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:
Paul's letter to the Romans has been the one of the most influential bible writings in church history. Augustine relates, as part of his testimony, that the turning point in his life was a short reading from it. Luther the great reformer was transformed by his understanding of it. John Wesley likewise traces his Christian conversion to an understanding of its key teachings.

Paul wrote this warm and amazing letter, around AD 57, to ordinary Christians living in first century Rome, a city that he had not yet visited. Most of the recipients were not known to him. It would seem that the make up of the church in Rome was mostly a Gentile background but also well represented by believers from a Jewish background.
One writer reminds us, "The epistle to the Romans is the one letter that was not written to deal with a particular local need. Paul wrote this letter in anticipation of an expected visit to Rome (Rom. 15:22-33), and it is the nearest thing we have to a balanced statement of his message. However, it is clearly not a complete outline, but only the core of his gospel." (George Eldon Ladd)

What is it basically about you might ask and that's a good question to start with.
It covers many subjects yet it does have 'a central topic'. Its central theme 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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It starts off with the structure of a typical first century letter, with Christian variations. It begins with the name of the sender. In this case Paul. (And his life is a major study in itself.) It continues with a greeting. It ends the greeting with the addressees, namely the Roman's. And it offers a brief prayer of blessing for the recipients.

V1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-

Paul stands in line with all the servants of Yahweh in the past and he writes as one who has the authority of an ambassador commissioned by God.
I was taken, as I read it again, with all the references to the gospel. He describes himself as "set apart for the gospel of God" Paul was totally devoted to the,

The Great Gospel of God:

We're told that "Paul's word for gospel, yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on , should be translated 'good news' to bring out its full sense. ('good news' i.e., something good has happened)" (Alan F. Johnson)
"The word has connections to the Old Testament, where it means either to announce good news, especially of victory or to announce the inbreaking of God's reign, the advent of His salvation, vengeance, or vindication. There are connections also to the pagan world, where the word was used of the emperor-cult to announce such events as the birth of an heir, his coming of age and his accession."
In contrast to the pagan world, Paul is announcing the good news of God. Good News that has its origin in God and Good News that points us to God.
As Isaiah reminds us,

You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!" Isaiah 40:9.

Paul goes on to tell us that its
V2 the gospel (GOD) promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. Though the gospel is good and its news, it's not new. (Not in any novel sense anyhow!) When a person begins to understand it for the first time its comes with newness and freshness but Paul reminds us in these words that it is in complete harmony and continuity with what all the prophets have spoken before as recorded 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. Notice too how Paul has such a high regard for scripture. He would have known of many different writings in that first century world and he was able to quote them if he considered it needful. However for him the scriptures were the Holy Scriptures. They were set apart. They were unique and carried authority because they were the very God-breathed word. And as D.L. Moody reminds us "The scriptures are given not to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives."
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
It's important that we have the Bibles perspective on who Jesus is and what he did or otherwise the gospel could not be truly good news. It would just be the greatest hoax the world has ever known.
We're told in v3 its all about his (God's) Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David.
Note: Paul would not have to say "who as to his human nature" if that was all there was to him. But in fact there is more to Jesus than human nature. 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. He was evidently a man in every sense of the word. (Except for sin, as we're reminded in several places in scripture.)
Not only was he the son of David, but he "was declared with power to be the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead"
The pre-existent Son of God became incarnate and lived within the confines of this world. He died but rose again and was reinstated to his former glory.
The essential subject of the good news is, (v4)
'Jesus Christ our Lord'. He is Jesus the Saviour -that man of Calvary, He is the promised Anointed One - Messiah 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)
There's an unusual phrase in V5. Paul saw his gospel mandate as including the directive, "to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith."
One bible scholar points out, "Faith is regarded as an act of obedience, of commitment to the gospel of Christ." (John Murray)
This is a wholehearted response to Jesus when he says follow me.

Hendriksen say regarding this phrase, "Such obedience is based on faith and springs from faith. In fact, so very closely are faith and obedience connected that they may be compared to inseparable identical twins. When you see the one you see the other. A person cannot have genuine faith without having obedience, nor vice versa." William Hendriksen

As I thought about this verse the Great Commission came to my mind. Matthew 28:19-20. "To go and make disciples of all nations."




Maybe it's a bit of a cliché but still it's true we're not called to make decisions but we're called to make disciples.

(This letter is to all in Rome and it's for you and me.)

V7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
loved by God Paul is telling them what you and I need to hear regularly. "God loves you dearly, and has called you to be his very own people." (NLT)
"called to be saints"
Some see this as an inadequate translation. Paul we're told is not pointing out a future goal to be attained i.e. sainthood. He is declaring that that is what they are now by virtue of God's grace. It's always in the plural in the New Testament never in the singular. It refers to all of God's people. All who are 'in Christ'.
Somebody put it, "Saints by virtue of having been called." (Hendriksen)
No doubt this is true but there is no room for complacency. There is also a sense in which we are daily called to live as a saint should. One lady awhile back, annoyed in a conversation we were having, declared that that she was neither a saint nor a sinner. I was impressed momentarily by her statement, perhaps because of the passion with which she stated it. However my understanding in the light of scripture is that the Christian is both a saint and a sinner while he lives on this earth. Jesus does take us as we are, for we can come no other way. But it's also true that he loves us too much to leave us as we are.
V7 Grace and peace to you. We're told that the Greek word for grace here (charis) is in the same family as the word for joy.(chara) Leon Morris points out, "In a Christian context nothing brings joy like that great, inexplicable saving act of God in Christ in which he freely brings about our salvation without any contribution from our side."
Peace of course is the equivalent to the great Hebrew Greeting, shalom. (Health, prosperity, peace, favour, rest, safety, welfare.)
Because of His grace we can know peace.
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, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times;
More literally the text reads, "God… whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son." (ESV). We're not told that the particular service at this point is preaching. In context it seems to be more linked to praying. (The NIV has supplied the word [preaching] at this point. That is more explicit in V15 I am so eager to preach the gospel).
The idea of worship is contained in the phrase, "God… whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son." It has also been rendered. And God, whom I so love to worship and serve by spreading the good news of his Son (Eugene Peterson)
As one writer puts it, "The gospel is central to the living out of the Christian life as Paul sees it; really to understand the gospel and accept it means a change in one's whole life." (Leon Morris)

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)

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 flourished most often in a hostile environment.
There was often a contempt expressed towards the gospel by the so called wise of this world.1Corinthians 1:18. 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.
Paul was addressing believers in Rome, "the seat of world empire" and "the epitome of worldly power." (John Murray)
Some people when they say, "I am not ashamed" may indeed not be but they sure sound aggressive.
Paul is delighted with the 'good news'. He has the fullest confidence in it.
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).
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 and lapel pins long before the W.W.J.D. wristbands.


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)

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 goes on to say, "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 if 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 by 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.
Part of the answer lies in the fact that often in the Old Testament righteousness and salvation are viewed as virtually synonymous.
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.)
The NIV renders it, "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."
(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.
At the very centre of the Gospel we see the Cross of Christ. 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.
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. 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?