ROMANS 1:6-10 PAUL GIVES THANKS FOR THE ROMANS

Romans 1:6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 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. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

 1.    The people of Rome

Our practice always comes from our position or who we are

Note the repetition of the word called: Paul was called to be an apostle; the believers were the called of Jesus Christ;

They were also called beloved– This means they are much loved by God, the much loved are those who have trusted Christ and are also the saints

And they were also called saints. (Not “to be” saints; they already were saints! A saint is a set-apart one, and the person who trusts Jesus Christ is set apart and is a saint.) Salvation is not something that we do for God; it is God who calls us in His grace (2Thes. 2:13–14). When you trust Christ, you are saved by His grace and you experience His peace.

Saint is a common term for believer in the New Testament. It refers more to position than condition when used this way, though the implication of holiness is strong. We are saints even though we still sin

The salutation reveals the germ ideas that the writer proceeded to develop later. This feature is also characteristic of Paul's other epistles. So far Paul said he had a message that was in harmony with the Old Testament. It was from the risen Christ, and it was for all people. Furthermore it should lead people to obey God by exercising faith in Him.

It was common for Paul, having greeted the recipients of the letter, to move on to a somewhat lengthy note of thanksgiving and prayer for the church in question (except in Galatians where he is constrained to move immediately to the question of the gospel). Such is the case here in Romans 1:8-15.

He Expressed His Care For Them (Rom. 1:8–15)

1.             He was thankful for them or Paul praises the Romans

The personal pronoun my reminds one of similar expressions in the Psalms (3:7; 5:2; 13:3; 22:1; cf. Also Phil 1:3; Philemon 4) and reflects Paul’s deep personal relationship and dependence on God.

The first thing he wanted to do was to tell them how thankful he was for their faith and its influence.

Through Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of God’s plan for the world: He is the way in which God reached out to us and the way we in turn approach God

“Paul expressed his thanks for the Romans salvation and witness in the whole world

Rome was the center of the world and whatever happened there became known throughout the world

The whole world”— a hyperbole meaning throughout the Roman Empire, meaning the whole Roman Empire—knew of the faith of the Christians at Rome. Travel was relatively common in that day and “all roads led to Rome.” It is no wonder that the testimony of the church spread abroad, and this growing witness made Paul’s ministry easier as he went from place to place, and was able to point to this testimony going out from the heart of the Roman Empire.

It was like living in Washington DC, Las Vegas, and San Franscisco all rolled into one

2.             Paul prays for the Romans

V9 The statement God…is my witness is a very strong expression, used by the apostle on other occasions. It probably represents an oath he had taken to pray for the church with great constancy (2 Cor 11:23; Gal 1:20; Phil 1:8; 1 Thess 2:5, 10). But it is not the frivolous kind of oaths condemned by Jesus (Matt 5:33-37; cf. Jas 5:12), but is rather Paul’s attempt to communicate his true love (expressed through prayer on their behalf) for this largely Gentile church which he had never visited—a fact which may not have gone unnoticed by the people.

God knows that Paul serves and worships Christ out of love not legalism or the fear of God

Paul had seen the shallow hypocritical religion of the Pharisees and the superstitious and pleasure seeking morality of pagan idolatry

The verb serve is from a Greek verb (latreuo„) which is connected in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) to ideas of priestly service and worship. While it may not have the idea of priestly service here, it definitely suggests imagery pertaining to worship.3

·       He prays for them always – These saints were constantly in his thoughts and prayers

We are reminded that the real work of the ministry is prayer. Preaching is more a result of the ministry of prayer than it is a ministry itself. A sermon that does not rise from intense and heart-searching prayer has no chance of bearing real fruit."

3.             Paul wants to come see the Romans

V10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.

 Paul wants God through his sovereign will to work it out so that he could go to Rome

God did later as a prisoner of Rome so that Paul could have a mighty witness for God

Lessons

1.    God places a high priority on Faith

2.    You will never know in this life the impact you have had on other people