Romans 1:1-7 THE CALLING OF GOD WITH GRACE AND PEACE TO ALL – Romans Message 1
[A]. BONDSERVANT AND APOSTLE
{{Romans 1:1 “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”}}
Romans has been called the Gospel according to Paul and I love that designation because it is very true. It was the book that promoted the Reformation. It is the book that keep theologians occupied in discourses and disputes. The little group of Christians meeting simply in Rome would have been joyed to have gotten this letter from Paul that explained to them the wonderful truths of the gospel. In this message to you I am not interested in delving into the date and background and all that technical stuff. We just want to see what glorious facts Paul is presenting to the Christians in Rome and of course to all through the church ages if they really want to study this book.
Paul’s whole ministry after being converted was to be set aside only for the gospel. He wanted to know nothing else and did not get himself entangled in the affairs of daily life like we do. He had a singular goal but we have many goals. Paul had the better way I think. By being set apart, he became a bond servant, a term known well to the Jews. A dedicated servant would bind himself to his master by having his ear pierced through by an awl at the doorpost. It was the mark on his body of full time binding to, and service for his master. Paul bore the marks of a bond servant in his body as well, for ill treatment and persecution placed those marks on him.
There is mission in the word “Apostle”. It just means a sent one, and those who were sent for a purpose were apostles but here, Paul was sent by the Lord Himself, and that commission was given to him on the Damascus Road. An Apostle also had to have seen the risen Lord.
[B]. THE PROMISED GOSPEL THROUGH DAVID’S DESCENDED SON
{{Romans 1:2 “which He PROMISED beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures
Romans 1:3 concerning His Son, who was born of a DESCENDANT OF DAVID according to the flesh”}}
Verses 2 and 3 explain in more detail the gospel mentioned in verse 1. We are told the gospel was promised in the Old Testament. It was not detailed as such and the promises may have been a bit obscure but they are there. The New Covenant was taught as was blessing that would come to the Gentiles, as was the suffering of the Servant of God, such as we find in Isaiah. Acceptance by God, by coming through faith, was a paramount teaching. Although the prophets wrote of such things through the Holy Spirit who inspired them, they still did not understand all they wrote.
Peter wrote about that matter and here is a bigger quote from his letter – {{1Peter 1:8-12 “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven - things into which angels long to look.”}}
Verse 3 explains further. It concerns David’s Son and this too is stated in the Old Testament. Maybe we could look at two verses.
{{Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign as King and act wisely, and do justice and righteousness in the land.”}}
{{Psalm 132:11 “The LORD has sworn to David a truth from which He will not turn back: “I will set upon your throne one from the fruit of your body.”}}
[C]. DECLARED THE SON OF GOD THROUGH HIS RESURRECTION
{{Romans 1:4 “Jesus Christ our Lord who was declared the Son of God with POWER according to the Spirit of holiness by the RESURRECTION from the dead.”}}
Power = The Greek work “dunamos” can mean power in some usages, but better translated as authority in other usages but here the word means both. The resurrection was powerful, displaying the power of God over death to be able to raise one from the dead. You have heard people say I am sure that the word is the one from which dynamite got its name. However the other meaning authority is just as applicable because without the resurrection, Jesus Christ would have gone down in history as an influential man who met death and that was the end. The resurrection stamped all God’s authority on the ministry and the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus. It was the ultimate authority.
It is almost like the verse is saying that God’s declaration was made through the entire created universe, that Jesus Christ is the SON OF GOD. Let all created beings know that this One, Jesus Christ who is Lord, is the Son of God. His authority has been established, though in fact, we know that there was no need to establish that, as He had authority from eternity past, BUT now we have authority over death!
The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of holiness, which, if you like is the same thing, but the way it is expressed means that holiness is to the fore; it is prominent. The emphasis is on holiness. Never must Christians think that one member of the Trinity is more powerful than another. There is one God but here in the resurrection, it was the Holy Spirit whose power raised Christ from the dead.
At the Rapture when the bodies of the saints and the righteous ones from Adam to the present will be raised, the great power and authority of God that ordered the body of Lazarus to come forth, will be heard throughout the earth, and billions will rise from the ground to receive new bodies just as happened to the Lord in resurrection. The authority of God will be stamped all over it.
