Reflection for the month - August
The epistle of St Paul to the Romans is one of the most significant parts of the New Testament. On various Sundays throughout the year we read short extracts, a few verses from one or other of the sixteen chapters which comprise the whole message. It is not until we read the epistle through from end to end that we begin to appreciate its structure and the importance of the message which it brought to its first readers, and still to us today, a full explanation of the gospel, - the good news- of Jesus life, His death and His resurrection.
Paul had not visited Rome at the time he wrote his epistle, and neither had any of the other apostles been there. There was however a growing community of Christians in the city, mainly Jews but a number of Gentiles too. Paul introduced himself as the slave of Jesus Christ who is the King of all Nations. His epistle was equally written for all, free men and slaves, Jews and Gentiles. It is a dramatic revelation taking his hearers through the gospel to realise that from the time of Adam mankind has been trapped in sin but that Jesus by his death and resurrection had freed them – freed all of us from slavery to sin, dying to sin and rising to new life with Christ.
For centuries the Jews with the commandments and the law had kept themselves apart from the Gentiles and reconciliation would not be easy. Paul addressed this head on wanting unity in Jesus. Salvation cannot be found simply by obeying the law but by willingly and lovingly seeking to do God’s will through love and forgiveness of one another, serving each other with humility and gladness and not squabbling over non-essential issues. The love and mercy of God, freely given would thus heal the Jew/Gentile division. Love would be the healing and the fulfilment both the Commandments and the Jewish Law. David Peacock