Introduction to Romans The Glorious Gospel of Grace #1 Rom. 1:1
Richard Tow 12.02.18
Today we begin a study in the book of Romans! Romans is perhaps the most profound piece of literature ever penned. In it we have a clear, concise declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I. In 1:1 through 3:20 the need for the gospel is explained. There the problem of sin is introduced.
II. In 3:21 to the end of chapter 5 Paul shares God’s provision for forgiveness of sin and justification by faith. The focus in those verses is our salvation from the penalty of sin.
III. In chapters 6 through 8 Paul declares God’s grace for overcoming the power of sin in our daily lives. In theological terms that is sometimes called sanctification.
IV. Chapters 9 through 11 deal with God’s redemptive plan for the nation of Israel.
v. Finally, in chapters 12 through 16 Paul gives practical exhortations based on his doctrinal teaching in the earlier chapters. Romans 12:1 begins with the Greek phrase parkaleo humas oun, translated “I beseech [exhort] you therefore.”i The word of God always elicits a response on our part. We don’t just study it for intellectual satisfaction, we search its message for instruction on how we should live. The ultimate value of Bible study is found in our everyday response to its truths.
We know that Paul was inspired to write this letter by the Holy Spirit. The early church recognized that and included it in the canon. Peter wrote in his second epistle, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (1:20-21). Our attitude toward Scripture is of paramount importance. The person who approaches the Bible as simply a collection of human writings, is not going to benefit much by reading it. He is not operating in faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God.ii Hebrews 4:2 talks about people who were exposed to the truth, but were not benefited by it because of their unbelief: “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
The carnal mind cannot receive the things of God. God has to grant the capacity to understand it. 1 Cor 2:14 says, “. . . the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” We want to approach the book of Romans with an attitude of faith that humble looks to God for understanding—a faith that expects Him to speak to us from this inspired document. 2 Tim 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The authority of God’s word is under attack with a variety of strategies by the enemy. One strategy is to deny its inspiration as the word of God. The devil has even put people in seminaries and Bible colleges who have a low regard for Scripture. Young adults go to their schools to be equipped for ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead of building up their student’s faith, these false teachers tear their faith down brick by brick. Higher criticism taught by some Bible scholars begins with the presupposition that nothing miraculous can happen. Out of their commitment to naturalism, they explain faith-building events in the Bible. They rationalize the parting of the Red Sea. They explain away the miracles Jesus worked. They deny His resurrection. Rather than allowing the Scripture to stand in judgement over their lives, they set themselves up to stand in judgement over God’s word and dismiss it as impossible. They deal with it as if it were a legend, rather than a revelation. After talking about the inspiration of Scripture, Peter warned, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Peter 2:1-3). This attitude toward the Bible has gotten into many pulpits and is leading many astray.iii
A subtler strategy is to deny the importance of Scripture. The idea is to simply marginalize it and emphasize social interaction: “Make church fun and entertaining. Don’t bog people down in studying the Bible. By all means, don’t teach doctrine that might alienate someone.” The goal is often to simply gather a large group of people. But Jesus did not commission His church to gather large crowds in buildings. He commanded us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you (emphasis mine, Matt 28:19-20). There are varying degrees of what I am describing, but the current trend is away from teaching the word of God with authority and conviction. Paul told Timothy to preach the word. That is the minister’s assignment. Then he adds in 2 Tim 4:3–4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
A study of Romans is particularly beneficial because it sets forth the essentials of the gospel. In the days ahead, we will have to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is revealed in the Bible. We need to know Romans so well that we can discern subtle deceptions. Departures from the faith typically begin in very subtle ways. To discern what is happening we need to know the word of God well, and we need the Holy Spirit to alert us and guide us.iv The trend in today’s churches to minimize doctrinal teaching is very, very dangerous. It leaves people ill-equipped for avoiding deception and ill-equipped for living godly lives. Here is Paul’s instruction to Timothy: “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:13-16). That’s what we intend to do as we learn from the book of Romans. We will approach this book respecting it as inspired of God and instructive value for our daily lives.
Paul’s greeting is found in Romans 1:1-7. Today we will only have time to deal with the first verse: “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.” In verse one Paul identifies himself as the author of this letter. Then he makes three statements about himself.
I. He says he is a BONDSERVANT of Jesus Christ.
He has surrendered his life to the Lord and lives to do his bidding. On the road to Damascus Paul had his first encounter with the risen Christ. He was in the process of opposing Christianity and imprisoning followers of Christ. He was a proud, zealous Pharisee defending Judaism from what he thought to be a false sect. He had led the martyrdom of Stephen. Now he is proceeding headstrong to stamp out Christianity. Suddenly, the Lord intervened in his life. That was a profound expression of God’s grace. That was an awakening that changed Paul’s life forever. Unexpectedly and suddenly Paul is knocked off his horse and hears the Lord speak to him. Paul responds with two questions: (1) “Who are you, Lord”? (2) “Lord, what do you want me to do?”v Those two questions indicate an immediate surrender to Christ. In both questions, he refers to Jesus as Lord.
