Romans 1:1-6 Christian Standard Bible
The Gospel of God for Rome
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle[a] and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures— 3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David[b] according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness[c] by the resurrection of the dead. 5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about[d] the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,[e] 6 including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.
7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Maybe you heard this question as a child or a teenager.
Our responses usually focus on some kind of career path or occupation.
And as we grow older, we realize that we need some kind of work or career to help us with the costs of living.
Yet consider the nuance of the question.
It doesn’t ask, “What do you want to do?” It asks, “What do you want to be?”
Being has to do with our essence, our character, our identity. And in God’s carefully crafted economy, being goes ahead of doing. We are so that we can do.
The apostle Paul opens his letter to the Romans with a defining statement:
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. . . .”
On the face of it, this statement addresses the question “Who am I?”
Yet, looking deeper, we can see that it’s more about “Whose am I?”
Paul’s identity is inseparable from his relationship with Jesus.
Paul identifies himself as a servant—or, more precisely, a bondservant—of Christ Jesus.
What is a bondservant according to the Bible?
A bondservant is one owned by another. They do not have anything that is their own—even their time belongs to their master. They wake up each day seeking to know and do the will of their master above all else. Do we live to do the Lord’s will, doing “all things for the sake of His gospel”?
What is the difference between a servant and a bondservant?
A bond-servant was a slave who had been offered his freedom, but who, of his own volition, who chose to remain a slave and serve his master faithfully.
The master didn’t force him or threaten or coerce him to stay, to do his bidding, but it was the slave who chose joyfully and willingly to take on the role of slave.
What does Paul mean when he calls himself a bondservant?
Paul willingly embraced the title of bondservant because it referenced Christ’s ownership of his life.
Just like a master paid the price to purchase a slave, Christ came and purchased our lives with His own lifeblood. This means we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are slaves to Christ, bound unto a life of service to a perfect, loving Master.
In essence, Paul belongs to Jesus, his Redeemer, who called and commissioned him. He no longer lives to please and serve himself but to please and serve the One who has rescued him.
This radical Christ-centeredness is the character that every believer takes on.
Like Paul’s, our own identity becomes quite literally inseparable from our transformative relationship with Jesus Christ.
What does separated unto the gospel mean?
Paul is saying that the ultimate purpose for his separation to the Gospel was to get lost people saved; to get people to put their faith in the living and glorified Christ Who died for their sins, was buried, rose again for their justification.
What is the lesson learned in Romans Chapter 1?
After telling the Christians in Rome he is eager to come see them and preach the gospel there, Paul declares that the gospel is God’s power to save everyone who believes in Jesus. We need to be saved, because our sin has earned God’s wrath.
As a whole, humanity has rejected God as creator and provider.
How to apply the Word of God to everyday life?
Consider a few suggestions:
- Read and meditate daily. Reading and meditating alone will not bring application, but you have to start somewhere. …
- Pray for wisdom. As you meditate on the Word, ask the Lord to give you understanding and discernment. …
- Ask Questions. …
- Look for situations. …
- Make changes.
Who am I according to God’s Word?
I am the righteousness of God—I have right standing with Him—in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit; I belong to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19).
I am the head and not the tail, and I only go up and not down in life as I trust and obey God (Deuteronomy 28:13).
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
Praying …
Psalm 8
God’s Glory, Human Dignity
For the choir director: on the Gittith. A psalm of David.
1 Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with your majesty.[a]
2 From the mouths of infants and nursing babies,
you have established a stronghold[b]
on account of your adversaries
in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I observe your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you set in place,
4 what is a human being that you remember him,
a son of man[c] that you look after him?
5 You made him little less than God[d][e]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
7 all the sheep and oxen,
as well as the animals in the wild,
8 the birds of the sky,
and the fish of the sea
that pass through the currents of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how magnificent is your name throughout the earth!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 