Paul is credited with the largest volume of New Testament scriptures of anyone. Among his writings, Romans is arguably the most dynamic. Paul writes dense material, like packing a large amount of clothing in a small suitcase.
As Rudy Ross and I discuss Romans in our YouTube videos, we plan to examine keywords and concepts that are found in the letter.
Ancient letters arrived on a scroll and the author identified himself at the beginning, so the recipients knew the author’s name.
Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1.1).
Paul went far beyond identifying himself in his opening words. He introduced four key thoughts.
(1) Bond-Servant – Paul’s customary term for Jesus is “Lord.” A lord was responsible for the care and protection of his household. A servant’s responsibility to his lord was obedience and faithfulness.
When Paul identified himself as a servant of the Lord, he declared this dual nature of the relationship. He trusted Jesus to provide protection and care. He was determined to be faithful to Jesus in every way.
(2) Christ Jesus – The church that assembled in Rome recognized Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah that God promised through the prophets.
If the Letter to the Romans fell into the hands of an ordinary Roman citizen, they would have been surprised to read that Paul was willing to be a servant of a man who had been crucified in Jerusalem.
With the benefit of hindsight, we all are privileged to be called servants of Jesus the Messiah.
(3) Apostle – An apostle is someone who is sent to represent a king or in Paul’s case, the Messiah and Son of God.
Paul’s specific call was to be an apostle – one sent by God – to the Gentiles. We will discover in chapters 9-11 that Paul’s burden extends to his Jewish brothers and sisters.
Yesterday’s video and blog article focused on the Great Commission. In Matthew 28.18-20, we learn that not only was Paul one of God’s “sent-out-ones.” We, too, are sent on a mission to represent God to humanity.
(4) Gospel – This word means “good news.” Any proclamation of good news is a gospel.
In the New Testament, “gospel” refers to the essential elements of God’s saving activity through Jesus. The first four books of the New Testament are called “Gospels,” because they contain the good news message of God’s love and redemption for humanity.
The Gospel Message
Romans details the elements of the Gospel message. In Paul’s opening words to the church, he outlined the essential elements of the good news.
[The gospel] which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,
Who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1.2-4).
The good news of God’s love is not separate from his interaction with the Israelites in the Old Testament. His work with them provides the foundation for his saving work of Jesus and our experience of it.
Isaiah 53 is one of many passages that contain promises of the good news of God’s love.
The genealogies found in Matthew and Luke demonstrate Jesus’ connection with the lineage of David. Jesus fulfilled every aspect of Hebrew scripture for the Messiah, including being born as a descendant of David.
Two of Paul’s keywords are found in these words.
(1) Flesh – This is not a reference to skin and bones. In Paul’s letters, “flesh” refers to human ability and power separate from God.
Flesh is not necessarily a negative term. For example, Jesus was a part of the family of David according to the flesh.
However, for human beings, flesh is usually negative because apart from a relationship with God, we can’t do what is right. We’ll learn about Paul’s discussion of this in Romans 7.
(2) Spirit – The Spirit is the Spirit of holiness. To be holy is to be other than human. God is other than any part of the created order, and so is His Spirit.
Not only do we ascribe otherness to holiness, but we also ascribe moral attributes such as righteousness, faithfulness, justice, love, etc.
The formal doctrine of the Trinity came years after the time of writing the New Testament. However, the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – was mentioned numerous times in the writings of Paul and other authors.
In the opening words of Romans, we have God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit mentioned.
The early church wrestled with this truth and came to believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct aspects of the Godhead. They are distinct, and yet they are one.
As I’ve written previously, only God can do this, and only God can explain it.
It is our responsibility and opportunity to be immersed in the life of the Trinity.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 