... through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,  Romans 1:5 

Romans 1:1–7 – Romans: The Righteousness of God
Baptism of Our Lord (Observed)   – January 15, 2023 (am)

After teasing others last Sunday for moving too slowly through Rom., the first move I’ve made is to slow down! Rather than covering the whole Introduction this week (1-17), I decided on Friday to do only the personal Greeting (1-7). There are just such deep theological affirmations and clarifications of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ here that I didn’t want to rush through them or return to them. Let’s look into this text and appreciate the rich luster of what Paul is communicating from his opening words written to these brothers and sisters he’s never met. I see five parts just in his opening Greeting.

The Apostle – 1

Paul’s letters are a bit of an anomaly in the ancient world, being far longer than typical letters from that day (Moo 2018 38) and, especially here in Rom., his longest, greatly extending the opening. Typically, those would’ve just read: from me to you, greetings (Moo 2018 38). But here Paul takes six verses to say: from me! Surely this is due to the fact that he hadn’t met this church prior, and he wanted them to know how he perceived himself and his calling. Almost certainly they were familiar with Saul of Tarsus, persecutor of the church, who’d become the apostle Paul, preacher of the gospel to the Gentiles, through Jesus’ interruption and redirection of his life! (Act.9:1-19)

He considered himself as simply a servant of Christ Jesus (1), a slave, totally devoted to and at the disposal of his Lord (Moo 2018 39). And his unique service involved being 1 … called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. This is why he could say: 1Co.9:16 … Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! This was his calling, his unique and undeniable purpose in life!

The Gospel – 2

And the gospel he preached was 1 … the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. It wasn’t new or designed on the fly. This word itself comes out of the OT in passage like Isa.52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings the good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” God’s people have been looking forward to this [good news], the gospel, for a long time! Now Paul is preaching the fulfillment of God’s faithful promise.

The Savior – 3-4

The focal Point of this preaching is 3 … [God’s] Son, who is descended from David according to the flesh. This seems to be a clear reference to the fact that Jesus is the long-anticipated Messiah, born into the physical line of David (2Sa.7:16), just as OT Scripture promised in so many places and ways.

But Jesus Christ our Lord was more than this! He 4 [also] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead…. Glorious as this statement is, it can also be confusing to us. It can make it sound like Jesus wasn’t considered to be the Son of God until after his resurrection from the dead. And some want to make that point! So, what do we do about that? How are we supposed to hear this? It’s like that passage in Psa.2:7 …The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Really? Today?

Pastor Nick did a nice job in our Advent series helping us see how this language in Psa.2 was used to celebrate the ascension to the throne of each successive king in Israel. But it was also spoken ultimately of the promised Messiah, the Son of David and the unique Son of God.

Vv.3-4 here are laid out as parallel expressions making it possible that they were some early hymn or theological formula (Moo 2018 43). But also, notice first here that it is his Son (3) Who is declared to be the Son of God in power (4). So, it’s not like He wasn’t always, eternally, the Son! But He was also now declared to be the Son in some new and powerful way through His death and resurrection—through the salvation that He has delivered in His flesh.

By virtue of his obedience to the will of the Father (e.g., Phi.2:6-11) and because of the [end times] revelation of God’s saving power in the gospel (1:1, 16), the Son attains a new, exalted status as “Lord” (4b). Son of God from eternity, he becomes Son of God “in power,” “able to save completely those who come to God through him” (Heb.7:25). The transition from v.3 to v.4, then, is not a transition from a human messiah to a divine Son of God (adoptionism) but from the Son as Messiah to the Son as both Messiah and powerful, reigning Lord (Moo 2018 47).

Then this final description, according to the Spirit of holiness (4), stands in contrast to according to the flesh (3). We talked on Christmas Day (Rom.5:18) about the two realms of this world—the realm of the death, sin, and the flesh inherited through Adam, and the realm of life, righteousness, and Spirit inherited through Christ (cf. 5:12-21). I believe Paul is introducing this very contrast right here in his opening Greeting through his contrasting but complementary descriptions of Jesus. In Jesus’ earthly life (his life in “the realm of the flesh”), he was the Davidic seed, the Messiah. But while true and valuable, this does not tell the whole story. For Christians, Jesus is also, in “the realm of the Spirit,” the powerful, life-giving Son of God. In Christ the new era of redemptive history has begun, and in this new stage of God’s plan Jesus reigns as Son of God, powerfully active to bring salvation to all who believe (1:16) (Moo 2018 48).

The Aim – 5

So, what does that salvation look like? What does this historic gospel Paul is called to preach accomplish in those who receive it? It’s defining characteristic in them is this obedience of faith (5, 16:26), a description that brackets this letter as the practical outcome, the proving fruit of the grace and apostleship Paul has received through (5) Jesus Christ our Lord (4).

