It’s All Through Jesus and For Jesus

Today we begin our study of the book of Romans.  Romans is a letter written by the apostle Paul in approximately 56 A.D. probably while Paul was on his third missionary journey and probably while he was staying in Corinth, a city in Greece (see Acts 20:2-3).  Because Paul’s goal had always been to preach the Gospel in places where Christ was not yet known (Romans 15:20), Paul had his heart set on going to Spain and saw Rome as a critical stopover on his way to Spain.   So Paul writes this letter to the Christians in Rome, whom he had never met, as a way to introduce himself before he went to visit them personally.  In particular, Paul attempts to give a clear and thorough statement of the gospel as Paul understood it, especially since his message had been misunderstood and misrepresented by some in the past.  Perhaps for this reason Romans is the longest of all of Paul’s letters.

Although Romans is a letter addressed to the church in Rome, because of its purpose, it is no surprise that many churches outside of Rome would be helped by it.  Even to this day, Romans is for us a significant book which helps us to the most important and foundational truths of Christianity.

When it comes to getting the most out of the book of Romans, I find that reading it slowly is important.  If you will take the time to stop and consider specific words that Paul uses in this letter, it can open up worlds of truth and revelation for you with the help of the Holy Sprit.  That’s what we’ll attempt to do together as we go through Romans verse by verse and passage by passage.

Today’s passage is Romans 1:1-7.  Let’s go!

Romans 1:1-2 (NIV)
¹  Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God–
²  the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures

On verses 1-2:  The “gospel” is the good news that Jesus Christ the Son of God died for our sins and rose from the grave to conquer death for us.  The word “gospel” itself comes from the old English term “godspell”, which means “good news”.   Paul, who didn’t speak English, used the Greek term “evangelion”, which has since been translated “gospel” in English.

Although the gospel is good news, here Paul says that this good news is not new per se in that it had actually been “promised” long ago “through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures”.  In other words, all of the Old Testament was pointing to and foreshadowing this good news about Jesus.

Romans 1:3-4 (NIV)
³  regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,
⁴  and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

On verses 3-4:  Here Paul says who the gospel is all about: Jesus Christ.  Paul tells us a number of important facts about Jesus.  Jesus is both human and divine.  As to Jesus’ human nature, Jesus was a descendant of King David (3).  As to Jesus’ divine nature, Jesus is the Son of God, as testified to by the Holy Spirit (“the Spirit of holiness”) and as proven by Jesus’ miraculous resurrection from the dead.

Romans 1:5 (NIV)
⁵  Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

On verse 5:  Paul says that he and his team have been given “grace” (undeserved kindness from God) and “apostleship” (appointment as messengers for God) to call people from among all the Gentiles to this faith, and not just to this faith, but “to the obedience that comes from faith”.  In other words, Paul is saying that God’s desire is not simply that we believe in Jesus but that as a result of believing in Jesus we would live our lives in obedience to God.

Also, Paul says that their role in calling people to faith is both “through him and for his name’s sake”.  It’s all through Jesus and for Jesus.  May you and I see our lives in that same way: it’s all through Jesus that we can live, and it’s all for Jesus and His glory that we live.

Romans 1:6-7 (NIV)
⁶  And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
⁷  To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

On verses 6-7:  Though Paul is addressing Christians in Rome, the statements Paul makes here can apply just as much to all of us today.  We are “called to belong to Jesus Christ” (v6), that is, God has given us an invitation to have a relationship with Jesus and to be part of His family.  We are also “loved by God (v7) with a love that is not based on our performance or goodness.  And we are “called to be saints” (v7), that is, we are called to be God’s people, which effectively is the same thing as believing in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, for in the New Testament anyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Saviour is called a saint.  (The Catholic and Eastern Orthodox practice of venerating certain individuals as “saints” if they lived an especially pious and holy life is not found in the Bible.  For in Jesus Christ, we are all saints, not because we earned it but because of God’s undeserved kindness, His grace.)

Father God, thank You that I am loved by You and that through Your Son Jesus and for His name’s sake, You have called me to a relationship with You.  Thank You that I was made to live through You and for Your glory.  May I do that today.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!