Introducing Paul and His Message – Rom 1:1-7
Rav Sha’ul’s (or Paul’s—remember his name was never changed) letter to the Romans can be dated with some confidence to the winter of 56-57 CE. This puts it towards the end of his 3rd missionary journey (probably from Corinth). It was written to the community in Rome as a pastoral, “lived” theology with the goal of equipped them (and us) to be conformed to Yeshua and to thrive (not just survive) together in community.
We learn how this community in Rome had grown out of the Jewish believers, perhaps those returning to Rome after the Feast of Pentecost where the Ruach had been poured out and where they had witnessed Peter’s first “sermon.” In the time since then, the Emperor Nero had expelled all the Jews from Rome. The community had changed and grown as a Gentile community during the five years of the expulsion and now the Jewish believers had returned. This was a community of Jewish and Gentile believers with all the challenges we still see today.
This is a letter that encourages us… and corrects and directs us towards a theology for life, one that’s meant to be lived out, from the depths of the heart —one that’s meant to be an exercise of grace-powered, Spirit-led, faith-based obedience that embodies the message of the Good News, that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Watch the video of this message below: