The Epistle to the Romans was written by Paul some 20 years into his ministry.  This is the only letter Paul wrote that was written to a congregation that was founded by someone other than himself.  According to Paul’s own words (1:13), he had wanted to get to Rome for some time; when he had been prevented from getting there, he wrote them a letter.  The overall theme of this letter is stated in 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’"  As he studied this text, Martin Luther came to understand the fullness of God’s grace and love for all creation and that it is only by God’s righteousness that we are saved through faith and not through human works. 

From a historical perspective, this letter is a very significant letter in the Church’s history, as it impacted many leaders in the Church over the centuries.  It was this letter (specifically Romans 13:13-14) that played a significant role in the conversation of Augustine of Hippo, who would later, in the 4th Century, become a Bishop and church leader.  As Martin Luther studied Romans, it was Romans 1:17 that helped him understand that it is God’s righteousness that saves us, not our own righteousness.  In addition, such great church leaders as John Wesley and Theresa of Avila were greatly affected by this writing in their ministries.

One of the reasons Paul wrote to the Roman community was because the community was struggling with issues that existed between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.  The Jewish Christians were upset because the Gentiles did not follow all the Jewish laws/traditions.  Key issues such as the food purity laws (meat or no meat), observance of the Sabbath (not Sunday morning worship, but Sabbath worship on the last day of the week, Saturday), and circumcision were causing huge issues within the community.  Paul responded that all of these are important for Jews to observe if they bring meaning and purpose to their faith; however, these things are not necessary for those who were not brought up in the faith and the purpose of which has no meaning.  He encourages the community to be welcoming to everyone (4:1-4, 15:7), not to judge each other (14:4-13), and to be tolerant of diverse practices and spiritualities (14:5-23).  These are great teachings for all of us to remember today.

In addition to addressing key community issues, Paul also spoke of his desire to go to Spain in the future to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles there and his desire to continue to take up a collection (an offering) from all the Gentile communities to take back to Jerusalem to support the Christian community there.  In sharing his plans with the Roman community, Paul was attempting to teach the Romans that it is the responsibility of each community to support other communities, as well, so he calls upon the Romans to support his mission to Spain (Paul never gets there), and he calls upon them to support the faith community in Jerusalem. 

If there is one key word that could summarize this letter, it would be “everyone.”  For Paul, there is room for everyone in the Church. 
 

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