Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began (26) but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith – (27) to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever.  Amen.

The apostle Paul was the author of the letter to the Romans. This theological masterpiece was written to the faithful in Rome probably to prepare the church there for his intended visit and to anticipate the false tearchers who followed his ministry to corrupt his teaching of the gospel – and  he wrote to resolve any conflicts between Jews and Gentile bellevers in Rome.  But at the heart of Romans, Paul wrote to defend his gospel of grace that he preached everywhere.

To understand Romans, the reader has to realize that the goal of the gospel  is not the happiness or salvation of man but the glory of God. Paul was Gods  chosen vessel for the spread of the gospel and in it the eternal purpose of God – previously hidden – is revealed. The saved need to live in faith in Christ so that our transformed lives will reflect God‘s glory.  We are firm in our faith because the gospel establishes us – confirms us in doctrine and revelation of God’s eternal plan. Before we can be established we must believe the gospel;  by faith through faith is our salvation:  That’s it.  Our efforts count as nothing as faith is from God to man;  not according to anything man can do.

Paul preached Jesus Christ and Christ crucified.  Tomorrow, Christmas Day, we celebrate God‘s intervention in history and in time and space. God made manifest His plan which had previously been hidden.  Now that God’s plan has been revealed we can clearly see what was obscure in the time of the Old Testament. No one at that time understood the words of the prophets; the apostles didn’t even understand the words of Jesus –  only by divine revelation and divine intervention is the mystery of the Old Testament made manifest.   All of Scripture  was always about Jesus Christ and salvation history.

However mysterious God’s ways might seem to us, Paul assures us they are the ways of the ONLY wise God.