The Epistle to the Romans opens not with a theological treatise, but with a revelation of the Apostle Paul's soul. In the eight verses of the first chapter (Romans 1:8-15 NIV), the apostle lays bare his heart before his readers, painting a portrait of a minister whose influence turned the world upside down. "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV), he urges in his letter to the Corinthians, and these words ring not with presumption but as an invitation to transformation.
1. Gratitude
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you" (Romans 1:8 NIV).
First of all—not secondarily, not in passing. Gratitude becomes the foundation upon which everything else is built. The Roman church knew internal strife: tension between Jews and Gentiles, theological disputes, human weaknesses. Paul sees all of this, yet he begins not with a diagnosis of disease but with an acknowledgment of health.
"Your faith is being reported all over the world"—he says to a community that likely numbered barely a hundred souls. Two decades after the Resurrection. No internet, no mass media. Only caravans and ships. And yet their faith had become a sensation that the world was talking about.
The carnal man instinctively gravitates toward shortcomings—like a tongue to an aching tooth. The spiritual man begins with gratitude, for he knows: God will not "break a bruised reed" or "snuff out a smoldering wick" (Matthew 12:20 NIV).
2. Whole-Spirited Service
"God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness" (Romans 1:9-10 NIV).
Paul calls the Creator Himself as his witness. This is not a rhetorical device—this is the baring of a soul before eternity. In my spirit—not partially, not on weekends, not in free time away from main work. Every breath, every thought, every heartbeat belongs to service.
The modern Christian often settles for compromise: God gets Sunday, self gets the remaining days. Paul knows no such division. His life is indivisible, as indivisible as the human spirit itself.
3. Constant Prayer and Care for People
"I remember you in my prayers at all times" (Romans 1:9-10 NIV).
Paul had never been to Rome. He doesn't know the faces of those for whom he prays. Perhaps Peter founded the Roman church—historians differ in their opinions. But for Paul, this doesn't matter. He carries in his heart those he has never seen, prays for those whose names he doesn't know.
At all times—doesn't mean every second. It means regularity, constancy, faithfulness. Like breathing: we don't think about it every moment, but it never ceases. So too Paul's prayer for other people—the natural rhythm of his spiritual life.
Today, when information about persecution is available with a single click, we are paradoxically more distant from our brothers' sufferings than Paul was two thousand years ago. He prayed with a thirst for encounter. We scroll through news with weary indifference.
4. The Desire to Share Blessing
"I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong" (Romans 1:11 NIV).
Paul is not traveling to Rome as a tourist or even as an inspector. He longs to impart a gift—to share what he has received from God. Not to display his superiority, but to strengthen their faith.
Spiritual gifts are not meant for personal collection. They are like bread: meant to be broken and shared. Meant to feed the hungry. Paul understands: what God has placed within him does not belong to him. It belongs to the Body of Christ.
5. The Desire to Strengthen and Encourage
"That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith" (Romans 1:12 NIV).
Paul's greatness lies in acknowledging his own need. The apostle to the Gentiles, author of half the New Testament, founder of dozens of churches—and he longs for comfort from those he has never met. The original word conveys mutual encouragement, mutual strengthening.
The Holy Spirit dwells not in solitary cells but in the gathering of believers. "You are a temple" (1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV), Scripture says, using the plural. We are living stones of a single structure (1 Peter 2:5 NIV). And when an ordinary believer shares a revelation about a verse familiar since childhood, even the holder of theological degrees may exclaim in amazement: "I never understood that!" and receive encouragement that will transform his entire life.
6. Focus on Bearing Fruit
"I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles" (Romans 1:13 NIV).
Jesus said: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit" (John 15:16 NIV). Paul longs to see this fruit—not religious activity, not pious busyness, but genuine transformation of lives.
Fruit is changed destinies, new disciples, grown faith, healed relationships. It is what remains when the preacher leaves and the hymns fall silent. Paul doesn't count the number of sermons or kilometers traveled. He seeks fruit—real change in people's lives.
7. Sacred Obligation and Thirst for the Gospel
"I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome" (Romans 1:14-15 NIV).
Paul's paradox: he is simultaneously debtor and thirsty one. Obligation without desire becomes hard labor. Desire without obligation becomes whim. Paul unites the seemingly incompatible—sacred duty and burning passion.
He, the refined intellectual educated at the feet of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3 NIV), sees himself as debtor to uneducated barbarians. The Greek word πρόθυμος (eager) used in the original conveys zeal, enthusiasm, almost physical thirst—as a traveler in the desert thirsts for water, so Paul thirsts to proclaim the gospel.
Echoes Through the Centuries
History knows the names of those who heard the Apostle Paul's call—"follow my example"—and embodied these seven facets in life.
William Carey—a cobbler from England who became the father of modern missions. Forty-one years in India without a furlough. Over forty Scripture translations. Fighting against widow burning. To him belong these great words: "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God."
Hudson Taylor exchanged European attire for Chinese dress to become one of his own among strangers. By his death, eighteen thousand Chinese called Jesus Lord. Hudson said during his lifetime: "If I had a thousand pounds, China should have it. If I had a thousand lives, China should have them. No! not China, but Christ. Can we do too much for Him?"
Amy Carmichael, an Irish girl with brown eyes, prayed as a child for blue eyes. God answered with silence. Years later in India, she thanked Him for brown eyes—they allowed her to penetrate temples and rescue children from ritual prostitution. More than a thousand children's lives saved. Her famous phrase: "You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."
The Beginning of the Journey
The seven facets of Paul's heart are not an unattainable ideal but a map for the journey:
- Gratitude—begin with it, even when you want to criticize
- Whole-spirited service—not by schedule, but like breathing
- Constant prayer—for those you know and don't know
- Desire to share—spiritual gifts aren't for personal collection
- Readiness for mutual strengthening—you need others
- Focus on fruit—not activity, but transformation
- Sacred duty with joy—obligation become passion
The portrait of the apostle's heart is complete. But this is not a museum exhibit—it is a mirror in which we see our own calling. The question is not whether we admire Paul. The question is whether we are ready to allow God to form such a heart in us.