Paul’s Example in Romans 1

While spending a lot of time in Romans recently, I learned some things from Paul’s example in the first chapter… 

This definitely isn’t a complete list, but here are some things that we learn about Paul in Romans 1:

• Paul is a bondservant (a slave, one subjected to the authority of another, in this case Christ, {Webster’s 1828 Dictionary}) (1:1)
• Paul thanked God for the Roman believers’ faith (1:8)
• Paul was constantly praying for the Roman believers (1:8)
• Paul wanted to be an encouragement to the Christians in Roman (1:12)
• Paul wanted the Roman Christians to be an encouragement to him (1:12)
• Paul was not ashamed of the gospel (1:16)

These are really good things to learn from!  

1. Christians are bondservants to God ~ we’ve been freed from our sin, but now we are “slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18), and so obviously we should make sure we are living like that.  Let’s be people who are diligent to find God’s instructions to His people from His Word, and then seek wholeheartedly to obey them. 
2. Paul’s example of praying for the Romans is an encouragement to be diligent in lifting up other believers in prayer.  And you see this example demonstrated in a lot of the epistles ~ often he starts the epistles with recording the prayers he has been praying for them.
3. I thought verse 12 was very neat “that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mind.” ~ Paul said he wanted to be an encouragement to the Roman believers and he wanted them to be an encouragement to him.  I think we can understand that Paul would want to be an encouragement to them, but he desired to be encouraged by them as well.  They probably hadn’t been Christians as long as he had, but it goes to show that Christians can encourage one another even if they are not at the same stage in their walk with the Lord.  Are we being diligent to encourage other believers?  Am I being diligent in encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ?
4. Also, Paul is a great example of not being ashamed of the gospel.  Because of the gospel he was hated by a lot of people, put in prison, etc. yet he didn’t try to hide the fact that he followed Christ and loved the gospel ~ he boasted in the cross of Christ! (Galatians 6:14)

What wonderful riches are contained in the Word of God!!

“Even So, Consider Yourselves…” Because You Really Are!

I’ve been looking at the book of Romans a lot the past couple of weeks, specifically chapter 6.  Studying it and listening to some teaching on this chapter has been a great blessing!  Here is a quote out of a message by Paul Washer on Romans 6…

“And so he goes on and says this – verse 11, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  And why is that? BECAUSE YOU REALLY ARE DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE TO CHRIST JESUS!  That’s the whole purpose of the first six verses…It’s a reality.  He says in the first part of the text you are dead to sin.  Look what he says “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” And then he talks about being baptized unto His death and raised to newness of life and that’s why he can come back in verse 11 and says “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus“  BECAUSE YOU REALLY ARE!  You are living now in a new reality, in a new realm”

What a glorious reality for those of us who are new creatures in Christ, through the saving power of God.  Praise Him!!