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Romans, Chapter 1, Part 1

Romans 1:1 – Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

As we discussed in our introduction, Paul is the uncontested writer of the letter to the Roman church.  In his opening salutation he identifies himself as a servant of Jesus Christ.

Servant is a general title that is used extensively throughout scripture:

  • It is the title applied to prophets who were honored by God (Deuteronomy 34:5, Jeremiah 25:4).
  • It is the general title that Jesus used to identify his followers (Matthew 10:25 & 20:27, Mark 10:44). 
  • It was the customary name which Christians subsequently assumed for themselves (Galatians 1:10, Colossians 4:12, Acts 4:29, James 1:1).
  • This title was also appropriately assigned to Jesus, because as the Messiah he was a servant of God.

Isaiah 53:11 – Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

In the Greek, the word for ‘servant’ is normally translated as ‘slave’ or ‘courtier’.  In both instances, the proper meaning is one who is not free.  The slave has a master; he or she is under the control of another person.  In the same way, the courtier is subject to the will of the king. 

The only real difference is that the title of courtier carries a connotation of dignity and honor because the servants of a king are normally officers of high rank or station. 

Ephesians 2:6-7 – [God has] raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Jesus Christ.

Considering the fact that God has honored us by raising us up and seating us in heavenly places in Christ, I believe the term ‘courtier’ is the better of the two terms.

You and I tend to ignore or take for granted that Paul was a servant of Jesus.  But back in the day when this letter was penned, that was not a universally accepted statement.  It was important for Paul to be crystal clear that he was not writing as a servant of Moses/the Law, or a servant of the traditions of the Jewish elders, or a servant of Satan (as some accused him of being).  Ever since his conversion, he was an absolute servant of Christ and Christ only!

Paul further identifies himself as one who has been called to be an apostle.  An apostle is one who has been sent out or appointed to fulfill a commission.  They operate under the direct authority of the one who sent them. 

In this instance, the term specifically applies to those who were personally chosen and commissioned by Jesus to spread the gospel, establish the church and be witnesses of the resurrection.

In essence, Paul is placing himself in the same category as the first 12 apostles that Jesus appointed during his incarnation (Luke 6:13), even though his appointment came later and in a different manner.  It is important for him to be received as an apostle, because it means that the doctrines he is about to establish in his letter should be embraced and obeyed as coming from Christ.

However, it should be noted that Paul had more than just words to support his claim of apostleship.  God chose to work amazing miracles through his ministry, just as he did the other twelve.  These miracles were confirmation of the truth of his mission, authority and doctrine, just as they confirmed the apostolic ministry of the others.

So, we see that the salutation of the letter establishes Paul in a position of authority under Jesus Christ for the purpose of ministering sound doctrine directly to the Roman church. 

The neat thing is that the ministry of the letter did not stop there.  Back in that day, when one church received a letter from Paul, they would make a copy for themselves and pass the letter on to other churches.  This ensured that the message circulated far and wide to smaller congregations. 

And (praise be to God) Holy Spirit also preserved the letter to the Romans for us.  Who knows how many countless saints have benefitted from the letter since it was written!

Romans 1:2 - …which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

Paul goes on to say that the gospel was promised through the scriptures long before the day he wrote this letter.

In other words, the gospel was not some new doctrine which sprung up from nowhere.  It was not invented by Paul.  It was not a knee-jerk reaction by God in response to an unforeseen attack of Satan upon mankind.  It wasn’t a recent development due to the inability of the Jews to live up to the Law.  Neither was the gospel a recent novelty like some of the man-made religions of that day.

The plan of salvation, with Christ as our sacrificial lamb, was already in place before the world was created (I Peter 1:20). 

God began to reveal his plan of salvation way back when Adam and Eve committed the first sin (Genesis 3:15).  Promises concerning Christ the Messiah and his kingdom can be found throughout the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 18:18, Psalms 16:10, Isaiah 7:14, Daniel 9:24-26, Micah 5:2, Zechariah 9:9, Malachi 3:1 and many others).

With this reference to Old Testament scripture, Paul reinforces or validates the harmony between the prophets and the apostles, between the Old and New testaments.  The gospel Paul brought them wasn’t new – it was a fulfillment of the former promises.     

Both the Old and New testaments reveal the gospel message, but they reveal it in different ways and degrees.  In the Old Testament the message is somewhat veiled whereas it is plainly revealed in the gospels.

We also notice that Paul refers to the scriptures as holy.  We still do this today.  Why is that?  What makes the bible holy? 

  • The author is the Holy Spirit.
  • They were penned by holy men under the influence of the Spirit.
  • The subject matter of the book is also holy; it reveals the will of Almighty God.
  • The scriptures are holy in their purpose – to draw us to God and make us holy.

In light of this, the entirety of the scriptures can be referred to as a holy book and we should treat it as such.

Romans 1:3 - …concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh,

In the first two verses Paul pointed out that he was appointed or set apart by God for the preaching of the gospel.  Now he goes on to declare that Jesus Christ was the main subject of the gospel message which he preached.  Paul describes him by his two-fold nature: Jesus was both fully human and fully divine.  

