Romans 1:6-8 Dear You Saints
6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as 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, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the world.
The book of Romans is like any other letter of Paul’s; it is an Epistle to the Christian church in Rome. Paul wrote and mailed his epistle to Christian churches for many reasons. It is a letter of acknowledgment, encouragement, praise, and direction from Paul. The Christian church of Rome was a very solid church, very solid to the word of God. But the city of Rome was not so friendly to Christians in the first century, so Paul’s letter to Rome was to give praise and encouragement. Dear all you Christians of Rome, says Paul. You are saints of Jesus Christ. I thank God for you; the faith you practice, teach, preach and live by is impressive. Rome’s Christian people broke a Roman Empire’s law; they called Jesus their King, not Caesar. Rome did not tolerate the religion of Christianity, nor did it like the Jews within the city of Rome. The Roman Empire allowed the Jews to worship Yahweh however they pleased. But the Jews, by and large, did not respect Rome’s authority nor recognize Jesus as the King of the Jews. So, to the people of Rome, the Jews seem to have no foundation, period. Not all Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and many non-Jewish people, Gentiles, accepted Jesus as Lord. So Paul’s letter, the epistle to Rome, summarizes this; I know of your good works and love for Jesus. You are in my thoughts and prayers, and I thank God for you. May the Lord keep and bless you, love Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ. God bless you all, saint of the kingdom of heaven; Jesus loves you, and so do I. His humble servant, Samuel Jerry Head.
