The Gospel of God

Introduction

Text: Romans 1:1-4

Romans 1:1–4 KJV 1900

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:

Premise: The Gospel highlights the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The Lordship of Jesus Christ forms the foundation for all ministry.

vs 1-7 are the introduction to Paul’s letter to the Romans. In it he lays out six points about the Gospel, but we are going to divide these in half and look at three this week and three next week. As I studied these six points they really naturally divided into two groups of three.

Paul introduces himself to this church because he did not found it nor did he have any personal contact with them yet.

Paul identifies himself in three ways:

a slave- Our bibles use the word servant because of the sensibilities of European culture around slavery. In Romans times, slaves were not always treated horribly though they had no rights. Some were doctors, teachers or emissaries for people of power. But the one thing they all had in common was an absolute complete submission to the will of their master.

an apostle- Paul had had struggles with even the churches he started recognizing his authority; so he makes it clear, the role God has given him, he had been called to be an apostle. The role of an apostle was often referred to Jewish Rabbis in this first century who were sent out from Jerusalem to settle disputes and issues that arose in Jewish communities outside of Jerusalem. It is probably this understanding that Paul has of the word apostle as one officially sent out as God’s emissary. But it was a position of authority and the apostles were a special group of people who laid the foundation of the church. Ephesians 2:20 “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;” Since this church was not started by Paul, it was important for him to lay down the authority behind the letter. The book of Romans was not just a personal letter, or even a letter from a fellow-believer; it carries the full weight of the authority of God whom Paul represents as an Apostle.

separated to the gospel- The word separated here means set apart- Paul had actually been chosen to this role and ministry early on. Galatians 1:15–17 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus.” Being set apart for something means it is dedicated specifically for a purpose. It is kind of like when you make a budget and designate a certain amount of money for retirement. That money isn’t used for anything else.

Paul’s introduction is going to form the basis of his understanding of the gospel. The gospel is the main theme of the first half of this chapter and he repeats the word four times in vs 1-17. Paul understands the importance of the gospel and the ministry he has been given. It is the ministry of the gospel that he has been set apart to. So in the first seven verses of this chapter, Paul is going to describe this gospel that he has been called to. The first description of the Gospel deals with its origin.

The Origin of the Gospel

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

Notice here the gospel is called the Gospel of God. Gospel means Good News. When we use this word, we are speaking of the message about Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. 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:” This isn’t so much the good news about God but the good new from God. The word of here does not mean about but carries the idea of the gospel that comes from God. The subject of the gospel shows up later in vs 3.

Briefly, here is the truth of the gospel: the gospel reveals to us the heart and character of God. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The Gospel tells us that God loves us. It is the manifestation of his love. God could have just sat back and let all mankind condemn themselves to hell. But that isn’t who our God is. He loves us.

The love of God, the Father prompted Him to send His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and rise again to offer everlasting life. It wasn’t some weak, sentiment of love. God’s love gave. The Gospel is the message of God the Father giving His Son to die for our sins.

And it is good news. At the end of the chapter, we will see a lot of bad news, but the gospel offers us hope. God offers us hope.

The Proof of the Gospel

Romans 1:2 “(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)”

Which here refers to the gospel. We often think that Jesus was prophesied in the OT, but the details of the gospel were hidden. And yet, even salvation by faith was revealed in the OT. Paul will develop this theme in Romans 4.

promised- The promise is going to be a theme that Paul picks up again in the book of Romans. The Gospel is not something that just popped on the scene in the NT. God has been preparing the people for this message all along. It was the fulfillment of a promise God had made to the Jewish ancestors. Acts 13:32–33 “And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”

After the resurrection, the angel confronted the disciples for their weak faith. Luke 24:25 “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:” and later Jesus would reveal himself to two disciples, but first he exposited the OT to them to show them Himself in all of the scriptures. Luke 24:27 “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”

In the holy scriptures- Jesus is found throughout the bible. All of scripture points forward towards Him, or speaks directly of Him or prophesied the coming of the Messiah. The Coming of Jesus Christ was the climax for which all of history had been building. In the bible, it is estimated that there are 332 prophesies about Jesus Christ most of which were fulfilled in his first coming. You can add on top of that all the allusions to Christ, the revelation about man’s condition and how that can be remedied that are all found in the OT.

