LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
The Gospel for Christians
It comes to our attention that in the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he says he is eager to preach the gospel to them (1:15), when he had stated earlier, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong” (1:11). Everything seemed fine since he was dealing with Christians that had already believed in the gospel, that were already saved.
But the truth here is that Paul begins his letter with the gospel, that is, the gospel for the Christians of Rome. This is why three consecutive verses (1:15, 16 and 17) mention the word “gospel”, emphasizing certain specific aspects. In the first verse, Paul express his willingness to preach the gospel; in the second, he states that the gospel is power of God for salvation; and in the third, it mentinos that God's righteousness is revealed by faith and for faith in the gospel.
It is a general belief that the book of Romans is Paul's most extense and detailed doctrinal relation. It contains some of the fundamental topics of the christian faith; the law, grace, justification, redemtion, santification, glorification, the Spirit, etc. It is true that someone can be a christian without knowing these fundamental teachings, but it is also true that no one can become a mature christian and ignore them.
Therefore, it is no wonder that Pual was willing to preach the gospel to the brethren in Rome “as well,” whom he had never met in person. This “as well” makes us understand Paul's daily work of preaching the gospel to Christians.
Can someone ignore Paul's techings to the Romans and still be an able christian? Better yet, can someone pretend to serve God and ignore the experiences found in Romans? It is not only about knowing the doctrines, but of having the experiences that are embedded in the doctrines.
The law is not only the Jew's preocupation, but the christians as well ;the law has many varied expressions on all man: Jews or Gentiles. (That is why Paul talks about the law to the christian gentiles of Rome. Every christian needs to know how to be free from the law, which is in association with the flesh. It produces a bondage to sin. If we do not know God's way of liberating us from the law, we do not know how to be free from sin.
Also, we will not be able to walk if we do not know experimentally the power of grace; the only one capable of keeping us steady. By grace we are guided to walk in victory (is surrounds us), sustained by the Holy Spirit. If we are under the law, the Spirit will not have a base to operate on us, since we would still be in our flesh. Then, all the things lead us to experience life in the body, that is the church.
This way, step by step, Paul discovers God's answers to our greatest necessities. Then, we can agree with Paul in that the gospel is truly God's power of salvation, not only to unbelievers but believers.