Rom 1 1-6

FOR THE
CHILDREN:

Romans 1:1-6

By Pastor Ronnie Wolfe - May 12, 2004

1 & Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Paul means "small." This Paul, having his Hebrew name Saul, may have been a very small person, we just do not know. Paul is his Roman name.

Last and Least

Paul was both the last of the apostles and the least of the apostles.

He was the last of the apostles, because he was "born out of due time."

1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

He was the least of the apostles, because he did not companion with them in the beginning when Christ was teaching them. He was taught of Christ three years before he went to Jerusalem to fellowship with the other apostles. (Gal. 1:18).

He was the least of the apostles in his own eyes, because he persecuted the church at Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Galatians 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Paul A Servant

Paul was a servant. The Greek word here indicates a bondslave, a higher calling than being monarch of the entire world. Paul thought this servanthood to be the most holy calling in his life; so he committed the rest of his life to the service of his King, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Paul The Called

Paul was "called" an apostle. Certainly he was called to be an apostle, but most importantly, he was called an apostle by the Lord himself.

Some men would not accept him as an apostle, but God called him an apostle; so he was an apostle by all proper means.

Paul The Separated

The word "separated" here means "to mark off from others by boundaries." He was marked off from others by God, since God made him an apostle.

But he was separated to a very special purpose: the gospel of God.

The Gospel is:

1. The gospel of the kingdom ( Matt. 4:23)

2. The gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:1)

3. The gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24)

4. The gospel of peace (Rom. 10:15).

This separation brought Paul away from his old life of destroying the work of God through the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and placed him into the Kingdom of God and Christ to serve his Master by preaching the gospel instead of the old message of legalism.

Acts 9:21 But all that heard [him] were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?

2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

The Gospel Promised Before

This Gospel, which Paul is now to preach, had been promised or foreshadowed in the Hebrew scriptures.

Paul should have been aware of this, as he had studied the scriptures long and hard; but this knowledge of the Gospel is given by God and is not learned by man on his own intellect.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.

Hebrews 1:1 & God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hebrews 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Promised By The Prophets

This Gospel was predicted and prophesied by the prophets of the scriptures which Paul had in his hands most every day of his life.

Isaiah was one of those prophets who prophesied of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 53:5 But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Genesis 15:6 And he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.

3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

Gospel Concerns Jesus Christ

This Gospel was concerning or about Jesus Christ our Lord. The Gospel is the subject of the New Testament. If you are just beginning to read your Bible, the Gospel of John along with Romans is the best place to begin. This will give you the basics of the Gospel and then add detail in the book of Romans that will challenge you for the rest of your life.

The Gospel does not include any other person except Jesus Christ. He is the only one who could accomplish the necessary procurement to bring us to salvation. All other Christs are foreign to the word of God and the Gospel.

Paul preaches only one Gospel.

Galatians 1:6 & I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

This Gospel is 'according to the flesh." The Gospel was not something that happened in a far-away world. It took place right here in this world. This was important so that Jesus Christ could be our kinsman Redeemer.

See Ruth 4:17-22 for a list of fathers from Pharez to David.

Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David [are] fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon [are] fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ [are] fourteen generations.

It is an amazing thing to study the linage of the Lord Jesus as it goes back through the generations past in which God sovereignly guided this linage and brought about the birth of Jesus Christ according to the pleasure of his good will. Jesus is indeed the Son of David.

4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Declared or Appointed Son

The Greek word for "declare" is HORIZO, and it means to appoint. So, Jesus was appointed to be the Son of God. The word also means, of course, " declare" and is shown in:

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Jesus was the Son in his pre-incarnate state.

Philippians 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

The phrase "with power" is a modifying phrase and, according to A. T. Robertson in his "Word Pictures in the New Testament," it modifies "declared."

This declaration was made, and Jesus was marked off by his Father to be the true Son of God by the resurrection.

Men did not understand him to be the Messiah as much before his resurrection as they did after his resurrection.

This powerful miracle of raising Jesus from the dead was such an influence in the first century after Christ, that no one dare say in that century that Jesus did not rise from the dead. He was declared with power to be the Son of God.

The Spirit of Holiness

This was not his nature of divinity as he dwelt with his Father, although he was holy then, also. But this is the embodiment of holiness as witnessed in his life according to the flesh.

That a human being could die and then with his own power come back to life is in itself a declaration that Jesus is the Son of God and in fact God incarnate.

5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

Grace and Apostleship by Jesus Christ Our Lord

"By whom" refers to Jesus Christ our Lord. The phrase "Jesus Christ our Lord" includes both his divinity and his humanity.

This is the reason he has the power to give gifts to men:

Ephesians 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Paul mentions here that he received grace and apostleship from Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul needed both grace and apostleship, which is an outgrowth of that grace, to be able to do the things that Jesus Christ called him to do.

Paul' s Obedience

First, we must notice that it took the power of God to bring Paul to obedience of the faith.

But this is not faith in salvation, although it takes the same power for that. This is "the faith." The faith is the doctrine that Jesus Christ laid down as he inspired men to write the scriptures.

The word "for" here does not mean "because of." It means "in order to." Paul received grace and apostleship in order that he might be obedient to the faith, in order that he might preach the Gospel and the counsel of God among all nations.

This obedience would be "for his name." He would preach, teach, love, rebuke, help, weep, and encourage for the name of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:14 & I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;1 Corinthians 15 Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

Paul lost his identity as a man of the world and lost himself in the service of Jesus Christ. He did everything for the sake and in the name of Jesus Christ.

6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:

Hebrews 3:1 & Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

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