1:7
We now get the “normal” greeting end. The letter is addressed to all in Rome who are loved by God. Note that it does not say “who love God”. The whole tenor of the letter is that God is the instigator of all that happens, of the salvation that the gospel declares. “Called to be saints”. Pawson says that “called saints” would be better. Now in a sense he is right in that being “a saint” is not the exclusive thing that it has since become, especially in the Roman Catholic church, but it is still looking at saint as a title, rather than something that we are. We are called to live as those set apart by the Lord. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. This is a typical Pauline greeting, and it is worth noting that it puts God the Father and Jesus the Son on a par with each other.
1:8
Paul now makes a more personal address to his recipients. He has introduced who he is, and what the gospel is about (in brief, much more is to come!), now he speaks about the Roman Christians. Remember he has not had any previous involvement with them, so this part is not quite the same as in his other letters. However, he starts by saying that he thanks God for them because of their faith, something that he says in one or two other letters. “Your faith is proclaimed in all the world”. This could be taken as referring to the faith that the Romans have, but it is more likely that it is the object of their faith, i.e. Christ and the gospel, that is being referred to.
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