Sermon 1

The Gospel According To Paul

Romans 1:1-15

The year was 386. A young man sat in the garden of a friend, weeping over the wickedness and emptiness of his life. Hearing a child sing from a neighboring yard, the word "Take up and read", the man picked up a scroll that lay nearby. It was a copy of the Book of Romans. That man was converted to Christ from his reading of Romans and became a leading Christian theologian whose writings are still read and studied and quoted. His name was Aurelius Augustine.

The year was 1517. A Catholic monk was teaching the Book of Romans to a class of seminary students. His heart was gripped by what he read and studied particularly Romans 1:17 - "the just shall live by faith." He became convinced that Catholicism was not teaching the true gospel, justification by faith, but was teaching salvation by works. Before the year was over, he had written what he called his 95 Thesis and nailed it to the door of the Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany. Thus, the fires of the Reformation were kindled. The man's name was Martin Luther.

The year was 1738. A discouraged missionary went unwillingly to a religious gathering in London. A few months earlier he had written in his journal, "I went to America to convert Indians, but oh, who shall convert me?" That evening that missionary converted by trusting in Christ, in Christ alone, he wrote and received assurance that his sins had been taken away. The message he heard that night was from Romans. The man's name was John Wesley.

The book of Romans took a Bedford tinker (guy who fixes pots and pans) and turned him into a spiritual giant and literary master who wrote The Pilgrims Progress. That man's name was John Bunyon.

And while, as Baptists, we understand that our history is distinct from the Reformation, while we do not regard ourselves as Protestants, we can still acknowledge that lives have been changed and history has been altered by the Book of Romans. That can be said about the Bible but especially about Romans

Romans is still changing lives. Every year millions of copies of the Gospel of John and the Book of Romans are distributed in evangelistic outreach efforts. I am holding in my hand, the copies of John and Romans, one in English, one in Spanish and one in a African dialect. Every time I share the gospel with a non-Christian, I quote significantly and mostly from the Book of Romans. In fact, a method of soul winning called the Romans Road is taught and practiced throughout fundamental and evangelical circles. Romans gives a clear explanation of the gospel.

William Tyndale, an Anabaptist who produced the first English Bible, whose desire it was to put a Bible in the hands of every common man, who was strangled and burned at the stake for his faith, said this about Romans, "This epistle is the principal and most excellent part of the New Testament, the most pure ... gospel and ... a light ... unto the whole scripture. Every Christian should know it. No man can read it too oft or study it too well."

Today, we begin what promises to be an incredible journey through Romans. The greatest challenge for me is to not preach through this great book at a rate of one verse per week. One pastor, who wrote a 10 volume commentary on Romans, took 140 Sundays to preach through the book to his congregation and 11 years of weekly radio broadcasts teaching it over the air.

The biggest challenge that faces you is two-fold. First, to let it transform your life and second, to convince unbelievers to come and hear this book be preached. I hope that you will take up that challenge.

This book might be called the gospel according to Paul. It is a very systematic and logical explanation of the gospel, unlike most of his other epistles.

Romans answers many questions that people have concerning God and man. What is the gospel? Who is Jesus Christ? How can God send people to hell? Why do men reject Christ? Why are there false religions and idols? What is man's biggest sin? How can a person who has never heard the gospel be held spiritually responsible? Is there any spiritual advantage to being a Jew? How good is man of himself? What is the relationship between God's law and God's grace? How secure is a believer's salvation? How do Christians deal with issues that are neither right or wrong in and of themselves? What is true freedom? How important is unity in the church?

Romans speaks to us today as powerfully as it spoke to people of the first century. It speaks morally - about adultery, fornication, homosexuality, hatred, murder, lying, and civil disobedience. It speaks intellectually - about the natural man's confused and reprobate mind. It speaks socially - about our relationships to each other. It speaks psychologically - about true freedom and being delivered from the burden of guilt. It speaks nationally - about our relationship to human government. It speaks prophetically - about the future of the nation of Israel and the ultimate destiny of the earth. It speaks spiritually - answering man's despair by offering hope. it speaks theologically - about sin and salvation, about the flesh and the spirit, about law and grace, about works and faith. It speaks mostly and profoundly, about God and man's relationship to Him.

It would be impossible to understand Romans without knowing something about the book's amazing author. In fact, the author opens this letter by introducing himself to his Roman readers and thus, to us.

Romans is different from other of Paul's epistles. Most of them were written back, this one was written ahead. That is, most of Paul's letter's were sent to places and people where Paul had already been, to congregations that he had established and people whom he already knew and who knew him. But Romans is written to a place where Paul had not yet been and to people whom Paul did not yet know - written in anticipation of his planned journey to that place. And so, it is logical and reasonable that Paul would want to begin this letter by introducing himself and giving this unfamiliar audience a sense of who he is and what he is about. What do we learn about the author in his opening words?

