I'm Better Than You?

There's nothing worse then being part of a community where some people feel that they are more worthy of respect, or are far superior human beings than others. This kind of attitude creates an atmosphere of contention putting everyone on edge and forcing others to defend their sense of significance.

I call this "pecking order" Christianity. When a hierarchy of being is established in a church community it most certainly creates a tension that is unhealthy. Such an environment does not reflect who we are called to be as Christ's community. This was the atmosphere and contention in the Roman churches that prompted Paul to write to them before actually arriving there in person to live with them for a while.

Paul had finished his work in Asia Minor and now sets his site on Spain. As he plans his path, his first order of business is to establish a home base of support, like the church in Antioch was for him during his three missionary journeys outlined in Acts. The most logical community was the Roman church which was poised to help him in his missionary efforts into Spain. As Paul sets his sites on Rome, he hears that they are living in contention due to a very significant historical event that caused a sense of hierarchy and superiority to emerge among some in the church. Knowing that he would be making Rome his home base, Paul begins to write to them to start dealing with this contentious environment before he arrives in hopes that the letter will begin to work through the problem so that he could continue to deal with it when he gets there.

Acts tells us that this plan never does flourish. Unfortunately Paul is arrested in Jerusalem and his life is threatened by the Jewish religious leaders. Paul appeals to Caesar for trial in order to spare his life from the hands of the Jews and so makes the arduous journey to Rome as a prisoner in chains. Paul will never see Spain but will impact many people with the good news even Caesar's own household.

In our class this week, we will begin a short journey through Romans and find out exactly what was going on among the Roman believers and how Paul deals with it.

Digging Deeper

For more on the events surrounding Paul getting to Rome, read the passages in Acts from chapter 21 to 28. Click on the following link for a map of Paul's Fourth Journey for an idea of his travel and geographical location during this time. Here is a clip of Paul's arrest in the film St. Paul