Poem: Letter to the Romans

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16

To the Romans,
You had a message to write;
It reminds me of a lawyer,
Going in for the fight.

(1)
Verse 1:16,
Sets the overall theme;
The gospel is for everyone,
God’s power to redeem.

From creation,
You made your case;
The conscience testified of sin,
For the Gentile race.

(2)
The Jews,
Who were given the law,
In sin broke the commands,
By their rebellious fall.

(3)
All have sinned,
And have fallen short,
Of the glory of God,
In His righteous court.

(4)
By faith,
Justification is found;
Abraham is our fatherly example,
Of a faith that is sound.

(5)
Christ’s death,
Is the undeniable proof,
That demonstrates God’s love,
To take away our reproof.

Death to all,
By Adam’s sin began,
But the gift of grace came,
By the righteousness of one Man.

(6)
Yet grace,
Is not an excuse,
To continue to walk in sin,
Would be an abuse.

By baptism,
You made your claim,
Since we die with Christ to live,
Let us not put Him to shame.

Death is the wage,
We all have earned;
Everlasting life is a gift,
We now have learned.

(7)
Dead to the law,
Through Christ’s body is sure;
Warring with the carnal flesh,
The spiritual makes pure.

(8)
No condemnation,
For those who walk in the Spirit;
His words of witness dwell within,
For those who will hear it.

Suffering for now,
For a hope unseen;
Love makes us great conquerors,
Over all that is mean.

(9)
Your countrymen,
Reject what is right;
You grieve in your soul,
No wonder you put up this fight.

Israel stumbled,
At the promise of Abraham’s seed;
They brought Jesus forth,
But His words did not heed.

(10)
They have zeal,
But faith does not exist;
They must hear the word,
To obtain belief they don’t resist.

(11)
Rejection not total,
A remnant believed like you;
The others can be grafted back in,
To be saved like the few.

For Gentiles and Jews,
Can all by Christ’s love be saved,
As you give more instruction,
On how a Christian must behave.

(12)
Renew the mind,
To the will of God transform;
Overcome evil with good,
To this world do not conform.

(13)
Submit to authorities,
As God’s ministers for good;
Owe no one anything,
But to love as we should.

(14)
There are liberties,
In choosing them be wise;
Do not judge doubtful things,
Pursue peace and what edifies.

(15)
Bear burdens,
The strong help the weak;
By the glory of God altogether,
Joy, peace, and hope we seek.

To visit Rome,
You desired and planned to do,
But other needs hindered you,
The Spirit’s work was not through.

(16)
Faithful workers,
You did commend;
People who labored with you,
On whom you could depend.

Yet a warning,
Aware of those who deceive;
They cause division and offenses,
Their doctrines do not receive.

Established on Christ,
Is the gospel of your endeavor,
Kept secret but now manifested,
God’s glory through Christ forever.

Thanks for your witness,
By the Spirit you received;
Salvation will be given,
If your words we have believed.

Prayer:
Powerful God, thank you for the message that the apostle Paul delivered to the Romans that we can learn of the gospel of Christ. In it lies Your power to salvation for everyone who believes. Because of this power, I will never be ashamed of proclaiming and standing firm in its truth. You, God, are able to establish me through the gospel for obedience to the faith. You alone are wise and have manifested Your glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

Truth in love,
Heather