Romans 1:1-7

Sources

Kent Hughes Page 16

Ibid.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/nero-man-behind-myth/slavery-ancient-rome

Pink, Arthur. An Exposition of Hebrews . Monergism Books. Kindle Edition.

Strongs G1537

A. T. Robertsom 1 Corinthians 2:2

Vines Word Study - Romans 1:2

https://www.blueletterbible.org/resources/grammars/greek/simplified-greek/ablative-case.cfm

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/god-created-us-for-his-glory

Introduction

Romans 1:1-7 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The first seven verses show us four views Paul had:

Paul’s view of himself

Paul’s view of preaching

Paul’s view of his commission

Paul’s view of the Roman believers (and us) (1)

We will see these four views of Paul within two points: Paul’s ministry and Paul’s audience.

Paul’s Ministry

A Servant of Jesus Christ

Romans 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”

“In just one sentence he capsulizes his self-perception to his Roman audience…He could have introduced himself as ‘Paul, an eminent theologian, master of the Old Testament Scriptures, frontline warrior, brilliant of intellect,(2)” instead he chose to describe himself as a “servant of Jesus Christ.

The Greek term for “servant” is “doulos.” The word means “a slave.” The word choice by Paul is not derogatory only for our time. Slavery was a wide-spread problem during the Roman Empire. Especially during the time of this Epistle. It is estimated that upwards to 10,000,000 people were enslaved during the first century. Even though slaves had different occupations (Some more difficult than others), no slave had rights or an ability to appeal if an injustice had occurred by the owner. Some slaves were given a metal collar with the inscription “hold me, lest i flee, and return me to my master.” There would be instructions on to return the slave on the collar. (1)

Why did Paul choose an inflammatory term to describe his relationship with Jesus’ commission? There were less excitable terms Paul could have chosen. I believe there are at least two answers to this question. First, Jesus requires unconditional follow-ship. We cannot be a disciple of Jesus if both feet are not committed.

Luke 14:26-33 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple....So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”

To be a disciple of Jesus mandates total and absolute commitment to follow Jesus wherever He leads and listen to Jesus with whatever He says. There is no such thing as a partial disciple of Jesus. Hence, to be a disciple of Jesus requires a submission to Jesus, not only as the greatest Rabbi but as Lord and Master.

A second reason Paul used a term that speaks of a person with no rights was to focus their attention on the slave owner and to show how different He is to all other slaves owners.

Paul shows us how different Jesus is from other slave owners in a number of ways throughout our text.

First, Jesus was made into man. Romans 1:3 “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;” In order to fulfill the prophecy in v.2, Jesus “had to be a descendant of David. (JM14). However, in coming as the seed of David, He became a person. Jesus was not just another person, He is God. As God, Jesus willingly became man.

Why did Jesus become man? Hebrews 12:2 provides us some insight into the question: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

He became man to endure the cross, even though great shame was attached to the cross as a mode of dying. Three days later resurrecting from the grace and presently, sitting on the right hand of God.

God became man was necessary to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Jesus saving sinners is not why He came; rather, the means to why He came. The motivation of Jesus coming was “for the joy that was set before Him.” What was the joy that was set before Him?

“Here is made known to us what was the final moving cause in His mind which sustained the Savior to a persevering performance of duty, and of the endurance of all sufferings that duty entailed. Various definitions have been given of that "joy," and probably all of them are included within its scope. The glory of God was what the Redeemer preferred above all things (2).”

Jesus coming for His Father’s glory which produced this immeasurable joy gives us insight into the kind of slave owner Jesus is. Jesus is a slave owner whose greatest joy is to do His Father’s will.

John 4:34 “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” What satisfied Jesus longing was “to do the will of Him that sent me.” John 6:38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” The motivation of His coming and the joy that was set before Him, was to do “the will of Him that sent me.”

Jesus’ chief pleasure is His Father. His pursuit in everything He does is His Father’s holiness, goodness and righteousness all the time. Jesus is a holy, good, and righteous slave owner. In fact, He is such a loving slave owner that he calls us His friends. John 15:13-15 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

In addition to Jesus pursing God’s glory in His humanity; He did not come to be ministered to but to minister. Matthew 20:28 “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” The word for “minister” is the same word for “deacon.” Jesus came to wait on tables by giving “His life a ransom for many.” Jesus is the most selfless person to ever live. He is the kind of slave owner I desire to have.

Second, Jesus is the Son of God. Romans 1:4 “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” The verb “declared” is passive, meaning that His resurrection from the dead declares Him to be the Son of God. When Jesus became the seed of David, He did not lose His position within the triune Godhead; rather, His humanity declared Jesus to be God through His resurrection. The word for “declared” “is related to our English word horizon, ‘the boundary between heaven and earth.’ God’s mighty deed in raising Jesus from the dead ‘horizoned’ Him -that is, it clearly marked out Jesus as the divine Son. (KH p18)”

There are two seismic words in Romans 1:4 “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” The first was is “accordance.” Jesus was decreed the son of God in accordance (or agreement) to His “spirit of holiness.” Even as a man, Jesus was separate from sin. His perfect and sinless nature agreed with the declaration that He is “the Son of God with power.” The second word is “by.” “By” is “a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds) (3).” The action of declaring Jesus to be the Son of God came into existence with His resurrection.

