Village Schools of the Bible

ROMANS: Heart & Soul of the Gospel
A Devotional Study of Romans
by Max Frazier, Jr.

ROMANS 1:1-7 STUDY NOTES:

1. PAUL stands alone. When the essentials in doctrines and directions are being laid down, no one is associated with the apostle in the authority given to him. (see Acts 9:15 and Acts 26:16-20)
2. SERVANT (NIV), BONDSERVANT (NASB) - lowest position in Greek society, but Christian thought raised it to a place of honor. Paul was a bondservant before becoming an apostle. (Note: Acts 9:5 - "who art thou, Lord?" and Acts 9:6 - "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Also, Acts 22:8 and 10 and Acts 26:15, with verses 16-18 being his calling as an apostle.)
3. CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE - designated and set apart by an action of God to some special sphere and manner of being and of consequent activity. Paul was called of God, not appointed by men.
4. SET APART - the Greek word means "to mark off from a boundary or a line." It is in the perfect passive participle that denotes a complete separation done to Paul by another, namely God. Paul was separated unto God's good news (Galatians 1:15). Others who were separated unto God included: Moses (Acts 7:20), John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-17), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Samson (Judges 13:3-5), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). The sovereignty of God is thus seen at the very beginning of this great epistle.
5. GOSPEL - two truths. First, it is God's good news. It never loses its divinity. It is always God's message of salvation to men. Second, it was promised through His prophets in holy Scripture (Romans 3:21). It was witnessed by the law, in that it provided sacrifices and a way of forgiveness for those who failed in its observance. It was witnessed by the prophets (Isaiah 53:11, Jeremiah 23:6 and Jeremiah 33:16, and Habakkuk 2:4). In the Old Testament the gospel is promised. In the New Testament, the gospel is fulfilled.

VERSE THREE:

1. REGARDING HIS SON - Paul names four things specifically in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 about this Son: He died for our sins according to the Scriptures; He was buried; He was raised the third day according to the Scriptures; He appeared to various witnesses.
2. WHO AS TO HIS HUMAN NATURE - refers to human nature (John 1:14; Romans 9:5; Ephesians 2:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 5:7; Romans 10:20; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 4:1; 1 John 4:1; 2 John 7)
3. A DESCENDANT OF DAVID - Christ is the: 1) Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) to bruise Satan; 2) the Seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16) to bring in salvation for the whole household of faith; and 3) the Seed of David to fulfill the Messianic promises to Israel.

VERSE FOUR:

1. WAS DECLARED - better translated, "determine, appoint, ordain." Jesus was marked off to be the Son of God with power.
2. JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD - 1) Jesus - His personal name as Savior (Matthew 1:21); 2) Christ - God's anointed one to do all things for us; and 3) Lord - His high place over us all for whom His work was done.

VERSE SIX:

1. CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST - compare with John 15:16.

VERSE SEVEN:

1. LOVED BY GOD - denotes the intimacy and tenderness of the love of God. While God loved the whole world, it is the saints who are called the "loved of God." a man loves his neighbors, but his wife and children are "his beloved." (see John 1:12; 1 John 3:1,2,21; 1 John 4:1,7,11)
2. CALLED TO BE SAINTS - we are saints. A saint is set apart for God's service.
3. GRACE AND PEACE - God is the Source of both and Jesus Christ is the channel and sphere of divine blessing.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS:

A key word in this passage is "call." In verse one we read that Paul was called an apostle. In verse 7, his readers are called saints. Moreover, in verse 6 those same readers are said to have been called of Jesus Christ. A couple thoughts struck me as I read these verses. First, unfortunately in the modern English versions, in both verses 1 and 7, the verb "to be" has been added, making it read: Paul, called to be an apostle, and called to be saints. This addition makes it seem that apostleship or sainthood is an end result of a process. Jesus, when He called Paul while he traveled the road to Damascus, did not say to him, "Paul, someday you will be an apostle. It is a long journey, but hang in there because you will succeed." The fact of Paul's apostleship began at that very moment. From that point onward, he could say that he was called an apostle. In verse 7, what happens when we add the words "to be" thus making the text read, "called to be saints?" It makes it sound as if sainthood is an honor that we must strive to earn. It is a process or a journey. But that is not what the Scriptures teach. Sainthood is not an honor to be conferred by another, but is a blessing already bestowed upon us. When I came to know Jesus as my Savior, I was called a saint. Now I did not act very saintly at that time, nor at many times since that decision back in June of 1956. But my actions do not negate that I am a saint. We all know what a bunch of rascals that congregation at Corinth was, but have you ever noticed that Paul called them saints? You will find that in First Corinthians 1:2. I am no more of a saint now than I was when I was saved the June night so many years ago. So, as I write these words, I can greet each of you as a saint. Now, go polish your halos. Just kidding.

The second thought that struck me was this: it is God who does the calling. I believe this truth is borne out in verse 6 where Paul states that his readers in Rome were among those called to belong to Jesus Christ. It is God who does the calling. I am reminded of those words of Jesus found in John 15:16 - "You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last." I am so thankful for God's calling to salvation. I never cease to be amazed as to why God selected me. It is one of those blessings that David, in Psalm 103, never wants to forget. And neither do I.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AS YOU READ THESE VERSES:

1. Why does Paul refer to himself first as a bondservant of Christ and then as an apostle?
2. Relate this to Acts 22:8-10 and note Paul's two questions.
3. Can a person be an apostle without being a bondservant? Why or why not?
4. How can we train people to become bondservants?

Return to the Table of Contents Romans 1:8-17