Click here to access the Romans 1:5-7 PODCAST
5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Romans 1:5-7
Today, we return to our study of the epistle written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Rome. As we have stated before, the theme of Romans is the availability of the righteousness of God to everyone who believes the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The thesis and the outline for Romans reveals the purpose of the book. The thesis is found in Romans 1:16-17. And, the outline is: Chapters 1-3 are about the sinful condition of man. Chapters 4-5 are about salvation. Chapters 6-8 are about sanctification. Chapters 9-11 are about the sovereignty of God, and chapters 12-16 are about service. The last section of this epistle reveals the ultimate point to the book: a life of service to God and to others.
In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ."
Through Christ we have received the grace of God which includes not only His favor, but also His daily involvement in our lives. As a result, we have also been called to the mission of sharing the gospel with all who will listen. The word "apostleship" literally means "sent with a message." Believers in Christ have been saved from the consequences of our sins to be sent with the message of the good news that our sins have been paid for eternally.
When we came to believe in Christ, we affirmed our faith in the God of the Bible. When we really believe the gospel we will be defined by it to some extent on a daily basis. No one has ever been made right before God through obedience, but, our obedience is evidence that we have entered into a personal relationship with God.
When we came to faith in Christ, we went out of unbelief into faith in Him, out of the darkness spiritually and into His light. We came out of a life of separation from the God of the Bible into a life of relationship with Him. The gospel is best delivered to and more quickly believed by others when we share it out of the context of our daily relationship with Him.
In v.7 of today's passage we read, "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Here we have three great truths about our privileges as believers in Christ. And, these three great truths particularly aid us in the call of God upon all of our lives to share the gospel message with all who would listen to us. In doing this, we serve them in the greatest possible way because the gospel impacts their eternity. And, if we are not convinced of the veracity of the Lord Jesus and His gospel, we will not share this most important message with others.
The three great truths in v.7 are: We are beloved of God, we are called of God, and, we are saints. These are the privileges of the gospel, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer do we fear death because our sins have been forgiven us.
To be the "beloved of God" means we are loved by God. According to Ephesians 2:4, He loved us even when we were dead in sin. According to Ephesians 1:6 God can give His love to us and we can access it because His Son died for us. And so, the privilege of the good news is that we are loved by God. God loves everyone, but not everyone has access to His love. It is only through believing the gospel do we have access to God's love.
The second privilege of the gospel is that "we are called of God." This word "called" means the specific message issued by God to follow Him. In John 10:27, the Lord Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow." In tandem with the Holy Spirit God called us into relationship with Himself and by His grace we heard and did not turn away. As a result, we now enjoy a personal relationship with Him. Through the daily experience of relating with God, learning to talk to Him and learning to hear Him respond, we are positioned to serve others best by sharing the gospel couched in the story that God is giving us with Him.
The third privilege of the gospel is that "we are saints." By virtue of being loved by God, and, by virtue of being called by God, we have been made saints through the Lord Jesus. This means we have been made holy or perfect in the eyes of God through His Son. When God looks at us, having trusted in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross, He sees us through the lens of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This transaction has taken place due to the fact that we have come to trust in the Son's work on the cross on our behalf. And, as a result, we have been set apart to serve God and others. This is the ultimate theme of this book.