A few points of interest to draw from this verse. First, our loving Savior has unmatched power. Many first generation slaves were the product of defeat (1). We never have to be concerned with Jesus being defeated by another resulting in us changing slave owners from a person who selflessly loves us to another who corruptly loves himself. Second, God the Father and Son have a special bond of love that precedes creation. John 17:24 “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” Jesus the Son of God, as our slave owner desires to expand the love that exist between Him and His Father to us, His slaves. We are loved by our slave owner. Third, Paul’s “entire horizon, the very atmosphere of his life, is dominated with the resurrected human-superhuman Christ. (KH 19)”

Third, Jesus’ slave named Paul was sovereignly called into grace and apostleship for the purpose of bring people from all nations to “obedience to the faith.” Romans 1:5 “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:”

As a slave owner, Jesus positions His slaves to be used by Him to declare the light into darkness, thereby rescuing people from a treacherous slave owner. 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

The reasons these Romans were fruit of the Apostolic ministry was Jesus, as our Master, had strategically placed them in areas where Romans would here the Gospel and be converted to Jesus. Romans 1:6 “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:”

Jesus’ mission was not to spread terror through His Lordship and being the Master of Masters. His mission was to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He did this Himself and with His servants.

Fourth, as slaves we are beloved of God. Romans 1:7 “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” The word “of” speaks of “by”. We are selflessly loved by God. The love is holy, pure, delightful, special, and forever. There will never be a moment when God hates His servants.

Fifth, we are more than ordinary slaves that serve ordinary purposes. We are “called to be saints.” The word “saints” speaks of something sacred. God saved us and wooed us into being His slaves with a sacred purpose in mind. We have been set apart from all other slaves so that God is glorified. Ephesians 3:21 “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

Sixth, our Master and Owner gifts us with indescribable peace. Part of this indescribable peace is Jesus burden is easy. Jesus says: Matthew 11:30 “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 1 John 5:2-3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

These six reasons gives us answers why Paul used such a provocative and incendiary word to characterize his relationship within the Jesus’ commission. Jesus is unlike all other slave owners in His selflessness, position, purpose, love, in sacredly setting us apart, and the eternal peace He gives. He employed an outrageously offensive word to get their attention so that He could point them to an amazing Jesus!

There is a final point to mention based upon our text why it was important for Paul to call himself as slave of Jesus. Jesus called Him to be His Apostle. Romans 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” Paul called to be an apostle in relationship to him being a slave of Jesus must not be overlooked. There are three reasons: first, Paul did “not self-appoint (KH 16)” himself as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. A slave does not ave such privileged or authority.

Second, before God saved Paul, he was a Pharisee. Pharisees were the more strict of the two mainstream Jewish religious systems. Acts 26:5 “Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.” The Pharisees were universally but self-righteously disconnected from the Gentiles. They despised the Gentiles! The last person that a person would think jesus would call to be an Apostle to the Gentiles was Paul. Yet, this is exactly what Jesus did. Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said unto him (Ananias), Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:” Galatians 2:7 “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter.” If Paul was not surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus then he never submits to Jesus’ purpose for his life.

Third, based upon Paul’s writings, he never viewed himself as a likely candidate to be an Apostle of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:9 “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” 1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Much like Moses, he could have used excuses why another should be called but his servitude to Jesus caused Paul to joyously accept Jesus’ plan for his life.

An application for us is to never forget our position before Jesus. Even though He views us as a friend, we should never forget to see Him as our Master. If we only see Him as a friend then we will take advantage of our friendship with the Master. Based upon John 15:13-15 our slavery to Jesus comes before our friendship with Jesus. He is the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10) but we are not His lieutenants. God may call us to embark on an uncomfortable path to accomplish an uncomfortable mission. The difference between embarking and accomplishing may be our joyful submission to the greatest and most benevolent Slave Master of all-time. Consider Paul, his position as an Apostle comes after his submission as a slave. His humility allowed him to have great authority. (JS 47)

Separated unto the Gospel of God

Romans 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,”

As a Pharisee, Paul was a separatist and as a Christian, he is a separatist. As a Pharisee, he was separated to legalism that continues to condemn people. As a Christian, he is separated to the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that people can be liberated. “God is the author and owner of (the Gospel). Paul is…the messenger whom God has called and set apart to proclaim to people a message that comes from God Himself. (R C 4)”

“Separated” means that he was removed from everything else but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Gospel” is the good news for humanity in the face of the most terrible news of all. Men are sinful and without hope within themselves. Sin creates self-centeredness, produces guilt and meaningless of life, and the end of the chain is hopelessness (JM 1-3). Jesus came to satisfy the sin debt and give hope to the hopeless. The Gospel is: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Paul’s commitment to the good news from God’s word was evident in his ministry of evangelism and his care for the Lord’s churches.

Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Paul’s pray requests were:

That you inner man (the new man) may be strengthen with might by the power of the Holy Spirit.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.

That you be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ so that we can comprehend the vastness of His love.

To know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge in order to be filled with the fulness of God.

The word “know” means to experience God’s love. Paul wanted them to go beyond an academic understanding of God’s love to active participation in the Love of Jesus. As this occurs, the intimacy and activity that occurs is greater than any other experience (knowledge) in life. Jesus is central to living a full life.

Philippians 3:8-10 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

Not only was Paul’s prayer request centered on Jesus but His life’s nucleus was Jesus. Nothing exceeded the excellency of Jesus. In comparison to Jesus, everything else is dung. His righteousness came from Jesus and he earnestly wanted to “know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings” ultimately, “being made conformable unto His death.”

1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

The phrase “For I determined not to know anything among you,” can be restated, ““For I did not decide to know anything among you (4)” beyond Jesu Christ and His crucifixion. Paul was not focused on politics, social movements, sporting events, community clubs or anything else but Jesus and the cross. Why? The previous list of activities may not be bad or sinful in or of themselves but no man can be saved or everlastingly changed by them. Jesus and the crucifixion were the theme of Paul’s evangelism and discipleship.

In Paul’s epistles we can clearly see that he was “separated unto the Gospel.” Peter took notice of Paul’s attachment to Jesus 2 Peter 3:14-18.

The powerful and saving Gospel that Paul was willingly and joyfully bound to was “promised…by His prophets in the holy scriptures” (v.2). The concept of the good news was anything new to Paul’s day, Beginning with Moses and others the Gospel is more than proclaimed (5); it is promised. Luke 24:27 “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he (Jesus) expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

The source of these promises come from the Holy Scriptures. God’s word is unlike any other book regardless of how sacred the book may be to a particular culture or religious group. God’s word is set apart in her purity and divinity. The promises that come from the Holy Scriptures have divine authority. The Book of Mormon, the Watch Tower Society, The Quran, The Republic, The United States Constitution, The Communist Manifesto, Gilgamesh, Homer, Hamlet and Church Fathers or commentaries are not sacred. God’s word is sacred becasue the words are from God’s incorruptible perspective, and his point of view eternally matters.

Lastly, Paul was “separated unto the Gospel” for redemptive purposes. Romans 1:5-6 “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:” Paul’s Gospel that speaks of Jesus and belongs to Jesus has a purpose of bringing compliance and submission to the faith that God provides as a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul’s audience was recipients of this ministry and separation by the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Audience

Paul’s audience is marked by the term “called.”

Romans 1:6-7 “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

They have been called of Jesus and “called to be saints.” The origin and source of their calling was Jesus (6)!

Called to obedience of the faith

First, these Roman believers were called unto the “obedience of the faith.” Salvation requires obedience to a supernatural system of living called faith that comes from God. Obedience is not the cause of our salvation but the fruit of our salvation. John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Obedience comes from a heart that has been transformed by God’s love that causes that heart to love God. From beginning to end salvation is a love affair between God and the converted sinner. 1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”

Paul wrote about a change that occurs for those in Christ Jesus. He wrote: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The basis or foundation of this tectonic change is a transference of love. We transferred our love from darkness to light. John 3:19-21 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

Called to be saints

Second, these Roman Christians were “called to be saints.” By God’s amazing grace they were appointed sacred, special and holy. The same word is used earlier describing the kind of scriptures that belong to God - the holy scriptures. Positionally, we are special and sacred in God's eyes. May this truth help us to live our lives manifesting our positional standing with God. God help us to treat our lives as having a sacred purpose.

Regardless of our occupation we have been called saints. It does not matter if we are doctors, soldiers, contractors, laborers, accountants, first-responders, or unemployed, our vocation (RC 8) is being a “saint of God.”

Conclusion

Romans 1:5 “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:”

I want to close Paul’s introduction to this amazing book with verse 5. Verse five speaks of the Great Commission given by Jesus. At the end of verse five, Paul wrote: “for his name.” All that is encapsulated in the Gospel is for His name or another way of saying the same thing, for His glory. Romans radiates the glory of God from beginning to the end.

What is glory?

“Glory is a very hard thing to define. It is like the word ‘Beauty.’ We all can use it and communicate with it but to try to reduce it to words is very frustrating. It is easier to point to examples. A sunset seen from the top of the IDS Tower — that’s glory. Or the IDS Tower itself almost invisible, like crystal against a grey-blue sky — that’s glory. A perfect performance on the balance beam by Nadia Comaneci — that’s glory. A perfectly executed thirty-foot jump shot with one second to go — that’s glory, too.

“The glory of God is the beauty and excellence of his manifold perfections. It is an attempt to put into words what God is like in his magnificence and purity. It refers to his infinite and overflowing fullness of all that is good.”

May our joy be fulfilled with God’s glory. God, help us to be amazed at the beauty of your glory.