Download Typical of all his letters except for the one to the Galatians, Paul

Typical of all his letters except for the one to the
Galatians, Paul begins by offering a prayer of
thanksgiving. First, he thanks God through Jesus Christ,
a classic way to pray. But what does that mean?
some spiritual gift” he felt would strengthen them. Then
as if catching himself in what might appear as a selfish
goal, he added that both he and they might “be
encouraged by each other’s faith.”
Above all else, it follows the Jewish way of praying:
directly to God as if God is always listening to the prayers
we offer minute by minute. This is our very human,
metaphorical way of acknowledging that God’s love for us
is infinite, eternal and always seeking to bring about
God’s will for us individually, communally and for the
whole of creation. Jesus prayed that way too. That is why
Paul could write “through Jesus Christ.”
Perhaps a little embarrassed by his self-orientation, he
went on to say that he had long wished to visit them, but
had been unable to do so. Now he was determined to
achieve this goal. He wanted to “reap some harvest among
them” as he had among other Gentiles - hence his
“eagerness to proclaim the gospel” to the Romans.
Paul thanks God for the Romans, not just for being
Christians, but for their faithfulness being proclaimed
throughout the then-known world. Behind that
observation there were historical facts of which Paul was
very much aware.
In 48 CE Claudius (Emperor 41-54 CE) had banished all
Jews from Rome. His successor, Nero, had permitted
them to return. Among those banished who had returned
to Rome were Priscilla and Aquila (Rom. 16:3; Acts 18:3)
in whose home a congregation of believers may well have
gathered. Others among those Paul named in 16:3-16
may also have been from Rome. During his travels in the
eastern provinces of the empire Paul had learned of the
Roman Christian community from these exiles.
Paul next turned to the main thrust of his letter: faith
springs from the good news that Paul had proclaimed
since his commitment to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
He wasn’t ashamed of his all-consuming message. Indeed,
he had great confidence in it.
The power of the gospel to change lives and to make a
difference in ordinary life situations was the heart of
Paul’s message to Jew and Gentile alike. That’s what Paul
meant by the word salvation. He did not mean getting a
free pass to heaven. He meant dealing with the actual day
to day experiences and relationships of those Christians
in Rome. He meant right living then and there, something
that happened when people lived by faith that Jesus had
revealed for all to see what living God’s way involved.
Paul was addressing a community of believers that
included both Jews and Gentiles. There may have been
some non-Christian Jews too. That meant an inevitable
tension within the community, though Paul appears to
have been writing to Gentiles in particular.
Paul used the familiar phrase “the righteousness of God”
in a special way. As a Jew, he knew what righteous living
meant. As a converted Jew, he also knew that it was in
Jesus – his life, his death, his resurrection and his
continuing presence - that God had fully revealed and
fulfilled this righteousness. This is what humanity is
meant to become: having a right relationship to God.
As is often the case in prayer, Paul interrupted his
thanksgiving with a personal aside about his desire to
visit these Roman house churches. He wanted “to share
To quote David Bartlett: “Faith is not a matter of believing
the right things … (but) a matter of receiving the gift of
God’s righteousness in Jesus Christ.”
2 – A THANKSGIVING PRAYER
Romans 1:8-17
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Which of the many prayers attributed to Paul
do you find most helpful in expressing your
own attitude to prayer?
2. Do you find Paul’s prayer in Romans 8-17 selfcentred? Or does it express a conviction that
Paul believed deeply in the mission he had
been given to proclaim the gospel everywhere
and especially in Rome, the capital of the
Empire?
3. Does the definition of salvation expressed in
Paul’s prayer correspond to your own
convictions? How else might you express the
experience?
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CLOSING PRAYER
Some Prayers of St. Paul
Go before us, O Lord, in all our endeavours,
that whatever we do this day may begin,
continue and end according to your will. May
whomever we meet learn from us how much
you love the whole world through Jesus Christ
our Lord. AMEN.
OPENING PRAYER
Our gracious God, we offer ourselves to you this day
that we may learn more fully how your love in Jesus
Christ may work also in us. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
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