Where We Belong (Romans 1:1-7) (September 1, 2025)

Where We Belong (Romans 1:1-7) Living Life 09012025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

 

Where We Belong (Romans 1:1-7) Living Life 09012025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

 

Introduction

Hello everyone, welcome to Living Life.

Welcome to the September edition of Living Life.

I pray that you guys will have a wonderful month of September. As the fall season nears by, I pray that your family and your ministry that you're part of will bear many fruits in Christ.

Well, in today's edition, we're going to start the book of Romans. The book of Romans is a special book, especially for the New Testament. And it talks in really detail about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is well written by our beloved Apostle Paul.

 

Well, this September edition especially, it starts with chapter one, where Apostle Paul greets his church members in Rome, and he starts off on a topic called identity that he's talking about how he has become the apostle of Christ and he is introducing the people that we as although the Roman church in Rome are Gentiles that we all share the same identity in Christ. Well not for long ago there are a lot of talks about identity, especially in the realm of Christian culture. And for a person like me, an immigrant from Korea, the topic of identity was very personal for me.

 

And so Paul Paul, as he starts this wonderful letter to Rome, he introduced the ideas of identity and it's all linked to one theme, which is Jesus Christ.

So let's go into the text and see what Apostle Paul talks about the identity in Christ. 

 

 

Where We Belong

 

 

Romans chapter 1 verses 1 to 7.

Scripture Reading

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his son who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through Him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for His name's sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

 

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people, grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

Commentary & Application

This great letter of Rome to Rome starts off like this in verse 1. This is his introduction about himself that he is calling himself apostle of God. Well, As we know, the Apostle Paul was not actually handpicked by Jesus Christ, but he always, as he writes his letter, he calls himself Apostle of Christ. and he's the person who shares the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that's who he is.

 

And that's amazing how, if you look back how Apostle Paul was raised, he was a Pharisee and he was the one who was persecuting the Christians. But now he turned around as he met the Lord in the road to Damascus, as he met the risen Christ, that he himself become a follower of Jesus Christ and not just a follower, but he becomes an apostle of Christ. But now we know from the book of Acts in chapter 9 when Jesus calls Apostle Paul, God has given a special task for Apostle Paul, which is he has been called to be apostle for Gentiles. And later on, then this book, when the book of Romans was written in AD 57, that's when he was in the middle of the third missionary trip. And now he is in Corinth. And then he heard there was a church in Rome, which he has not been visited there yet.

 

I'm guessing that he heard this story that the Christians are formed in Rome building churches. Probably he heard it from one of his close friends in Corinth. maybe named Priscilla and Achela. And they're from Rome. They were Christians who used to live in Rome, who were persecuted and came out. And they met, this couple met Paul in the city of Corinth. And that's where they served together.

 

So Paul knew Paul knew that there is a church in Rome which he had not visited yet but he knew he's gonna Sunday he's gonna go there because as I told you in Acts 9 Jesus has specifically told apostle Paul that he's going to be the apostle for gentiles but not just for that but he has been called to preach the gospel to the kings which the kings resided in the emperor in the uh Rome So he's going there and he's telling and he's writing letters and he's about to go there to share the gospel with the church in Rome, but he's laying the foundation of the gospel which we find clearly explained in the book of Rome. So he's telling them that although we're different, Although they are Gentiles, they are living in Rome, that we are all the same. We all share the same identity which belongs to Jesus Christ.

 

That we say that we are all from the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are all the body of Christ, and that they have not been forgotten. And we all share the same family and same faith in Christ. Well, but not just that, but this is how he ends of sharing of his identity, which is verse 17. It says, To all Rome who are loved by God and called to be His holy people. Now, this is little bit more detail of the identity of Christians. We are the people who are loved by God, especially loved by God. Of course, God loves everyone. But when you believe in Jesus Christ, When we know that God's love has been poured out to us, as John 3 16 says, For God so loved the world, He gave His only, only Son, whoever believes in Him will not perish and have eternal life.

 

God has given this gospel because He loved us so much. God has given this gospel to us, giving His only Son, dying on the cross for the sake of love for us. And we know the church in Rome were under the persecution and oppression of the Roman soldiers and Roman political powers. And in this midst of all this hardship that goes through, Paul is reminding them God loves them. And God is especially going to truly take care of the church in Rome. And not just that, that the church in Rome, he identified them as this, called to be his holy people. As we know, the holy means separated, segregated, set apart.

 

that although the church in Rome, they're living in this Roman culture with many idol worships and many of these fleshly desires that they can enjoy, God is, the Apostle Paul is reminding them, you are holy, you are set apart, you're different. You have to be different from the culture that you're into because you're Christians. And Apostle Paul is challenging the church in Rome to live a holy life because that's how we can display the love of Jesus Christ around us.

 

If you were absolutely sure that God loves you every moment of your life, what would you do differently?

 

 

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To those who are watching right now, you guys might be watching in different parts of the world, or you guys are watching in different countries, but we all share the same thing, which is Jesus Christ.

Just like Apostle Paul, although he's a Jew, He's writing in this letter to Rome, the disciples and Christians in Rome saying, Hey, we are all the same. You and I share the same belief, which is Jesus Christ. And same thing for us right now, as you are watching this, whether you're from different parts of the world, we all share the love of Jesus Christ.

And that love that God has bid us and challenging us to share the love in our lives by living a holy life. So I pray that today that you will shine your identity around as you go out today that God's love can be displayed and that people may know that we hold the love of Christ in our hearts. Let's pray.

 

 

Closing Prayer

Father God, Lord, we thank you, Lord Jesus, that we are gathered here in this living life meditation time, although we're all from different parts of the world, that we all share the one blood, which is Jesus Christ, one God, one baptism, one church, the Bible says. Lord, I pray that your love will pour out wherever and whoever that is watching this, and that their hearts will be filled with the love of Christ, that they have faith to step out in faith, to live a holy life, to glorify God, Lord. O Holy Spirit, would you help them, Lord. thank you, lord jesus. in jesus' name we pray. amen.

 

Nothing soothes the sting of anxiety life bringing the needs of our world and our communities to a caring, sovereign father. ~Stephanie Juliot