So, what does it mean, the obedience of faith? It’s more than just an obedience that’s born of or motivated by faith, as though it’s describing the Christian life of obedience that follows a profession of faith. But that surely happens. And it’s also more than just obedience that’s defined as faith, as though we can speak of obedience simply as a walk of faith. Although there’s nothing wrong with that statement as such. Still, I believe the obedience of faith is describing more than either of these. Rather, we understand the words “obedience” and “faith” to be mutually interpreting: obedience always involves faith, and faith always 51 involves obedience. However, this does not mean that the two terms should be equated, or that their [definitions] overlap…. Paul maintains a [distinction in definition] between faith… and obedience, or “works”…. Faith and obedience should not be equated, compartmentalized, or made into separate stages of Christian experience. Paul called men and women to a faith that was always inseparable from obedience—for the Savior in whom we believe is nothing less than our Lord—and to an obedience that could never be divorced from faith—for we can obey Jesus as Lord only when we have given ourselves to him in faith. As Karl Barth puts it, “Faith is not obedience, but as obedience is not obedience without faith, and faith is not faith without obedience. They belong together, as do thunder and lightning in a thunderstorm.” Viewed in this light, the phrase, the obedience of faith, captures the full dimension of Paul’s apostolic task, a task that was not confined to initial evangelization but that included also the building up and firm establishment of churches (Moo 2018 50-51).

And this task extended to all the nations (5), not meaning that Paul would visit every single nation, but that He was called to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, beyond the Jews.

The Audience – 6-7

7 … Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ was being extended into the very recognized capital of the nations through Paul—7 to all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. So, no mistaking, God had people in this city identified to be recipients of His grace (hesed) and peace (shalom)!

Conclusion

And that grace and peace from God has continued advancing through the nations ever since, producing the obedience of faith! That’s how you can tell where the true gospel has taken root: it brings about the obedience of faith for the sake of [Jesus’] name (5). That’s the visible, observable, relational manifestation of God’s grace and peace among us, His hesed and shalom. Do you see them in our relationships here, our care for one another, our welcome of strangers, our passion for the gospel and the truth of God’s Word? I do! And I praise God for every sight of them! This is a supernatural work that only God can achieve; does it bring joy to your heart to see it among us?

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Resources

Arnold, Clinton E., gen. ed. 2002. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. Vol. 3, Romans-Philemon. Romans, by Douglas J. Moo, 2-95. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Barnhouse, Donald Gray. 1952. Romans, four volumes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans

Beale, G. K., & D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Romans, by Mark A. Seifrid, 607-694. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Carson, D. A., R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Romans, by Douglas J. Moo, 1115-1160. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Chadwick, Henry, gen. ed. 1957. Harper’s New Testament Commentaries. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, by C. K. Barrett. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.

Comfort, Philip W., gen. ed.  2007. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Romans, by Roger Mohrlang. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale.

Cranfield, C. E. B. 1990. Romans: A Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Dever, Mark. 2005. The Message of the New Testament. Ch. 6, The Message of Romans: Justification, 146-166. Wheaton: Crossway.

Dockery, David S, ed. 1995. New American Commentary. Vol. 27, Romans, by Robert H. Mounce. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Green, Joel B., ed. 2018. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The Letter to the Romans, by Douglas J. Moo. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Hodge, Charles. 1989. The Geneva Series of Commentaries. Romans. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth.

Hubbard, David A., and Glenn W. Barker. 1988. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 38ab, Romans, by James D. G. Dunn. Dallas: Word.

Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, eds. 2008. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 11, Romans-Galatians. Romans, by Everett F. Harrison and Donald A. Hagner, 19-237. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Luther, Martin. 1976. Commentary on Romans. Translated by J. Theodore Mueller. Grand Rapids: Kregel.

Moo. Douglas J. 2000. The NIV Application Commentary. Romans. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Morris, Leon, ed. 1985. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol. 6, Romans, by F. F. Bruce. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

Moule, H. C. G. 1977. Studies in Romans. Grand Rapids: Kregel.

Nygren, Anders. 1949. Commentary on Romans. Philadelphia: Fortress.

Owen, John, ed. Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans, by John Calvin. Translated by John Owen.

Sproul, R. C. 2005. The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans. Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus.

Stott, John, NT ed. 1994. The Bible Speaks Today. The Message of Romans, by John Stott. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Yarbrough, Robert W., and Joshua W. Jipp, eds. 2018. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Romans, by Thomas R. Schreiner. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

NEXT SUNDAY: The Righteous Shall Live by Faith, Romans 1:8–17