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The Bible Says
Romans 1:7 Meaning

Paul writes this letter to all the believers, all who are beloved of God in Rome who are called as saints (v 7). The word as in the phrase called as saints does not appear in the original language, before the word saints (as indicated by the italics). The Greek word "hagios" translated here saints is used in the New Testament to refer to anyone who has received the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit through the blood of Jesus. "Hagios" is most often translated holy, a word which carries the notion of being set apart for a special purpose.

All believers in Jesus are set apart for a special purpose. Ephesians 2:10 tells us:

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

In this sense, all believers are holy so all believers are saints. This is what Paul means when he uses saints in this passage-he is referring to all the believers in Rome. They are all beloved of God.

Some church traditions elevate the lives of certain believers as particularly excellent examples for us to emulate, using the word "saint" as a special designation. Since the lives of these people are special, they are "set apart" as a special example. However, it is important to note that the Scripture does not use the word in this sense. In the Bible, every believer is set apart for a special work, although it is up to us to choose to walk in that path (Ephesians 2:10).

Paul continues his initial greeting to the believers in Rome: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace here is the Greek word "charis," which means favor. When God bestows His favor it is always bestowed because God chooses to give it. God is God and will not be controlled; He is not subject to any sort of standard apart from Himself. His very name is "I AM"-the definition of existence.

Paul wishes for the favor and peace (v 7) of God to rest upon these Gentile Roman believers. Paul states that God is our Father. This puts the Gentile believers in Rome into the same family with Paul. Similarly, they also both have Jesus Christ as their Lord. 

Romans 1:5-6 Meaning ← Prior Section
Romans 1:8-10 Meaning Next Section →
Acts 1:1-5 Meaning ← Prior Book
1 Corinthians 3:1-4 Meaning Next Book →
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Daily Devotionals

Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness.

Daily Bible Reading Plans

Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one's mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year.

One-Year Plans

Two-Year Plan

CONTENT DISCLAIMER:

The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.