Romans 1:1-7, From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus.

God chose me to be an apostle, and he appointed me to preach the good news 2that he promised long ago by what his prophets said in the holy Scriptures. 3-4This good news is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! As a human, he was from the family of David. But the Holy Spirit [a] proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God, [b] because he was raised from death. 5Jesus was kind to me and chose me to be an apostle, [c] so that people of all nations would obey and have faith. 6You are some of those people chosen by Jesus Christ. 7This letter is to all of you in Rome. God loves you and has chosen you to be his very own people.


I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!

The Book of Acts closes with the Apostle Paul arriving in Rome for his trial, around 60AD. He then spent two years under house arrest. Paul did not bring Christianity to Rome since there were already Christians in Rome when he arrived there...as evidenced by his authoriship of the Epistle to the Romans, arond 55-57AD.
Neither the Bible nor other history says how or when Paul died. According to Christian tradition, Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Nero around the mid-60s at Tre Fontane Abbey
If you remember the Apostle Paul in Corinth...where he met Aquilla and Priscilla and Apollos...that is where he was when he wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome.

Much is made of the term "gospel". We throw the word around indiscriminately when referring to scripture. Ministers "preach the Gospel"...as though it can be anything within the front and back cover. Not quite.

"Gospel" derives from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον (hwe-angellion) meaning "good news". Paul opens his epistle to the Romans by explaining carefully and specifically what the "Gospel" is. It is the account about God's Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! As a human, he was from the family of David. But the Holy Spirit proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God, because he was raised from death...and has chosen you to be his very own people.


I make this point (as does Paul) for a reason. If we are busy preaching anything that does not include the testimony of Jesus as God's Son...sent to redeem us, we are not preaching the Gospel.

"Thou shalt not dance" is not the Gospel

"Thou shalt not drink" is not the Gospel

"Thou shalt not..." is not the Gospel.

These may all be matters of interest...even matters of importance. But, they are not the Gospel. why? Because we can preach these truths until we are blue in the face...and get perfect compliance out of our congregations...while never tasting eternal life. So then, what did all that discipline gain us?


That would not qualify as "good news".

Our focus, as AB Simpson said, is "Jesus only, Jesus ever". Let's not get distracted.

Live boldly out there today...