but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
As Christians, true love is defined by God himself.
Love is not our God, love is shown to us by him. So, in today’s verse we learn what real love looks like: Jesus Christ and his mission to save us.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, (Romans 1:1 ESV)
(This devotion is part three in the series: “How to Be Changed Like Paul.” Check out part two if you missed it.)
The Greek word for “set apart” is aphorizo. And while set apart is an apt translation, it falls a little short at expressing the radical nature of Paul’s meaning here.
The word literally means “to mark off from others by boundaries, to limit, to separate” (source).
So Paul isn’t simply saying that he was ear marked for ministry—he was irrevocably transported to a new reality.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, (Romans 1:1 ESV)
(This devotion is part two in the series: “How to Be Changed Like Paul.” Check out part one if you missed it.)
The secret of Paul’s greatness is that he was first a “servant” and second an “apostle.”
The Greek word for “servant” can also be translated as “bondslave.” Here’s the deal, Paul didn’t think about himself first as an authority figure or leader—he viewed himself as someone totally under the orders of his Master.