His Credentials, vs, 1-7.

He says of himself ...

I am Paul and that first word of the epistle tells us something. You see, Paul was not this man's given name. His parents named him Saul, probably after the first king of Israel, who, like them was from the tribe of Benjamin. In Acts 13:9, we are told that Saul was called Paul. When and by whom? After his conversion to Christ and by Christians. We might call this his Christian name. And so, we learn that this man refers to himself, not by his given name but by the name given him as a Christian, by Christians. Paul begins this letter by immediately identifying himself as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, as a saved man.

I am servant of Jesus Christ - Paul wants his readers to know that he was not just a saved man but that he was also engaged in serving Jesus Christ. The word for servant means a slave or a bondservant. It means that Paul considered himself to belong completely to Christ. His life was not his own. He belong to, he lived to please, he served Jesus Christ.

I am called to be an apostle - Here, Paul explains that he, like the original twelve, was chosen by Christ, called to be an apostle. Yes, Paul is a humble servant but he also affirms his authority as an apostle, one who is chosen and sent to a particular task.

I am separated unto the gospel of God. We generally think of separation as being from the world. But the emphasis of Paul's words, reminds us that we are also toward something. When I took my marriage vows, when I put on a wedding band and said, "I do", I immediately became separated from all other women. They became off-limits to me and I to them. I was separated from them. Ah, but you see, at that same moment, I also became separated unto Carla. That is the positive side of separation. And Paul, who speaks in II Corinthians 6:17 about being separated from the world, speaks here about being separated unto the gospel.

Immediately, then, beginning in verse 2, Paul turns his attention toward that gospel to which he has been separated. He explains the basics of the gospel.

It's not something new, v. 2. In fact, it was promised in the Old Testament scriptures by the words and writings of the prophets. Paul is making it clear that he is not introducing a "new religion." Christianity, contrary to the accusations of other religions, did not begin with the birth of Jesus Christ. Christianity goes all the way to the beginning and God's promise of a Savior.

It's about Christ, who He is and what He did, vs. 3-6. Jesus is the Son of God, vs. 3-4. The phrase "son of God" as it refers to Jesus is not about Jesus being the offspring of God but about Jesus being the essence of God, or, as the writer of Hebrews says, "the express image of God" (Hebrews 1:3). John 5:18 The Jews sought ... to kill him, because he ... said ... that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. And according to Paul, Jesus' claims to being God were proven by His resurrection from the dead - "declared to be the Son of God with power ... by the resurrection from the dead." From the human perspective, that is, "according to the flesh", Jesus is "made of the seed of David." Thus, He fulfills all the Old Testament prophecies of Messiah.

It involves God's grace and God's call, man's faith and obedience, vss. 5-6 use all those words. The gospel is God's gracious invitation for man to come to Him by obedient faith.

In verse 7, Paul turns his attention from himself to those whom he is writing, that is, to the saint who live in Rome, who are loved by God. And then comes Paul's standard greeting. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."

His Concern, vs. 8-13.

"Don't care how much you know, until I know who much you care." Paul cares and expresses it here.

"I am thankful for you" Paul says in verse 8. "You have a testimony of faith throughout the whole Roman empire."

"I am praying for you" Paul continues is verse 9. Such notoriety needed much prayer.

"I am planning to visit you", verses 10-13. In fact, Paul says that he has made numerous attempts to travel to Rome, but so far, had been unsuccessful. He continued to ask God for a prosperous journey by the will of God to share ministry and to bear fruit in Rome.

"I am in debt", verse 14. The Greeks considered themselves wise and all non-Greeks barbarians and unwise. But Paul's concern is for all people. It is such a deep concern that he refers to it as a "debt", that is, an obligation. Knowing and having the gospel is not just a blessing, it is also an obligation. We are obliged to share the good news of salvation, good news of forgiveness of sins, good news of eternal life in heaven with everyone else, no matter who they are or are not.

"I am ready to preach the gospel", v. 15. The Greek word for ready does not mean "prepared". It means eager. We might say, "of a ready-mind."

I wish that we were more eager to share the gospel. Perhaps Paul's eagerness to preach the gospel was because Paul was so unashamed of the gospel, v. 16. That's where we will begin next time.

My hope is that this introduction to the Book of Romans will generate within you some excitement about the gospel, that you will understand and rejoice over who Jesus is and what He did for you. That, like Paul you will be saved, serving, sent and separated. That, like Paul, the gospel will create concern for others - praying for them, with a sense of obligation and eagerness to preach the gospel.