Romans 1

From Reading Romans with John Stott by John Stott with Dale and Sandy Larsen.

Romans 1.  Servant and Apostle.

Paul begins his letter in a very personal way. He is evidently anxious from the start to establish a close relationship with his readers. He deviates from the letter-writing convention of his day by giving a much more elaborate description of himself than usual, in relation to the gospel. The probable reason is that he did not found the church in Rome. Nor has he yet visited it. He feels the need, therefore, to establish his credentials as an apostle and to summarize his gospel.

Paul identifies himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” Paul’s twofold designation as slave (a better translation than servant) and apostle is particularly striking when these words are contrasted with one another. 

First, slave is a title of great humility; it expressed Paul’s sense of personal insignificance, without rights of his own, having been purchased to belong to Christ. Apostle, on the other hand, was a title of great authority; it expressed his sense of official privilege and dignity by reason of his appointment by Jesus Christ. Second, slave is a general Christian word (every disciple looks to Jesus Christ as Lord), whereas apostle is a special title reserved for the Twelve and Paul and perhaps one or two others such as James.

Paul now proceeds to give an analysis of the gospel, for which he has been set apart.

The origin of the gospel is God. The apostles did not invent it; it was revealed and entrusted to them by God. This conviction underlies all authentic evangelism. Although God revealed the gospel to the apostles, it did not come to them as a complete novelty, because he had already promised it through his prophets in Old Testament Scripture. There is an essential continuity between the Old Testament and the New. Both bear witness to Jesus Christ.

The substance of the gospel is Jesus Christ. Paul makes references, direct or indirect, to the birth (descended from David), death (presupposed by his resurrection), resurrection from the dead, and reign (on David’s throne) of Jesus Christ. Here is a balanced statement of both the humiliation and the exaltation, the weakness and the power of God’s Son, his human descent traced to David, his divine sonship-in-power established by the resurrection and gift of the Spirit.

This is the Christ, weak and powerful, incarnate and exalted, who owns and rules our lives.

Grace and Peace

As Paul goes on to state the purpose of his apostleship, he discloses further aspects of the gospel.

The scope of the gospel is all the nations. Paul defines its scope as “all the Gentiles.” This seems to imply that the Christians in Rome were predominantly Gentile. Paul affirms that the gospel is for everybody; its scope is universal. Paul himself was a patriotic Jew who retained his love for his people and longed passionately for their salvation. At the same time, he had been called to be the apostle to the Gentiles. If we are to be committed to world mission, we too will have to be liberated from all pride of race, nation, tribe, caste and class, and acknowledge that God’s gospel is for everybody, without exception and without distinction. This is a major theme of Romans.

The purpose of the gospel is the obedience of faith. In Romans, Paul insists more strongly than anywhere else that justification is through faith alone. Yet here he apparently writes that it is not by faith alone, but by obedience. 

Does the apostle contradict himself? No, we must give him credit for consistency of thought. This is the obedience that comes from faith, not the obedience of law. The proper response to the gospel is faith, indeed faith alone. Yet a true and living faith in Jesus Christ includes an element of submission (especially because its object is “Jesus Christ our Lord” [v. 4] or “the Lord Jesus Christ” [v. 7]) and leads inevitably into a lifetime of obedience.

Why did Paul desire to bring the nations to the obedience of faith? It was for the sake of the glory and honor of Christ’s name. The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is) nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God), but burning and passionate zeal for the glory of Jesus Christ. Before this supreme goal of the Christian mission, all unworthy motives wither and die.

Roman 1: 8

Thankful for Their Faith

The apostle tells his Roman readers of his feelings toward them.

He thanks God for them all. The faith of the Romans is being reported all over the world. Wherever the church had spread, the news that there were Christians in the capital had spread also. Although Paul was not responsible for bringing the gospel to them, this does not inhibit him from giving thanks that Rome has been evangelized.

He assures them that, even though most of them are unknown to him personally, he intercedes for them constantly and at all times. In particular, he prays that “now at last by God’s will,” that is, if it is God’s will, “the way may be opened” for him to come to them. Paul presumes neither to impose his will on God nor to claim to know what God’s will may be. Instead, he submits his will to God’s.

Paul longs to see the Christians in Rome, and he tells them why: he wants to impart to them some spiritual gift. He can hardly claim to be able to impart any spiritual gift himself. He appears to use the term in a more general sense. The statement seems indefinite, perhaps because he does not yet know what the Romans’ main spiritual needs will be.

But no sooner has Paul dictated these words than he seems to sense their inappropriate one-sidedness, as if he has everything to give and nothing to receive. So he immediately explains (even corrects) himself: “that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” He knows about the reciprocal blessings of Christian fellowship, and although he is an apostle, he is not too proud to acknowledge his need of it. Happy is the missionary who goes to another country and culture in the same spirit of receptivity, anxious to receive as well as give, to learn as well as teach, to be encouraged as well as to encourage! And happy is the congregation who have a pastor of the same humble mind!

So far Paul has been prevented from visiting Rome. Why had he tried to visit them? “In order that I might have [RSV “reap”] a harvest among you.” Paul hopes to win some converts in Rome. It would be appropriate that the apostle to the Gentiles should engage in evangelistic reaping in the capital city of the Gentile world.

From Reading Romans with John Stott by John Stott with Dale and Sandy Larsen.