| Romans - Paul's Greeting |
As we continue our study in the first chapter of the book of Romans, we come now to
chapter one, verse 7. Here it says, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be
saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
chapter one, verse 7. Here it says, “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be
saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
We See to Whom Paul is Writing
He is writing to the church at Rome. He is writing to all the Christians that make up the local
church in the city of Rome. He is also writing to us today who are saved by the grace of
God. The great truths found here in Romans are just as real and powerful to us today as
they were to the church at Rome when Paul wrote them. God has given us His Word to base
our beliefs upon. The Christian faith is not a blind leap in the dark, as some say, but it is a
belief in the promises of God found in His written Word. We see this great truth in (Romans
10:17) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” God never
asks us to believe something, but that He first gives us His Word on it. The Christian faith is
based on the Word of God that lives and abides forever. Faith is not based on our feelings,
and this is a good thing, because our feelings change all the time. Again, we must learn, and
never forget, our faith is based on the Word of God, regardless of how we feel.
Paul is writing to all the saints at Rome, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, educated or
uneducated, rich or poor. Paul is writing to all that they all may be instructed, edified, rooted
and grounded in the Christian faith. The same purpose is intended for us today.
church in the city of Rome. He is also writing to us today who are saved by the grace of
God. The great truths found here in Romans are just as real and powerful to us today as
they were to the church at Rome when Paul wrote them. God has given us His Word to base
our beliefs upon. The Christian faith is not a blind leap in the dark, as some say, but it is a
belief in the promises of God found in His written Word. We see this great truth in (Romans
10:17) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” God never
asks us to believe something, but that He first gives us His Word on it. The Christian faith is
based on the Word of God that lives and abides forever. Faith is not based on our feelings,
and this is a good thing, because our feelings change all the time. Again, we must learn, and
never forget, our faith is based on the Word of God, regardless of how we feel.
Paul is writing to all the saints at Rome, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, educated or
uneducated, rich or poor. Paul is writing to all that they all may be instructed, edified, rooted
and grounded in the Christian faith. The same purpose is intended for us today.
Paul Addressing them as the Beloved of God
Every person who is saved by the grace of God was chosen in the Lord Jesus Christ before
the foundation of the world. The Bible says in (Ephesians 1:3-4) “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” Being saved by
the grace of God, we are accepted in the beloved; that is, we are accepted in the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is how God accepts us in His kingdom. We are not worthy within ourselves, but
we are made worthy in God’s only begotten Son. The Bible says in (Ephesians 1:4-7)
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, To the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
his grace;” Now beloved, this is the love of God for us that’s beyond our understanding.
Let us look at what the Bible has to say concerning this love of God that caused the apostle
Paul to say the saints are the “beloved of God.” (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.” Here God’s love is seen in giving His only begotten Son for the
salvation of believers. In (Romans 5:8) it says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God gave His Son to die for our sins
on the cross of Calvary. And we see in (I John 4:9-10) “In this was manifested the love of
God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” There can be no greater manifestation of the love
of God, than Him giving His Son to die on the cross for the sin of the world.
But God’s love for us is seen even further in the salvation of our souls. The Bible says in
(Ephesians 2:4-10) “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.” How could we ever thank God enough for His love
toward us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins?
Not only this, beloved, but God loved us so much that when He saved us, He made us His
children. The Bible says in (I John 3:1-2) “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.” God has bestowed His special love on us in making us the sons
of God. We are the children of God now, here in this life, and we will be the children of God
in heaven when this life is over. He tells us here that the world doesn’t know us in our new
spiritual life, just as they didn’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as He was here in the world
living and walking a holy life. The world will hate and persecute us, but let us not worry
about that, because the love of God will keep us through it all. The Bible says in (Romans 8:
35-39) “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we
are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What a joy it is to know we have
all this love bestowed on us through the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Mediator between us
and the Father. No wonder Paul says here in our text that we are the beloved of God.
the foundation of the world. The Bible says in (Ephesians 1:3-4) “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” Being saved by
the grace of God, we are accepted in the beloved; that is, we are accepted in the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is how God accepts us in His kingdom. We are not worthy within ourselves, but
we are made worthy in God’s only begotten Son. The Bible says in (Ephesians 1:4-7)
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, To the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of
his grace;” Now beloved, this is the love of God for us that’s beyond our understanding.
Let us look at what the Bible has to say concerning this love of God that caused the apostle
Paul to say the saints are the “beloved of God.” (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.” Here God’s love is seen in giving His only begotten Son for the
salvation of believers. In (Romans 5:8) it says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God gave His Son to die for our sins
on the cross of Calvary. And we see in (I John 4:9-10) “In this was manifested the love of
God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might
live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” There can be no greater manifestation of the love
of God, than Him giving His Son to die on the cross for the sin of the world.
But God’s love for us is seen even further in the salvation of our souls. The Bible says in
(Ephesians 2:4-10) “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.” How could we ever thank God enough for His love
toward us, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins?
Not only this, beloved, but God loved us so much that when He saved us, He made us His
children. The Bible says in (I John 3:1-2) “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth
us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is.” God has bestowed His special love on us in making us the sons
of God. We are the children of God now, here in this life, and we will be the children of God
in heaven when this life is over. He tells us here that the world doesn’t know us in our new
spiritual life, just as they didn’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as He was here in the world
living and walking a holy life. The world will hate and persecute us, but let us not worry
about that, because the love of God will keep us through it all. The Bible says in (Romans 8:
35-39) “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we
are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What a joy it is to know we have
all this love bestowed on us through the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Mediator between us
and the Father. No wonder Paul says here in our text that we are the beloved of God.
