Welcome to The Bible in Three, a podcast where we discuss 3 Things About the Bible in about three minutes. Today we discussed Romans 15:13. If you google verses about hope, this one pops up a lot.
ONE— The Background
Paul wrote his letter to the believers in Rome—a group of Christians he hadn’t met yet! Some people who are smarter than me hypothesize that the believers who started the church in Rome might have been at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out.
TWO—The Breakdown
Romans can be broken down into 2 sections. The first eleven chapters are all about salvation. The need—we all need salvation. The how—only Jesus could act on our behalf. And the best part the who—anyone has access to salvation—Jew or Gentile. The second part of the book is all about how living for Jesus transforms us. Followers of Christ look different as a result of being saved and the way we treat people looks different as well.
THREE— The Bite-Sized Truth
Romans 15:7–13
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jewson behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul is praying that both the Jews and the Gentiles would be filled with joy and peace and hope. And this prayer is prefaced by a request to get along and see the big picture of salvation that includes both Jews and Gentiles. So—what does that mean for us? Because Jesus died and resurrected—defeated death and sin—and if we call on him, we’ll be saved. Because of all that, we have a hope and a future. But so does anyone else who calls on the name of Jesus. And we can share that hope with others in our words and in how we interact with others. Our unified hope in Jesus can point others to Jesus. May we be unified in interactions with other believers and be filled to overflowing with the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Here are some more resources to dig deeper.
Local Church— Being plugged into a church that prioritizes the reading and understanding of scripture is pretty important. For some that may be a pretty big ask due to previous hurt within this space. If that’s you, take your time and pray for God to lead you to the right space. But know that being in community with other faithful and mature believers is what God intended for his people. I’ll be praying with you for that community as well!
Traveling with the Father my friend Christine has a podcast with 3–5 minute devotionals that connects every day life to the truth of Scripture. You’ll love her soothing voice and beautiful honesty.
The Focused 15 Challenge My friend Jennifer has a 5 day challenge for creating a space for growing your faith.
YouVersion Bible App I love this resource because you can read the Bible in multiple versions as well as start reading plans that are as short as a few days or as long as an entire year.
Bible In Three I also have a few more resources for the entire family on my website!
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