Castlebar Christian Fellowship

Cathal Duffy

Reading: Romans 1:1-17

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
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.
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.
6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

7To 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.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in (preaching) the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong-
12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am bound both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
Introduction:
Last weekend we looked at theses first verses of Paul's letter to the Romans. We saw that they were dominated with the topic of the gospel, which is often (and rightly so) translated with the words 'Good News'.
V1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-
He describes himself as "set apart for the gospel of God" Paul was totally devoted to this great message.
He was announcing the good news of God. Good News that has its origin in God and Good News that points us to God.
He tells us, in V2 that it's, the gospel (GOD) promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
It's not some new fangled, flash-in-the pan, fantasy. It's the fulfilment of God's promise from ages past. Not only is this Gospel in unbroken continuity with the prophets of old but it's centred in the most important person that ever walked on the face of this earth. You could in fact say the good news is a person.
VV1-3 It's the gospel of God; promised by God; regarding the Son of God. He is the Eternal Son of God, who took on human nature in its fullness without ceasing to be God. He was born into the line of King David from which the Messiah was expected to come.
The essential subject of the good news is, (v4)
'Jesus Christ our Lord'. He the Saviour, He is the promised Anointed One and he is the Lord. Master, Owner, Yahweh the LORD.
Paul knew that he was commissioned by God to proclaim this good news particularly to all the nations. (He was primarily the apostle to the Gentiles)
Not only did Paul know that this was the great gospel of God he was completely, Sold out on the Gospel.
V9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in (preaching) the gospel of his Son.
V14 I am bound both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. "The gospel is for all without distinction of nationality or cultural development." (Murray)
The central theme of the letter to the Romans is the meaning of the gospel. How God can take us out of our separation from Him and bring us into right standing with himself or as the New Living Translation puts it in verse 17, "This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight."

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This morning lets think about vv16 -17, which many people see as the main subject of this letter.
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.



V16. On first hearing these words "I am not ashamed of the Gospel", they sound like some sort of negative disclaimer.
However we've got to remember that the "good news" was not always welcomed. It in fact always, throughout history, has flourished most often in a hostile environment.
There was often a contempt expressed towards the gospel by the so called wise of this world. As Paul reminds us, For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1Corinthians 1:18.)
Paul was addressing believers in Rome, "the seat of world empire" and "the epitome of worldly power." (John Murray)
A word of caution however; some people when they say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel" may indeed not be ashamed but they sure sound aggressive or mean. They think somehow that they've given people the gospel when they've given them a good roastin'. Remember, gospel means good news. I know there are issues of bad news to be faced before the good news is genuinely embraced but nowhere in scripture do I see a requirement that we are to be mean and aggressive people if we're to get the job done!
I believe Paul is saying here that he is delighted with the 'good news'.
It could be that the expression, "I am not ashamed", is what's called Litotes : A figure of speech in which something is expressed and even emphasized by the negation of its opposite. E.g the expression 'not a few' could mean many or very many, or when Paul describes himself in Acts 21:39 as a "citizen of no mean city" he means the direct opposite. I come from an "important city".
"When he writes, 'I am not ashamed,' etc., he probably means, 'I am proud and overjoyed to receive the opportunity to preach the gospel.'" (Hendriksen.)
One version puts the verse this way, I am proud of the good news! (CEV). Another puts it like this. I have complete confidence in the gospel. (GNB)
In v15 he has already said I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
(The gospel) is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. As somebody put it, "The gospel is not advice to people, suggesting that they lift themselves. It is power. It lifts them up," (L. Morris)
This dynamic power has purpose and a goal. It is that we might know the reality of salvation in our lives.
What does it mean, 'Jesus Saves'? It used to be on bumper stickers (particularly in the States) and lapel pins long before the W.W.J.D. wristbands.
Bu what does salvation mean?

It can be summarised as follows, "NEGATIVELY, to rescue men from sin's: guilt, pollution, slavery and punishment (and that includes alienation from God, the wrath of God and everlasting death.) POSITIVELY it means, to bring men into the state of: righteousness, holiness, freedom and blessedness (and that blessedness includes fellowship with God' the love of God and everlasting life." "To be saved, then, means to be emancipated from the greatest evil, and to be placed in possession of the greatest good." (Hendriksen)
It's also important to remind ourselves that in scripture salvation has a threefold aspect. (Past - Present - Future)
At the cross of Calvary, I have been saved from the penalty and punishment of sin. In the present days of my life I am being saved from the power of sin. Finally I will be saved from the presence of sin when I leave the scenes of time and be with God forever

Implicit in the gospel message is the declaration that all is not well with the world and all is not well with us. Whatever alternative is proposed as the answer to our problems it does not necessarily bring about any lasting or real fundamental change in us. People have long thought that change of social environment, change of government, change of employment, change of diet, change of spouse are the answer or that education is mans deepest need. Whilst many of those things have their merits they don't address the deepest issues of our lives. It's not a case of a few minor adjustments and we'll be O.K. We need a major overhaul. God's word for it is SALVATION.


v17 What do you make of v17? The more literal translation feels like a real downer after the glorious heights of v16. It reads "For in It (the good news) the righteousness of God is revealed Etc.

