The Saints of Rome

We have seen Paul’s joyous delight in his message when, after he begins his letter to the Romans with a straightforward introduction, the mere mention of “the gospel of God” sends him off on a brief but profound exploration of key tenets of the Christian faith. Now, however, he brings his train of thought back to the formalities of his letter and at last tells us for whom these words are intended.

His task as an apostle, Paul explained in verse 5, is to convey God’s command to people in all nations to repent of their rebellion, a surrender that can occur only by God’s grace. But the recipients of this letter, “all [believers] who are in Rome,” already have heard God’s command and obeyed. In other words, divine grace has brought them to a state of peace with God. They are among the Gentiles who have manifested the obedience of faith, surrendering to God because of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit within them. All these Christians in Rome, Paul says, are “beloved of God” and “called to be saints.” In these verses there is something of a preview of the “golden chain of salvation” that Paul lays out in Romans 8:29–30. In that classic passage, he tells us that God foreknows His own, makes a decision to predestine them for salvation, and then, without fail, in His good time, calls them, justifies them, and, ultimately, glorifies them. The Roman Christians, Paul says, are experiencing this process, for they are among “the called of Jesus Christ,” those who have been summoned by their loving God into a relationship with the Savior. Called out of lostness, they have been made “saints,” set apart for God’s purposes.

Paul urgently wants to see the Romans living in the center of God’s will, but for that they need an ongoing gift of the same grace that brought them into God’s kingdom in the first place. Thus, Paul expresses his hope that God will grant them “grace … and peace.” Dr. James M. Boice writes that Paul “is not merely passing on a traditional (would we say ‘hackneyed’?) Christian greeting. He is wishing them what they, and we also, need every day we remain on this planet. We have been saved by grace. We must live by grace also.… And peace? We always need peace.… These are troublesome times. But those who are in Christ and are drawing on Him for their strength live peacefully in the midst of them.”