Romans 1:1-4 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures), concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”
In writing to the saints at Rome, Paul is quick to point out that he is a servant. By this, it was clearly understood that Paul was doing the will of his Master. Paul also readily identifies who he serves, and it is not the emperor of Rome. He declares himself to be a servant of Jesus Christ.
He continues by telling his audience that he was chosen to be an ambassador for Jesus. This reinforces the idea that he is not simply acting on his own. Paul declares himself to be separated (limited) to the gospel of God. In other words, he has no other message to bring except that gospel.
Knowing that his Roman audience would include both Jew and Gentile, he points to the prophets of old. Paul is directing their attention to the fact that this gospel is the good message of the fulfillment of the words of the prophets. He is declaring to them the truth from the holy scriptures concerning Jesus the Messiah, who is “our Lord.” Paul assures that He is of the natural lineage of David in accordance with prophecy.
Then he begins to open his message to the more powerful aspects of this good news. Not only was this Jesus “made of the seed of David,” but He was declared to be the Son of God. This declaration was not just a matter of words being written or spoken. It was a declaration made with great power.
The power that declared Jesus to be the Son of God was sacred. It was a miracle like no other. Yes, there had been occasions where men had been called from the dead (like Lazarus and the widow’s son). However, these men had only been called back to a natural existence. There was much more to the resurrection of Jesus.
When Jesus was resurrected, His body defied the laws of nature. He appeared in a room with all the doors and windows locked. He demonstrated that He had no need of the physical things this world had to offer. He would never die again!
Paul risked his liberty and his life in the opening statements of this letter. His words could be taken as an act of open rebellion against the emperor of Rome. Yet, he felt himself bound to the miraculous truth of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ. For the sake of bearing this good news to the saints of God, Paul was willing to risk everything.
We should be asking ourselves at this point what we are willing to risk for the sake of the gospel of God. Do we shy away from sharing our faith, even among our friends, because we are afraid they will think we are “weird”? Are we afraid to be ridiculed by others because we believe in the power of resurrection of Jesus from dead? Are we servants of Jesus Christ?
May God give us the courage to boldly declare that Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the Son of God with the power of the Holy Spirit!