Read: Romans 1:1-7, 16-17; John 14:25-27
It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16)
I ride my bike regularly past a beautiful spot on Lake Michigan, but on this day I walked and saw new beauty in the lake. We usually read Romans starting with chapter 1 and understand the book from the perspective of our individual relationship with Jesus by grace through faith.
Reading the second half of Romans this past month, starting with the end, gives us new eyes to uncover the original, church-centered context of the book: the peace of Christ that brings Jewish believers and Gentile believers together in the one family of God. This is not the only way to read Romans, but I have found it helpful.
I encourage you to read the rest of Romans beginning with chapter 1. And what do we discover that we often miss? We find that Jesus is “descended from David” (Jewish roots, v. 3). We find “obedience of faith . . . among all the nations” (Gentile emphasis, v. 5). And we see that the gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (v. 16). Reading Romans from back to front helps us to discover themes in chapters 1-8 that we didn’t see before. By the power of the Holy Spirit, believers in Jesus today are challenged to be better witnesses and examples of peace in the midst of the sin and brokenness of our world.
As you pray,ask God to help you read Romans with new eyes so we can embody peace in a broken world.
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland, Michigan. He and his wife, Joyce, are active members of Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan. Kent is an active cyclist, and he and Joyce enjoy time with their children and grandchildren.
