Five Key Lessons on God's Calling from Romans 1

Five things I learned from Romans 1.

What are we to do in the day we live in, where all we see is anger and conflict in the media (wherever we get it from). The first chapter of Romans has some answers!

Romans, the letter Paul wrote to the church in Rome, is a remarkably interesting book.  There is a lot to learn, here is a little of it from the first part of the first chapter. We do not have to be scholars to learn what God is saying!

One, we are called by God. “1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ”. Romans 1:1, 6

We are called by God for a purpose and a reason.  We all must acknowledge that call and answer that call. The answer may be a refusal, but we all will answer one way or the other. Matt 22, “…many are called but few are chosen”. We cannot avoid giving an answer!

Two, we are given an assignment to carry His message. “…through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations”. Romans 1:5

This continues from verse 1, “…called to be an apostle…”. An apostle is an ambassador of Jesus; we represent Him on earth and are sent with the same message He came with. Not only are we sent, but He gives us all the power and gifting necessary to fulfill His call to us. This is the grace part of this verse. Grace is the power to do as God tells us.  (Not the power to do what I want!)

Three, we are set apart from the world but sent to the world with His message. “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God”. Romans 1:1

Verse 1 again!  We are set apart from what our world and society expect from us.  This system expects, and demands even, that we be like everyone else.  Average! Not to stand out from the crowd.  Jesus gives us the means and power to stand out with His message.  The lesson is “don’t be average”!

Four, this message is about the Son of God, Jesus. Jesus is God Himself! “3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 1:3-4

Everyone around Jesus expected Him to be like all the rest, but God showed the world who Jesus really was when He was raised from the dead. This was a shock to the world!  They expected a carpenter and got a Savior!  “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?...” Mark 6:3a. Jesus was not what His flesh was, and we do not have to be subject to the circumstances of our birth either. We can be more than we were born as.

Five, we are called to belong to Jesus.  “…including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ”. Romans 1:6

We can be part of the ministry of Jesus, as it says in all the other parts of this short passage, we belong to Him, we can be like Him, we can share the message He brought to earth. This is what sets us apart from our born nature. When we answer His call with a “yes”, we become called, set apart, and sent out.

This is not an in-depth study of this chapter but is what I learned from the first few verses of Romans 1.  We can see the power of the revelation of who Jesus is and the call he has for each of us, and that is good news!