Called to be saints

Romans 1:1­7 (NRSV)


Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have to feel sympathy for Paul's secretary, Tertius (16:22), who was trying to write down these words as they tumbled from the apostle's lips. This passage sets the theme for the whole letter, placing it in a trinitarian context (vv. 1, 4), relating it to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (vv. 3, 4) and explaining both his apostolic authority and the purpose of his ministry: `to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles'. He also identifies those to whom he is writing: 'all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints'. We might paraphrase that as 'all the Christians in Rome, on the journey to holiness'.

There was a large Jewish presence in the capital. Before the expulsions under Claudius, one estimate puts the figure at 40,000 and, by the time Paul was writing this letter, the number was probably back at that level. Most of the Christians had found Christ through their contact with the synagogues. Jews became convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah; Gentiles, initially attracted by the monotheism of the Jews, were drawn to Jesus whose gospel was for the whole world. Both
believing Jews and Gentile converts were 'called to be saints'--people whose destiny, by the grace of God, was to be 'made holy'.


Reflection

Today, Remembrance Sunday, we remember those who have died in war. They weren't necessarily 'saintly', but, as Jesus said, to give one's life for others is to show the 'greatest love' (John 15:13). Those 'called to be saints' will also be more concerned with 'giving' than 'getting'.


David Winter




[from New Daylight September - December 2007]