Introduction To The Gospel

ROMANS # 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL

Warsaw Christian Church, Richard M. Bowman, Pastor

Text: Romans 1:1 - 6; 16-17 (NKJV) 1Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the Gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; --- 16For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

The Book of Romans is a concise revelation of what Paul believed; it is a statement of his fundamental theology. Paul did not write this letter to meet some specific problems of the Church as he did in his first letter to the Corinthians. Or even to combat the false teaching of the legalists as in his letter to the Galatians. He was not writing to straighten out some doctrinal errors, like the Thessalonians' misunderstanding regarding the Lord's return. He was writing to ground the believers in Rome into the very essentials of what Christ had revealed to him. Some people shy away from doctrine, but for Paul, doctrine was important. A false understanding of Christ and the Gospel has led many souls astray.

I want to spend some time examining the message of this great epistle over the next few months. Everything you need to know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ is found in this book.

I am frequently surprised to learn how many people, even church people, do not clearly understand the Gospel. I read a poll taken in 2005 by Newsweek Magazine. The question was asked, "Can good people go to heaven even if they have no faith in Jesus?" 83% of Protestants said, "Yes." Even among evangelical Christians who claim to believe the Bible is the infallible word of God, 68% said "Yes." 79% of Christians polled said they think there are many paths to God. The liberal theologians among us have done an excellent job of bringing confusion into the Church. I believe the New Testament is accurate, and therefore I believe there is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ. There are not many paths to God. Jesus spoke of a wide path that seems to lead to God, but it leads to destruction. He also spoke of a narrow path that alone leads to the Father. He is that path. "I am the way," he said. "No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Since there is widespread confusion in the Church regarding the Gospel message, it seemed like a good time to take a close look at the biblical Gospel and the basic truths that flow from it. First, Paul introduces several basic themes, which he will elaborate on later in Romans. Then, in our text, he introduces us to the critical elements of the Gospel itself.

There are seven items in our text that I want to comment on. I will spend more time on some than others. A seven-point sermon, giving full exposition to each point, would keep us here until early afternoon. If I preach into the early afternoon, I suspect I will be alone by the end of the sermon!

1. First of all, let us note how Paul refers to himself. Your pew Bible uses the word "servant" in verse 1. Paul used the common Greek word "doulos," which means a slave. A slave belongs to a Master and does the Master's bidding. Paul sees himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we belong to Jesus, and our primary goal in life is to please Him. That is what slaves do. They live to please the Master. Christians are not captured slaves who serve Jesus out of compulsion. They volunteer to serve under the banner of Jesus, their Master. Jesus is not a harsh taskmaster. He loves us and always acts to promote our highest good.

2. I will not dwell long on the second point either, although it is vital. Paul refers to the Gospel as that "which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures" (verse 2). Jesus did not introduce a new religion into the world. He brought to completion the ancient religion of Israel. He is the Jewish Messiah prophesied in many places in the Old Testament. Sometimes people refer to the Old Testament as a Jewish Book. Luther referred to the Old Testament as a Christian book, for a Messiah is promised in its pages. Jesus is that Messiah.