For Paul, eschatology was not a separate matter to be explored as distinct from other concerns—particularly the royal law of love of neighbor. Paul led the church in Rome to treat the apocalyptic realities of the coming rightful judgment and just wrath as being deeply grounded in love of neighbor.

Love is the means by which we uphold and fulfill the Law. Any doctrine that does not uplift or properly represent the royal law is no doctrine at all; any presented understanding of the Law that cannot be fulfilled by love of neighbor is nothing more than an example of misunderstanding. For, “love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Subjection, even in the literary sense, exists within the framework of genuine and divine love. How we choose to live within society, subjected or rebellious, is, undeniably, a testimony for or against the Gospel; and, it is a significant matter deeply intertwined with the commandment to love.

The Church quickly grew in reputation throughout the Roman Empire as being a community that loved fiercely by showing a sincere concern for the welfare of others with a devoted willingness to sacrifice self. This is the Gospel culture that spurred the revolutionary wildfire that we call the first century church revival.

All believers are in this together; we need each other; we need everyone to get involved and act as vessels for the power of the Spirit. You belong; and, you are not only welcomed but needed. More than that, you are not only needed but specifically and uniquely empowered.

Of all the worldly aspects of which we should strive to not be conformed, a life lived for the benefit of self is one to avoid. Christians seeking to obtain a standard of righteous living for personal gain find themselves conforming to the patterns of the secular world. Heaven, instead, guides us to live for the benefit of others, sacrifice that others may known Him and be redeemed, pursue a life of holiness that is evangelistic in nature—this is our spiritual act of worship.

Like the Apostle Paul, as ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ, the cry of our hearts and the longing of our souls should be that none are left behind. The heart of Paul’s evangelistic appeal was personal, vulnerable, and compassionate; moreover, his appeal was centered on the faithfulness of God—even to those who rejected Him. Those left behind, the pharisaic and sadducaic communities, were not anonymous; Paul, a former Pharisee himself, knew their names, spent time in their homes, debated them in the scholarly chambers, broke bread with them, prayed with them—to Paul, these communities were family.

The corrupted sinful teachings of righteousness through piety is shattered at the foot of the Cross. According to Paul, all who are in Christ should shout to the eagerly waiting world that the very notion of performance-obtained right standing has met its end by the blood of the Lamb and the roar of the Lion.

In Romans 9, Paul called us to focus on the warning to not stumble over the temptation to return to legalism.

Romans 8 is a prophetic message of theological grounding and preparation for the persecution coming from Emperor Nero’s Reign of Terror; and, the message is clear: we are secure in the commanding power of the love of Christ.