Romans: Intro and 1:1-7 Astonishing Salvation
If you were the CEO of a large corporation, and you were choosing someone to be the FACE of your company, what kind of person would you want?
Someone with a good reputation.
Kind
Honest.
Full of integrity
Believable.
Loved
Sometimes the corporations have to FIRE someone as their spokesman, for though they may have started out good, bad things happened.
Like Lance Armstrong
Like Tiger Woods.
Like Jerod for Subway.
I highly doubt those companies would have hired those spokesmen if they already had a troubled past.
We might be surprised to think what God did.
Have you ever considered who he called to be his primary spokesman for the name of Christ?
God chose a Jewish man named Paul to be his top spokesman in Christianity.
A former violent man.
A persecutor.
A murderer, or at least an accomplice to murder.
And he inspired Paul to write the book of Romans which we are beginning to study.
As shocking as this man is and God’s choosing of him, what Paul wrote in Romans under inspiration of the Holy Spirit is even more shocking.
Romans 1:1-7
ROMAN 1
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Let’s READ our section.
It’s one long sentence, as only Paul could write.
So let’s take a deep breath and read.
Romans 1:1–7 ESV
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brief Overview of this Series
Before we talk about these verses, let’s talk briefly about the Book of Romans as a whole.
Martin Luther, from 500 years ago:
“This epistle is really the chief part of the New Testament, and is truly the purest gospel. It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul”
That’s a great praise for this book.
We should know it word for word.
We should occupy ourselves with it like we eat bread every day.
In this series, will average about 2 weeks per chapter to Romans.
Some preachers have done a very brief overview at a pace of 1 week per chapter, and maybe even faster.
One pastor gave 256 sermons on the book, over an 8 year span!
So at 2 weeks per chapter, this is a similar pace that we have used on other letters such as Colossians
This will be spread out over time, and we will have other series inserted into the calendar.
We hope to give you a very good sense of what the letter is about, who Christ is, what God has planned for us, and what the life-changing gospel of Christ is.
But I can assure you, we won’t cover everything.
Even 256 sermons might not cover it.!!
Romans 1:1-7
Let’s look at our passage for today.
Vs. 1
Paul establishes his authority, which is from God, not from himself.
Paul has been for the last 2000 years of history, the greatest spokesman for Jesus Christ and all of Jesus’ followers.
He tells us three things about his role as a Christ follower:
- He is a servant of Christ.
- God called him to be an apostle.
- He has been set apart [APPOINTED] by God for the sake of the gospel.
These are some unusual claims.
- On the one hand, they are humble: I am a servant of Christ. He doesn’t say, “I’m the top dog. The CEO.”
- On the other hand, his claims are audacious. God called me. God has set me apart. In other words, he is saying he has a special role.
Paul writes this lengthy letter that may be the highest mountain in this breathtaking mountain range of the Bible, God revealing himself to mankind.
But who is Paul?
I want to press PAUSE on our passage for a few minutes and look at Paul, this remarkable spokesman for Christ.
Apostle Paul
Who is Paul?
He was Jewish. And a well-educated Jew, trained under a well-known and well-respected Jew named Gamaliel.
Paul had a dramatic conversion experience, being blinded by the Lord for 3 days.
He went on to write 13 NT letters.
He is prominent in the second half of the Book of Acts.
He is probably the greatest spokesman for Christianity in 2000 years.
But his story is more complex than that.
He wrote this letter to the church in Rome in about 57 A.D.
But 25 years earlier, Paul’s life was a Waste. He was a mess. A spiritual mess.
Paul was not a Christian. Definitely not.
He was, however, a very religious man. A very angry, arrogant, violent, religious man.
He was a Jew.
A well-educated Jew. And in the elite group called Pharisees.
And like most Jewish leaders in those years, he hated Jesus Christ and his followers called Christians.
Hated them with a passion.
So Paul did what he could to put a stop to such stupidity as Christianity.
Not only did he view it as stupid, he saw it as blasphemous to the God of Abraham and Moses.
