To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)

We have been warned since we were children about the power of name calling. It is usually stated to emphasize the negative effects of labeling someone. We were told not to call someone stupid or dumb or other demeaning words. More powerfully, most of us have felt the sting of someone using such language about us. Naming someone can malform and distort their sense of self and identity.

But there is also a way of being named that gives life and a sense of worth. The whole concept of having a last name carries with it a connection. For my children, I hope there is a positive connotation of being an Anderson. How much more so when it is God through His prophets and apostles who is doing the naming. What God calls us is the ultimate statement of who we are.

It is easy to skip over Romans 1:7 as some generic letter introduction like “Dear John”. But in that greeting, the Apostle Paul names his readers and us. And what he calls us is staggering. First, we are loved by God. God’s disposition towards you is not enmity or apathy. He loves you regardless of what anyone else might say or think about you. You are beloved. It was that love that He demonstrated in the death of Jesus (Romans 5:8). Romans is an unfolding of how we have come to be named in such a way.

And second, because we are loved, we are called to be saints. Clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we are viewed as holy. This can be hard for us to accept because we are very aware of our continued sinfulness. But when God calls something into being, nothing can stop it from happening. What He declares us to be, He is also in the process of making us.

How is it that we are recipients of such glorious names? Again, it can be easy to skip over. But Paul uses two words to summarize our new names. We have these names because of grace, not as a result of any work, merit, or goodness in us. God simply chose in love to do this for us. And this grace has worked peace so that we are no longer named as God’s enemies but as His beloved children and people.

Saints, let us learn to live our lives in light of what God says about us. Not what the evil one whispers in our ears. Not what other people, even those closest to us say. And, perhaps most importantly, not what we speak to ourselves in the quiet of our hearts. The name God calls us is what ultimately defines us and is the most true and He has called you “beloved saint”.