Recently I was talking to one of Kendra’s cousins about her grandfather. He was an infamous figure in the family. His was one of the first funerals at which I officiated. And it remains one of the most difficult at which I officiated. He was one of those people about whom it was hard to find anything good to say.
This cousin was one of three siblings–two girls and a boy. She was telling me that the grandfather played favorites as they were growing up. When they’d visit the grandfather, he’d take their brother out to eat at a nice restaurant, and leave the two sisters at home to fend for themselves. He’d buy the brother special presents at a nice store, and leave the two sisters empty-handed. His favoritism was that blatant.
This morning we begin a series on a letter written by Paul called Romans. It is addressed to Christians living in the ancient city of Rome. Among a handful of other themes, Romans is all about favoritism.
The Roman historian Suetonius records that the Roman emperor Claudius expelled Jews from Rome in A.D. 49. He expelled them because of conflict over someone he called “Chrestos” or Christ. That is, the expulsion had to do with some debate in Rome going on regarding Christ or the Christian faith. This expulsion of Jews from Rome included Jewish Christians. The expulsion from Rome is also written about in Acts 18.
After this expulsion, the church in Rome grew largely under Gentile, or non Jewish, leadership, Gentile membership and Gentile traditions. Then, upon the death of Claudius, the Jews and Jewish Christians were allowed back into Rome. Their new presence in the largely Gentile churches in Rome would have created tension within those churches. These newly returned Jewish Christians would have brought their own Jewish traditions and preferences with them into these churches that had for so long been used to Gentile traditions and preferences.
Romans reflects this tension between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in the churches in Rome. It was a kind of favoritism. Who’s the better Christian–the Jewish Christian or the Gentile Christian? Who’s closer to God–the Jewish Christian or the Gentile Christian? Who gets to call the shots at church–the Jewish Christians or the Gentile Christians? We even read in chapter 2 that these groups were judging each other because of these differences (Rom. 2:1-3). Each group was playing favorites. And each group tended to act like God played favorites.
Gospel
Paul begins his letter in chapter 1 with a statement that summarizes the letter. It’s 2 verses which encapsulate 16 chapters. Rom. 1:16-17 is a summary of the entire book of Romans.
The first verse of this 2 verse summary reads this way:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom. 1:16 ESV)
Romans is about the gospel. The word “gospel” simply means “good news.” The word gospel was used in Paul’s day to tell of the good news of the reign of a new ruler or kind, like a new Caesar. Paul uses it to refer to the good news of the reign of king Jesus.
The gospel is what Paul defines earlier in Rom. 1:1-6. There, Paul says five important things about his gospel:
| The Gospel
(Rom. 1:1-6) |
| 1 – The Gospel has a divine ROOT–God.
(“the gospel of God” 1:1) |
| 2 – The Gospel has a written RECORD–the Scriptures.
(“promised beforehand in the holy Scriptures” 1:2) |
| 3 – The Gospel is concerned with one REALITY–Jesus.
(“concerning his Son…” 1:3-4) |
| 4 – The Gospel has an intended RESULT–faithful obedience.
(“to bring about the obedience of faith” 1:5) |
| 5 – The Gospel is meant for unrestricted RECIPIENTS–all the nations.
(“among all the nations, including you” 1:5-6) |
Salvation
This gospel, Paul says, is the power of God for “salvation.” It’s important to understand this word “salvation.” Many of us, churched and unchurched, automatically assume that salvation is a word that only refers to getting people to heaven.
That’s a part of it. But the word “salvation” refers to something much larger. The gospel is the power of God for salvation–divine rescue from all forms of peril.
The word “salvation” is a noun here. The verb form is used widely elsewhere.
- In Mk.6 the healing of the sick by Jesus is described as their being “saved.”
- In Luke 8 Jesus promises to “save” the dead daughter of the ruler, meaning that he will raise her from the dead.
- In Matt. 9 Jesus describes his healing of a woman with an issue of blood as “saving” her.
To be saved certainly includes divine rescue from spiritual perils, like our own sin that keeps us separated from God. For example, when the angel speaks to Joseph about Jesus, he says that Jesus will “save” people from their sins (Matt. 1:21. There is no peril greater than our own sins which separate us from God.
But as we also heard, salvation includes even more. God, through Jesus, through the gospel, is using his mighty power, to affect the whole salvation of the whole person. In Rom. 8, Paul will talk about the salvation of the entire creation from the things that imperil it.