And he became one of the worst persecutors of that era.
In his own words, he said,
Acts 22:4 ESV “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women…”
The Way was the early name given to Christians, referring to Jesus’ description of himself as The Way, The Truth, and the life.
He put people just like you in prison.
Some young. Some old. Single. Married. Parents.
A short time later, Paul said this:
Acts 26:9-11 ESV “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.”
So in the eyes of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, Paul was in a world of trouble.
One day Paul was traveling to the Palestinian city called Damascus.
And he had an encounter with Jesus Christ.
Paul was zealous for God, although wrongly placed. He is more like a radical Muslim terrorist.
To look at Paul’s life merely from a human perspective, from human eyes alone, Paul is the worst candidate in the world to be a Christian.
And even more, he is the worst candidate to be the greatest spokesman in 2000 years for the gospel of Christ.
But this is exactly what he became.
Paul’s story is really mind-blowing.
A violent man.
A persecutor of Christians.
Ruining families and churches.
What did Paul conclude?
30 years after his persecuting days, he wrote this:
1 Timothy 1:12–16 NIV “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”
In spite of Paul’s horrific background, God had mercy on him.
God backed the truck up and TIPPED the Load of his grace out on Paul.
Think about what the Lord did: He saved this VILE, hateful, angry, violent, religious man and gave him forgiveness and eternal life.
And God appointed this man to be his #1 Spokesman.
What was God thinking?
Here in our Sunday School program, we have background checks on our workers.
With Paul’s background, would he pass the test?
Would you moms want Paul to be in the classroom of your 7-year old?
What evidence would you require that Paul was a SAFE man?
God appointed him into the leader of all of Christianity!!!
Do you see the problem here?
On our level of mere mortals, we look at God’s choosing Paul to be his #1 spokesman and we are shocked.
How could this possibly work?
Virtually all religions in the world have one common theme: You make yourself right with God by doing something good.
By praying many prayers. By doing good deeds. By finding peace. By participating in religious activity. By offering sacrifices of some sort. By making a pilgrimage.
But honestly, how could anyone possibly make amends for doing what Paul did?
He was a violent opponent to all that God had done through his Son, Jesus Christ.
How could he ever make up for that?
Then to make it even more shocking, Paul goes on to write this letter to the Romans that is considered the pinnacle of the entire Bible.
What we see here in Paul’s life and in Romans is an amazing picture of God and the salvation he offers through his Son, Jesus Christ.
We see how this salvation came about.
We see how someone can be saved from God’s wrath and declared righteous.
We see in Paul what it means to believe so deeply that your life is completely transformed.
Paul really believed the gospel message.
He wholeheartedly believed it.
What did Paul believe?
Here is a sample from Romans.
Romans 5:1 ESV “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
He believed peace with God was possible, and possible ONLY by being justified by faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1 ESV “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
If anyone should feel condemned for his sins, shouldn’t it be Paul?
Yet he was utterly convinced he stood before God a free man and a righteous man because of Christ.
Romans 8:15 ESV “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
Paul knew he had deserved God’s wrath for his sins, but the gospel of Christ is so radical and astonishing that now Paul has been adopted by God as his child. In intimacy Paul can now call God his “Abba, Father. Daddy.”
Romans 12:1 ESV “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
The mercy of God through God was so complete and so pervasive that Paul’s only logical conclusion was to give his life back to God in worship.
All that he had he owed to Christ.
In spite of Paul’s evil background, he humbled himself before God and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the eternal salvation offered through his death and resurrection.
Paul believed that this salvation by GRACE was utterly complete. Cleansing. Thorough. Glorious.
The outcome of all this is that knowing Paul’s past, when we read this letter, we should pay even more attention.
The man who deserved mercy and grace the LEAST has found the answer.
If Paul can get it, we can and must get it.
If ever I sin and then feel guilty and ashamed over it, I often think of Paul.
If he can find forgiveness, I can, too.
If he can walk in peace with God, I can, too.
If he can worship the Lord for his amazing mercy, I can, too.
