Daily Bible Nugget #303, Romans 1:7

The Nugget:

Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

My Comment:

Who would have ever thought that God would address a book to all of us very ordinary people? Yet that is just exactly what He has done. The Bible says so, many times over. Notice Paul addressed his letter, our book of Romans, to people he calls saints. That word has been taken over in some quarters and exclusively applied, it would seem, only to such very holy people that the Church has declared them saints–as if leaving the rest of us out of the picture. That is not what God has done. God has repeatedly addressed His Book to the ordinary person. Christians were all called saints when Paul wrote his most important letter to have come down to us, the book of Romans. Saints are, more literally, holy ones. They are holy ones because they have placed their faith in the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus has made them whole again, made them into new creatures in Christ, now possessed of a new nature by the not just forgiveness of their sins, but as the word in Greek often translated “forgive” actually means, the removal of sins.

But the point is, the book of Romans or the Bible as a whole was not addressed to kings, priests, or religious leaders, but to very ordinary Christian believers, people every bit like you and me. This has a profound meaning.

The Perspicuity of Scripture is proven by to whom the Bible was actually addressed! Since it was addressed to very ordinary people, it can be understood by very ordinary people. And that is good news indeed. It is also Proof Seven for the Perspicuity of Scripture. Remember, “perspicuity” is a fancy word used to express the simple idea that the Bible declares itself understandable.

Since the Bible is understandable, this ought to be an encouragement to you to read it.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1271 for Romans 1:7.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1292 or in Logos 5 Bible software for Romans 1:7.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:

Romans 1:7. To all. FS13, +Ep 3:14. The salutation commenced in verse 1 is resumed. T#1116. Ac 15:23. *1 Cor 1:2. 2 Cor 1:1. Phil 1:1. *Col 1:2. James 1:1, 2. *1 P 1:1, 2. 1 J 2:7, 12-14. Jude 1:1. Re 2:1, 8, 12, 18, 29. 3:1, 7, 14, 22. that be in. Ep 1:1. Phil 1:1. Col 1:1. Rome. ver. Ro 1:15. +*Ac 2:10. 28:16. +2 Tim 1:17. beloved of God. Ro 5:8. 8:39. *Ro 9:25. *Dt 33:12. Ps 60:5. Song 5:1. Ep 1:6. *Col 3:12. 1 Th 1:4. 2 Th 2:13, 14. *1 Tim 6:2. 1 J 4:10. called. ver. +Ro 1:6. Ro 8:28. 1 Cor 1:2. *Col 3:15. *1 Th 4:7. *He 3:1. *1 P 1:15. *2 P 1:3. to be. FS63K, +Ge 37:13. saints. or, holy ones, hagios, not “saints” as in the OT sense of consecration or separation, and so ceremonial or declarative. The term is used here in the moral or regenerative sense of persons made holy or Christlike (Lavender NT, fn. d). Ro 16:15. Ex 19:5, 6. Le 11:44. *Le 19:2. Ps 16:3. Hab 1:13. Ac 9:13, 32. 1 Cor 1:2. 7:14. +2 Cor 1:1. Ep 1:4. He 13:12. Grace. T#1542. Ro 3:24. 16:20. Ex 33:13. *Nu 6:23-27. 1 Ch 29:10. Ps 108:6. 1 Cor 1:3, etc. 1 Cor 16:23. 2 Cor 1:2. *2 Cor 13:14. Ga 1:3. Ep 1:1, 2, 7. *Ep 2:7, 8. Phil 1:2. 4:23. Col 1:2. 1 Th 1:1. 5:28. 2 Th 1:1, 2, 12. 3:18. 1 Tim 1:2. 6:21. 2 Tim 1:2. 4:22. Titus 1:4. 3:15. Phm 1:3, 25. *He 4:16. 13:25. 1 P 1:1, 2. *1 P 5:10. *2 P 1:2. +2 J 1:3. Jude 1:2. Re 1:4, 5. 22:21. peace. FS171I9B, +Is 57:19. See on +*Ro 5:1. Ge 43:23. Jg 6:23. 19:20. Ezr 4:17. Ps 85:8. *Ps 122:6. Da 4:1. Lk 19:42. 24:36. *Jn 14:27. 20:19, 26. *Ga 5:22. 6:16. **Phil 4:7. 1 Th 1:1. 1 Tim 1:2. 2 Tim 1:2. 1 P 5:14. +2 J 1:3. God our Father. *Ro 8:15. *Mt 5:16. +*Mt 6:8, 9. Lk 11:2. *Jn 20:17. *2 Cor 6:18. Ga 1:4. 4:6. Phil 4:20. *1 Th 1:3. 2 Th 1:1. *1 J 3:1. and the Lord. +*Jn 5:23. +**Ac 7:59, 60. 1 Cor 16:23. *2 Cor 12:8-10. *2 Cor 13:14. Ga 1:3. 6:18. *Ep 6:23, 24. *Phil 4:13, 23. *1 Th 3:11-13. 5:28. 2 Th 2:16, 17. 3:16, 18. 2 Tim 4:22. Phm 1:25. Re 22:21.