Loved and Called
A little encouragement from the introduction to the book of Romans
Romans 1:7 "To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints."
Paul addresses the Roman Christians with the twofold designation: “loved by God, called as saints.” We should meditate on these two phrases. The same address could very well be written to you, fellow believer. What does this mean for you?
The Privilege
First, you are loved by God. What a privilege it is to be a Christian. Pastor Mark Arant wrote this in his book The Advantage of Average:
"My name is in the book of life! Never get over that. My greatest success has already happened. I'm loved. Jesus welcomes me. I have nothing left to prove."
Do you wake up in the morning with something to prove? Or, do you wake up and remind yourself as soon as possible that you are "loved by God"?
Let me encourage you to consider the two words: "love" and "God."Not everyone in our world today believes in God, but love is more undeniable. Now, consider them together in the same sentence. We attempt to harness the cosmic power of the true creator--God's love--and capture it with small black and white scribbles. It is unimaginable to actually understand the love of God.
Alexander Maclaren wrote this about the two thoughts of "God" and "love": "Until Jesus Christ had done His work, no man believed that the two thoughts could be brought together."
Because of the work of Jesus, we begin to scratch the surface, we begin to see through the mirror darkly, we get a glimpse at God's love. And to the Church on earth, I remind you—that unimaginable force is aimed at us. We should remind ourselves of that every morning. We have nothing left to prove; we are loved by God!
The Calling
Second, fellow believers, you are called as saints. Once the privilege of God's love begins to seep into your mind and heart, the obligation is revealed. You are a manager of something amazing when you receive the gospel of Christ. You have been given a gift to steward, gold to spend, a skill to use. In fact, it is even more than a gift to manage. The idea of being "saints" is the idea of being "owned" by God. Simply put, we belong to God. Jesus Christ has not only freed us with his work on the cross, he has "purchased" us.
The Path Forward
Here is what this means: You can’t do anything on your own, so get to work!
Wait, that doesn’t make any sense! You are loved, and therefore you are called to something. But that is just the point, now that you know you can not earn anything, you are free to get to work. Though you can not fight it on your own, you are loved and therefore called away from sin. Though you can not understand holiness on your own, you are loved and therefore called to pursue holiness. Though you did not discover the ideas yourself, you are loved and therefore given the gift of God-breathed scripture.
These truths should not just make us feel good, they should motivate us. Let us remind each other that we have nothing left to prove, but that we are already loved by Christ! Do you really believe that? Great! Now pursue deeper understandings of purity, holiness, righteousness, servanthood, love, peace, patience, and the rest of the Godly virtues in scripture. We are not free from virtue; we are free from sin and therefore invited to live in virtue.
We are loved by God and called as saints. Let us walk that path together. I will need reminded that I am loved by God. I will need to be encouraged to live as a saint. You will too.