Romans 1-16 - the Blessings of God’s Grace

Romans gets to the very heart of the Christian faith. But what is at the heart of Romans? What is at the heart of the Christian faith?

It begins with grace and peaceand it ends with glory. And on the way we meet some wonderful words of blessing. Those words of blessing show us the meaning of grace and God’s free gift of love. They demonstrate the way in which peace can come into our hearts. And they point us to the glory of God, a glory beyond all our imagining.

To read Romans is itself a blessing. To read the blessings of Romans is to touch the heart of the Gospel and to receive the blessing of God’s grace.

Romans 1 - Receiving God’s grace

Half a century before Paul began his letter to the Christians of Rome Augustus had been the first Roman Emperor to regard himself as Son of God. In that time the Cult of the Emperor had caught on. Paul gets straight to the point - he calls on the Christian community to believe and obey Jesus, not the Emperor, as the Son of God. Christianity is an alternative way of life which subverts the powers that be. And at its heart is the righteousness of God - not a judgemental God to be feared, but a God who sets people rightand sets people free to follow a different way of life. That is an act of pure grace which is ours to share as we respond in faith. But it then turns our world upside down!Paul’s indictment of Roman society (18-32) has a disturbing contemporary ring

Romans 1:18 - 3:20 - Needing God’s Grace

So what do you think is wrong with our world at the moment? What analaysis would you make of our society today.

Paul pulls no punches in his analysis of the Rome he was writing to and looking forward to visiting. Nero’s Rome was a cruel place ... and Paul tells it as it is! (1:18-32). In making such an analysis it is tempting to adopt a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. The Christian Church in Rome faced that temptation. Paul would have none of it. Don’t be judgmental, he said, to judge others is to condemn yourself. No, any analysis of the wrongs of our world, must include ourselves ... and start with ourselves. Only then are we ready for the new way of God’s Grace!

Romans 3:21-4 Transformed by Grace

A beautiful harvest? Or a world gone mad? What do we see around us at our Harvest week-end. Maybe we share a sense of inadequacy, a sense of failure, a sense that we’ve got it wrong.

Paul was convinced that we all fall short of God’s glory. But there is no need to despair. The Good News of our Christian faith is that God in Jesus Christ is there for us precisely at the moment when we feel as if we have let him down most. It is as if God in Christ puts us right with himself, sets us free from the things that get us tied up in knots, and brings forgiveness into our hearts. And all of that is God’s gift to us in grace. Share it by faith and be inspired to share love with the world!

Romans 5:1-11 - Put right by Grace

What wonderful words Paul chooses to get to the heart of his message for the Christian communities in Rome: put right with God - faith - peace with God - God’s grace - live - hope - sharing God’s glory!

there is no distinctionWe have all fallen short of God’s glory. But in Christ something new is available to us all. Not that it is an easy path to follow. Thosechurches in Rome were facing a difficult time under Nero. Other words come into play for Paul as well: trouble - endurance - God’s approval - hope - love. Such strength is available to us not in our own strength but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

What words do you need to take to heart this week?

Romans 6 - Obedient under Grace

So far we have met the word in every chapter of Romans - ‘grace’ - God’s free, forgiving love that enables us to make a new start whatever the circumstances we find ourselves in. It’s a word that goes to the heart of the Christian faith.

It can so easily be a cop-out! If God forgives us, then it doesn’t really matter what we get up to. Nothing could be further from the truth! It’s not that we have to do the right thing in order to curry favour with God. It begins with grace - God’s love is there first. And then that prompts a response from us. In response we offer ourselves to serve God, to serve one another ... and even to serve in love those who are our enemies. That gives us much to reflect on.

Romans - A Celebration of God’s Grace - Sunday evening sermons Autumn 2001 - Richard Cleaves

It was AD 57. Paul had arrived in Corinth. He had every intention of travelling to Rome and on to Spain and the furthest parts of the Empire. He wrote to the Christian communities of Nero’s Rome telling them of his intentions and sharing with them the heart of the faith that meant so much to him. First he determined to return to Jerusalem and personally deliver money he had raised for the famine stricken church there. His arrest thwarted his plans!