Romans 1:7
Paul, … To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul now addresses his letter. He is sending it to all the believers in Rome. It is interesting that he did not address it to a specific “church” in Rome. He sent the letter to the city as a whole. In a city that large, there must have been multiple congregations but they acted as one church. We should be one today as well and not have so many divisions among us. This oneness is an important part of our witness to the world and it glorifies God.
I do not pray for these [twelve disciples] alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23, NLT)
The roman believers were beloved of God and so are we. God dearly loves His children and we are precious to Him.
We are not just called to be saved from sin but to be the saints of God. In the bible, we are referred to as saints 61 times, Christians 3 times, and believers 2 times. God’s preferred word for His people is saint and it refers to everyone who believes in Jesus. (2 Thess. 1:10) A saint is a holy one who is devoted to God and living a godly life. We are all called to be saints of God and need to live up to our high calling.
Grace and peace in life come from God the Father and God the Son. Every time these words are used in a saluation in the bible they are in the same order, grace and then peace. This is also the order they actually come to us in our lives. First we must receive the grace of God and then we can be at peace with Him. Without the grace of God we are His enemies and can never have peace with Him or in our lives.
