Each of us by the other's faith.

 Romans 1:1-17 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, ⁶ among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

⁷ to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. ⁹ For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, ¹⁰ always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; ¹² that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

There are many reasons that it is good for believers to fellowship and worship together. Paul mentions one of those reasons in today’s text. He says: … that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.    Being encouraged by one another’s faith is a vital aspect of Christian fellowship. In Colossians 3:15-16, Paul writes:  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.      Each one, from the very newest believer to the most mature has a vital role in sharing their faith and encouraging each other. Those who have walked in faith for some time can point out the pitfalls along the way, encouraging others to avoid the stumbling blocks they have encountered. Rather, through their experience they can point to and be stepping stones, helping others to walk safely through difficult places.

Romans 8:28-29 says:  we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren         Christ is the firstborn we are the brethren. God will use all the things we have experienced, both the good and the bad to conform us to the image of Christ, His Son. We become more like Him. Isaiah 53:5 says: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.       Jesus death brought us life and in place of His wounding there is healing. In the same way, we as Christ’s brethren, can bring life and healing to others ministering in the areas where we have overcome being wounded. The addict who has overcome addiction through Christ can minister and bring that healing to others. Those who have overcome grief can help others find peace and joy through Christ. The same is true of any difficulty or trial we have overcome. We, like Jesus, as His brethren, conformed to His image, can minister and bring healing to others in the places we have overcome wounds. It is vital though that just as through death Jesus gives life; the victory is in the resurrection. We need to minister out of that resurrection life. If we minister and share with others from a place where we ourselves are still wounded, we can give life to the things that cause the difficulties rather than the overcoming power of Christ.   

In today’s text Paul says:    I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”      We too should, like Paul, never be ashamed of the gospel. If we truly believe, we should be eager to share the gospel everywhere God leads us. Jesus says: "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38) Do we truly believe, as Paul says, that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes? If we do, how can we not be eager to share the gospel, the good news of the power of God? How can we not share the message of salvation in God’s word? How can we not share the overcoming power of Christ with others? Paul says: the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.   As we share our faith; the victories we have seen and won through Jesus, others will see the righteousness of God. When we share His goodness, His faithfulness, they will see His righteousness.

the righteous man shall live by faith      Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for the cross and the resurrection. In faith may I share my faith with others. May I both be an encourager of and be encouraged by my brethren. May I through the power of the resurrection bring life where there is death and may I, like Jesus bring healing where I have overcome wounds. May my life and my words reveal Your righteousness. May my faith increase the faith of others.   Amen