#1614 Romans 1 Part 1 The Beginning of the Letter

                                                

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, having been set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 who was designated as the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1: 1-7 LSB

Romans 1: 1-7

The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. Chapters 1–11 present the theological truths of that doctrine, while chaps. 12–16 detail its practical outworking in the lives of individual believers and the life of the whole church. Some specific theological topics include principles of spiritual leadership (1:8–15); God’s wrath against sinful mankind (1:18–32); principles of divine judgment (2:1–16); the universality of sin (3:9–20); an exposition and defense of justification by faith alone (3:21–4:25); the security of salvation (5:1–11); the transference of Adam’s sin (5:12–21); sanctification (chaps. 6–8); sovereign election (chap. 9); God’s plan for Israel (chap. 11); spiritual gifts and practical godliness (chap. 12); the believer’s responsibility to human government (chap. 13); and principles of Christian liberty (14:1–15:12). - J Mac

We finished Acts, which was written by Luke as a history of the early church, and follows the ministries of Peter and Paul. Rome was a place Paul longed to go to, to preach the gospel and also encourage the church there. It is the capital of the empire, and the place where Paul's last missionary journey takes him. Even when he couldn't be with everyone physically all the time, yet he was still able to encourage and teach them through his letters. Romans is prized for it's doctrine which has gone to Christians all over the world, and it is a beautiful testament to Paul's constant emphasis on reform, putting God's word above tradition. Doctrine is core to sound teaching, and it was in the reformed tradition that I came to see the concept of giving the "Whole Counsel of God", which Paul does not shy away from. Here we learn not only of God's grace towards us, but also the reason for that need, that we have all sinned and fallen short, and the wages of sin is death. The principles of this book are something that we need to daily digest, lest we make the grim mistake of only going so far back in our reform as to our favorite early century writers, that we become more engrossed with Augustine, Origen, Luther and Calvin, than we are with Holy Writ. It is easy to become enamored with the flowery picturesque writings of Matthew Henry and forget that as much as I believed he loved the Lord, yet his writings are not on the same level as Moses, the prophets, the gospels, and epistles of the Apostles found in the New Testament. If we don't go back to here then we have not gone far enough. If we don't take the whole counsel then we are in danger of  mincing words, pulling verses out of context and then pridefully putting forth sophomoric defenses of what is actually our own misunderstanding. Romans puts forth a sound doctrinal foundation to the church for all time; it's truth is timeless. 

13if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 14Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin. 15Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.… 2 Timothy 2: 13-15

…26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will of God. 28Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.… Acts 20: 26-28

V. 1 Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ - In Acts we learned about Paul, that his birth name was Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin, and schooled in the tradition of the Pharisees. He was not only a scholar, but a persecutor of Christians until Christ came to him on the road to Damascus. He is now an Apostle to the gentiles, and an Apostle in this sense was one who had seen the risen Lord, who had been taught by Christ. Paul refers to himself as a slave here, or Doulos, which can have a wide range from bonded or indentured servant all the way to someone who was a slave by force. Paul is illustrating his role as a submissive servant to the mastery of Christ, it is a titled he holds with pride and joy, a titled shared by such men as Abraham and Moses.

Doulos was used of a select group of OT believers who were bondservants of Jehovah including Abraham (Ps 105:6, 42), Moses (2Ki 21:8, Mal 4:4), Joshua [Josh 24:29], Caleb [Nu 14:24], Job [Job 1:8], David (2Sa 7:5, 8) the prophets (Am 3:7; Zec 1:6), and the Servant of servants Messiah [Is 42:1,53:11]

In Greek culture doulos conveyed the basic idea of subservience and had a wide range of connotations. It was sometimes used of a person who voluntarily served others, but most commonly it referred to those who were in unwilling and permanent bondage, from which often there was no release but death. The Hebrew equivalent (ebed - 05650) is used hundreds of times in the Old Testament and carries the same wide range of connotations. The Mosaic law provided for an indentured servant to voluntarily become a permanent bond-slave of a master he loved and respected. - PA

“If a slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently” (Ex. 21:5,6).

Apostle (652) (apostolos [word study] from kaléo = call) (or click here) means literally “one who is sent” and from the context Paul did not thrust himself into this office or take this honor to himself, of which he always judged himself unworthy, (1Cor 15:9,10, cf Gal 1:1) but was "called" to the office according to the will and by the grace of God. Paul was invited by God to be His man to the Gentiles (2Ti 4:17-note).

Paul is an apostle by calling, a divinely initiated calling, not an apostle by human seeking. The New English Bible's rendering "apostle by God's call," does a good job of catching the force of the Greek. The apostle was a man who had seen the risen Messiah (Acts 9:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) and had been appointed by Him to plant the flag of faith in every community to which His master led him. He was His emissary, God's ambassador (Eph 6:20-note cf the role of saints today 2Co 5:20) and he spoke with God's authority. Thus, in Paul's words there is the implicit claim that he is the authoritative representative of Jesus Christ, divinely called to his task. Paul's call, as Abraham's (Ge 12:1, Heb 11:8-note), was an invitation that came from heaven. - PA

More on Called

Vs. 2-3 Which He promised beforehand through His prophets - He was the Seed of the Woman from Genesis, the Son of David, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, and the One Who Israel will one day mourn over, written of in Zechariah in the future past tense, the "One they pierced". Matthew goes through great lengths along with Luke, showing Jesus Davidic line and right to the throne according to the flesh. Think about this, it is man who has offended God, man who has not lived up to God's requirement, so man must be punished if God is Holy and just. If God shows man mercy, and yet is eternal, and therefore infinite in all His attributes, then His holiness must remain in tact, so someone has to pay, but it is the eternal God Who has been offended. You need an advocate, a bridge between God and man, between the Uncreated and the created.

…4I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD. 5Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land. 6In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.… Jeremiah 23: 4-6

10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.… Zechariah 12: 10-11

…18O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest. 19Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high. 20My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God.… Job 16: 18-20

…21Oh, that a man might plead with God as he pleads with his neighbor! 22For when only a few years are past I will go the way of no return. Job 16: 21-22

V. 4 Designated as the Son of God in power - The second member of the Trinity, the eternally begotten Son, given a human identity, becoming like us so that He could fulfill all righteousness, living the life we were supposed to live according to God's law. 

…19and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, 20which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.…

…22And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1: 19-23

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

…57Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.… John 8: 57-59

V. 5 For the sake of His name - It wasn't about the Apostles, they were about Christ, His namesake. 

…9For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them— yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.… 1 Corinthians 15: 9-11

Vs. 6-7 To all who are beloved of God in Rome - God's love for His own may not be reflected by the pagan world they live in, and there may be great levels of uncertainty within different cultural settings, but those who are born again are guaranteed sons and daughters of the Creator, and this is a decree from eternity. 

To all who are beloved of God - Does not this phrase overwhelm your ability to process the depth of mercy inherent in this truth? By way of application all who believe upon the fully atoning death, burial and resurrection of Christ have entered a very unique, very special family, the family of God, the "patriarch" of which, so to speak, is God the Father. The eternal, immutable, infinite, holy God holds you in His heart as BELOVED! And this relationship will not change throughout eternity. Why? Because He is a covenant keeping God. And because all His "beloved" are inscribed upon the nailed pierced hands of His Beloved, Christ Jesus! See study of Indelible Grace- Inscribed on His Hands. - PA