Romans 1:2-4
Paul's proclamation of the prophesied promise of power.
Prayer
Intro
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What we have to share with others is neither a miscellany of human speculations, nor one more religion to add to the rest, nor really a religion at all. It is rather the gospel of God, God’s own good news for a lost world.
Notice that the prophets are called his prophets. Paul is not speaking of men of vision in general, men who by their innate abilities could discern the signs of the times. He is speaking of men who belong to God, the vehicles of his message. When a promise is given through (not “by”) such men, then clearly it is the promise of God.
This is a remarkable passage, by which we are taught that the whole gospel is included in Christ, so that if any removes one step from Christ, he withdraws himself from the gospel.
It seems then that the two expressions ‘according to the flesh’ and ‘according to the Spirit’ refer not to the two natures of Jesus Christ (human and divine), but to the two stages of his ministry, pre-resurrection and post-resurrection, the first frail and the second powerful through the outpoured Spirit.
The idea here, then, is not that Jesus was “declared” or “shown to be” at the resurrection what he was all along, namely, the eternal Son of God. Rather, the point is that Jesus was “appointed” to be God’s Son in power at the resurrection of the dead. He was exalted to a level of power and authority that he did not have previously.
It seems then that the two expressions ‘according to the flesh’ and ‘according to the Spirit’ refer not to the two natures of Jesus Christ (human and divine), but to the two stages of his ministry, pre-resurrection and post-resurrection, the first frail and the second powerful through the outpoured Spirit.
Jesus had to take on flesh and enter into the old age in order to inaugurate the new age that is characterized by the Holy Spirit. The contrast between the flesh and the Spirit is quite similar conceptually to Paul’s remarks about the humiliation and exaltation of Christ in Phil. 2:6–11. Paul does not disdain the humiliation of Christ. It is a stage that is, however, left behind upon his exaltation. The age dominated by the flesh is one of weakness, while the age of the Spirit is one of power.
The idea here, then, is not that Jesus was “declared” or “shown to be” at the resurrection what he was all along, namely, the eternal Son of God. Rather, the point is that Jesus was “appointed” to be God’s Son in power at the resurrection of the dead. He was exalted to a level of power and authority that he did not have previously.
The lordship of Jesus as Messiah flows naturally from what Paul has just written.
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Close
Romans is not at all the result of the theological insight of Paul, one of the most educated Jews in first century Palestine, but it is a message that comes from the mind of God, with the power to change lives.