Romans:
3rd in the Series
The Focus of Our Faith
Romans 1:3-4
. . . regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 1:3-4 NIV)
In a Peanuts, comic strip, there was a conversation between Lucy and Charlie Brown. Lucy said that life is like a deck chair. Some place it so that they can see where they are going, some place it so that they can see where they have been, and some place it so they can see where they are at present. Charlie Brown's reply: "I can't even get mine unfolded."
The truth about life is that even when we get it unfolded, we don't necessarily know where we should go. What is the focus of life? Where are the real answers to life's questions to be found? Where are we heading? No doubt these are questions that all of us have asked ourselves at one time or another. Unfortunately, sometimes it is true that even when we think we know where we are going, often we do not end up there.
It is similar to the story of the man who bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see how he would perform, he took him out to track a bear. No sooner then they had gotten into the woods then the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path. A few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. Finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse.
People have always looked for answers. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves detoured along this path. Too frequently we find ourselves looking in all the wrong places for the answers, only to find that they are not to be found.
Interesting enough, the Bible clearly reveals that there is a single focus for life. Indeed, all of history centers around this singular focus.
This focus is the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, born of human descent and revealed as the powerful Son of God through His resurrection, is now exalted as Lord. Jesus Christ is the central focus of the Gospel and of all God's purposes in history. And He should be the central focus of our lives as well.
The problem is that we have lost this focus. Someone once said,
"The MAIN THING is to keep the MAIN THING the MAIN THING."
Our problem is that we do not really understand what is the main thing. Do you understand what is the main thing? To do so is vital.
Not only do non-Christians fail to discover the main thing but Christians fail to keep the main thing the main thing. We talk about how Christ should be central, but we live as if He is not. In fact, many times we do not live in any way that is noticeably different that those around us who do not know the Lord. But if Christ is really central in our lives, our lives should reflect that reality.
But because God has reached out to us, revealed His power to save us, and shown us the focus of His purpose for us through our exalted Lord Jesus Christ, therefore we must respond in faith by looking to Him as the central focus of our lives. Failure to do this results in Christianity without Christ which is not true Christianity at all. It makes our lives powerless and directionless.
Our text captures a picture of Christ that is essential to understanding the heart of true Christianity. What Paul writes here, under the inspiration of the Spirit, will disclose the place Christ must occupy in our lives. Looking at this passage, let's examine three revelations concerning Jesus Christ that underscore His place in history and in life as the main thing.
His Earthly Purpose
. . . regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David (1:3)
The first revelation we see concerning Jesus Christ is the truth about His Earthly Purpose. In other words, Jesus came for a reason. He had an important purpose to fulfill.
When Paul speaks of the Gospel, he defines it as the good news regarding his Son. In other words, the good news centers in God's Son. This is who Jesus is.
When we speak of the man Jesus, we must always understand that we are speaking of the Son of God. This is what the phrase "his Son" means. It is referring to the fact that Jesus is part of the Godhead. He has always been so.
In Philippians 2:6-7 we read of Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
This is a wonderful description of Jesus. It describes not only His equality with God but also His being made a man. Paul says that Jesus as to his human nature was a descendant of David. In other words, God became flesh. This is what we call the incarnation of Christ.
Why did Jesus become a man? Why did God take upon Himself human flesh? And how is this good news? I think the answer is clear. In Jesus, God became a man in order to reach out to us. This is the wonder of the incarnation. It tells us that God made the first move. He reached out to us because He loves us.
Perhaps the best known passage that teaches this truth is: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17).
His Eternal Power
. . . and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead (1:4a)
Another revelation concerning Jesus Christ is of His Eternal Power. Jesus was not just a man reaching out to us. He was the eternal God/Man. Paul says that He was declared . . . to be the Son of God.
So we see that Jesus was the powerful Son of God. We know this is so because of his resurrection from the dead. This was how the revelation that He was and is the Son of God was declared. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, we know that His claims were true. Because of His resurrection, we know that Jesus is who He said He was.
Jesus explicitly told us who He was: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). He said, Before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58). And He accepted Thomas' comment, when Thomas declared after Jesus' resurrection, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Jesus claimed to be divine. And because of His resurrection, we know that He is.
It is vital to know this. You see, without Jesus Christ as the divine Son of God, we have no faith to follow. John Stott wrote:
The person and work of Christ are the rock upon which the Christian religion is built. If He is not who He says He was, and if He did not do what He said He had come to do, the foundation is undermined and the whole superstructure will collapse. Take Christ from Christianity and you disembowel it; there is practically nothing left. Christ is the center of Christianity; all else is circumference.
Without Christ we have no Christianity. If Jesus was simply a man and not the eternal Son of God, then we have no salvation at all. This is why Paul emphasizes that not only did Jesus come in the flesh but He also was God come in the flesh.
His Exalted Position
. . . Jesus Christ our Lord (1:4b)
A final revelation concerning Jesus Christ is found in the last phrase in our text - Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the revelation of His Exalted Position. And His exalted position is revealed in His name.
Jesus is His human name. But it was given for a very specific reason. It means Savior. He was to be called Jesus because He was sent to save His people from their sins. The name Jesus reminds us of the saving work He came to accomplish. It reminds us that in Jesus, God reached out to us. He came to this earth, becoming a man, in order to die on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He is our Savior.
Christ literally means anointed one. This is a reference to the Messiah Israel expected. The Messiah was to be the anointed one sent from God to deliver His people. So, to refer to Jesus as the Christ is to say that He is the expected Messiah of the Jewish people. He fulfills all the prophecies pointing toward the Messiah of God, the anointed One.
Lord can simply mean ruler or master. At times it is used as a polite term of respect. But as it is applied to Jesus Christ, it has a very definite meaning. The Greek word for Lord (kyrios) used in the Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint) to translate the Hebrew name for God (Yahweh or Jehovah) is the same word used concerning Jesus. In other words, to say that Jesus Christ is Lord is to say that He is God.
Indeed, this was the earliest confession of the Christian church. For Christians to say that "Jesus is Lord" was not simply a statement of fact, it was a statement of faith. It was a confession of faith. It told what they believed and to whom they were committed. It also declared whom they would follow.
You see, the implications of Christ's Lordship are powerful. If He is indeed Lord, then He must be our Lord. And that is the question we must all ask ourselves. Is He our Lord? You see, accepting Jesus as Lord is the entry point of Christianity. We must come to Him and surrender our lives to Him, acknowledging Him as our Lord, in order to receive His gift of forgiveness and grace. This is the fundamental need of all people everywhere. It is the answer for their questions.
So we see that God has reached out to us, revealed His power to save us, and shown us the focus of His purposes for us through our exalted Lord Jesus Christ. Will we respond in faith by looking to Him as the central focus of our lives? This is our challenge. Do we really understand what is the main thing? According to the Bible, Jesus Christ our Lord is the main thing! He is the focus of our faith.
If your life has been out of focus recently, then you might want to refocus on Christ. His Lordship has implications for every area of your life. If your life is centered in Jesus Christ, then He will impact every area of your existence: your personal behavior, your family life, your career, your social life. If you are looking everywhere else for answers, then you will miss the real meaning of it all. Look to Christ. He is the heart of the good news.
Credit goes to JD Hoke