The Person of the Gospel

Romans 1:3–4 “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:”

concerning- The message of the gospel is all about a person. Believer, you may know Jesus Christ as your savior, but the gospel is about so much more than merely having your sins forgiven. It is about a relationship with a person. As we know this person more, our lives will be different. I want to focus on these two verses here because Paul points out what it is about Jesus Christ in the gospel that makes him dedicate his entire life to preaching the gospel?

Son- Son is a relational term implying father. The implication here is that the Son existed before He was born of the seed of David. Jesus did not just become the Son of God at His incarnation or his resurrection, Jesus has always been the Son of God.

Made is the word begotten. Jesus was born of the seed of David. When he came to earth, Jesus became a human being. This passage isn’t a contrast between the two natures of Christ. Rather it is a contrast between his state before the resurrection and after the resurrection.

Vs 3 describes Jesus in the flesh before the resurrection-The focus on being a Son of David is weakness. He was born a son of David according to the flesh. Human flesh is weak. Prior to the resurrection Jesus had humbled himself and taken on the form of a man Philippians 2:7–8 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”Jesus hungered like we hunger, he was tired like we are tired, but Jesus took on human nature and that is the form of a servant. When Jesus was born in that manger stall he gave up the riches, power, and rights of being the eternal Son of God to become like a man.

Verse 4 describes Jesus in the flesh after the resurrection. you see Jesus did not stop having a body when He rose up from the dead. It wasn’t as if He was an ethereal spirit. The disciples were able to touch the body of Jesus. Jesus was able to eat a meal with the disciples. Jesus had come back in a glorified body. What verse 3-4 contrast is not Jesus incarnation with His resurrection, but His humble state before the resurrection and His glorified state after the resurrection. Jesus before the resurrection had become like a man in weakness, but at the resurrection He was declared to be the Son of God with power. Declared means to appoint. It is hard for us to think in these terms, but it is at the resurrection of Jesus Christ that He was appointed the role or position of being the Son of God with power. The key words are with power. They modify directly the words Son of God not declared. Jesus had humbled Himself, but now was given a position of authority. This is what was prophesied in:

Psalm 2:7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee.” The author of Hebrews discusses this psalm in detail to show the superiority of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:5 “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”

Paul in one of his first sermons points out that this prophecy was fulfilled in the resurrection. Acts 13:33 “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Jesus didn’t become the Son of God at the resurrection, but God did appoint Him with a position of power and authority at the resurrection. Jesus now has the power of the Messianic King. The truth of the gospel that Paul wants to highlight here today is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Let’s tie this altogether this morning and ask what does any of this have to do with my life. Paul hasn’t drifted from his first statement in the book of Romans. The reason Paul was whole-heartedly sold out for the gospel of God was the Lordship of Christ. If Jesus Christ is who we say he is, then isn’t it reasonable to give our lives completely to the declaration of the Gospel. Doesn’t he deserve everything?

How is it that we think, serving God is optional? You could give your life to all kinds of things. Maybe you decide to be a plumber. Its a good job. Maybe you decide to be an artist of some sort. I love art. But there is no greater calling than that of serving the Lord by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to make a plea for young people, adults to consider if God would have them serve Him full-time ministry because He is Lord. We sang it this morning. Is He Lord enough that you would atleast consider if that’s what he wants you to do.

Don’t get me wrong, you can do all those other things and still be dedicated to the gospel of God and the Lordship of Christ. But is it fair to say you aren’t submitted to the Lordship of Christ if you refuse to even consider it. For those who are not called into full-time ministry, we can still give ourselves to a proclamation of the gospel. It is Paul’s understanding of the Lordship of Christ that drove him to be a servant, an apostle separated to the gospel of God.