Romans 1:1-7 – Paul and the Gospel

Romans is one of the most important and influential letters written by Paul. God had used it to touch many influential people of the past and He is still using it to address many of our issues today. Paul began in these seven verses to introduce himself and his message.

Paul’s other name is Saul. One name indicates his Jewish origin and the other his Roman Citizenship. By calling himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ, he is revealing his relationship with the Lord. Jesus Christ is His master and he is His bond servant, one who had willingly and totally given up everything to serve the Lord. He wanted his readers to know that his entire allegiance was given to the Lord. The term apostle tells us of his apostolic calling. He saw himself as one given the unique gift of caring, ministering, teaching, establishing and governing the body of Christ. As a Pharisee, he was set apart for the Law, but since Christ met him on the road to Damascus, he had been set apart for the Gospel of God.

The content of his message of the wonderful Gospel of God, is about Jesus Christ, our Lord. There are several elements of this Gospel: firstly, the Gospel did not come haphazardly. It was something God had promised long ago. How do we know? Many prophets of old foretold it in the Holy Scriptures. Secondly, this Gospel is about Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He came from the linage of David hence qualified to be the Messiah. This indicates His humanity. It tells us that although He was the powerful Son of God, He chose for a season, to become a Man with human frailties. Thirdly, He was resurrected from the dead by the Spirit of holiness, to affirm that He is indeed the Powerful Son of God. From these facts, we see the dual nature of Christ – perfectly human and perfectly God.

In was through the Lord Jesus Christ that Paul received grace and the calling to be an apostle to the Gentiles. While others might be called to minister to the Jews, his calling was to minister to the Gentile believers, among whom were those residing in Rome. And his aim was to bring them to obedience of faith, for the sake of Christ. Paul did not do it for himself but for the Lord. Like him, it’s important that we know that our service in whatever capacity, should be unto the Lord.

In verse 7, he addressed all the believers in Rome, calling them saints, meaning they were set apart for God. He then sent his usual greetings of grace and peace from God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What made Paul so faithful and diligent? It was in how he perceived himself and the Gospel. He saw the reality of Christ and realized that he was called into His service. The pertinent question to start us off on the book of Romans is: how do we perceive ourselves in God’s scheme of things? When we have a clear perception of ourselves and the Gospel, we will experience the fire that Paul experienced!