Romans 1:1-7

Introduction

Many Christians spend their lives professing Christianity, without knowing exactly what it means to be a Christian. In America, the us of the word Christian has become a second hand way of saying, “I’m religious” or “I believe in God. Yet, in the first century, no one was making large attempts to prove they believed in God or that they were religious. These positions were assumed, and it would be altogether more shocking, and dare I say, criminal to hear of one say they were not religious or atheist as we call it today. Instead of convincing others of their religion, many people spent their time demonstrating what kind of religious person they were and how this impacted their view of the world and their experience with the divine.

For a series of weeks, we will be studying the book of Romans and I want to first tell you why I think it is important for us to study this book. First, we are new church and whether we know it or not we have been deeply entrenched in ideas that may not find its roots in biblical theology. So, a part of establishing the proper culture and practice of our church requires us to have a completely biblical view on how we should understand the world, how we should live, and how we should exist as a community of believers. The book of Romans provides us with answers to all of the sort of questions we may find ourselves asking as we redefine what it means to be a biblical Christian.

In fact, the church in Rome looks a lot like the church in America. There are a lot of issues concerning the operation of an authentic Christian community. Quite frankly, they are not able to coexist in this new multi-cultured community. Additionally, they are attempting to practice uniquely different and complex theological ideas that have Christ at the center. For the Jews, they are wrestling with the divinity of a Messiah who has come in all sorts of ways unexpected. For the Greeks, they are trying to dwindle down their multi-god paradigms to a singular suffering Savior. Things are tough. Yet, this is the beauty and duty of Christianity. Christianity is the response to creation’s great dilemma—a less than perfect creation.

So, over the next few weeks we will spend our time reading, studying, thinking through, and discussing the book of Romans. In it we will find a three things:

how to process and distinguish the value of personal religion, as distinguished from institutional religion

how God creates, from Jesus Christ, one community of both Jew and Gentile

how this new “Christ community” is supposed to exist as a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit

Overview

Author

The apostle Paul

Date

Approximately AD 57

Setting

Corinth, during the end of his 3rd missionary journey while making plans to visit the church in Rome

The founding of the church in Rome is unknown. There is a reference to their presence on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10). It can be assumed that the visitors there may have took the testimony of Jesus back to Rome. However, this is simply an possibility and there’s no evidence for this.

Nevertheless, the expulsion of Jews form Rome by Emperor Claudius is a known fact (around AD 49). The reason for the expulsion was found in the growing tension between non-believing Jews and believing Jews. Claudius’ response was expulsion of the Jews. This expulsion would have made Rome mostly occupied by Gentiles. However, by the time of Paul’s writing to Rome, Jews are beginning to return, and this Gentile Christian territory will need to understand how to coexist with Jewish believers.

Purpose

Paul’s overall purpose for the letter to Rome is to bring unity. He does this by doing three things:

Outline the Jew and Greek’s need for Jesus Christ

Dispelling any thoughts of superiority

Presenting a Christocentric view of community

Providing a theological framework that would aid one’s understanding of how to live with others

Now, to engage in a study such as Romans requires our full attention to the contextual-historical-cultural background. Paul was an apostle, trained in the rabbinic teachings of the Pharisees. He was also a citizen of the Roman Empire deeply aware of the Hellenistic influences and arguments of the day. While Paul had his disagreements with some of these ideas in both sects of influence, he also borrowed from them to bring a common understanding to the community of believers.

Therefore, we will need to diligently consider the influence of Second-Temple Judaism on the thoughts of Paul in his letter to the Romans. We need to understand and accept how these ideas impacted his idea of Jesus, the Messiah, Son of the living God and how he, at times, redefined them.

Ultimately, I want you all to join me on a journey of serious biblical studies. Now, for some of you, this will be your first time engaging in a study of this manner. Initially, you will be overcome with boredom. You may feel you are getting nothing out of this. However, I can assure you, as you continue to participate and engage in the study, you will find all of the principles and applications you desire by simply understanding the letter in its original context.

Now, we will read portions of Scripture, have discussion around your observations and then we will enter a deep study of every important detail.

Greetings from Paul (Romans 1:1-7)

This first section may seem minute and irrelevant. Why study a greeting? Why not skip it and move to the “theological” content in verse 16 or 18? It is because Paul’s greeting is saturated with all sorts of authenticating statements that set the tone for this letter. While I was tempted to gloss over these opening verses, I retracted this desire after understanding the invaluable conclusions we reach by understanding Paul’s reflections of himself and his calling.

