Paul then formally sends his greetings “to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:7). After greeting his readers, he immediately commends them for their reputation of strong faith throughout the Roman Empire (1:8) and assures them of his prayers for them (1:9). Along with praying for them, Paul also prayed for himself to have the opportunity to visit them soon to “impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established – that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me” (1:10-12). Furthermore, Paul desired to visit the churches at Rome so that he could see spiritual growth in their lives (1:13) and also preach the gospel throughout Rome (1:14-15). Paul was so passionate about the gospel because it had changed his life and now he wanted others to also see that God could transform their lives, whether they were a Jew or Gentile (1:16). He was convinced that faith in the gospel (life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins) could bring righteousness from God to the sinner so that he could now live a life by faith. The ultimate result of faith in Jesus Christ is that the sinner is declared righteous on the basis of Jesus’ death and receives eternal life on the basis of Jesus’ resurrection.
Through Paul’s introductory words, the reader can see a great passion for the gospel as well as spiritual fruit from those who believe in Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote to the Romans hundreds of years ago, the modern-day Christian must also believe in Jesus Christ through faith and continue living his life by faith (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Dear God, thank You for providing righteousness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and showing mercy to those who will believe in Him by faith. Help those who have believed not to be ashamed of the gospel and may they demonstrate a life of faith in their daily actions.
