The Ultimate Fix

Are all people, just as they were lost through Adam, saved through Christ?

The original response to the question talks about the “elect” which I’ll go ahead and put out there is a very Calvinistic interpretation. It is likely in a military chapel setting, some of you come from a “Calvinist” or “Reformed” tradition and the response we read resounded with your heart. Whereas some of you likely come from an “Arminian” or “Free will” background and the response that we read was a bit alienating. I don’t see it as my duty as a Chaplain to get into the weeds of theological interpretation. I’ll leave that up to your personal study.

What I intend to do today is to look at what is said in this Scripture today so that we can do our best to understand the message the Apostle Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, intended for the church in Rome and for us. I want us to understand why it matters and how it can and should shape our understanding of our relationship with God and how we live.

With that being said, let’s talk about the context for a moment. Paul was in prison awaiting his hearing before Caesar, his right as a Roman citizen. He spoke this Epistle to Tertius who copied it on a papyrus scroll for the Church to read. Romans is the final work of Paul, and as such, it is the most systematic and theologically rich letter from Paul. I suppose when one did as much work as Paul did to spread the Gospel, suffered as many beatings and challenges that he did, he had spent a great deal of time growing in his own faith and understanding of how rich God’s love for us is, and how perfect God’s plan is for all who believe.

The justification behind asking the question if all people are saved through Christ comes from the reality that there are groups that do believe in what is termed “Christian Universa