Romans 1:1-2

Review:

Romans was Paul’s letter written to the house churches of Rome around 56 ad not long after the Jewish population had been expelled because of the conversion of many to Christianity.

Since it is most likely that the faith was brought to Rome by Jews who had been at Pentecost it is safe to assume they would have had leadership roles in the early church in Rome, the vacuum of their removal from the city necessitated the reforming of the churches into entirely gentile congregations. Now with the Jewish populations return Paul writes to a church divided seeking to garner support for his missionary efforts in the west.

Text:

English Standard Version Chapter 1

1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,

The Gospel of God: Romans Paul, a Servant of Christ Jesus (Verse 1)

In seminary, I saw a manuscript written by Marcus Barth, the son of Karl Barth, of some 168 pages on these words, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ …

In the Greek text, the word that the apostle uses is doulos which is not properly translated ‘servant’. A servant in the ancient world was a hired employee, a person who could come and go at will, who could resign from one job and seek employment elsewhere if so inclined. But a doulos was a slave owned by a kyrios, a master or a lord. Frequently in the New Testament this type of imagery is used to portray the relationship between Christ and his people: ‘You are not your own; you were bought at a price.’ Christians are those who belong to Christ. He is our Lord, he is our kyrios, he is our Master.

The Gospel of God: Romans Paul, a Servant of Christ Jesus (Verse 1)

Paul will explain in the book of Romans that man, out of Christ, is in bondage to sin and a slave to his own evil impulses, inclinations and desires. This is man’s natural condition in the fallen state. Yet Paul wrote elsewhere that where the Spirit of the Lord is, where the Spirit of the kyrios is, where the Spirit of the Master is, there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17). How are these truths to be reconciled?

Especially in our individualistic culture this idea is pretty offensive. But when we consider the hold sin has on all of us from our earliest days the freedom we find in Christ from the penalty for that sin, and ultimately the freedom from it is liberty although it is found outside of ourselves. When we fly the plane confines us restricts our liberty in some ways I am not free to go where I want but it allows the very acts of flying. If I was free of the plane I wouldn’t last very long at 30,000 feet. So being “in” the plane has allowed me a freedom I could never have experienced otherwise.

As we move on we see a pretty typical opening to a 1st century letter the formula is “A to B sends greetings” but as part of this Paul unknown to the church in Rome sets out his credentials in three descriptions of himself. The first we just saw a doulos of Christ. Next we will look at his description of himself as and “apostle” and “set apart”

English Standard Version Chapter 1

called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

Romans Paul the Apostle (1:1)

An “apostle” means literally “one who is sent.” It is most likely indebted to the Jewish concept of a šāliaḥ—the sending of an envoy who represents the sender as if himself in person. In Hebrews, Jesus is called an “apostle” in the sense that he is sent from God (Heb 3:1). Titus and Epaphroditus are each designated as an apostolos (“messenger”) of certain churches (2 Cor 8:23; Phil 2:25). At the end of Romans, Andronicus and Junia are known as “outstanding among the apostles,” which probably indicates their role as missionaries sent out from a Christian community (Rom 16:7). Although Paul was not one of the twelve disciples, he encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and was called to his apostolic work to proclaim the gospel among the nations (see Acts 22:21; 26:16–18; 1 Cor 9:1; 15:8–9; Gal 1:15–16).

The Gospel of God: Romans Called to Be an Apostle (Verse 1)

What if somebody today claimed the same thing? If somebody came in from the desert and said that he had just seen Jesus who had called him to be an apostle, what would we say? If such a person started writing books and wanted to have them added to the New Testament, what would be our response? Couldn’t a person make that kind of claim? Joseph Smith did and started Mormonism.

Notice that even Paul, in his extraordinary situation, could not begin to function as an apostle until he had been endorsed by the rest of the Twelve, whose credentials were not in question. Although it is theoretically possible that God could call a person directly today, it is impossible for that person to have his claim confirmed by other apostles whose apostleship is not in doubt. They have all passed from the historical scene.

That is why the church attributes special importance to apostles. They were agents of revelation, just as the prophets were in the Old Testament. The New Testament records the call of Paul to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. It is that gospel which the apostle sets before us now in this magnificent epistle.

Now to finish up verse 1 and move into 2 Paul says:

English Standard Version Chapter 1

set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

Romans Paul the Apostle (1:1)

The third aspect of Paul’s self-description is that he was “set apart” for an evangelistic task. Ironically, the former Pharisee who gloried in his set-apartness from sinners is now set apart as God’s messenger to the quintessential sinners, the Gentiles. A similar testimony is given by Paul in Gal 1:15, where he described how God “set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace.”

In the church at Antioch, the Holy Spirit led the community to “set apart” Paul and Barnabas for the work which God had called them to undertake (Acts 13:1–3). This set-apartness is also related to the priestly service of carrying the gospel to the nations that Paul undertakes (Rom 15:16).

Romans Paul the Apostle (1:1)

Paul was called to be a servant and an apostle, set apart for a priestly work. These are not merely descriptions, they are tasks; Paul serves, was sent, and was consecrated for the sake of the “gospel of God

Application:

So Paul was called to his task, to his role does that mean anything for us?

The Gospel of God: Romans Called to Be an Apostle (Verse 1)

This ‘external’ call, where God commands people to come to Christ in faith and repentance, is crucial to our understanding of the New Testament. In fact, the Greek word for ‘church’ in the New Testament is ekklesia, which means ‘called out’. The church, then, is literally, ‘those who are called out’: those who are called out from the world to join the kingdom of God. To be a member of the church is to have responded to this external call of the gospel.

I think we could talk for the next 20 years about how to live out a life as a “called out believer” but since we only have about 10 minutes let me try to summarize. Keep in mind as we look at this how seriously Paul took his calling from God, and ask yourself how we are living out the call on our lives. Okay so here we go Christianity in 5 verses:

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.     And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy     and to walk humbly with your God.

Mark 16:15

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

Ephesians 4:1-6

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1 Peter 3:15-16

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

You may argue that several of these do not look like our modern church and I would not disagree, but that doesn't make them any less God’s call on our life.

One in particular was a discussion around our house this week. How do we interact with and live life with those who are not walking in-step with God’s plan for their life?

A recent study by the Barna group found that 46% of Christians feel it is wrong to share their faith with someone of a different belief system.

But that doesn’t stand up to any type of intellectual scrutiny. If I know the path you are running down leads you into a dangerous situation (falling off a cliff, gun battle) and I don’t tell you because I know you love this path and are enjoying your run that is not love and tolerance but neglect and disregard.

To tell you about the dangers lying ahead is love, but to torture this analogy that message is better recieved if I am in relationship with you, running beside you and you know I love and care for you than if I come running out of the wood wearing a sandwich board that says this path ends in destruction. Both maybe true, but one is much more helpful.