So God’s call of this man named Paul to be his primary spokesman is an unusual but oh-so-wise choice on God’s part.
Back to Romans 1:1-17
Now let’s get back to Romans 1.
Vs. 1
Paul establishes his authority, which is from God, not from himself.
The gospel: What is it?
Two weeks ago, Matt defined it in the simplest of terms: “Christ crucified for sinners.”
Those four words are packed with rich truths.
In a way, it takes the entire book of Romans to unpack it.
The gospel is something so simple that a child can understand it and believe it.
Yet the gospel is something so profound that the greatest mind cannot plumb the depths of it.
Romans presents both the simplicity and the profoundness.
The gospel includes the future coming of Christ and his kingdom.
Paul doesn’t mention it here, and perhaps not until Rom 8:18-25.
However, Christ’s resurrection is clearly tied throughout the NT with his ascension, future return, establishment of his eternal kingdom, and the resurrection of our bodies some day (see 1 Corinthians 15).
Paul was unqualified to be God’s spokesman:
One author spoke generally about a Christian’s qualification to serve God, and it relates to Paul:
"I have learned that although we all have weaknesses we can still bear fruit. God calls only unqualified people—that is all that is available—and he (a) qualifies them in certain ways; and (b) works through them in spite of other incompetencies.
"God does not have a single perfect minister… And so it has always been. God worked through the apostle Paul even though he apparently was a poor speaker and physically unimpressive… The phrase “God worked in spite of” qualifies every minister who has ever lived…" (C.B. Larson)
Paul was unqualified. Yet God qualified him.
I am unqualified to be a pastor. Yet God has qualified me. And sometimes he works in spite of me.
You all are unqualified to be Christians, children of God, servants of Christ. Yet God has qualified you in some ways, and in others ways he works in spite of you.
So Paul tells us his qualifications:
- His Master is Christ.
- Christ called him to this role of apostle.
- God himself set him apart to believe, live, and proclaim this gospel message of eternal salvation.
Vs. 2
Here Paul tells us ABOUT the gospel.
First, God promised it was coming.
This is no surprise.
This is not the invention of man as some new fad, the latest religion.
God has prophesied this for several thousand years.
For example, God promised to Abraham this:
Genesis 12:3 ESV “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
And we will read about Abraham in Chapter 4 as the father of our faith.
God's has wisely and carefully planned since before the world was created to send his Son to live, die, and rise, and then to ascend to prepare an eternal kingdom with a new heaven and new earth.
When I stop and spend time pondering this whole story and not getting lost in the details, I marvel, and I worship the Lord.
The gospel story of our story is a Grand and Marvelous Plan.
What a God we have!
Like an old hymn says, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”
From vs. 2 alone, our hearts can be stirred. We should worship the Lord for his well-crafted, glorious plan of salvation.
Vs. 3-4
In vs. 3-4, from every angle, Jesus is clearly the long-awaited Messiah.
Clearly Jesus was descended from David, per the genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. This fulfills the promise given to David that his descendant will rule on the throne forever, 2Samuel 7:12-16. This is why the Jews in Jesus' day clearly understood his Messiahship when they called him the "Son of David.”
I suspect I’m not the only one in the room who can get bored hearing about such seemingly MUNDANE details. “Yeah, yeah, I know he descended from David.”
But this is utterly remarkable and astounding.
Christ's lineage reveals his Incarnation, for he was born of man with a clear human lineage.
He did not merely appear like an angel would, being made visible, and then becoming invisible again.
John 1:14 ESV “…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory…”
Matthew 1:23 ESV “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”
And then in vs. 4, we see his Divinity.
He was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Holy Spirit.
So the Incarnation through the ancient prophecies fulfilled and the clear human lineage make Jesus Christ remarkable, and we should tremble to think, "Who is this man before us?" Verse 4 tells us even more.
The resurrection overcomes the greatest problem the world has: Death.
We have been cursed with death.
Death is not an original part of Creation. So in that sense, it is not natural. Or perhaps it’s better to say, death is not ORIGINAL, meaning in the original creation.
