I am not ashamed

My favorite book of the Bible? Romans. Before I explain why, let me tell you a story.

Once there was a man that wrestled with God. He heard about Jesus early in life. Stories of this guy that supposedly was the son of God filled his town. He heard about how Jesus had been executed and buried. Stories of how this "son of God" returned from the grave, conquering death once and for all, were everywhere.

By the time this man entered his formative years, his stance was as solid as a stone. This Jesus movement was not only false, it was harmful. It caused people to abandon reason. It cause them to abandon the truth. And this man valued truth. So he fought them. A lot of times he won.

Until... 

One day this man had an encounter that changed his life. This enemy of the faith found Jesus. Life changed forever for this unlikely Christian. But he still wrestled. Something odd happened when he found Jesus. Jesus didn't turn this man's brain off. He still had knowledge and an unquenchable passion for the truth. That never changed.

He was still the same person, but his foundation had been replaced. Now he knew Jesus was real. He understood God's love, the fall of man, and the sacrifice Jesus made. He understood that "all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Although he had been at war his entire life, he finally understood what it meant to have "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Still he wrestled.

For example, if he were a new creation in Christ, why was life still so hard? Why did he still do the things that he knew he shouldn't? Why couldn't he do the things he knew he should? How can this "new life" be fully embraced? How can he live entirely for Christ, letting go of the things of this world? How can he deal with the guilt from his past?

As he struggled, he learned that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." None. He understood that any condemnation or guilt that he felt must have a different source. It wasn't from God. If it wasn't from God, it could be discarded.

He learned that nothing on earth could separate him from God's love. Not life nor death, angels or demons. Not the future, the present, or the past. No power, no government. Nothing in all creation could separate them now. With Jesus as his rock, he knew he was more than a conqueror. The battle had ceased. Without a fight. He had surrendered and had been adopted into the family of the victor. It was overwhelming. So he had to write.

Back to Romans... 

Paul was an interesting guy. He had an incredible life, witnessing many miracles and enduring many hardships. And he wrote about it. Some of his writings are still around today. In the book of Romans, he explains much of what he had learned through revelation and experience. It is laid out very deliberately, building to numerous crescendos. It is very personal yet contains numerous philosophical and theological truths as well as their real life applications. It reflects the conclusions of a man that spent years wrestling with God while searching for the truth.

The story above is my story. I was the wanderer, the wrestler, the enemy of God. After Jesus changed my life, I did a lot of wrestling with scripture and with God. I still do it to this day. But Paul has a similar story. He walked this path long before I did. And he wrote about it. All of his writings seem to speak directly to my soul, but Romans seems to be his masterwork.