06/01/2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtBgVBV_fYo
Study in Romans - In Christ, In Labour, In Love: Three Marks of a Real Saint
Scripture: Romans 16:7-16
Preached by: Pastor Brantham
When a coach reads the starting lineup before a big game, he doesn’t just call out names. He attaches a word or two to each one—the kind of word that tells you what that man brings to the field. Paul does something similar in Romans 16. He doesn’t just list saints; he hands each one a short commendation. And when you read those commendations together, three little phrases keep coming back: “in the Lord,” “laboured in the Lord,” and “my beloved.” Those phrases tell us what a real saint looks like.
What Does It Mean to Be “In Christ”?
Being in Christ is more than admiring Him from a distance. It is a settled, personal, born-again relationship with Him. Paul writes that Andronicus and Junia “were in Christ before me” (Romans 16:7)—meaning there was a moment when they trusted Him and crossed over from the outside to the inside.
Now, we sometimes wonder, well, how can a person actually know they are in Christ? Scripture doesn’t dodge the question. John writes, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). You can know. The Spirit bears witness with our spirit, and a settled life of faith follows.
What Does It Look Like to Labour in the Lord?
Paul doesn’t commend these saints for being busy in general. He commends them for working hard at the actual work of Christ—opening their homes, sharing his chains, and pouring themselves out for the gospel. Labour in the Lord shows up in ordinary, faithful ways.
- Serving and bearing burdens. Carrying one another’s loads the way Aquila and Priscilla carried the church meeting in their living room (Romans 16:5).
- Praying. Of course, prayer is work—which is why the prayer meeting is so often the quietest room in the building.
- Teaching and exhorting. Older men sharpening younger men, older women training younger women, fathers training sons.
- Giving. Out of poverty or plenty, releasing what God has entrusted to advance the gospel locally and worldwide.
- Showing up. You cannot have an assembly without assemblers. The body needs its members in their places.
How Should Christians Show Love to One Another?
Paul keeps reaching for one phrase: “my beloved.” It is the language of warm, settled affection between brothers and sisters who belong to the same Lord. He closes the section by telling the saints to “Salute one another with an holy kiss” (Romans 16:16)—a holy love, expressed openly.
Our culture doesn’t kiss cheeks, and the Lord doesn’t require us to. But we do greet, we hug, we write notes, we sit beside the hurting, and we call the one who hasn’t come in a while. Love in the body of Christ is never silent.
Are You in the Ark?
A real saint is in Christ, labours in Christ, and loves in Christ. And every bit of that begins by being in Him in the first place. In the days of Noah, the only people who survived the flood were the ones inside the ark when the rain started. Jesus is the Ark. You can stand near Him, admire Him, even tell others about Him—but if you have not stepped inside Him by faith, you are still outside the door.
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