You will notice in this verse 4 that the mighty names of deity are used of the Lord. We have the earthly Jesus; the Messiah, Christ; the divine Son of God. A study of the names of Jesus throughout the scriptures is a great study. You will also see the term Paul uses is “Jesus Christ OUR Lord” not “Jesus Christ the Lord.” “The Lord” is impersonal, but ‘Our Lord” makes it personal. He is the Lord of us, not of them; of others! When people get away from personal language they get away from God. Jesus Christ becomes a picture on the wall you look at, rather than the One standing beside you looking at a picture.
[D]. THE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST THROUGH OBEDIENCE OF FAITH
{{Romans 1:5 “Through Him we have received GRACE AND APOSTLESHIP to bring about the OBEDIENCE OF FAITH among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,
Romans 1:6 among whom you also are THE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST.”}}
In these next two verses Paul states the blessings that have come to these Roman Christians, but in the wider sense, the blessings to all members of the Body of Christ. Before we look at those, the start of verse 5 is so important. Never, even once, must we ever think that we have come this far by our own efforts, or by my helping God along. Remember, that in our flesh there is not one good thing. There is not one part of us that seeks God; there is not one who is good, not even one. Never let the evil fallen nature try to hint to you that you have been good to follow God. In your own strength you would never choose God.
The start of verse 5 is “Through Him” NASB; “By whom” AV – This is all of Christ, not of you. Always keep that in mind. There is a great error in the world that you choose your own salvation and you are master of your destiny. That is wrong, so wrong. Look at verse 5 – it is Through Him and By Him, every bit of the way.
Now what are these blessings God has brought to us as the unworthy recipients? We will name them and then speak of them. I am using the wording of the NASB.
1. Grace and apostleship
2. Obedience of faith
3. The called of Jesus Christ
GRACE is that which claimed us. “No, Lord, I don’t deserve that. I belong here in this place of rejection and sin. I can not earn my way to You.”
“That is why I have called you. What have you to offer Me?”
“Nothing at all, Lord. Nothing I have. My account is empty and I have nothing.”
“That is the way it has to be. What you don’t deserve, that you receive. That which you do deserve you do not receive.”
I deserved death but did not receive it. I did not merit life but grace gave it to me. That is grace. We could say, “undeserved pardon in God’s bank of no records kept.” Paul knew the glory and depth of grace more than anyone. He was a vile sinner who delighted in the death of the saints but grace shook him apart.
Paul said through Him we have received, first grace, then APOSTLESHIP. We must be careful here. We have all received grace or we would have no part in the beloved, but we have not all received apostleship. Some groups around think they have apostles today but they are deluded. To qualify as an apostle you had to have seen the risen Lord and then to have been sent by the Lord. The Apostles were a small group and they had a specific task. We look at an Ephesian verse – {{Ephesians 2:20 “having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,”}}
When a building is constructed, the foundation must be laid first. Then the building proceeds. In God’s house the foundation was laid and Paul says what that was. The Church was built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Once that foundation was completed then there was no more ministry of the apostles and prophets. The foundation was complete with the Apostle John and in that first century the ministry of the apostles and prophets was strategic, but it ended. The foundation was laid.
There are no apostles after the end of the first century and there are no more prophets either that may have lingered into part the early 2nd century. If prophets continued it meant the foundation was not completed.
In Christian traditions, Continuous revelation or continuing revelation is a theological belief or position that God continues to reveal divine principles or commandments, and new things to humanity. These groups claim to have prophets. It is most commonly associated with the Latter Day Saint movement, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, though it is found in some other denominations as well.
The practice is spurious, false. I have been in a couple of meetings where the so-called prophets operated. For example, “There is someone here tonight who has pain in the lower back and God is going to cure you.” “Someone in this meeting is having serious troubles in the marriage.” That is rubbish, false and unbiblical. In 2021 I had a so called prophet from the charismatics writing to me to tell me the Rapture was to happen in October or November 2021. I forget the exact date. I wrote to him and told him if it happened all well and good, but if it did not happen he would be known as a false prophet. I did not hear from him again. Then I had another self-proclaimed prophet trying to convince me the Rapture would happen on 22 September 2022.
I spend no more time on this but delusion makes me quite angry.
