If You Get Romans, God Gets You

During the 1920’s to the 1940’s, a teacher at Abilene Christian College named R. C. Bell who taught and wrote on Paul’s epistle to the Romans made the title of this article well known.  He often said, “If you get Romans, God gets you.”

Of course, Bro. Bell meant that the message of Romans is so significant that ‘if one really grasps/understands/accepts it, then God will capture the heart of the one who gets it.  What is so important about Romans?  Why should we as  Christians make it our goal to know/comprehend its message?

BECAUSE:  The way/means to a right relationship with God is revealed by Paul in his epistle to the Romans.  When I was a boy growing up in the churches of Christ, I thought I understood the gospel/the way of salvation.  My conception of salvation was ‘if I obeyed God well enough, I would be saved.’  As a result of this conception of the way of salvation, I lived in fear of hell and guilt over my failure to obey well enough.  I lived with the constant anxiety of being lost, even though I was a Christian (as I understood Christianity).  I was a lot like Paul describes himself in Romans 7.  I desperately wanted to be righteous, but I did not have the will power to defeat sin.

Paul’s message in Romans (his good news) is that ‘righteousness’ in God’s sight has been made available to us by God Himself.  God makes it possible for us to be ‘not guilty’ before Him.  We can be righteous in God’s eyes because of what God has done for us.  SO WHAT HAS GOD DONE??

Romans 3:24-25 tells us that God (the author/initiator of our salvation) put forward Jesus His Son as a sacrifice of atonement for our sin.  He has redeemed us from our sins.  God did this because of His grace.  He did this freely because of His love. Therefore, we are justified before God by our faith.  I love the sound-alike definition of justified:  JUST IF I’D NEVER SINNED.  That is how God looks at me because of Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice.  He considers me ‘not guilty, sinless, righteous in His sight’.

How does this make me feel?  ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!!  How does this make me act?  IT MAKES ME WANT TO GIVE MY BODY AS A LIVING SACRIFICE TO GOD!!

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for opening my eyes to see the good news.  Thank you for making it possible to be righteous.  Help me to live a life worthy of your gift of salvation.   

Terry Brown

Abilene, Texas