When the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he hadn’t been to that city yet. Therefore, he began his letter with an introduction telling them and us that God had called and sent him.
In the first seven verses of this epistle, Paul made eight references to Jesus. In the seventh verse he wanted to assure his readers that God loved and called them to holiness.
I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Romans 1:7
Paul started churches in many cities where people worshiped false gods. Likewise, he needed to establish the Lordship of Jesus to those in Rome, the capital of the world.
Many Roman citizens considered Caesar a god whom they obeyed because they feared him. The apostle, though, wanted them to see their relationship with God in a different light.
And you are included among those Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. Romans 1:6
When God called them, and we can include us too, we belong to or join His family. This happens when we openly put our faith in Jesus. Paul commended their faith, as observed by others.
Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. Romans 1:8
The apostle declared his intention to visit and observe their spiritual fruit in the next few verses. But things continued to prevent his arrival there. Eventually, he did go to Rome.
Stand Firm in Your Faith
In the meantime, he made a point to encourage this young church with this letter. He knew how easily someone could turn from their faith when rubbing shoulders with Roman dignitaries.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16
So, Paul challenged all of us who are called to stand firm in our faith. We must live by faith when we face each new circumstance. With each day, we get new opportunities to live by our faith.
This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. Romans 1:17
As this chapter unfolds, the apostle changed his tone and began talking about the anger of God. He said wicked people know the truth about Him because He made it evident to them.
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:20
Guard Your Faith
We each must carefully guard our relationship with God, who has called us to serve Him. Satan wants to deceive and destroy anyone who unashamedly proclaims faith in Christ.
The people Paul wrote about in the following verse at one time either they or their ancestors worshiped the Lord. But because of deception, they turned to ignoring or mocking Him.
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Romans 1:21
In my opinion, this is how religion got its main foothold in Christianity. Many people today think their relationship with God rests on how religious they look.
Some try to make their religious activities look as Christian as they can. Others stray as far away as they can but still call themselves Christian. But the Lord wants nothing to do with them.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. Romans 1:24
Anytime any of us, even those God has called, refocuses our worship away from Him, we sin. At that point, we begin to worship something He created instead of worshiping the Creator.
They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. Romans 1:25
In the culture Paul lived in, many major cities had temples built for different “gods.” Prostitution and homosexuality often served as common practices connected to them.
God Has Called Us To Holiness
Today those two activities have become a way of life. But not a way of life that pleases the Lord. The apostle referred to them as shameful desires, yet society has embraced them.
That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Romans 1:26-27
With society opening the way for these activities, God abandons people to their own desires. It also opens the way for other unwanted activities as well.
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. Romans 1:29-30
The Lord, however, has called us to a life of holiness, not to a life of compromise. Therefore, let’s stay focused on the Lord and His will as we unashamedly live our faith in Him.
Paul ended verse seventeen with the following statement. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Exercise your faith in Jesus because it gives you life.
Lord, today, we unashamedly confess that you called us to live a holy life. We lift up those blinded to the salvation that Jesus offers to them. We pray you will open their eyes.
Republished with permission from Blogs.crossmap.com, featuring inspiring Bible verses about God Called Us To Be His Holy People.