The next one that comes from verse 5 is “THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH.” Salvation is through faith, not by works or indulgences and acceptance by any other means. It comes through repentance and faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Obedience comes through faith, and faith is centred in a Person, not in a happening or some principle or some behaviour. It is anchored in the Lord Jesus Christ, and in no other.
Then the third one mentions THE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST. These are the ones the Lord has called to Himself. How does that happen?
No one can call himself or herself to Christ. It is impossible, for our sinful selves will never seek God. It is the Lord who seeks us. He is the One who goes in search of the lost sheep. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to draw men to Christ for salvation. It is the Holy Spirit who calls people – {{John 12:32 “and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”}} And that is co-jointly through the ministry of the Holy Spirit – {{John 16:8 “and He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment.”}} And why does that happen? It is because as recorded in {{2 Peter 3 v 9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance,”}}
Matthew 22:14 says quite clearly, “Many are called but few are chosen.” I am not going to attempt in any way to enter into that verse because I will not be entertaining the great debate on Calvinism and Aminianism. What I will stand clearly on is that we are among those the Lord has called to Himself because that is what Romans 1 verse 6 says.
[E]. GRACE AND PEACE TO THOSE CALLED AS SAINTS
Let’s move along to verse 7. {{Romans 1:7 “To all who are BELOVED OF GOD in Rome, CALLED AS SAINTS, GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”}}
There is just so much in this verse of greeting to the Roman Christians. The verse is all about our position in Christ, all about what God has done and where he has placed us. Remember not one atom of this is deserved. You deserved nothing from God because you were sinful, rebellious and putrid. In what follows, God is speaking to Judah but this is what He would say about you also –
{{Isaiah 1:5-6 “Why should you be stricken any more? You will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.”}}
But then he says – {{Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”}}
Let us forever be thankful that through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ He has brought us to Himself and we are as white as wool, redeemed, justified and sanctified.
Let us look at verse 7 in more detail.
The first point is – he calls them BELOVED OF GOD. That means simply, God loves you/them/us. Why should God love us when we were unlovable? I don’t love rats and do them in. I don’t love cats at all and don’t go out of my way to help them. A rat and a cat are not creatures of eternity, but human beings are. The sin of human beings and their great ever-present evil, you would think it enough for God to cast them and us all aside and abandon us like I would rats and cats. Sorry, you cat lovers, but that is the point of this. God loved the despicable as you might love cats and pity them. That is what God did for us.
Jesus loved us and it was not just an academic love, but a sacrificial love. He loved us and gave Himself for us, so we now are the beloved of God.
“CALLED AS SAINTS” or “CALLED SAINTS”. We are saints, all of us who have been born again. Some Christians are very uncertain about all this because their thinking has been influenced by Roman Catholic practice that saints are very special, almost untouchable embodiments of holiness, way out of our class.
The word for saints is hagios/hagioi simply meaning holy. We are the holy ones of God. We don’t call ourselves that; God does. It is the word used for the Holy Spirit and the word used for sanctified and holiness. All Christians are saints and in all Paul’s letters to the churches he addressed the believers as saints.
“But I don’t feel like a saint,” you may say. Well, neither do I. We know our own selves and we know how sinful we are and how overtaken by the old nature we can be. Just as we have appropriated righteousness (that means it was not earned but granted by God; it is Christ's righteousness), we have appropriated holiness. The natural man is wicked and bent always in going away from God. Through conversion the Holy Spirit is given to us, sealed by the Holy Spirit, baptised by the Holy Spirit into one body, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. When God looks upon you, what does He see? He sees the Lord Jesus Christ; he sees His Son and you have the righteousness of Christ. That is where the famous verse comes in – {{2Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”}} That is what we are in spite of all the flaws and warts – the righteousness of God.”
The question we ask is, “What did this?” Well undisputedly, it was the grace of God we spoke about earlier. In all Paul’s letters his greeting was with “GRACE AND PEACE.” They were the two key words he used all the time because they meant so much to him personally, because he was a severe persecutor of the Church and the transformation in his life was through the grace and peace of God. Those qualities Paul wants the Lord to supply to all his readers – and to us of course!
The peace of God and the God of peace is a study in itself. Grace and peace will always go together.
We will end there today and take it up from verse 8 next time. God bless each one.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