We are Called to be Saints
This means that we are called to be holy people. We are called to be a people separated from
the world. The Bible says in (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) “Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God
with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” We are to be a separated people, separated from idol
gods, the worldly pleasures that take away our affection and love for God. We are not to be
unequally yoked with people and organizations that are not in agreement with the things of
God. This separation is necessary for a holy walk before God.
Beloved, our holiness is a result of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source
of our sanctification. Sanctification begins with internal purity of the heart. This is produced
by the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. It is God purifying the heart by faith in the
shed blood of Christ, who is our sanctification. This holy walk consists of a real and true
change of the heart, and as a result there is a real and true change of our behavior and
conduct. The reason is, we have become a new creature in Christ the moment we are saved.
We are not saints by our natural birth, but we are saints by spiritual birth.
Let me go just a little further concerning the matter of sanctification. All believers are saints,
separated unto God, and in our standing before God, we are all equally sanctified. As saints,
we are equally justified in God’s sight, but we are not equally holy in our state; that is, in our
daily walk here on earth. We are not equally holy in our daily conduct. Beloved, the work of
sanctification in us is progressive. There are different growth levels in the lives of all
Christians. There are babes, there are young men, and there are fathers as we see in the
Epistle of First John. Some are weak in faith, and some are strong in faith, but none of us
are yet perfect, and neither have we reached that fullness of holiness which is our daily duty
to try to reach. The apostle Paul tells us this in (Philippians 3:12-14) “Not as though I had
already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Since we have not fully reached the fullness of
holiness in our daily walk, Paul tells us to forget those things that are behind, and reach forth
to those things that are before us. We are commanded to grow in grace and knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of the love of God we are to live a holy life as possible,
pressing on to the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. How we
all need to live a more holy life in this world!
the world. The Bible says in (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) “Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God
with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them,
and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come
out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” We are to be a separated people, separated from idol
gods, the worldly pleasures that take away our affection and love for God. We are not to be
unequally yoked with people and organizations that are not in agreement with the things of
God. This separation is necessary for a holy walk before God.
Beloved, our holiness is a result of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source
of our sanctification. Sanctification begins with internal purity of the heart. This is produced
by the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. It is God purifying the heart by faith in the
shed blood of Christ, who is our sanctification. This holy walk consists of a real and true
change of the heart, and as a result there is a real and true change of our behavior and
conduct. The reason is, we have become a new creature in Christ the moment we are saved.
We are not saints by our natural birth, but we are saints by spiritual birth.
Let me go just a little further concerning the matter of sanctification. All believers are saints,
separated unto God, and in our standing before God, we are all equally sanctified. As saints,
we are equally justified in God’s sight, but we are not equally holy in our state; that is, in our
daily walk here on earth. We are not equally holy in our daily conduct. Beloved, the work of
sanctification in us is progressive. There are different growth levels in the lives of all
Christians. There are babes, there are young men, and there are fathers as we see in the
Epistle of First John. Some are weak in faith, and some are strong in faith, but none of us
are yet perfect, and neither have we reached that fullness of holiness which is our daily duty
to try to reach. The apostle Paul tells us this in (Philippians 3:12-14) “Not as though I had
already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend
that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Since we have not fully reached the fullness of
holiness in our daily walk, Paul tells us to forget those things that are behind, and reach forth
to those things that are before us. We are commanded to grow in grace and knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of the love of God we are to live a holy life as possible,
pressing on to the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. How we
all need to live a more holy life in this world!
Paul's Greeting to the Church
He says “Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Grace
is a special thing to all of us. Grace is the source from which all salvation and peace comes.
Grace is the unmerited favour of God to sinners in the plan of salvation. Grace and peace are
joined together. Peace is the result of God’s grace blessing us. Beloved, every part of our
salvation is by the grace of God. Our redemption proceeds from God on the foundation of
grace. It originates in the love of God and comes to us by grace. Our calling, our
regeneration, our sanctification, our justification, our adoption, our strength, our security is
all by the grace of God. No wonder the apostle called God the God of all grace. Everything
about our salvation, from the counsels of God from eternity, is planned and accomplished to
the praise of the glory of God’s grace. We see this in (Ephesians 1:4-6) “According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” And again we see in
(2 Timothy 1:9) “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began,” Without this grace, there can be no peace with God, nor can
we enjoy the peace of God. But when grace is working in our lives, peace is its fruit. Peace
with God is the essence of happiness. The source of this grace and peace is from God the
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Beloved, have you made peace with God? The only way you can have peace with God is
through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Will you come to Him now, and call
on Him to save you?
is a special thing to all of us. Grace is the source from which all salvation and peace comes.
Grace is the unmerited favour of God to sinners in the plan of salvation. Grace and peace are
joined together. Peace is the result of God’s grace blessing us. Beloved, every part of our
salvation is by the grace of God. Our redemption proceeds from God on the foundation of
grace. It originates in the love of God and comes to us by grace. Our calling, our
regeneration, our sanctification, our justification, our adoption, our strength, our security is
all by the grace of God. No wonder the apostle called God the God of all grace. Everything
about our salvation, from the counsels of God from eternity, is planned and accomplished to
the praise of the glory of God’s grace. We see this in (Ephesians 1:4-6) “According as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” And again we see in
(2 Timothy 1:9) “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began,” Without this grace, there can be no peace with God, nor can
we enjoy the peace of God. But when grace is working in our lives, peace is its fruit. Peace
with God is the essence of happiness. The source of this grace and peace is from God the
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Beloved, have you made peace with God? The only way you can have peace with God is
through the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Will you come to Him now, and call
on Him to save you?
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Blessed Hope
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
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