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.
3. The third point in our text has to do with the nature of the Gospel. “concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord…" The Gospel is not about rules; it is not about religious rituals; it is not about us. The Gospel is solely and entirely about Jesus. I recall hearing Rudolf Hess declare in a Nazi propaganda film, "Hitler ist Deutschland, und Deutschland ist Hitler." Hitler is Germany, and Germany is Hitler. The German people made a bad error in judgment when they saw Hitler as the embodiment of Germany. But we can apply this sentiment to Jesus. Jesus is the Gospel, and the Gospel is Jesus. Christianity is Jesus and Jesus is Christianity. Paul will spell what that means as we go through the great texts in Romans. Any definition of the Gospel that does not center on Jesus is false. One theologian of the 19th century, Adolf Harnack, defined the Gospel "as the universal Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man." The problem with this Gospel is it is false at the core. God is not the universal Father of all persons. God becomes our Father through faith in Jesus. Men are not brothers. We fight wars regularly to prove that point. In addition and more importantly, Harnack's Gospel is false for it fails to mention the name of Jesus.
4. Forth, in our text, we are introduced to the mysterious two natures possessed by Jesus, "who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." The Jesus who brings us the Gospel is an utterly unique person. He is a human being like us, but He is also the Son of God. His humanity came through the family of David, as the prophets of old had prophesied. His divinity was clearly revealed when He rose from death. His human nature began at a point in time in the first century AD. His divine nature has no beginning or end. Jesus is God and man united in one person, a mystery to us, but a clear revelation of Scripture. There is a powerful spiritual reason why the Savior must be both God and man. He must be man in order to identify with us, but He must also be God so that His atoning death will have infinite value. The death of any man, no matter how great he may be, has no power to atone for our sins. The death of the Man who is also God can atone for the sins of the entire world.
5. Fifth, "Through Him, we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ…" Paul and the other apostles received grace and their apostolic calling from Jesus. The rest of us are those whom Jesus Christ has called through the centuries. The call of Jesus Christ has gone to the whole world. None are excluded, and all are invited to receive the grace of salvation. Those who say "yes" to Jesus will spend all eternity full of gratitude towards the Savior who redeemed them. Those who do not say "yes" to Jesus will spend all eternity in anguish, regretting the fact that salvation was so near to them, but they did not avail themselves of the grace of God.
6. Sixth, Paul describes the Gospel as the "power of God unto salvation." He adds that he has no shame in proclaiming this Gospel. We must listen carefully to Paul at this point. While Paul will elaborate later on the content of the Gospel, for now, he wants us to realize one thing: Jesus Christ, who is God and man united in one person, is the Gospel. The grace and salvation we need comes from but one source, Jesus Christ. Why does Paul speak of shame about the Gospel?
I wonder if Paul had the same problem we see in Christendom today. There are large ministries and well-known popular preachers who will not proclaim the biblical Gospel. The biblical Gospel contains elements that are offensive to humans. Many are glad to hear that God loves us and eagerly embrace the idea that God has a wonderful plan for our lives, including health, wealth, and blessing upon blessing. We like the notion that we are so valuable and worthwhile to God that, of course, He wants to share His kingdom with us.
How many really want to hear and believe the heart of the Gospel message, that all human beings, every one of us, are miserable sinners who deserve nothing but the wrath of God? We will expand on this idea next week as we look at Romans 1:18-32. But for now, do you see yourself as a wicked person, or do you have high regard for who you are? Those who look upon themselves with pride will be ashamed of the Gospel because Jesus came to redeem sinners. Until you can confess that you are a rebel against God, a sinner who has violated the heart of every single divine command, you cannot embrace the Gospel. You exclude yourself from eternal life because, as Paul stated flatly, JESUS CHRIST CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS (1 Tim. 1:15). Paul then added that when it came to sin he was at the head of the class - - - the chief of sinners. Notice that Paul is now an Apostle, a man of God, but he does not say, "I was the chief of sinners." Instead, he uses the present tense. Yes, he is now forgiven, yet his past and present sins still haunt him. Paul never outgrows the notion that because of his many sins, his life, apart from Christ, is a stench in the nostrils of God.
Is that how you view yourself? Persons who see themselves as good and worthy human beings will be ashamed of the Gospel. Modern psychology declares that we must have high self-esteem. Many declare that the biblical idea that we are sinners is degrading; an insult to our sensibilities. Many in our world are ashamed of the Gospel. If a bloody Savior on a Cross is offensive to you, you have cut yourself off from the grace and mercy of God. Paul was ashamed of his sin, but he was not ashamed of the Gospel. He knew it was the cure for human sin. He also knew something else about the Gospel, and that leads to our seventh and final point.
7. It is not an automatic kind of power that converts everyone who hears the message. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith. Those who hear the message of Jesus and believe in Him experience the power of God as He brings about the new birth and makes us new persons in Christ. Can you bring yourself to agree with God that you are a hell-deserving sinner? Do you agree with God that your only hope of forgiveness and salvation is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Faith opens the human heart to the power of God. The result is salvation. The power of the Gospel is released when faith is present. My hope and prayer for all of us is that we will know fully the power of the Gospel, which alone can bring the forgiveness of our sins and everlasting life.
