Forward that message to someone today.
Dear Lord, heavenly Father, you are awesome and your word tells us so. Thank you for revealing yourself to us and may the Lord Jesus Christ live in us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church