The answers to those two questions are essential for everyone of us. First, “Who are you, Lord?” The first thing we need to know is who Jesus is. If we get that wrong, our eternal destiny is in jeopardy. Salvation is only available through Jesus.vi We have to bow to Him as Lord if we want to be saved. The second question was, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” Behind that question is a decision to surrender to His will. I am no longer my own. I am bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus.vii I am committed to do whatever you tell me to do. Therefore, Paul says in our text, “I am a slave of Jesus Christ.”
Here is the first key to effective ministry: total surrender. Have you surrendered your life to the Lord so that you view yourself as His bondservant? Or are you doing as many professors of Christianity do: pursue a relationship with God in which you use God to help you get what you want. That is a far cry from where Paul was and from what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Instead of teaching people to surrender to God as a bondservant, many ministries teach people how to use God for their own purposes. They teach formulas and techniques to get God to do what they want Him to do. God does operate out of certain principles, but our relationship with Him must be one of submission and surrender to His will. I’m talking about an orientation to the Lord that sees oneself as His bondservant. I’m talking about a prayer life based on “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”viii
The Greek word translated bondservant is doulos. It is the common word for slave or servant. We know from reading Paul’s epistles that he delighted in being a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He willingly surrendered his life and service to Christ. His motivation was love for his master. Exodus 21 gives instruction concerning Hebrew slaves. In extreme cases when an Israelite fell into debt and could not pay, he would be brought into servitude to another Israelite to satisfy the obligation. Exodus 21:2 limits that servitude to six years. In the seventh year he was to be set free. However, there was provision in that chapter for the person who chose to continue serving his master. Ex 21:5-6 says, “But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.” “The boring of the ear was an ancient custom in the east.” The door was symbolic of the household he was voluntarily attached to, and the piercing of the ear represented his hearing and obeying his master’s orders. Of course, you can see the application of that in Paul’s life and in your own relationship to the Lord.
People who serve God out of a legalistic mindset have not discovered the revelation in this Hebrew ordinance. We do not serve our Master out of dread to simply avoid punishment. We respect His authority and our accountability to Him. But we serve out of a heart of love. For Paul there was this decision, “I love my master . . . I will not go out free.” The last thing I want is to be separated from Him. Nothing pleases me more than to do His bidding. Is that true in your heart as well? Have you made the same choice: “I love my Master; I want to serve Him; I delight to do His will”? If so, you understand why Paul took delight in identifying himself as “a bondservant of Jesus Christ.” It was his opening statement. He viewed it as His qualification for sending this letter, for he was not speaking out of his own authority, but as a servant of the Lord Jesus. After referring to himself as “a bondservant of Jesus Christ,”
II. Paul says he is “called to be an apostle.”
The fundamental meaning behind the Greek word apostolos is “one sent forth with orders.”ix Biblical ministry is initiated by God. As Lord, He tells each of us what He wants us to do. That constitutes our calling. At the end of the day, we will each give an account for what God called us to do.
The word apostolos is used in a variety of ways depending upon the context. I can be a reference to the original twelve who were with Jesus during His earthly ministry. Those apostles were given a unique place in God’s program. Apostolos can be used in a broader sense to include people like Paul and Barnabas who were commissioned to take the gospel into new territory. The term is also included in the five-fold ministry list in Ephesians 4:11 for people with that kind of grace on their lives.x But in another sense, every one of us is called and sent. God has something very specific that He wants to accomplish in your life. If we will walk in obedience to Him, He will lead us in a fulfillment of that calling so in the end we can know in our hearts that we have finished our course.xi Do not let the devil convince you that God’s calling on your life is unimportant. If it were unimportant, God would not have called and equipped you to do it.
Paul honored his calling because he knew it came to him by the grace of God. I want to encourage you to honor the calling God has placed on your life. It is a high and holy calling. We are to walk worthy of this high calling in Christ Jesus.xii We are to live our lives with an eye toward fulfilling the call. Everyone of us are called to represent the Lord Jesus Christ. We do it out of our unique grace package. We do not evaluate it based on comparisons to other people’s callings.xiii We run our own race with a passionate desire to honor God with every breath we take. Amen?
So, Paul identifies himself as a SERVANT of the Lord and as one SENT by Him with orders to fulfill. God wants you and me to have this same self-understanding. The scope of our commission is less than Paul’s calling, but our calling is similar to his in kind. I am a servant of the Lord Jesus. I am an apostle, sent one—not with the same level of authority Paul had, but as an agent sent by the Lord under orders. The value in Romans 1:1 is found in identifying with
Paul in this calling we all have in the Lord. After identifying himself as “a bondservant of Jesus Christ” and someone “called to be an apostle.,”
III. Paul says he is “separated to the gospel of God.”
The Greek word translated separated is aphorizo. Our word horizon comes from its root, horizo.xiv Aphorizo means “to mark off from (apo) others by boundaries, to limit, to separate.”xv Paul viewed himself as set apart for God’s specific use and purpose. That’s the way every one of us should view ourselves. Our level of prominence and authority is less than Paul’s, but every one of us is set apart unto God as His own special people for His own special purpose.xvi Paul essentially says that in verses 5–6 of this chapter: “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ (emphasis mine).
