Let us begin our study in the greatest book ever written-the book of Romans. For the last several years God has laid three burdens upon my heart: (1) to challenge believers and local churches to delve deeply into the Word in a new and deeper way, (2) to ensure that local churches take the time necessary to ground their people in the basic teachings of the Bible, and (3) to see God’s church grow, both numerically and spiritually. Although all three of these goals can be accomplished through a systematic study of the book of Romans, I believe that the overarching principle is that we all need deeper roots if we’re going to grow as Christ intends. If the church tries to grow big without also growing deep it will be like a tree that has been blown over in a storm. It looked good in the sunshine but it didn’t last when the wind came in hurricane force.

With this in mind, let’s get right into the first section of Romans. In verses 1-7, we find Paul’s longest introduction. In his other 12 letters Paul’s greetings range from 1 to 4 verses, whereas his greeting in Romans takes a whopping seven verses. In the Greek language of the New Testament these first seven verses are all one long sentence. You can’t tell that in many of our versions because the translators have broken it up into smaller parts, but in the original, it’s all one sentence-176 words in all. This lengthy greeting permits Paul to identify his calling, his message, his mission, and his readers.

[Let’s begin by identifying…]

1. Paul’s Calling (1:1). Paul identifies himself as a “bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle.” The word order is of particular importance because Paul became a “bond-servant”(1) before he became an “apostle.” Even in Paul’s case we find the biblical principle that in God’s kingdom service is always a prerequisite for leadership.(2) The background for the term “bond-servant” is found in the Old Testament, where it never connotes drudgery or duty, but instead honor and privilege.(3) For instance, it was used of Moses, David, and Elijah, all of whom were great men, true “servants of the Lord.” (4)

Paul calls himself a “bond-servant of Christ Jesus” because he wants to communicate to his readers his commitment and devotion to Jesus the Messiah. Paul’s substitution of “Christ Jesus” into the Old Testament expression “a servant of the Lord” shows his high view of Jesus. He considered Jesus worthy of the same obedience and devotion as Yahweh. Likewise, when Paul was blinded by the glory of Christ in his dramatic Damascus Road encounter, he immediately wanted to know, “What shall I do, Lord?” (Acts 22:10). Paul’s conversion to Christ resulted in a radical response of zealous obedience. He went from persecuting the church to perfecting the church.(5)

It is worth noting that in the New Testament the believer is referred to as a servant more than 50 times. However, we are also referred to as saints, children of God, the beloved of God, Christians, priests, ambassadors, and friends, as well as with many other titles. But we, like the apostle Paul, are first and foremost servants of Christ Jesus. We must always keep this reality clearly in mind. May I ask you a series of questions? What kind of servant are you? Husband, is your daily goal to out-serve your wife? Young people, do you actively seek to serve your brother or sister? Employees, are you serving your supervisor and fellow co-workers? Servants of Christ, are you investing your time and talents in the work of the kingdom?

After Paul had become a “bond-servant” he became an “apostle.”(6) With the use of the term “apostle” Paul moves from his allegiance to Christ to his role as an authority speaking on Christ’s behalf. In the New Testament, the term “apostle” is used with a general force to designate someone who is sent.(7)

It is also used by Paul to speak of someone who is specially gifted to communicate revelation from God and by implication, someone to whom the churches were responsible. This latter, more elevated meaning is the sense Paul intends here. He is preparing to communicate revelation from God and the Roman church needs to know that, as an apostle, he has the authority to do so.(8)

The final characteristic that Paul shares with his readers about his calling is that he was “set apart(9) for the gospel of God.” The word translated “set apart”(10) literally means “off horizon” which conveys the idea of being removed from one sphere and placed into another. In Paul’s case, he was removed from the sphere of sin to the sphere of salvation, from the horizon of rebellion against God to the horizon of service under God. Paul was “set apart” so that he might focus his interests and energies on the furtherance of the Gospel of God.(11) In Galatians 1, Paul wrote that God set him apart from his mother’s womb and called him to preach to the Gentiles. In the same way, Jacob, Moses, Samson, Samuel, Jeremiah, and John the Baptizer were all separated before birth to a special calling. So in this very first verse, God’s sovereignty-His total control over circumstances-sets the tone for the entire book.

Paul concludes 1:1 by stating what he was set apart for-“the gospel of God.” Used more than 100 times in the New Testament, the word “gospel”(12) refers to the good news of God’s saving activity in Christ. This good news is the truth that God has for both believers and unbelievers. It is not limited to salvation information but encompasses the full counsel of God’s good news to man.

