Romans: Rooted in Jesus, Christ as Center

I’m listening to a book about Napoleon. It’s fascinating to read about all the influences that shaped him. His father, Carlo Buonaparte, living on the isle of Corsica, compromised with the French invaders, and was elevated into French politics. This gave Napoleon a love-hate relationship with his father and France. His father died at the age of 35, having fathered 13 children, only eight of which survived infancy. His father died of stomach cancer, and Napoleon seemed to know and often alluded to his expectation of a short lifespan for himself. He too, died of stomach cancer at the age of 51. As a child he was a voracious reader, spending his whole day locked in an upper chamber, devouring the writings of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Rousseau, and others, often committing whole sections to memory. He enlisted in the French military at 16 and was commissioned in the artillery division. This would be impactful as canon technology was advancing, and Napoleon would use this to his advantage in his military campaigns. All of these and more influences shaped his life and made him the man he would become.

As believers, we hold to the teaching of providence. This teaching states, “God the great Creator of all things does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence…as the providence of God does, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it takes care of his church, and disposes all things to the good thereof.” WCF 5:1,7 This means that everything that went into shaping Napoleon and enabling him to rise to power was under the providential hand of God. Even Napoleon’s disdain for the church and religion was providential, and God used it for the development of his church in France.

Our text explains two more encouragements for believers as they suffer, following Jesus as his disciples. The first is the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The second is the promise that God has the power to use all our suffering for our good according to his purpose. Join us Sunday as we worship the One who moves behind the pages of history.