Great attention is deserving to the manner in which Paul viewed himself. This is especially important during the times we are currently living in—where the idea of being a laborer in the kingdom of God is completely skewed. Have you noticed—preachers and laborers of the kingdom have accepted a position likened to that of stars and entertainers. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the photo gallery of the most recent Stellar Awards show—an award show for gospel artists and singers—many of whom are ministers of the gospel.

My initial thought was to share with you photos from this gallery. However, I was restricted due to such inappropriate attire that should not be presented within such a sacred place and among such little ones as are here tonight. Then, as I pondered the notion, I found it useless to make a spectacle of one’s attire. For, their attire is only a sign of a more difficult problem. The clothing is a symptom and not the very sickness that is corroding our society.

When we look beyond the surface and investigate the disease that is devastating Christian leaders, we find pride. It is the intentional effort that is placed upon glamouring oneself for the stage of pride that has been built within many Christ communities. It is the eyes that are constantly placed on men and women without the slightest attempt to redirect one’s sights on the most glorious One—Jesus Christ.

Here, we may now see that the example of biblical leaders are hard to find in our world. Perhaps, it may be commonly found in other places. Yet, when I say “our” world, I speak largely of the world as we know in the United States.

In the United States, we have made of the Christ community a church business, which views leadership as one may view positions within a corporation. Likewise, there’s no difference between what one may find in the church of the living God and a call center. Individuals are found competing for roles and viewing positions as hierarchal steps of prominence and status rather than opportunities to serve.

Just take a look at how we view pastors. When a pastor is given an opportunity to lead a congregation, what do we do? We call a bishop who is perceived to be of greater authority, status, and splendor to perform the ceremony of one’s elevation. And then once we have performed the duties of sacred elevation, we then proceed to congratulate the appointee as if he or she has been granted leadership of a fortune 500 company to enjoy with all the amenities, thereby.

Have you noticed no such thing was granted to the apostles? In fact, if we dare compare what we have made of episcopal promotion and what as done in the Old Testament levitical priesthood, we will miss the mark by a long margin. For, what made be perceived as flamboyant demonstration was nothing more than an acknowledgment of consecrated duties—not to be celebrated as a distinction of class, but of responsibilities. Paul embraces this Hebrew understanding of responsibilities when referring to Himself.

Paul understood how important it was to savor this Old Testament understanding of roles and responsibilities. Likewise, he refers to himself as a bondservant (δοῦλος). Quite plainly, a δοῦλος is a slave.

Think of the modern word doula. A doula is a woman trained to assist a mother during childbirth and provide support to the family after the baby is born. She is a slave to the mother and the family. Now, what does Paul mean by slave?

A δοῦλος is a person who is legally owned by someone else and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master. Now, I am sure the idea of slavery resonates with you and perhaps you may experience serious challenges accepting this idea. Yet, Paul is quite clear—he sees himself as the property of some other. He does not belong to himself. And as a slave of Jesus Christ, he sees his entire purpose for living as being guided by the One who owns Him.

In the Old Testament, servants of God were seen as those who committed total allegiance, not just isolated acts of worship. Additionally, the greatest leaders of Israel were all seen as slaves of God (Moses, Joshua, David, and the prophets; Joshua 14:7, 24:29, Judges 2:8, Psalm 89:3) (Cranfield, C. E. B. (2004). A critical and exegetical commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. T&T Clark International.)

As Christ’s slave, Paul was called and separated. Interestingly, both of these actions have a designation. He was called to be an apostle and separated for the proclamation of the gospel. And thusly, this is the God-appointed purpose of this slave.

Here, Paul identifies his calling, because he wants to avoid any hints at self-appointment. Paul was not ambitious or presumptuous. Rather, he was divinely appointed to be an apostle. And what is an apostle? An apostle is an authorized agent or representative. He is one who has been given the authority to speak on behalf of his master.

Now, we must take a moment to acknowledge an incredible distinction between the apostles we are reading about and those of us who have come along later. Though I will not bother to entertain the relevance and reality of supposed modern-day apostles today, I must address the distinction of such apostles to those we find in the Scripture. For, this distinction provides the parameters for how, if at all, modern-day apostles may operate.

The apostles of Scripture were appointed and taught by Jesus Christ, directly. We are, therefore, taught by their teachings without any latitude to speak of anything different or “new.” Consequently, if there are any apostles in operation today, they are, at best, students of the first apostles who were directly given the revelation of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the supposed “five-fold” ministry (apostles, prophets, teachers, pastor, and evangelists) have but one job—that is to discover what the apostles said and how they said it; and say what they said, how they said it. It seems Paul would have whoever desires such a role take it, but called apostleship was a role of distinction and peculiarity (see Acts 1:21-26).