Like Paul, every believer has a calling. Unfortunately, many of us are confused on this point. We assume our career is our calling. In most cases this is not the case. Our career is what we’re paid for; our calling is what we’re made for. If we are to experience the life that Christ has for us we must bear this simple truth in mind.

[Now that we have identified Paul’s calling, let’s identify…]

2. Paul’s Message (1:2-4). What makes this introduction so unique is Paul gives a synopsis of the Gospel in these three verses. Why does he do this? Paul was writing to those whom he had never met, who didn’t know him, and who didn’t know his doctrine. Because the purity of the Gospel is vitally important, Paul immediately sought to demonstrate that the Gospel he was presenting was the same as that which others had believed, resulting in their salvation. In very few words Paul highlights several of the fundamental elements of his Gospel.

In 1:2-3, Paul uses three words to make three points about the Gospel. He uses “through,” “in,” and “concerning” to tell us the how, the where, and the who of his message. First, in 1:2, Paul tells how the Gospel came to us: “through His [God’s] prophets in the holy Scriptures.” From the very beginning Paul wants to make it clear that his message didn’t originate with him. Instead, it was “promised beforehand” by God. The Gospel didn’t just suddenly burst upon the scene of history with the birth of Christ. It has always been the theme of the Old Testament prophets.(13)

Second, Paul addresses where the Gospel was given to man: “in the holy Scriptures.” Since Paul was a Pharisee and called himself “a Hebrew of Hebrews” he relied heavily upon the Old Testament Scriptures to give authority to his Gospel message.(14) In Romans, Paul quotes the Old Testament approximately 57 times, which is more than he did in all of his other letters combined. Surely, if we are to fully understand the Gospel and the book of Romans, we need to have a grasp on the Old Testament Scriptures. We must also note that the word “Scriptures” is never used to mean oral communication; it always refers to what was written down and could be read and studied. And there is a truth here for us today: although preaching is a central task, the Scriptures themselves are where the power lies. Only to the degree that I stick to the Scriptures will I have power in my preaching. Likewise, if you want power in your life it will only come from reading, correctly interpreting, and applying the Word.

Finally, the who of the Gospel is revealed in 1:3: “concerning His Son.” The word “concerning” is the Greek word peri, from which we get our word perimeter. Since this means “fully around” the Lord Jesus is not just a part of the Gospel; He is the Gospel. He fully engulfs the good news of God. However, Paul also states that Jesus “was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh.” In this verse Paul is referring to Jesus’ human nature. Although Jesus physically descended from David on His mother’s side, He legally descended from David on His father’s side. Thus, He was legally qualified to be the King of Israel and spiritually qualified to be the Messiah.

Paul goes out of his way to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is: (1) God’s Son, the promised Messiah, spoken of by the Old Testament prophets (1:2) and (2) a man of flesh, like you and me, who was born of a descendant of David. The phrase “according to the flesh” suggests that Jesus was more than human; otherwise it would have been sufficient to say that He was a descendant of David. This truth is very important. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ has two natures, the human and the divine. His humanity is cleverly worded and sandwiched between two references to His being God’s “Son.” This passage in Romans is one of many which point to Jesus Christ being 100% God and 100% man. . .the God-man.

In 1:4, Paul writes that Jesus was “declared(15) the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.” The key phrase in this verse is “with power.” Although Jesus was obviously God’s Son before His resurrection from the dead, the resurrection event simply demonstrated the power of the Son. This truth is similar to what is stated in Matthew 28:18, where, after His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus, of course, had all authority prior to the resurrection but His eternal deity was powerfully manifested through His physical resurrection.

Now what does the phrase “according to the Spirit of holiness” mean? It means that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead (see Rom 8:11). Christ was raised in the same way that we will be raised by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. It is also important to note that Jesus Christ is called “our Lord.” Ten times in Romans, Paul uses the title “Jesus Christ our Lord”(16) or “our Lord Jesus Christ.”(17) Unfortunately, much confusion has arisen regarding the issue of lordship. Yet, it is relatively simple: When we trust in the Gospel message we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord-He is God. Whether our lives demonstrate His lordship or not, the truth remains: Jesus Christ is both Lord and Master. That fact remains unalterably true. We don’t make Jesus Christ “Lord”; He is Lord! Yet, as believers in Jesus Christ, we have the privilege of accepting Christ’s lordship in every area of our lives.