Learn from Paul in this verse. Do you view yourself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ, sent of God under orders, separated from the world and unto God purpose for your life? It’s important to see yourself that way. Paul is setting an example for us. You will tend to behave in accordance with the way you see yourself. If you see yourself as just another human being trying to make your way through this world, you will tend to invest your time and energy accordingly. You will tend to make daily decisions based on that self-perception.
The Lord wants you to lift your vision higher than that. He wants you to follow Paul’s example here and see yourself in these three ways: surrendered, sent, and separated. It’s not just that we are separated from the world. The Bible clearly teaches that. But we are not just separated from something, we are separated to something in the same transaction.
What does Paul say he is separated to? He is separated to the gospel, and so are you. Paul is a carrier of a certain message, and so are you. Paul will describe that message more fully in just a moment. It is “the gospel of God.” God is the source of this message we carry. It is of divine origin. It is not a man-made religion. It comes through supernatural revelation. Paul was a tent-maker. But that was just a means to an end. You may work as a carpenter, an accountant, a machinist, a sales clerk, etc., but that is just a means to an end. That simply funds your primary mission. You are separated unto the gospel. Gospel basically means “good news.” You are a carrier of good news—the best news that has ever been proclaimed: the news of salvation through Jesus Christ. We communicate that message through the way we live and what we say. I want to awaken you to your calling this morning. May God stir your heart to the high purpose He has for you.
Effective ministry flows out of three realities in our lives: surrender, sent, and separated. Your ministry effectiveness is directly dependent upon your surrender to the Lord. To the extent you are surrendered to Him, He can use you. Any works that flow out of our own carnal desires and initiative are ineffective for the kingdom of God. When we are surrendered to God, then He can send us in ministry to do His will; He can empower that ministry with the Holy Spirit and make it fruitful. Paul asked a series of questions in Rom 10:14-15: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent [apostello]? Biblical preaching requires the enablement of the Holy Spirit. That comes to those sent by God to do it. We have to wait on God for His orders. Then when He gives the orders we have to go where tells us to go and do what He tells us to do and say what He tells us to say. Surrender precedes being sent. When people thrust themselves into ministry God has not called them to, all kinds of problems follow. We are experiencing many of those problems in the church today. When God sends us, He goes with us and empowers the endeavor. As a part of the church, we are already sent to proclaim the good news of Christ to the lost.xvii The Holy Spirit will guide us in the specific application of that on a daily basis.
Our text has been Romans 1:1. “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.” Paul viewed himself as a servant—sent—separated to the gospel. We are to follow his example and see ourselves in the same way. Your life is not your own. You are a servant of the Lord, sent to a lost world to fulfill His orders, and separated to the message of His grace. Allow the Holy Spirit to stir your heart to that high and holy calling.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Heb. 11:6.
iii Cf. 1 Tim. 4:1-2. Some popular “Christian” books today suggest Christianity needs to be reinvented and made more inclusive. For example, Brian McLaren writes, “For centuries, Christianity has been presented as a system of beliefs. That system of beliefs has supported a wide range of unintended consequences, from colonialism to environmental destruction, subordination of women to stigmatization of LGBT people, anti-Semitism to Islamophobia, clergy pedophilia, to white privilege. What would it mean for Christians to rediscover their faith, not as a problematic system of beliefs. . . .” He then says Christianity ought to be instead a “beloved community for all.” ” Of course, behind that idea is a concept of love that is totally foreign to Scripture. It is a love that is sugar and spice and everything nice, no real accountability to God, moral freedom from the commandments of God, and tolerance toward everyone and everything. Brian D. McLaren, The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World’s Largest Religion Is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2016), 3.
iv Cf. 1 John 2:26-27; Authentic Christianity: Studies in 1 John by Richard Tow (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2018) chapters ten and eleven.
v Acts 9.
vi Cf. John 10:1–9; 14:6; Acts 4:12.
vii Cf. 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 Cor. 7:23.
viii Luke 11:2.
ix See Strong’s Concordance.
x This list can be considered a 4-fold ministry listing if poimenas kai didaskalous is understood as one gifting (pastor-teacher). All these grace gifting are in operation today for the equipping of the saints.
xi Cf. 2 Tim. 4:7.
xii Cf. Eph. 4:1.
xiii Cf. 2 Cor. 10:12.
xiv Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 10th ed.
xv Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, s. v. NT873.
xvi Cf. 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:8–10.
xvii Mark 16:15.
