Romans: Rooted in Jesus, It Depends on God

Jacob and Esau have done nothing good or bad, and yet God loves Jacob and hates (rejects) Esau. Is this fair? Is this just? In our text, Paul anticipates this response to his teaching on God’s sovereign election. The reason this rubs us wrong is that we begin with a premise. We don’t believe that as Adam’s descendants, all we deserve is the eternal outpouring of God’s wrath. Shouldn’t our good works count for something? Shouldn’t God compare my life to others and see that I’m not as bad as I could be?

Religious people, believers, carry this self-righteousness into the church. The church becomes a gathering of relatively good people who worship God for giving them that little something extra they need to be reconciled to him or for forgiving their minor transgressions. Then a real sinner walks in! How are they perceived? Are they received?

I have a ministry friend who grew up here in Georgia and started his tenure in jail as a juvenile. As he aged, he was in and out of prison for most of his life. While in prison, he converted to Islam and joined the Muslim community. Then a Christian started to engage him. Over time, God called him to faith, regenerating his heart. Now he ministers in the Georgia prisons, having earned his Doctor of Ministry from Miami Theological Seminary. He’ll tell you, “I’m a big sinner.” He’s rough around the edges and doesn’t present like most East Cobbers. Would he feel welcomed in the church?

The Roman church was fighting because the Gentiles just didn’t fit in. How could God choose them? How could they be adopted? Sunday, we’ll consider God’s sovereign mercy as the starting point for community. Join us as we worship and submit ourselves to his word.