Romans 1:1-7

1: Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
2: which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,
3: concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,
4: who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
5: through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,
6: among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7: to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

***   

Paul wrote this letter to the Romans from Corinth in 58 A.D. most likely in the early spring not long before he left for Jerusalem. This first sentence tells us that Paul considered himself a bondservant of Christ and had been called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. He then described the gospel saying it was promised ahead of time as spoken by prophets in Scripture. This gospel is about God’s son who, according to human lineage was a descendant of David, but was really the son of God. He is none other than Jesus Christ our Lord. 

He stated that the resurrection of Jesus was a declaration of His sonship of God. Through Him, Paul said, he and others had received the grace to be apostles and bring the Gentiles into obedience to the faith. This included those he was writing to in Rome. He greeted them with a blessing of grace and peace from the Father God and Lord Jesus.

It’s worth noting that Paul called himself a bondservant, meaning one whose entire life belongs to the Lord. Paul started this letter off talking about himself. Yet we see that his identity is wrapped up in Jesus Christ and his call to His gospel. In Paul’s mind, who he is, is intertwined with who Jesus is, and he extended the thought to all those who are the called of Jesus Christ—those who believe in Him.

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