This is critically important, because these called individuals were the ones by which the message is confirmed as reliable and credible. They are the authoritative voices God selected to authenticate the message and prove its legitimacy through their ministry. Therefore, their ministry and this message was ground-breaking. It was earth-shattering and is now irrefutable. If we try to replace this or duplicate it, we stand to frustrate the reliability of the testimony of Jesus Christ. So, it is in our best interest to study it, know it, and share it—just as it was delivered by the ones called to preach it.

Furthermore, Paul’s calling to apostleship requires a separation to the gospel. So, if we were to ask the question, what does an apostle do? Paul would answer, we preach the gospel. So, should we conclude that every person who preaches the gospel is an apostle? Heavens no. Rather, the unique position of Paul’s opening words is that, he, in particular, has been called and separated to preach the gospel, which is unique and unknown until now. (Friends, we are not doing this. Our gospel is known. We are simply repeating the gospel, even more than we are preaching it.) And to assume we are preaching something that has never been heard before is a step into that pride we see Paul subtly warning us from as he accepts his position as a slave.

The word separate is a levitical term, which means to be presented or assigned to a particular cause (Exodus 13:12, Numbers 15:20, 8:11). The separation unto the gospel is clarified in verse 2. This calling is necessary, because it is the gospel that was once promised through the prophets of the Old Testament. Essentially, we understand that the gospel was preached in previous times, but now is being opened up in brand new ways never done before. Why did apostles need to be separated for the purpose? Because they are expounding on a message that was delivered long ago, but seemingly has been misunderstood (see Galatians 3:8, Matthew 13:17). This calling that Paul claims is ground-breaking, literally. And since this ground has been broken, it can never be broken again. Those who were separated have done well, and have left us to build upon that which they have given.

Now to the one who changed Paul’s entire life—Jesus Christ. According to Paul, this message that was announced long ago is about Jesus Christ, the Son. Now, we understand the Old Testament commonly referred to the nation of Israel as his son (Exodus 4:22-23, Hosea 11:1) and kings as a son (2 Samuel 7:14, Psalm 2:7). The question we must entertain is how did this lose reference to Israel and her kings become a reference to divinity?

Immediately, we are attracted to ideas of the Trinity, which came much later during the apostolic ministry as inferences rather than direct doctrines. Rather, Paul’s reference to Christ as the Son was a reference to His role as Messiah. In other words, Jesus is the One whom God works in to perform His faithful acts to the nation of Israel and thereby move forward with His plans for the rest of the world. This notion is incredibly important.

During the intertestamental period, ideas about the Messiah had been drastically adjusted based on the ongoing struggle experienced by the hands of Israel’s enemies (Psalms of Solomon 17). They imagined their Messiah as a Savior who would rid them of their oppression and establish a kingdom of righteousness by ridding them of those “fake” Jews who folded to the pressures of the pagan oppressors and defeating those oppressors who created the opportunity for temptation. They also saw the Messiah as being one who descends from the line of David. Yet, Paul’s idea of the Messiah was drastically redefined by a single even—the resurrection.

For Paul, the resurrection of Jesus Christ affirmed Him no mere messiah, but as the Messiah, Son of the living God (Romans 1:4). Jesus is the one of whom God is at work in. Furthermore, the work, which we will discover later, is further authenticated because of the One who does the work.

Paul hints at the work that is to come from the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Son of the living God in Romans 1:5-6. Essentially, to suggest that God is at work in a person in such a way is to suggest that being’s divinity. For, such work is unknown to normal men, even prophets, kings, and priests. This work is towards all men in a way not prescribed in such tribal matters as those known to the nation of Israel. This is not a family tradition, but a universal takeover by God Himself.

Paul alludes to the ministry that is to be spent on all nations, which is an abnormal position to take unless, God is at work in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. And thusly, the duty is to share with the entire world what God has done for them in His Son Jesus the Christ.

Closing

What should one’s response to these things be? Paul would answer by quoting Romans 1:6. We are called to be saints—God’s holy ones. And it is here worth noting, the reference to saints is not an individualistic activity. Rather, we are called to be God’s corporate or universal representatives on earth as we acknowledge the tremendous things He has done in His Son, Jesus the Christ.

So what are our takeaways:

God has provided an unshakable, unchangeable message concerning His Son, Jesus the Christ.

God has confirmed this message by the resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.

God has called us to be a community of believers represent Christ as His holy ones.