1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

3 concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

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 1:1-4, 16

15 But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace,

16a was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…

— Galatians 1:15-16a

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

— 2 Timothy 1:8

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

When we read Romans, we see Paul introduced himself as God’s called apostle, set apart and propelled by the powerful gospel of Christ. Paul’s life and ministry reflected his call to bring the gospel message to Gentiles but also to the Jews. Paul’s confidence stemmed from his unashamed belief in Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel.

Paul preached the good news that Jesus is both fully God and fully man. He celebrated the righteousness God revealed and generously bestowed upon His faithful ones through His Son Jesus’s shed blood on the cross. The content of the gospel, after all, points to Jesus — His person and His work. There is no good news without Jesus. Everything Christians believe, know, and hope for centers on the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the Messiah, the unique Son of God. （Inspired by BSF’s Study of Romans)