Romans 1:5-17
Paul mentions how the good news of Jesus (that he lived, died and rose so we could be forgiven, friends with God, live life to the full and forever) is not just for Jews (people descended from Abraham) but Gentiles (non-Jews) too. God wants everyone to know his forgiveness and love and there are many in Rome who are trusting and following Jesus and are experiencing this reality.
Paul's heart aches for these new Christians. He loves them and they are precious to him because they are trusting and following Jesus and trying to serve and share him too. He wants to encourage them and he would love to be there in person to teach them more about living for Jesus and invite more people to join them too. There's such a mixed bag of people in Rome and the gospel (good news of Jesus) is for all of them so Paul is excited to tell them all and see people of all nationalities and personalities come to know God personally through Jesus. Paul knows that the gospel message is powerful and the activity of sharing it is also powerful work because God saves people to trust and follow Jesus and know his forgiveness and love.
It's a challenge for anyone who trusts and follows Jesus. What's the most powerful job in the world? It's not being President or Prime Minister and it's not running a multinational business. It's sharing the good news of Jesus to people who don't yet know God personally. If we're living for Jesus, let's not neglect this job! We should want everyone to know Jesus.
Romans blog
