Romans 1:1-7

Romans 1:1-7

1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and 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. 5Through 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. 6And 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.(NIV)

Verse 1: "servant" - the original word for this is most accurately translated as bondslave. This word has significance for us, not just Paul…..(1 Cor 6:19-20, Gal 1:10)

Discussion Question #1: Is a “bondslave” an image that easily comes to your mind when you think of yourself as a Christian? Why or why not?

Verse 1: "apostle" - this word means "sent one" - a crucial role for one to fill during the age immediately following our Lord's death and resurrection. We have benefited immensely because of the ones who fulfilled this role - (Jn 14:25-26; Eph 2:19,20)

Verse 2: the "gospel of God" is promised in the Old Testament.
(John 5:39-41, Lk 24:27)


Discussion Question #2:How do the passages below give a "preview" of the gospel of Christ?
Gen 3:15
Ps 130:7-8
Isaiah 1:18
Isaiah 53:5-6, 10-12

Verses 3-4: Reveals 4 facts about Jesus Christ:
a) He was a man; b) He was the Son of David; c) He rose from the dead ; d) by rising from the dead He was revealed to be the "Son of God-with-power".

Discussion Question #3: What would you say to someone who exclaims, “Who cares whether or not Jesus truly rose from the dead, as long as he lives in people’s hearts”?
Verse 5: "we received grace and apostleship to call people…."
Significance of this statement: God's grace enables us as well as saves us.
(Rom 15:18, 1 Cor 4:7; 15:10; Titus 2:11-12; Rom 8:32)

Verse 5: actually, the Greek expression is "the obedience of faith" - NIV gets it wrong.

2 typical interpretations: a) faith eventually gives way to obedience
b) faith and obedience are synonymous

According to some Romans commentators (including Moo and Schreiner), neither of these phrases gets it quite right - the meaning is ambiguous, but Paul is likely insinuating that trust in Christ and obedience to Him are two sides of the same coin (John 15:14; James 2:14-26; 1 Jn 5:3)

Verse 7: "Grace and peace to you" - always a greeting at the beginning of Paul's letters, and to be contrasted with a statement he makes at the end of his letters - "grace with you" (Rom 16:20)
Why the difference?

John Piper speculates: Grace to you means the grace they are to receive through reading the New Testament writings (Peter seems to affirm this in 1 Peter 5:12)

Grace with you is the grace God will give them to joyfully persevere in their faith once they have finished the letter and face this world again.

For more on this, read this sermon by Piper.

Discussion Question #4: If Piper is correct, what encouragement and comfort do these statements of Paul's give you?
Next Passage : Romans 1:8-15
To prepare for the next study, please read the above passage as well as the following:

Eph 1:15-19
Eph 3:14-19
Col 1:9-12
Php 1:9-11
1 Th 3:10
2 Th 1:11-12
Heb 3:12-13
Heb 10:24-25


Next: Romans 1:8-15