14 I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15 Nevertheless, on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God.
In the first century AD, Rome was filled with Romans. (I learned that in my high school Latin class.) So when Paul, a born and bred Jew, wrote to mainly gentile Christians in Rome about our Lord and Savior Jesus, there was some cultural competition in the air. Paul complimented the Romans’ goodness and knowledge. Paul also acknowledged that this letter had been bold at times, but that’s how we might approach one another in the service of God.
In the twenty-first century America, there are times when we compete and pull apart from others in the Christian family. We would do well to look for the goodness and knowledge of God in others as we then boldly express our opinions in faith.
Prayer
Thank you, God, for creating such a broad family of faith in the even broader human family. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.