2 Sept. Paul's letter to the believers in Rome
"From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle and chose me to tell the Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures."
"The Good News is about God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was appointed to be God's Son with great power by rising from the dead."
"Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle, which was to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. I do this work for him. And you who are in Rome are also called to belong to Jesus Christ."
"To all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
(Romans 1:1-7)
Paul's letter to the believers in Rome was written from Corinth in the early spring of 57AD, towards the end of Paul’s third missionary journey.
There had been Christians in Rome as early as 49AD when Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews and Jewish Christians (including Aquila and Priscilla) for fighting about ‘Christus’ – the Christ or ‘Messiah’ (see Acts 18:2). The Gentile Christians were not expelled, however, and by the time Paul arrived in Rome in the spring of 60AD to await his trial by the Emperor Nero, Aquila and his wife had returned to Rome (where the Christians were meeting in their home).
Paul was greeted on the road to Rome by fellow-believers (see Acts 28:15) and there were already Gentile Christians in Nero’s household (see Philippians 4:22).
Meanwhile, in 57AD, Paul was in Corinth – the closest he’d ever been to Rome (see Acts 20:2-3). He intended to visit the believers in Rome after travelling through Macedonia and Achaia (northern and southern Greece) but he’d changed his plans and was about to return directly to Jerusalem with the gifts for the Judaean Christians from the believers in Philippi and Corinth (see Acts 19:21).
The letter was dictated by Paul to Tertius, a Christian colleague (see Romans 16:22). Phoebe – a believer from Cenchrea (the eastern port of Corinth) – probably took the letter by hand from Corinth to Rome (see Romans 16:1-2).
In his introduction, Paul recalls his commission to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, including his readers in Rome. He then goes on in his letter to explain how God puts people right with himself – through faith in the Lord Jesus.
The photo shows the Roman Forum in Rome.
You can read more from Paul's Letter to the Romans @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/14-…/pauls-letter-to-rome/