Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. ~ Romans 1:1
Today, we begin a new study on the book of Romans. The Church in Rome had its beginning in Jerusalem when some Jews who lived in Rome were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. While in Jerusalem to worship, these people heard the sermon that the Apostle Peter preached in Acts 2. As a result, they trusted in the finished work of the Lord Jesus and became followers of Christ. Later, when they returned to Rome, they started meeting as believers in the Lord Jesus.
The most often words used in Romans are “God,” used 153 times, the word “law,” used 72 times, the word “Christ” used 65 times, the word “sin” used 48 times, the word “Lord” used 43 times and the word “faith” used 40 times. It is rather easy when we are studying a book of the Bible to determine the themes of the book by identifying the repeatedly used words therein.
So, Romans is about God, His law, Christ, sin, the Lord, faith and all the ramifications of those terms. The thesis statement is in Romans 1:16-17 which reads in the Message translation:
“It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”
In our passage for today, the Apostle Paul ended the verse with "... separated to the gospel of God."
Christianity is not a religion because religion is man trying to earn God's favor, which is impossible to do. The Lord Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and to die a perfect death on the behalf of mankind. He did this because we could not be good enough to earn God's favor. On the cross the Lord Jesus was punished for our sin which had separated us from God. "A Christian is not someone who is good, he is someone who has experienced the goodness of God." This is what it means to be separated to the gospel or "good news" of God. It means that we have the Gospel in such close view that it defines us daily. I like what one preacher once said, "I must live so close to the cross of Christ that I get splinters in my nose."
The Book of Romans has five divisions: Chapters 1-3 are about the sinful condition of man. Chapters 4-5 are about salvation. Chapters 6-8 are about the sanctification of the believer in Christ. Chapters 9-11 are about the sovereignty of God. And, chapters 12-16 are about the service of the believer.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God."
The initial description the Apostle Paul gives us in today's passage is he was a bondservant of Jesus Christ. A bondservant is a slave. The Greek word "doulos" means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of his master.” In Roman times, the term bondservant referred to one who was held in a permanent position of servitude. Under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property and he had no rights of his own. We chose to be a bondservant.
Like us, the Apostle Paul learned that being a bondservant of Christ is not a duty. It is rather an act of devotion because the Lord Jesus has delivered us from the eternal clutches of Hell itself through His sacrifice made on our behalf on the cross.
After identifying himself as a bondservant, Paul referred to himself as an apostle. The Greek word used for "apostle" means one sent on a mission. Now, even though I believe there are no modern day apostles like Paul, one of the twelve, I believe that God has called all believers in Christ to mission. This mission varies each day, but each mission has one commonality: a personal relationship with God and loving on people.
Now, there are three elements involved in being called by God. The first element is that we are consciously defined by Him in a given day. It is essential that we are in the Word of God every day, learning His thoughts and culture. More important is this: that God's word is in us, defining our thoughts and choices for that day. Think of it: Before Abraham was a Jew, he was a Gentile. He was from Southern Iraq. That which made him a Jew was God's definition of him. Abraham embraced the culture of God and that made him a Jew.
The second element involved in being called by God is that we receive a story with Him that He gives us each day. As God speaks into our lives and we respond by faith in obedience, we will receive the narrative and that will lead us to the third element involved in our calling for that day.
The third element comes through our involvement in the lives of the people who God brings into our lives. Through those interactions, we directly and indirectly share how God has and is working in and through our lives. It is fairly simple, but we must be diligent to ask God to give us the sensitivity of heart and mind as we share the gospel and our story with God with others. We never want to shove God down someone's throat. We want to share with them as He does to us, patiently and respectfully. There have been many days that I have not spoken of God with a person. And then the next day, I discovered that they were ready to hear about God. My policy is to wait for the opportunity as they open the door for these conversations.
Let me close with a true story from my life that illustrates my point on calling. It was the year 2010 and I was at the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska with two of my sons. In the early innings of the first game of the three game series between South Carolina and UCLA, I heard a guy behind me yelling his lungs out, rooting for South Carolina. Playfully, I yelled at him that USC would choke. I didn't know it but the guy was offended and had planned to fight me after the game. To make a long story short that guy and I are now best of friends. I did not immediately share my faith with him. In fact, I waited for him to bring God up in our conversations. Three days later, he did just that. And, well, many years later he is a man on mission.
