5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations,

14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

— Romans 1:5, 14,16

16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

17 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

— 1 Corinthians 9:16-17

7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of His power.

8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ

— Ephesians 3:7-8

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

When we read Romans, we can see that Paul was firmly convinced of his obligation to take the good news of Jesus Christ and His atoning death to the entire world. God intended the gospel message even for the most civilized people but also for the barbarians outside the Roman empire. Paul made the gospel available for the educated and for those without formal education. Paul’s obligation to the Greeks and non-Greeks came from understanding that when God saved him, he received a gift that did not belong to him alone. The gospel is not simply our personal possession. We are all obligated to share the gift of God’s good news about Jesus.

Paul spoke confidently about how people can become right with God. All humans are born morally and spiritually against God, infected by rebellion, and deserving of God’s judgment. In our own strength, we cannot make ourselves right with God. But God has already accomplished precisely what we need. He provides righteousness through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is truly good news! (Inspired by BSF’s Study of Romans)