J.B.Phillips reminds us that God is The God of righteousness, i.e. moral perfection. He penned these words nearly fifty years ago and I quote, "In these days when the majority of people assume God to be a vague easy going Benevolence it is difficult to appreciate the force of Paul's problem, or the wonder of its solution. If we are prepared to grant the absolute moral perfection of God, eternally aflame with positive goodness, truth and beauty, we can perhaps understand that any form of sin or evil cannot approach God without instant dissolution. This is as inevitable as, for example, the destruction of certain germs by the light of the sun. How then, asks Paul, can man who has failed and, moreover, sinned deliberately, ever approach God or hope to share in his timeless existence?- end quote.
Paul's letter to the Romans explores mans failed attempts to solve the dilemma but also declares Gods answer for humanity through the good news of Jesus.

What does Paul mean by this reference to the 'righteousness of God' in the context of good news?
It has been pointed out, "By the righteousness of God Paul may have meant that quality or attribute of God whereby He reveals Himself to be right or righteous and humans sinful. But, as Luther argued, this could hardly be 'good news.' Or it could mean the righteousness that God requires of me. But again, how is this good news to me a sinner?" (JOHNSON)

God is right, but how can I be right? If feeling right makes you right well then we all know that we don't always feel right.
If doing right makes us right then when do we know we have done enough right and what if on top of that we don't feel that we've done right? Or were not really sure if what we've done is in fact right.
If thinking right makes us right then we know that we don't always think right.
If knowledge makes us right then we all know that the more we know the more we realise we don't know.
Of ourselves we can never be right. As the fellow says "Are you all right?" - "No I'm half left!"
If we can recognise that lack of rightness in our selves then it makes some sort of start until we realise we're not right with God. There was a book out a number of years ago entitled "I'm O.K. You're O.K." One reader asked the author, "If I'm O.K. and you're O.K. why do I have to make sure that I lock my car when I park it in the parking lot?"

Simple fact is, I'm not O.K. and you're not O.K. (Romans 3:10 There is no-one righteous, not even one) The answer for our most basic dilemma is not found in ourselves. It's not sourced in anything or anybody in this world. The answer can only be found in God. And the GOOD NEWS is that God has provided an answer to our deepest dilemma by sending us his Son.

In v16 Paul has referred to the goal of the gospel as salvation and now he portrays the substance of the gospel as the righteousness of God.
Our understanding is helped when we realise the fact that often in the Old Testament righteousness and salvation are viewed as virtually synonymous. They are seen as one and the same thing.
E.g. Isaiah 51:5-8 My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. 6…. But my salvation will last for ever, my righteousness will never fail.
8…. But my righteousness will last for ever, my salvation through all generations. (And many other passages e.g.)

Isaiah 61:10. I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he (GOD) has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.
Isaiah talks elsewhere in contrast to the robe of righteousness that God gives us about the fact that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags Isaiah 64:6
Our own righteousness will never do. The best that we can present is tainted by sin and self.
The NIV renders this verse in Romans 1:17, "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
William Hendriksen reminds us, "That this position is correct becomes clear when Paul is allowed to be his own interpreter."
Look at for example Paul's words in Philippians 3:8-9 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
Paul is not referring to a righteousness that is humanly achieved. He is referring to something that is to be received from God, "the gift of righteousness".(Romans 5:17)
We are called to believe and receive. This righteousness is not sourced in us. God is the author of it. He grants it totally to the person who has a saving trust in Christ. This is solely by faith from start to finish. And as were reminded elsewhere we cannot even take any credit for faith because that too is his gift to us. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
At the very centre of the Gospel we see the Cross where Jesus died in our place and took the penalty for all our sins. The apostle Peter reminds us; "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." 1Peter 3:18
We're told by the apostle Paul of the great exchange that took place there.
"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to become sin itself, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Though he was without sin He took all our sin upon himself. It's as if he became sin personified and in turn he gave us his righteousness.
"so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
We are in Christ. "When (God) looks at me, he sees not what I used to be, he sees Jesus."

When we turn to him in faith we receive. What do we mean by faith in this instance? Surely what we mean is that we are agreeing with God. It means we believe in his good news. It means that we are trusting in and relying on Jesus and all that he has done on our behalf. As somebody put it,"God does not first ask men to behave but to believe." (John MacArthur)

We're saying to him I cannot do this. You must do it. Aren't those words from the old hymn great?
Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee


Conclusion:

What great Good news from God concerning his Son promised from ancient times and revealed at Calvary. Do you believe the good news? Have you received it? Do you know today that He is your righteousness? Are you saved?
The good news for you today is that you can be! Jesus has done all for our salvation. It might start for you today with those few simple words "Lord be merciful to me a sinner."

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