{"id":279518,"date":"2025-06-07T14:47:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-07T14:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/the-greatest-letter-ever-written-romans-escape-to-reality\/"},"modified":"2025-06-07T14:47:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T14:47:59","slug":"the-greatest-letter-ever-written-romans-escape-to-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=279518","title":{"rendered":"The Greatest Letter Ever Written \u2013 Romans \u2013 Escape to Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Paul\u2019s letter to the Romans is the most quoted, most powerful, and most influential letter ever written. In it, Paul unveils God\u2019s great plan to rescue broken humanity and fill the earth with a new creation.<\/p>\n

The message of Romans has the power to change your life, yet many people miss it. They appreciate some bits of Romans, but other bits leave them confused. \u201cConsider the kindness and severity of God,\u201d or \u201cEsau I hated,\u201d or \u201cHe hardens whom he desires.\u201d What is Paul saying?<\/p>\n

Confusion opens the door to bad teaching. \u201cGod is kind, but he\u2019s also nasty,\u201d or \u201cGod chooses some but rejects others.\u201d And the result is a mixed-up church that preaches a feeble gospel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Romans isn\u2019t complicated\u2014it\u2019s Christ revealed<\/h2>\n

As you may know, I have written a verse-by-verse commentary<\/a> on Romans\u2014it comes out next week\u2014and I can assure you that much of the confusion is unwarranted. Much of the trouble comes from reading parts of Romans out of context or through a graceless lens.<\/p>\n

To understand Romans, you need to start at the beginning:<\/p>\n

\n

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God<\/strong>\u2026 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son<\/strong>\u2026 (Romans 1:1\u20133a)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The first verse of the letter tells us that Romans conveys the gospel of God which reveals the Son of God. In other words, Romans not about you or me. It\u2019s about Jesus\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

\u2026who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:3\u20134)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The key to understanding Romans is right here in these opening verses. By unveiling Jesus Christ, Romans reveals the righteousness of God (Romans 1), the kindness of God (Romans 2), the faithfulness of God (Romans 3), the promise of God (Romans 4), the grace of God (Romans 5), and so on.<\/p>\n

To understand Romans, we need to see the Jesus that Paul reveals in these opening verses. In verse 4 Paul describes Jesus five ways:<\/p>\n

\n

\u2026who was declared the Son of God<\/strong> with power by the resurrection from the dead<\/strong>, according to the Spirit of holiness<\/strong>, Jesus Christ<\/strong> our Lord<\/strong>. (Romans 1:4)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

1. Jesus is the Son of God<\/h2>\n

The gospel of God is about the Son of God, who became a Son of Man so that the sons of men might become the sons of God.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Paul, how can we be sure that Jesus is truly God\u2019s Son? What sets him apart from the pretenders and self-proclaimed saviors?\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Jesus is risen<\/h2>\n

Paul lays down his trump card: the resurrection. A dead savior saves no one, but Jesus Christ conquered the grave. He broke the power of death and offers new life to all who come to him.<\/p>\n

The resurrection is not a historical event to be debated in Sunday School. It is Day One of the new creation (Rom. 6:4\u20135; 1 Cor. 15:20\u201349). When we put our faith in the Risen Lord, we are transferred from death row into new life.<\/p>\n

No king or Caesar ever rose from the grave, but the Author of Life did, and now he holds the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:18).<\/p>\n

3. Jesus ministered in the power of the Spirit<\/h2>\n

Jesus was raised by the Holy Spirit and ministered by the Spirit, confirming his divinity. But more than that, the same Spirit who raised Christ \u201cwill also give life to your mortal bodies\u201d (Rom. 8:11).<\/p>\n

The indwelling Holy Spirit transforms the believer and his role is explained in the middle chapters of Romans. No longer ruled by the flesh we can live Spirit-led, righteous lives. It\u2019s the life we were made for.<\/p>\n

4. Jesus is the Christ<\/h2>\n

For those waiting for the Messiah, Paul declares, \u201cJesus is your guy.\u201d He\u2019s the One promised in the Scriptures.<\/p>\n

By calling Jesus \u201cChrist\u201d over sixty times in Romans, Paul emphasizes that Jesus is the anointed King foretold by the prophets.<\/p>\n

5. Jesus is Lord<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s the title that encompasses all: Lord. The Jews called him Rabbi, but Christians call him Kyrios<\/em>, meaning \u201cthe One supreme above all rule, authority, and dominion\u201d (Eph. 1:21).<\/p>\n

He was once known as Jesus of Nazareth (Matt. 26:71), but after his resurrection, he received a name above every name\u2014Lord (Phil. 2:9\u201311). \u201cYou call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am\u201d (John 13:13). Paul refers to Jesus as Lord over twenty times in Romans (e.g., Rom. 1:4, 10:9, 14:9, etc.).<\/p>\n

Romans is a rich letter that covers the full sweep of human history from beginning to end. Yet in just four verses, Paul hits the high points of the gospel: Jesus is the Christ<\/em>, the Son of God<\/em>, and the Lord<\/em> who was raised by the Holy Spirit<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, that\u2019s the message of Romans. Paul does not write to dazzle you with his intellect or to provoke theological debates about who God supposedly chooses or rejects. He writes so that you may know that Jesus is the Risen Lord\u2014and that all who call on him shall be saved (Rom. 10:9, 13).<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n