Let’s examine his human nature first.  In order to do so, we need to go back to the Old Testament.  Remember King David?  Because of his devotion to the Lord, God made David a promise – that he would always have a descendant to sit on his throne (I Kings 2:4 & 8:25, II Chronicles 6:16). 

This ancient promise was always understood to refer to the Messiah.  The Jews universally believed that the Messiah would be a physical descendant of David (John 7:42).    

Thus, in the New Testament great pains are taken to show that Jesus was indeed a descendant of David after the flesh (Matthew 1:1-16, Matthew 22:42, Luke 1:27, II Timothy 2:8, John 7:42).  In fact, throughout his time on earth Jesus was consistently addressed as the Son of David (Matthew 15:22 & 21:9). 

The King James version says that Jesus was ‘made of the seed of David’.   When we make something, we know that it has a definite beginning or starting point.  When we consider the incarnation (the time Jesus spent on earth in human form), we can say that Jesus had a definite beginning – his physical birth. 

However, as we will see in the next verse, this does not apply to the divine nature of Jesus. 

Romans 1:4 - …and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Now let’s look at the divine nature of Jesus.  

Jesus is the Son of God.  He was begotten, not made, which means that he has no beginning; he has existed eternally. 

John 1:1-4 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Because he is God, Jesus possesses all the qualities that we associate with God the Father – he is omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign and immutable.  Like God the Father, God the Son (and Holy Spirit) has no beginning and no end. 

Jesus confirmed his divinity through demonstrates of power.  His power was revealed:

  • In the creation of all things out of nothing. 
  • In the upholding/sustaining of all life.
  • In the miracles he wrought. 
  • In the performance of the great work of redemption. 
  • In the success of the gospel in the conversion of sinners. 
  • In the birth, development and preservation of the church. 
  • In the raising of the dead. 

In addition, Holy Spirit confirmed Jesus as the Son of God in several different ways.  First, he was involved in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead:

I Peter 3:18 – For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive] by the Spirit,

(See also Romans 8:11, Romans 1:4, etc.)  Second, Holy Spirit bore witness to the truth about Jesus through the Holy Scriptures (1 John 5:5 & 5:20, Luke 8:28, Hebrews 4:14, etc), which he divinely authored (II Peter 1:19-21). 

Third, Holy Spirit reveals the truth of who Jesus is every single day by convicting people of sin when they hear or read the truth of the gospel message. 

John 16:8 – And when he [Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement:

(See also I Thessalonians 1:5, John 15:26, 1 John 5:6, etc.) 

Here in verse four Paul also speaks of resurrection from the dead. 

  • This may refer to the many people that Jesus resurrected by his power while on earth including Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, and the son of the widow of Nain.
  • It may also refer to the numerous saints who were resurrected at the exact moment that Jesus died (Matthew 27:50-53). 
  • Or it may refer to the resurrection of the last day, when all the saints in Christ will arise from their tombs and meet the Lord in the air (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

But it most likely refers to Jesus’ own resurrection which clearly witnessed to the fact that he was the true Son of God (John 10:17-18), the first fruits of all that will be raised at the end of the age (I Corinthians 15:20). 

The bottom line is that in many ways Jesus was declared to be the divine, powerful and omnipotent Son of God, having the same power and majesty as the Father. 

Paul is simply stating that Jesus, recently crucified and resurrected in Jerusalem, in whose name salvation is preached to the world, was indeed the Son of God, the long-promised Messiah and the one with the only true right to sit on the throne of David, as spoken of in the scriptures. 

Let me offer you some encouragement:

In today’s post Paul stressed that he was a servant of Jesus Christ.  As we study the scriptures, we find that he ‘practiced what he preached’.  In other words, he was a servant to those around him; he put his own needs second to the needs of others. 

Matthew 20:26 - …whoever would be great among you must be your servant… even as the Son of Man came not be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

In the coming week, why don’t we try doing the same thing?  Let’s temporarily put aside our wants, desires or hobbies for a day and encourage someone else by serving them!

Let me offer you some relief:  

If you are unable to set aside time in your schedule to serve someone else, you have a problem.  You’re too busy. 

If that sounds like you, I want you to consider giving yourself some relief by reevaluating your commitments, hobbies and activities.  Stepping away from some of these obligations will not only open up opportunities for you to serve others, it will also relieve a lot of stress in your own life!   Consider this:  There is more satisfaction in doing a few things well than doing many things poorly.

 

Let me offer you some strength:  

We all go through trials and tribulations in this life.  In our culture, we tend to glorify those who stand on their own during these times.  We like to think we are independent, and we don’t need help from anyone else. 

But let me remind you that Jesus designed the church to function like a body – all the parts work together for the good of all; no one person can do everything. 

Let me put it this way:  If Jesus wants us to serve others, then by default someone has to be on the receiving end of the service.

There is no shame in reaching out to your brothers and sisters in Christ when you need a helping hand.  So, if you need some strength, help or assistance today, don’t be too proud to reach out and ask for help – you are giving someone else an opportunity to exercise servanthood!

 

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