Romans 1:1-17
Monday, 3 January 2022
“The Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets, as written in the Holy Scriptures. It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as to his humanity, he was born a descendant of David; as to his divine holiness, he was shown with great power to be the Son of God by being raised from death.” -Romans 1: 2- 4 [GNT]
The Good News of the Bible to humanity can never be equally compared with any other news. It is the good news that through Christ Jesus, God gave us the privilege to become God’s children and reach heaven!! The Good News is not only meant to be heard, but to be shared with others. When Paul received the Good News he did not keep it to himself but carried the burden in his heart to share and began to spread the same. (Romans 1:8-9)
Accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour is not just the end of the journey of life on earth, but an exciting new life with Jesus and the beginning of the Great Commission of spreading the Good News. This involves making disciples for Christ, encouraging and strengthening the faith of weak brothers and sisters to understand the potential hidden in them to uphold and spread the Good News. In his Epistle to the Philippians Paul writes as to how we should stand firm in our life in the Lord. (Philippians 4:1)
The Good News is a message of life in the Lord; in Him, there is wisdom, strength, healing, security, provision and so on. God is always at work in us, to help us obey His own purpose as much as we are willing and ready to make ourselves available to spread the Good News. Paul knew this very well, when He said: “I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe……For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, "The person who is put right with God through faith shall live. “ (Romans 1:16-17).
As God’s called and chosen ones, we have no other News to spread to this dying world other than the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God unto Salvation, and the only hope for humanity. The gospel is the “Power of God” for salvation—the message containing God’s power to deliver a person from the power of any kind of sin, because it is the message of the cross and the message about the resurrection of Jesus Christ who defeated sin and satan through the cross of Calvary! It is the message of victory! So, whoever receives the gospel and accepts Jesus Christ as His Lord and Saviour, receives the divine power in Him to triumph over sinful passions; he will be instantaneously released from every curse that was holding his life until that moment, his destiny changes from hell to heaven, his genealogy changes from the son of a human being to the child of God (John 1:12); his name is written in the Book of Life in heaven and he starts his eternity right from that moment!!
Paul explains the Gospel in several portions- 2Timothy 2:8,9; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15: 1-5— Christ Jesus came to the world to save sinners- He died for our sins; He was buried and was raised to life three days later; and He appeared to the disciples and to many. However, our reading today reveals that the Gospel contains something more:
It is the righteousness of God – in that God accepts a sinner, saint!
The gospel also reveals the wrath of God – in that those who reject it will surely will reach the hell fire!!
Will you open your heart and accept the lordship of Jesus Christ? The Gospel is free, through it the gift of God is offered to you - will you accept it?
To Act on:
ACCEPT THE GOOD NEWS! WITNESS THE GOOD NEWS!
Opmerkingen