16 October 2023

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

From Romans 1:1-7, NRSV

Paul certainly packs a lot of information and theology into this opening sentence from his letter to the Romans. He includes much more than would have usually been covered in such an introduction. Some say that this one sentence contains all the main themes that he went on to cover in greater depth in the rest of the letter. Perhaps Paul was mindful that this was not a community he had personally founded and so it was important to make clear who he was, from where his authority came and what was the nature of his mission. Getting these messages across clearly would help to ensure the support he would need for his missionary work.

• • Why do you think that Paul first and foremost describes himself as a “servant”?
  • What do you think it means to be “called to be saints”?

Read through this opening sentence of the Letter to the Romans slowly and prayerfully and stay with a word or phrase that you particularly notice.