God’s desire is to rescue us from every form of peril that endangers us. That’s the good news of the gospel. That’s what this word salvation means. That’s what Romans is all about. It’s the good news of how, through Jesus, God is rescuing us from our own sins that have broken our relationship with God, and rescuing us from all other forms of peril.
Everyone
And this gift of salvation that comes through the gospel, Paul writes, is for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. This is the first nod of many Paul will make toward the impartiality of God. God is impartial. God does not play favorites. He doesn’t care if you’re Jewish or Gentile. He doesn’t care if you’re a man or a woman. He doesn’t care if you’re white or black. God’s using all of his power to save whoever you are every peril you face if you’ll just trust in him. This gift is for everyone. God refuses to play favorites. As Paul will write in Rom. 2:11, “God shows no partiality.” This gift of salvation is meant for everyone.
That’s one of the primary reasons Paul wrote Romans–to tell the church in Rome that this good news and this salvation is meant for Jew and Gentile alike. To tell us that this good news and this salvation is meant for gay and straight alike, Democrat and Republican alike, conservative and liberal alike, citizen and immigrant alike, young and old alike. God plays no favorites.
Attribute of God
Then in 1:17 Paul tells us more about this gift:
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1:16-17 ESV)
The way the gospel powerfully saves all who believe is now spelled out. The gospel does this because in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed.
But what does that mean? The word “righteousness” means many things. Among them is this: righteousness refers to being in a right relationship.[1] The gospel, the good news about Jesus, reveals the righteousness of God, the way in which he secures a right relationship with us through Jesus.
John Stott writes that there are three ways of understanding what this means.[2] The gospel reveals the righteousness of God–an attribute, an activity, and an achievement.
The first way of understanding this is that “righteousness of God” is referring to an attribute of God. God is a righteous God. It’s an aspect of his personality. And the gospel, the story of Jesus, is the most clear lense into this attribute of God.
Paul will say in Rom. 3:25 that the cross, in particular, demonstrates the righteous nature of God. The gospel has the powerful ability to save absolutely anyone, not just one ethnic group or income group, because in it we see a righteous God.
Here’s what that means: The gospel powerfully saves everyone who believes by revealing a God whose very nature is always to put things right even when our very nature is to put things wrong. In the story of Jesus, and especially at the cross, we see this nature of God. It’s his DNA. It’s not just a whim. It’s not just a fluke. It’s who God is. At his core, God wants to put things right. That’s another way of translating “righteousness.” Things are not right between God and us. But at his very core, what God is passionate about is putting things right between him and us. That’s what the gospel reveals.
The gospel about Jesus doesn’t reveal a God whose DNA is bitterness and anger and hellfire and brimstone. This is not a God who, when you look into his heart, you find hatred and disgust for who you are and what you’ve done. If you read enough social media, especially by Christians, that’s the impression you’ll get. You’ll get the impression that God’s very nature is to hate people who who believe wrong, who vote wrong, who read the wrong books, who listen to the wrong programs, who love the wrong gender. But what Paul’s saying here is that if you’ll look at the story of Jesus you’ll find that it reveals a God whose nature is to put things right between us and God. That’s love. That’s passion. That a heart beating with desire for every single person–including you.
Activity of God
Second, righteousness of God refers to an activity of God. This righteous God, passionate to put things right, acts in a righteous way. He intervenes on our behalf. He actually does whatever it takes to put things right between us and him. He rescues us through the gospel–no matter who we are. The gospel reveals the just and righteous actions of God on our behalf.
The gospel powerfully saves everyone who believes by revealing a God who acts in a righteous way to intervene on our behalf. The cross in particular reveals that there is no action God will not take to intervene on our behalf in order to bring salvation to us, in order to put us into a right relationship with himself. Not only does God have a righteous character, but he puts that character to work. He comes to earth, lives among us, and dies on the cross to put us into a right relationship with himself.
And this activity is taken on behalf of everyone. God is not the prejudiced rescuer who will only offer a salvation plan for the wealthy, or the poor, or those of a certain ethnicity, or those of a certain zip code. He undertakes this action, this rescue, on behalf of everyone.
Achievement of God
Third, the righteousness of God refers to the achievement of God. Through the gospel, the story of Jesus, God achieves righteousness for us. He confers righteousness upon us. We unrighteous people become righteous because of the the gospel. The gospel powerfully saves everyone who believes by revealing a God who calls righteous everyone who is unrighteous.
