Read: Romans 16:10-27
Think: As the book of Romans comes to a close, Paul closes with a doxology. Romans 16: 25-27, “Now all glory to God, who is able to make you strong, just as my Good News says. This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. All glory to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, forever. Amen.”
The Gospel has been set in motion to change the world! William Barclay, theologian, comments that Paul’s last words in Romans serve as a “summary of the Gospel that Paul preached and loved.” He suggests that the Gospel (1) makes men and women able to stand firm because it is the power to save, (2) is uniquely transmitted by people who themselves have been captured by the love of Jesus Christ, (3) is the fulfillment of history in which “eternity invaded time,” (4) is for all people—Jews, Gentiles, men and women, slave and free, and (5) ultimately requires the willingly surrender of ones life in obedience to the God who is the Lord and King of the world.
Act: For the past three weeks, we have immersed ourselves in the book of Romans. Each of us have had the opportunity to hear Paul preach to us about the essence of faith, the shared experience of our faith, and the effort that faith in Jesus Christ requires. Paul has been persuasive to his Roman readers and to readers for centuries to come. He begs us to be “all in,” to live “sold out” lives, to reach the masses with the Good News, and to live holy lives. Today, write a closing doxology of your own (on a separate piece of paper or in your journal). Record it in ink and save it. Set a “ringer” to read it in a month or a year from now.
Pray: Dear Lord Jesus. I am forever grateful for the sacrifice You made for me—your life! I am determined to live for You, share You with those who need You, and to honor and serve You all the days of my life. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Be full of faith today!
