Acceptance

Think back to middle school. What were you like? Who did you hang out with, the popular kids? The nerds? I definitely fit in with the band geeks. 

Middle school was a rough place. We were all trying to fit in and see who liked us and who didn't.

Now think about how that happens in our adult lives too. We go to work, but we don't want to be isolated so we try and find friends, people that like us and want to be around us. Think of you weekend, you want to find a place in which you are accepted. When you go out to a restaurant you wear clothes that will match the dress standards of other people at the restaurant. 

In the end, we all just want to feel accepted and have a place in the world. 

One place in which we can all be accepted is in the kingdom of God. 

Paul even addresses this in his greeting in Romans 1! 

Before he even gets to the content of the chapter he addresses the "Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." 

This may not seem like much, you may even think "what in the world is a Gentile." 

First off, a Gentile is someone who is not Jewish. According to the Old Testament only the Jews were accepted into the kingdom of God when they followed the law. 

But through the power of Jesus' death and resurrection, even those of us that weren't originally a part of the plan, we are now welcomed into the kingdom of God!

Sources: 

Kim, Jin  Young. “Understanding the Letter to the Romans in the Sect-Cult Development of Early Churches.” MDPI, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 20 May 2020, www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/11/5/257/htm. 

Smith, Chuck. “Sermon Notes for Romans by Chuck Smith.” Blue Letter Bible, www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/SermonNotes_Rom/Rom_8.cfm.