Letter to the Romans -- Chapter 1

Paul begins his letter to the Romans by identifying himself: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). Paul is first and foremost a servant of Jesus Christ. He however has been given the special call by Christ to be an apostle that is to bring the gospel of God to the world. He continues to elaborate on what he means when he says “the gospel” of God: “The gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 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” (Romans 1:2-4). Once and for all Paul sets down the basic foundation of what the term “gospel” means. It is the proclamation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the Son of God, as foretold by the prophets of the Scriptures. Jesus Christ was born of a woman; He was a real man thru and thru. However, in His resurrection from the dead, men came to see that He was not the simple human being they once thought. Thru the resurrection He declared that He was far more than just another man, He was in fact God Himself, the very Messiah foretold by the prophets for thousands of years. Therefore the gospel declares the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Scriptures in Jesus Christ. He is the Immanuel (“God with us”) (Isaiah 7:14), the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), the Root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), the Key of David (Isaiah 22:22), the Righteous One (Isaiah 24:16), the Anointed One of God (the “Christ”) (Isaiah 45:1), the suffering Servant (Isaiah 53:11), and He is in fact Yahweh our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). In short, the “gospel” is all about Jesus Christ of Nazareth who was born of a woman in Bethlehem, crucified outside of Jerusalem, and raised from the dead so that all men might live.

Paul continues by telling his purpose for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ: “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. And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:5-6). Thru Jesus Christ and for His sake (meaning it has nothing to do with man) Paul received grace and was appointed to call the Gentiles to obedience. He proclaims the gospel, because thru the gospel men are called to follow Jesus Christ. This obedience though is an obedience that flows from faith, faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Immediately we may ask: Is this call for me? How am I supposed to know if it is for me? Paul cuts us short though and tells us flat out: you are among those who are called. If you are hearing or reading Paul’s words then you (you!) are the target of the call of Jesus Christ.

Having established the gospel and who it is calling, Paul specifically greets those at the church in Rome: “To 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” (Romans 1:7). This introduction of Paul’s is the staple of almost every letter he wrote. He always reaches out to his audience in the grace and peace that comes from God our Father thru Jesus Christ. Paul realizes that he cannot get to his audience except thru the mediation of Jesus Christ. It is only thru His blood that the link and bond between human beings is restored. After coming to his audience by means of Jesus Christ Paul continues on by demonstrating the first two things we should do to serve our fellow man: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 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 time” (Romans 1:8-10). Thanksgiving to God is our first act of service towards our fellow man. We should thank God for the gift of their life and if they are a believer, praise Him for their faith that He has created in them. After this thanksgiving it is our duty to continue in intercessory prayer on the behalf of our neighbors and enemies alike. Even when it seems like we are helpless to aid and serve our fellow man we should always remember that the greatest thing we can ever do for them is to go to God our Father in Jesus Christ’s name on their behalf. Our prayers have a powerful promise in Christ Jesus, so we must take advantage of that in order to serve those who are placed in our life.

Paul voices his current prayer, that he might be able to come and visit those in Rome: “And I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 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. I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome” (Romans 1:10-15). Paul desires to share in a bodily fellowship with his brothers in Christ at Rome. Even though they are already joined in the community of saints in Jesus Christ, he also wishes to be with them in the body, in person. Thru that presence Paul wishes to bless them spiritually, growing their faith thru their shared fellowship and communion. Therefore we also should not be ashamed when we desire to be with our family, friends, and fellow believers in person. We are bodily creatures and Jesus Christ Himself came to mankind in the body, and continues to come to us bodily in the Lord’s Supper. We are not spirits trapped in a body. We are human beings who are spirit and body in one unity. To be a human being is to be a united body and spirit. Therefore let us embrace the awesome blessing when God allows us to have fellowship with our fellow man in person and not across the impersonal distance of phone, email, and internet. Thru this personal fellowship Paul wishes to bring Jesus Christ to those at Rome in person. His mission is to all men; Greek, Jew, male, female, wise, foolish, rich, poor, none of it makes any difference. We are all fallen, wicked, and sinful human beings who need Jesus Christ in a most desperate way.

