Find out why Jonny Gumbel preached on Romans’ theme of love for over 3 years!

About seven years ago I thought it might be a good idea to do a one-year preaching series on Paul’s letter to the Romans. I knew I wouldn’t be able to cover everything, but I hoped at least to cover the main themes. In the end I only managed one theme. And it took me three and a half years.

That theme was the love of God.

Paul starts his letter by addressing the community as ‘those in Rome who are loved by God’ (Romans 1.7). This seemed to point to something so simple and so profound – that our primary identity is found in the love of God.

In my early twenties I got glandular fever and then chronic fatigue. I had to drop out of university, stop seeing almost anyone, and do almost nothing for a year. Then a friend of mine told me that I didn’t know who I was but was about to find out, which only added to the confusion.

During that year I was forced to confront that essential question that I suppose each of us has to face at some point in our lives: who am I if all the normal markers of my identity (my friends, activities, abilities) were stripped away? Slowly it had become clear that there was only one thing that no illness, failure of disaster could ever take away – that I was one who is loved by God. This truth has rooted me and secured me ever since.

We are all looking for love. But more than that, we want to be loved perfectly and eternally. To be told, ‘I love you a bit’ or ‘I will love you for the next two years’ doesn’t cut it. And yet we know that we ourselves are not capable of loving other people perfectly or eternally. Because we were made for a perfect and eternal love, a love that defines us and saves us, a love that secures us and inspires us, a love demonstrated on the cross and poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

And so, I started preaching on this theme of the love of God in Romans. It took much longer than I had expected, and when I finished the series, instead of feeling relief like I normally do, I felt like I wanted to keep talking (and maybe writing) about this love that changes everything.

Encouraged by colleagues and friends to share these insights more widely, the sermon series became the starting point for my new book, Loved: Knowing the Love of God and How That Changes Absolutely Everything, which was published by Muddy Pearl at the end of August. It’s a book about what it means to be loved by God: the nature of this love, the consequences of this love and our response to this love. God’s love is powerful, passionate and gracious. And because it is gracious, it is a gift. And because it is a gift, it needs to be received. His love for us secures and comforts us, but it also sends and redirects us. It is not always easy.

But it is the greatest adventure there is.

Jonny Gumbel
Jonny has taught theology and preaching at St Mellitus College and is currently Rector of Christ Church, Rio de Janeiro where he lives with his wife Tara and their four children. Jonny’s book, Loved, is available from Muddy Pearl and Eden.

Loved is published by Muddy Pearl (August, 2022), 224pp, paperback, RRP £14.99 www.muddypearl.com/product/books/discipleship/loved/