Is This Good News Really for Everyone?

Mark: Some of us have wondered if we weren't on the list, and I'm talking to you. Is the good news really meant for someone like me?

Sarah: I get that doubt, honestly. There's a line in Paul's letter to the Romans that speaks right to it. Let me read it for you.

Scripture: For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes; for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.

Mark: Wait, who was he even writing to? And why would he put it like that?

Sarah: He's writing to the brothers, those in Rome. He'd often planned to visit them but was hindered so far, and he wrote that he wanted to be encouraged by their faith too.

Mark: But everyone who believes? That's a big claim. People can feel very different about God, and that can make 'everyone' sound enormous.

Sarah: Paul says he's a debtor to Greeks and foreigners, the wise and the foolish. He names those groups, and a couple of lines on says salvation is for everyone who believes.

Mark: Okay, and what does faith have to do with it?

Sarah: A few lines later he quotes scripture: 'the righteous shall live by faith.'

Mark: To me, that sounds like it's about faith in Jesus Christ. Honestly, that's a relief. I was lost too, and I'm only saved by grace. I just never figured I'd be on the list.

Sarah: The text says it's for everyone who believes in the Good News of Christ. I love you and I want you with me. Talk to God honestly, or come find me whenever you want to talk. Follow along for more.