June 22, 2023 – Romans 15:1-13

Do you remember growing up on the playground at recess or playing with your friends in the vacant lot? There always came the time to pick teams. All the kids lined up and two “captains” picked the players they wanted, one by one. Deep inside, you always hoped you would be chosen in the first few picks because it gave the impression that you were needed, wanted, and valued. If you were one of the last few picked, it was more by default. Because there’s a big difference between being chosen and tolerated.

In Romans 15, Paul is writing to a Gentile audience, trying to convince them that they are not simply tolerated, but chosen by God. As the Gospel and early church were spreading across the Roman Empire, it was a challenge for Paul and the other leaders of the movement to convince people that they were truly accepted by God. For thousands of years, all they had heard about was that the God of the Jews had already chosen his “holy” people. Yet Paul and the other church planters were now reminding them—this had been the plan all along through the power of Jesus.

Paul writes in verses 8 and 9, "Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy." Yes, Jesus came from the Jews as God’s holy people, but now God has chosen the Gentiles as well. We are not second-rate. We have been chosen, not just tolerated. In fact, Paul cites promises from the Psalms, Deuteronomy, and the prophet Isaiah to remind us this was a part of God’s plan all along.

Receive that promise in a personal way today. You have been chosen by God. He’s hand-selected you since the beginning of time to be with him and follow him all your days.

Questions for reflection:

  1. What are some moments in your life when you truly felt chosen? When have you felt that you were truly valued, needed, and wanted?
  2. Imagine what it must have felt like to be a Gentile living in Rome, trying to understand that God wants to have a relationship with you, even though you’re just hearing about Jesus for the first time. How could you apply this line of thinking to what people outside the Church feel about God today?