[We now transition from Paul’s message to…]

3. Paul’s Personal Mission (1:5). He begins by making sure he puts grace in its proper place. Paul first received grace on the Damascus Road and then later he experienced the call of God on his life to become an apostle to the Gentiles. Although Paul’s call was certainly unique when you read 1:5, put your calling in the place of the word “apostleship.” You might put, “Through Christ I have received grace and the teaching role, or grace and singing, or grace and studentship, or grace and singleness, or grace and widowhood, or grace and motherhood.”(18) In doing so, you will be declaring that God has given you the power to fulfill a calling.

Paul’s mission is to simply “bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles.” The expression “obedience of faith” means to believe the Gospel. Although Paul linked obedience and the Gospel in Romans 10:16, possibly the closest parallel is Romans 15:18-20. In this passage, Paul indicates that Christ has sent him “to make the Gentiles obedient” and so he concludes, “I have made it my aim to preach the Gospel.” Luke, John, and Peter also refer to faith as an act of obedience to God’s command to trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ.(19) Jesus called for people to believe in Him. Have you obeyed His command to believe the Gospel?

[Paul has identified his calling, his message, and his mission. Now we will see who are…]

4. Paul’s Readers (1:6-7). Verse 6 reads, “Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.” The addressees of this letter (the “you also”) are connected with “all the Gentiles” mentioned at the end of 1:5, indicating that the church at Rome was predominantly Gentile, i.e. non-Jewish.

Speaking to those Gentiles, Paul states in 1:7 that they are “beloved of God” reminding us that God so loves us that He demonstrated His own love for us while we were still sinners. What an amazing truth-we are loved of God. Continuing his thought Paul writes that we are “called as saints.” Four times in the first seven verses, the words “call” and “called” appear. So what does it mean to be “called?” To answer the question we must understand that there are two “callings” that God gives to the human race. The first is a “general call.” God calls everyone to receive the free gift of salvation. Unfortunately, the Scriptures teach us that human beings do not respond to this general call. Fortunately, however, God then sends a “special call” to those whom He has chosen in order to enable them to believe. Without God we would not be able to respond to the Gospel. God awakens our will enabling us to believe His Gospel.

In 1:7, Paul also calls these recipients of his grace “saints.” The words “saint,” “sanctify,” and “holiness” all refer to the same word group, which means “set apart” (cf. 1:1). Thus, a saint is a “holy one” or “set apart one.” Consequently, a saint is already set apart for God and in the process of being made holy in his Christian walk as he yields to the Holy Spirit. Paul wants for these saints, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

The word “grace” resembles the familiar Greek greeting which means “favor from me to you.” In a theological sense the word grace refers to God’s unmerited favor and gifts to humanity. The word itself is used 155 times in the New Testament-over 100 times by Paul, and almost 1/4 (24 times) of the total in Romans. We cannot understand this book if we don’t comprehend grace. Therefore, we must be certain that we understand that we are saved by grace and then are given grace to live the Christian life and fulfill our mission. The word “peace” is the typical greeting used in Jewish letters to refer to the wholeness and well being in all relationships. Paul will say much more about both grace and peace later in his letter. In a figurative sense grace and peace are twins, grace being the firstborn. Where grace abounds, peace thrives. Where grace is stunted, peace shrivels.

Today, can you honestly say that you have grace and peace? If not, you can. But you can’t have the grace and peace of 1:7 unless you first believe the Gospel. As we’ve seen, Romans is all about the Gospel and the focus of the Gospel is the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, nothing is more important today than you know who He is, without question, without doubt. Paul has already spelled it out for us. He’s the God-man. He is then, more than a carpenter, more than a teacher, and more than a giver of great moral instruction. Who is Jesus Christ? What do you say about Jesus? Who is He to you? Do you know that there is someone who loves you unconditionally? He loves you so much that He died for you. The apostle Paul called him “Jesus Christ our Lord.” Can you say that as well? Is He your Savior? What is your answer? How do you answer? Grace and peace can be yours today if you simply believe in Jesus.

