Good Example Of The Letter Of Paul To The Romans Essay

The holy book of Romans is undoubtedly one of the most elaborate works of Apostle Paul to the Christians living in Rome, which was then an important city both into the Roman Empire and in the work of the gospel. Rome was both an administrative and religious center, with a highly cosmopolitan population. The book of Romans is actually not Paul’s first letter but it is placed as the first epistle because of its depth in dealing with the person of the messiah Jesus Christ and the message of the kingdom of God that he came to expose to mankind with the aim of reconciling man to God. Paul was an educated writer addressing an enlightened population. Most people living in Rome at that time were practicing paganism. However, some of them had come to believe in Christ. The Jews has considered all non-Jews as Gentiles, all gentiles were not worthy of God’s and so the fact that some Romans had come to believe in Christ was an important hallmark of Apostle Paul’s ministry.
The letter commences with the Apostle Paul declaring his commission, which warranted him to write a letter to the Romans. Paul goes to a great length to elaborate his mission as an apostle. He tells his audience that his main aim was to spread the good news to the non-Jews, not only the Romans but also to the Greeks. He does this in a clear and concise manner. It is clear from the introduction that Paul had an existing relationship with the Roman people and that he had visited them severally in the past. Paul refers to the Romans as his friend and shows his affection to them even further when he tells them that he longs to visit them, stating that given a chance he would visit them soon. The Apostle Paul helps his readers to appreciate the extent of the love of God that he exhibited through Christ by the fact that the whole message of the Empire of God was initially meant for the Jews only but the Romans received it, believed in Christ and they too were accepted as the people of God, now guaranteed to receive the blessing accrued to all those who believed in Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul was enthusiastic about his mission of spreading the gospel and was never ashamed of proclaiming it. He acknowledges it as being the power of God that was meant to change the people and report them to Himself. It was part of God’s redemptive power towards mankind. From the words of the apostle we are able to appreciate the fact that the Romans had really accepted the gospel of Christ as the savior, their faith was so profound that other unknown people started talking about their faith in Jesus Christ. Paul himself was considered an enemy to the gospel. He used to persecute and oversee the killing of individuals who believed in the person of Jesus. His conversion come after an encounter with Jesus on the way to Damascus, he converted and became a ferrous defender of the gospel, he in turn gave himself to ministering to the Gentiles while all other apostles focused in ministering in Jerusalem and other Jewish territory as they were still following the Jewish beliefs that the Gentiles were not worthy of the word of God.
Sin by the Gentile amongst the Gentile community is a major topic in the conclusion of the initial introduction of his letter to the Romans. The Roman city was a cosmopolitan city which was a melting point of numerous religions. The Romans were pagan worshippers and so their way of life was characterized by many pagan practices. These pagan practices were unacceptable to the Jews and were a major point of contention between the gentiles and the Jews. Thus, the Jews saw that the Romans were not worthy of the saving grace of Christ. Paul refutes these points of view as an exhortation to the Gentile population he was ministering to. He insisted the justification came through faith in Jesus Christ. So those who believed in the words of Christ were saved, and those who continued with their wayward way of life God gave them rejected them and gave them away to their sinful way of life. It brings to the fore God’s attitude towards sin. He is a holy God who abhors sin and desires that all live a sin free life. Paul also helps his audience understand that God is a merciful God, who can forgive sin if one is remorseful and repents. Paul desired to make the Gentiles understand the fact that Jesus Christ was their way into redemption. He spoke of how Christ came and took all the sins of all humanity and gave them a fresh lease of life and experience through his blood. It was in response to the fact that sin came into the formerly flawless world through one man and in the same way it was being taken out of the world through one man Jesus Christ.
It is difficult to directly pick out a specific theme that the apostle Paul is addressing in the book of Romans. He seems to concentrate much on helping the gentile community understand the grace of God through the person of Jesus Christ. He desires that the Gentile community will understand what it means to hold a strong belief in Christ and to follow him. As believing in Christ entails living a totally different life from what they were accustomed to. Paul desired to guide the gentiles on how to live after believing in Christ, given that they were still living amongst cultures that practiced paganism. Paul encourages the Gentiles to live a life of righteousness, stating that this is the surest way of ensuring that God’s promises upon the believing. Paul helps his audience to appreciate that living a life of righteousness is not possible by human endeavors or effort (University 10). Each is to give themselves fully to the lordship of Christ so as to ensure that he assists them to achieve such kind of life. Paul understood the pressures that his audience was facing after believing in Christ, and so it was important for them to get an in-depth understanding of the how righteousness could be achieved through a surrendered life to Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul also laid emphasis on the power of God to sanctify someone. He went on to indicate that all who believed were entitled to receive the power of God to sanctify them and free them from their past sins. Paul brings attention to the power of the holy blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. He told his audience that it was the blood of Jesus that was able to rid them of their past sins and make them justified for God’s promises that were once thought to be only for the Jews. Paul was clearly determined to make the Gentiles feel part of the family of God. He went to great length to elaborate why now that they believed their former way of life was no longer credited to them.
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