The book of Romans is quite a powerful and introspective book. I find it useful for looking “intently at [our] natural face in a mirror.”
We are encouraged to patiently seek for glory, honour and immortality. This is not an easy or quick process, but it is a very rewarding one. It’s a process that needs to be selfless, and affect our whole manner of life. To be a true child of God, a spiritual Jew, is not something that is merely an outward action. It’s a manner of life that affects “one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”
That manner of life can be encouraging to those around us, just as Paul longed to be with those in the Roman ecclesia, “that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith”. That mutual encouragement is an aspect of ecclesial life, particularly Sunday mornings, that I find to be helpful.
We have an amazing hope to encourage us in our spiritual development. David points out that “Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life”. Our hope is an undeserved gift, yet it is one that is freely given to “all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together”