1. It is interesting to note that the title “bond-servant” is only used by Paul in Philippians 1:1 and Titus 1:1. (back)

2. See Mark 10:43-45. (back)

3. The word “bond-servant” (doulos) is a more accurate translation than “slave.” The connotation of “slave” is often that of an unwilling person brought into subjection by another. Yet the word doulos often indicates one who willingly sells himself into slavery to another. (back)

4. It was used of Israel in general at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities such as Moses (Num 12:7), David (Ps 89:3), and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10). (back)

5. See Phil 3:15; Col 1:28. (back)

6. Again Paul uses a term steeped in OT meaning (see Isa 49:1; 51:2).(back)

7. See 2 Cor 8:23; Phil 2:25.(back)

8. While few believers experience a call as dramatic as Paul’s Damascus Road experience, God will specifically and individually direct every Christian who will yield his life to God. The realization of God’s call typically comes through: (1) a life totally committed to God (Rom 12:1-2), (2) the development of a deep desire for ministry (1 Tim. 3:1), (3) a crisis experience (Isa 6), (4) reading and meditating on God’s Word (Josh 1:8-9), and (5) a divine call (Acts 26:16-19; 13:1-3). While the above is particularly related to a ministry call, God says, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it” (Ps 37:4-5). As the prophet Jeremiah said, “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jer 10:23). Throughout the Bible, the writers of Scripture make it clear that if we seek God with our whole heart (Jer 29:11-13), He will reveal Himself and His will for our lives to us. In fact, we do not even have to “find” God’s will because if we are truly attempting to find God, His will for our individual lives will inevitably find us! (back)

9. Being “set apart” has in it the idea of consecration and total devotion to the service of God. It was used of the offering of the first fruits (Num 15:20) and God setting apart Israel as His special possession (Lev 20:26). (back)

10. Grk. aphorismenos, cf. Acts 13:2; Gal 1:15.(back)

11. This is an important truth. One of the great failures of Judaism was that the Jews considered themselves separated from everyone else. They considered themselves too good for the rest of the world, and retreated into their own closed circle. Yet, God did not intend for the Jews to be separated from, but separated for-separated for service (Gen 12:1-3; Isa 42:6; 43:10, 21; 44:23; 49:3, 6; 60:3; Ezek 28:25). (back)

12. The word “gospel” (euangelion) refers to God’s saving activity in Christ. (back)

13. cf. Acts 17:2; 24:14-15; 26:22-23; 28:23. (back)

14. E.g. Isa 49:5-7; 53:2-12; Luke 24:44-47; John 5:39-40; Acts 8:26-40.(back)

15. The word “declared” or “designated” (oristhentos) is used eight times in the NT, and it always has the meaning “to determine, appoint.” The reason for the additional strength in the translation is the translators are attempting to avoid the possible interpretation that Jesus was appointed the Son of God by the resurrection. (back)

16. See 1:4; 5:21; 6:23; 7:25; 8:39. (back)

17. See 5:1, 11; 15:6, 30; 16:24.(back)

18. This applicational idea came from a sermon by John Piper.(back)

19. The expression “obedience of faith” (eupakoen pisteos) is an extremely flexible Greek construction. The construction clearly links obedience and faith in some way, but the grammar does not nail down the particular connection. The three predominant views as to what this phrase means are: (1) Obedience of faith refers to salvific faith that is characterized by obedience. (2) Obedience of faith refers to obeying the teachings of the Scriptures. (3) Obedience of faith refers to believing the gospel. Since Paul only uses this exact phrase in one other equally vague place (16:26), we must determine the best solution based upon the context and other parallel passages.

The immediate context of 1:5 and 16:26 are of little help. But the overall context of the book of Romans helps us in selecting the best of the above three views. The book of Romans was written to help believers understand the gospel of God. Throughout the book, Paul asks numerous questions and presents several exhortations (6:1, 12; 12:1-2; 13:13), which contradict the first view that teaches saved people must produce lives that are characterized by obedience. Unfortunately, the above statement is not always a reality, as the rest of the Scriptures make clear (1 Cor 3:3, 15; 11:17-34; Jas 5:19-20; 1 John 5:16).

Paul linked obedience and the gospel elsewhere in Romans (10:16). But possibly the closest parallel is Romans 15:18-20. In this passage, Paul indicates that Christ has sent him to make the Gentiles obedient and so he concludes, “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel.” Elsewhere, Paul referred to unbelievers as “those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thess 1:8).

Other NT writers also refer to faith as an act of obedience to God’s command to trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ (e.g. John 3:36; 6:28-29; Acts 5:32; 6:7; 1 Pet 1:2, 22; 2:7-8; 4:17). Therefore, the many parallel passages in the NT confirm that obedience of faith specifically refers to obeying God’s command to believe the gospel.

Jesus called for people to believe in Him. Thus whenever anyone believes in Him, he is obeying Him. Saving faith is an act of obedience. The “obedience of faith” spoken of in 1:5 and 16:26 does not refer to obeying all that God has commanded. No one but the Lord Jesus has done that. If a person thought he had to obey all of God’s com