Vs. 5
Paul now tells us his mission and goal.
Jesus himself has given Paul the grace and the apostleship to proclaim the gospel to the nations.
The United States. China. Nigeria.
as an apostle was to bring people to Christ that they might believe and then walk in obedience.
OBEDIENCE OF FAITH
Although a major theme of Romans is righteousness by faith and not by works, Paul has no trouble with the word "obedience".
Obedience is not opposed to faith.
Rather, obedience and faith are intertwined. Obedience is not a "second option" after faith, as if we could say, "I believe in Him, but I may or may not obey Him."
Salvation is by faith alone, but it is not by faith that is alone.
“Obedience always involves faith, and faith always involves obedience. They should not be equated, compartmentalized, or made into separate stages of Christian experience.”
Paul called men and women to a faith that was always inseparable from obedience.
For the Savior in whom we believe is nothing less than our Lord
That’s why Paul says in vs. 1 that he is a “servant of Christ.”
So Paul sees his task to present the full ramifications of the gospel: That we believe it and live it.
That we look to Christ for all things: eternal life, the power to walk with him during our days on earth, and much more.
The application for us is this: We cannot view the gospel as something merely to gain us entrance into heaven.
The gospel is this: We are in rebellion against a holy God, and instead of condemning us instantly, God calls us into an eternal, right, pure relationship with him that STARTS NOW!!!
And the means of this is through the Son of God who died and rose from the dead.
We are now part of God and his family. NOW.
We are called to belong to him (vs. 6). NOW. Not just after we die, but NOW.
Vs. 6
We are called by God into glorious things.
Here Paul says we are OF Christ. We belong to him.
To belong to someone can be good or bad, depending on the quality of the person to whom we belong.
If we belong to an evil tyrant, horrors await us.
But if we belong to someone good and righteous, we will find joy.
We who belong to Christ shall find his "ownership" of us pleasant and good, for he is a good, just, kind Master.
That the Son of God would die for sinners reveals what kind of Lord he really is. So we can find comfort and a sense of belonging in this belonging to Christ. We have a home. We have a family. We also have life direction and purpose, for our Master will lead us well.
Too often we live spiritually impoverished lives, but our calling is “out of this world.”
Vs. 7
Paul reminds the Roman Christians just who they are:
They are LOVED by God.
They are CALLED to be saints.
If you have believed in Jesus Christ, pay attention to this one simple statement: YOU ARE LOVED by God.
When circumstances and trials tempt you to question his love, go back to Romans and the gospel: He loved you enough to send his Son to die for you.
Also, you are a SAINT. A Holy One.
Your core identity is no longer as a SINNER.
Yes, you still SIN.
But the Gospel is so radical, that you have been now Called God’s Holy One.
What amazing mercy.
We need to think of ourselves differently.
Overview of Romans
Paul spends 2/3 of the book telling us how to think and what to believe.
Then he spends the last 1/3 telling us how to live in light of what we believe.
We cannot separate these two things. We cannot neglect either thing.
- Truth known but not acted on is mere intellectualism and not true faith.
- Actions without knowledge and faith turns into legalism, lack of power, and can never save us. Nor will it ever lead us into an intimate walk with Almighty.
Conclusion
In the coming months as we journey through this most famous book of the Bible, we need to keep in mind the human author.
Paul is a surprising author.
At a glance, his background makes him a remarkably unworthy spokesman for such a glorious message of salvation.
But in another way, Paul is the best spokesman.
In Paul we get a good glimpse into the depths of God’s salvation by grace through his Son.
For if God is willing to forgive and empower this great sinner by his grace, there is hope for us.
We, too, can have our lives forgiven and transformed by the Risen Christ and the Indwelling Holy Spirit.
We have been called to belong to Christ.
He is our Lord, we are his servants.
We are loved by God Almighty.
And he has called us to and made us to be his Saints, his Holy Ones.
We have an Astonishing God who offers an Astonishing Salvation.