Paul continues: “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’” (Romans 1:16-17). Here Paul further elaborates on the “gospel” and discusses two of its key features and attributes. The first is that the gospel is the “power of God for salvation.” The gospel is not just generic news or information, it is in fact the Word of God that is able to break down bars of steel and iron, transforming and changing the hearts of men, bringing them into the salvation of Jesus Christ. The second quality that Paul stresses is the fact that the gospel declares “a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.” The gospel declares that God has made us righteous in Christ Jesus and that this righteousness He appropriates to us thru faith. The righteous of God will live by faith, because it is by simple faith that they trust in the work of Jesus Christ given for them in the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection.

After his personal greeting and his introduction to the concept of the gospel, Paul starts the bulk of his letter in the fashion that all preachers of the Word must: he starts with proclaiming God’s law and His subsequent wrath against the sins of mankind. Here in these first words of his letter Paul goes on to address a question that has plagued all believers and followers of the one God throughout all ages: How can God be angry at and punish the people of the world (the pagans) who have never known Him or His Son? “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20). With these words Paul once and for all declares that all men are without excuse. In plain words we are told that God has made Himself known thru His creation to all men and that the rejection of God comes not from ignorance or lack of knowledge but from hardened and wicked hearts that eagerly embrace wickedness over the truth of the one God.

Because we are the creatures and creation of God we all have a natural knowledge of God instilled within us (Do we think it is a mere coincidence that 95% of the world believes in the existence of God while the other 5% merely refuse to acknowledge this to themselves?). Being made and formed by His hand we all carry the stamp of His work and are without excuse before Him no matter the arguments we cleverly devise. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (Romans 1:21-23). Although men knew God thru His creation and their natural knowledge of Him they were not satisfied with the invisible, immortal God and decided to exchange Him for gods of their own devising, gods that they could see and touch. In his foolishness man worships the creations of his own hands, creations that have no power to save and no power to bring happiness. The prophet Isaiah spoke very vividly of this: “All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame…He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. It is man's fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, ‘Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.’ From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, ‘Save me; you are my god.’ They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, ‘Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?’ He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, ‘Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?’” (Isaiah 44:14-20). In our hardened ignorance we must not think that in our modern world we are any different. Though we may not pray to little wooden statues we still put our trust and faith into the creations of our own hands. We worship other men (celebrities, athletes, etc.), we worship our own creations (TV, movies, music, houses, money, organizations, etc.), and we even worship our own flesh and selves as we look to fulfill every craving of our bodies and emotions as fast as possible. Even though our idolatry may seem to ourselves to be more “sophisticated” than thousands of years ago, it is still no better at its core; we both turn from the living God to worship the empty things of this life.

In response to our utter rejection of Him, God has given all mankind over into slavery to the lusts and desires of our evil hearts. Because we failed to acknowledge our Creator and wanted nothing to do with His truth, we have been left to wallow in our sinfulness. “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:24-25). In our sin we no longer serve our Creator, who has given us every blessing, we serve only the desires and urges of our flesh, attempting to find purpose and happiness in our sexual impurity and immorality. But in this we are nothing more than helpless slaves.

Paul goes on to elaborate upon the wickedness that we have all entrenched ourselves within: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:26-32). Senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless; this is what we have become and what we are. Though we naturally have knowledge of God and know God’s righteous decree against this wickedness deep in our conscience and hearts, we continue to sin, loving every moment of it and joyfully approving of men who do. Our wickedness has become so great that it blinds us to the reality of our situation. Therefore we blindly pile up God’s wrath against our wicked hearts. Even hundreds of years before Paul, Isaiah declared the wrath of God towards all men of all nations because of this utter wickedness: “Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it! Yahweh is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will send up a stench; the mountains will be soaked with their blood” (Isaiah 34:1-3). The wrath of God is justly and rightly piled up against us and the wickedness we bathe in. This wrath is very real and is truly the one and only thing that is worth fearing in this life. “Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath” (Jeremiah 10:10). “Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you” (Psalm 90:11). “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Before this wrath how can we stand? In the face of this judgment how can we present our lives, deeds, and hearts that are nothing but wickedness and selfish filth? Indeed we cannot stand, we are helpless in our slavery to sin; we need something, someone to desperately rescue and save us from ourselves.