Who are you and what are you here for?

The Believer’s identity is to shaped by his or her status as a servant of Christ (Romans 1:1a)

Explanation: Paul is writing to a church that he has never visited. He possibly knows a few of the members (cf the personal greeting section of chapter 16), but not most. This letter is his introduction to them, his first impression. It is worth noting that his letter opens immediately with his identification as a servant of Christ.

In the New Testament, doulos is frequently used to designate a master’s slave (one bound to him), but also a follower of Christ (a “bondslave” of Christ).

The term points to a relation of absolute dependence, in which the master and the servant stand on opposite sides—the former having a full claim, the latter having a full commitment. The servant can exercise no will or initiative on his or her own. (Evangelical dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 725). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)

Example: think about meeting someone for the first time. Maybe a wedding, a company picnic, a chance encounter at Food Lion. How do you think of yourself as you make the initial greeting. “Hi, my name is Bob and I am a mechanic,” OR “Hey, my name is Linda and I’m a school librarian.”

Argument: Paul considered this relationship with Christ to be of great importance. He stressed this many times in his letters and gave it a position of prominence:

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesue Christ (1 Cor 1:1)

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 1:1)

Paul, an apostle (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:1)

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ (Eph 1:1)

Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:1)

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ (Col 1:1)

Application: Paul’s understanding of this relationship impacted his life and controlled his thinking. Does the idea of being Christ’s slave cross your mind? Does this understanding affect your daily life? Are you too proud to consider yourself as a slave?

The Believer’s service has the purpose of being Gospel-focused (Roman 1:1c)

Being Gospel-centered involves understanding the Gospel (Romans 1:2-4)

Explanation: Paul also relates that he is a God-called Apostle. The office of the Apostle was a unique office, limited to the 11 Disciples and to Paul. The office carried a special authority that no longer exists for followers of Christ in the Church Age.

Because of this, most readers (listeners) will assume this is just for Paul and has no bearing on us. While it is true that the office of Apostle is closed, all believers are still God-called to be in ministry. The basic meaning of the word apostle is messenger, or one sent on a mission. In that sense, all NT believers are God-called to be on mission.

God doesn’t desire for all of his children to be full-time vocational pastors and missionaries. He calls some to be doctors, some to be teachers, some to be truck drivers, some to be stay at home moms, some to be factory workers, and others to be farmers, carpenters, firemen, paramedics and police officers. The believer’s responsibility is to be equipped with a proper understanding of the Gospel awhile fulfilling his or her God-called role.

Argument: Paul declares that he was separated to the Gospel of God, and then he explains the Gospel in v. 3. Simply put, the Gospel is about Jesus and His victorious conquering of sin through the Cross and Resurrection, all for God’s own glory.

The Book of Romans is Paul’s most detailed explanation and defense of the Gospel, and he presents a very structured and logical presentation of the Gospel in the first eight chapters of the book. He doesn’t cover all the ground in his introduction, but he makes clear that the Gospel is centered on a specific Jesus.

The Church at Rome was a mix of Jews and Gentiles. The possibility existed that the Gentiles didn’t understand who Jesus was in terms of the Old Testament revelation, and that some of the Jews were not totally accepting Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. Paul therefore, presents Jesus as the God-man, an unique and seamless blending of the Divine and Human.

As to His humanity, Jesus was physically descended from the line of David, thereby fulfilling all of the prophecies of the Messiah. As to His Divinity, Jesus is the Eternal Son of God and He was publicly validated as such by His miraculous Resurrection from the dead

Application: This proper understanding was crucial then, and it is just as important now. Most of our citizens still retain some knowledge of the Name of Jesus, but many of them will not have a biblical understanding of who Jesus is. The Jesus of the New Age is not the biblical Jesus; neither is the Jesus of the cults. The progressive liberal Christians no longer worship the biblical Christ, and the Social Justice Warriors of the day misrepresent the Eternal One.

It is paramount that we as bible-believing Christians get the Gospel right. We need to ensure we understand correctly for ourselves, and then we can faithfully present the Gospel in a manner that honors God.

Being Gospel-centered means proclaiming the Gospel with others (Romans 1:5)

Explanation: Paul expands on his purpose (and ours) about being separated unto the Gospel in v.5: we have received “grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name.” Paul understood that his mission involved more than teaching correct doctrine. Paul also emphasized the application of sharing that correct doctrine with others.

Illustrate: Think of a doctor who completes 4 years of an undergraduate program, struggles through 3 more years of medical school, and then completes his residency program, but never practices medicine. He or she didn’t go through that process just to gain knowledge - he or she did it for the purpose of actually practising medicine.

Argument: The process is important. I would not want a doctor working on me who hasn’t taken the time to learn medicine. I want the doctor to have the proper training before the operation. Likewise, a correct understanding of the Gospel is important before you attempt to share with others.

IMPORTANT: This doesn’t mean a Christian cannot or should not share the Gospel with others until he or she has been professionally trained. If you are born again you have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. His presence is what authorizes you and empowers you to share the Gospel with others.

Application: The point is that as Christians we need to be clear about the Gospel we are sharing. We are actually called to proclaim the Gospel, not just inviting someone to church, or doing something good for a needy person, or even taking a stand for moral righteousness. All of these are good things to be involved in, but it is not the Gospel.

Conclusion: Paul emphasizes the Priority of the Gospel. As one who is In Christ allow the Gospel to saturate your life. Embrace your role as a servant - a bond slave to Jesus and seek to please your master with your service.

for others: consider why you don’t ever share the Gospel with others. One possible reason is that you aren’t In Christ. You can’t share something with another if you don’t possess it yourself. As the Holy Spirit convicts, surrender in faith to the work of Christ.