Continuing
our topic at hand we will see three things in particular today: 1)
Edifying each other in the church; 2) What does it mean to not be
ashamed of the gospel of God; and 3) What does it mean when Paul writes
that "The just shall live by faith"?
Still in Paul’s introduction, we start to see the basis for his
letter and yet also the great care he takes in executing the letter to
the Roman believers. We’ll see this great care repeated in the final
chapter, but for now we see the amount of praise and love he has for
the Roman brethren in that their faith is being proclaimed (1:8)
throughout the whole world. Indeed, the fire of the gospel, which was
sparked in Jerusalem , burned outward at such a tremendous rate that
the entire world was set ablaze with the message of good news from God.
Elsewhere Paul mentions that the report of the Roman obedience to the
gospel has reached all ears and this is where he finds great rejoicing
over these brethren?and yet he wrote to them so that they would be wise
in what is good and innocent in what is evil (16:19).