We begin today a study of the book of Romans. I’ve just completed some notes for the book of Acts. Reading the first chapter of Romans, I realize there is a lot of theology and I’ll make two postings on it rather than just one.
The first chapter of Romans covers two primary topics, and I’ll write comments in two different posts.
The chapter begins with a general salutation by Paul to the church at Rome. In doing so, Paul lays out a tremendous lot for us to take in regarding how we should interact with other Christians.
The first example is in verse 9 which reads:
Romans 1:9 “…that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;”
Paul tells us to pray for each other. We as the body of Christ accomplish more when we lift each other up in prayers to God. We become more invested in the well-being of other Christians when we without ceasing lift each other up in prayer. It seems a prerequisite to being able to lift one up in prayer without ceasing is that you need to really care for each other.
The next example is in verse 10.
Romans 1:10 “…if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.”
What Paul says here is that he wants to visit with the Church in Rome. We should visit with one another. Many times our spirituality is tempered when we only see other Christians in church. We often see each other once per week, and that’s it. We grow closer to other Christians when we visit with one another. We learn their needs and become more in tune with how to lift them up in prayer.
Next, Paul lays out something for us in verse 11.
Romans 1:11 “For I long to see you…”
When we are away from church, do we look forward to seeing other Christians? Do we see church as more of a duty or chore instead of the Christian fellowship which unites us all? We should develop a Christian kinship so when we’re away, we look forward to the next time we can see each other.
Also in verse 11:
Romans 1:11 “…that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift…”
In other words, lift each other up spiritually. When we go to church, it’s ok to discuss various non-spiritual matters as long as that isn’t what dominates the topic. If all we ever talk about with each other are non-spiritual matters, we don’t lift each other up spiritually. We effectively make the church a glorified social meeting. We should uplift each other spiritually when we’re together.
Let’s continue in verse 12 where we see something else:
Romans 1:12 “…that I may be comforted together with you…”
Comfort one another. There are times when we all have trouble. When this happens, we need to be there for each other to assist.
Finally, verse 13 has one other piece of advise which Paul has for us.
Romans 1:13 “…I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also…”
When Paul says, “have some fruit”, he’s referring to soul winning. He says he wants to win souls “among you” or in other words “with you.” His words to us here are “win souls together.” Go witness to the world together to bring the lost to Christ.
In summary:
Imagine if we do these things how close the church will become!
To learn more about Romans chapter 1, follow this link.
