In his Introduction to Romans in The Message, Eugene Peterson observes that despite most people in the world today having at least some knowledge of Christ Jesus, at the time Paul wrote his letter to the fledgling church in Rome, few other Romans would have been aware of Jesus current or future impact.
Peterson writes:
"...when this letter arrived in Rome, hardly anyone read it, certainly no one of influence. There was much to read in Rome--imperial decrees, exquisite poetry, finely crafted moral philosophy--and much of it was world-class, And yet in no time, as such things go, this letter left all those other writings in the dust. Paul's letter to the Romans has had a far larger impact on its readers than the volumes of all those Roman writers put together."
He continues:
"The letter to the Romans is a piece of exuberant and passionate thinking."
And that exuberance and passion drive Paul's every word and deed. For instance, chapter 1 verse 16: "It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else!" (The Message).
Mary Baker Eddy called Paul a colossal character. She writes:
"Great only as good, because fashioned divinely, were those unpretentious yet colossal characters, Paul and Jesus" (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 360:6–8).
We look forward to getting to know more over the next 12 weeks as we dive into Paul's great letter.
Julie Swannell
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