In Rom. 5:17 Paul describes righteousness as a free gift God gives us through Jesus. We were once unrighteous, not in a right relationship with God. But God freely gives us the status of righteousness by the life and work of Jesus. The God who, in his very nature is righteous, and who, because of this righteous activity on our behalf, is now able to bestow upon us a status of righteousness.
And this status, this achievement, is given to all who believe in Jesus, regardless of who we are. There are no favorites. It’s not a crown like the one only given to the winner of the Miss. USA pageant. It’s not a title like the one only granted to the winner of the mayoral election. This status, this achievement, this righteousness is granted to anyone willing to put his or her faith, trust, in Jesus.
Faith
All that anyone must do in order to have that powerful salvation is to have faith: “from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Four times in these two verses of Rom. 1:16-17 the Greek word for believe or faith is used.
That word simply means to believe, to have confidence in, to trust in.[3] Anyone can have what Paul writes of here by just putting their confidence in Jesus. Life with God begins and ends by putting trust in who God is, not who you are; trusting in what Jesus has done, never in what you have done.
Quoting Habakkuk, Paul writes that faith is how we live: the righteous shall live by faith. Our whole spiritual life is rooted in faith, from beginning to end. That’s probably what Paul means when he says it is from faith to faith. Life with God is always about believing, trusting, having confidence in Jesus. It’s never really about what we do, but about what Jesus does. God’s gospel salvation is meant for anyone who has faith.
God will not play favorites. If you have faith, this salvation is yours. Period.
Impartiality
Henry Ward Beecher was a preacher in the 19th century who became famous in America for his fight on behalf of slaves and women.[4] His older sister wrote the widely read anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Henry, preacher for the 3,000 member Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York, was known to have his congregation purchase the freedom for slaves who were being auctioned off. His basis for supporting anti-slavery efforts and women’s suffrage efforts was this gospel of impartiality. He preached a God of love. God, Henry Ward Beecher believed, played no favorites.
When R. J. Palacio wrote his novel Wonder about a middle school boy named Auggie with a severely deformed face, he placed Auggie in a school named after Henry Ward Beecher–Beecher Prep. Auggie was home schooled up until this point. But his parents felt he needed the experience and education that a school could offer. They were, however, fearful that Auggie would be rejected and mistreated by others at school because of his disfigurement.
Their fears became reality. He was rejected. He was mistreated. But many students, and the faculty, rallied around him. Auggie demonstrated remarkable resolve in spite of how he was despised and rejected by others.
At the end of the year, academic awards were given. At the end of the ceremony, the Henry Ward Beecher award was given. It was the final award, the climax of the award ceremony. And as Mr. Tushman read the name of that year’s recipient, most were surprised, including the recipient: August Pullman. Not the smartest one in the school. Not the most popular kid in the school. But Auggie. The one whom most rejected those first few days of school. The entire auditorium rose and gave him a standing ovation. Auggie would later say, “Everyone deserves a standing ovation at least once in their lives.”
And on the walk home, his mother pulled him close and said simply, “You really are a wonder, Auggie. You are a wonder.”
The book is a story about favoritism, or the lack of it. It’s the story of how the one kid we expect to be completely rejected and forgotten becomes the most celebrated kid of his school.
Romans is about favoritism, or the lack of it. Those of us who feel like God will mistreat or forget us because of who we are or what we’ve done, those we feel God should forget or mistreat because of who they are or what they’ve done, end up receiving the greatest award of all–salvation and the righteousness of God.
And this leaves us with two critical take-aways:
First, God is impartial–to you. Have you accepted this gift? No matter your background. No matter your income or your education. It’s for you. God is impartial. Even to you. You can walk to the front today, confess publicly your faith in Jesus. And have this gift of salvation. Be right in your walk with God. He plays no favorites. He wants you to have this gift.
Second, God is impartial–are you? Remember, Paul’s writing to people who’ve already accepted Jesus, already been baptized. But they are treating others unkindly, with suspicion, with judgement. They are writing things about each other on social media they ought not to write. Feeling like they are are superior to others. Paul’s point is that God is impartial–and they must be impartial. No favorites. No preference for one over the other. No mistreating someone who is liberal or conservative, male or female, white or black, young or old, straight or gay. God is impartial. His son died to prove that point. Are you?
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Rom. 15:13 ESV)
[1] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] Stott, J. R. W. (2001). The message of Romans: God’s good news for the world (p. 65). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
[3]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 375). New York: United Bible Societies.
[4] https://www.biography.com/people/henry-ward-beecher-9204662
