Just a brief comment about my practice of not publishing the class notes on the website until after our discussion. My purpose is to encourage the expression of your thoughts and ideas. I have a friend who loves to ask questions that require me to express my belief on a subject for the purpose of telling me how wrong I am, at least it seems that way to me, That is certainly not my purpose in this group. I do this in order for the rest of us to discover something about your belief system. If my thoughts contradict your ideas it doesn’t mean I’m "right" and you’re "wrong"! My beliefs come from my study as modified by my starting assumptions. Often I discover that my belief system changes with my exposure to new information. That is my sincere purpose for this group. We don’t have to agree on everything…or on anything, for that matter! But I really do want you to feel free to express your beliefs and ask any question that our discussion raises in your mind. If you ever feel intimidated by my presentation, please bring that to my attention…that will never be my intention. I am passionate about my beliefs, but want to always be respectful of yours.

As we begin our study of Romans this evening, we will be looking at the first seven verses of chapter one, where Paul lays out his credentials and authority as the author of this letter. He wants to be sure the recipients are clear in their understanding that he is qualified and authorized, not by any human agency, but by God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

We’re going to look at the first seven verses, because that is the natural context of the salutation, but we won’t finish all seven verses in our discussion. As we read these verses in two different translations, remember, I want to evoke lots of class participation. So please be prepared to voice your thoughts, questions and observations. Look with me at our verses for today…

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 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, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 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. (Romans 1:1-7 NASB95)

In my study this week, I particularly enjoyed William Barclay’s translation of these verses:

It was the style of the day. Paul begins with the conventional style used in Hellenistic letters. In Paul’s time it was customary to identify the author of a letter at the beginning…today, it is customary to identify the author at the close of the letter.

There were lots of people named Paul…he wanted to be sure they knew which "Paul" was writing to them. Paul had never visited the churches in Rome. If you have something really important to say to someone you don’t know well, it is essential to get their attention by supporting your "position" as one whose message is worthy of careful consideration.

Until recently, I had always thought that Saul changed his name to Paul after his conversion as a sign that "in Christ" he was a new creation and wanted everybody to know that by changing his name. Although there is some disagreement among historians and biblical scholars, the weight of evidence seems to indicate that he had both names from birth. Since he was both a Jew and a free Roman citizen, it is logical that his parents would have given him both a Hebrew and Roman name as his legal identification.

The change from Saul to Paul seems to coincide with his first missionary trip and his active outreach to the Gentiles. Paul was always anxious to identify himself as "the apostle to the Gentiles", thus he chooses as his preferred self-identification his Gentile name, and Saul is only used in Acts when it refers to his life as a Pharisee. The thought that Paul chooses this name because it means "little" (either referring to his short stature or his self-perception as small in comparison to Jesus) seems weak if we accept the idea that he received both names at birth.

Other scholars feel that, although the word doulos more clearly means "slave" in our modern understanding of the word, Paul took the meaning from the Old Testament where prominent leaders and prophets, even ordinary worshipers, were called "servants of the Lord" or "servants of God". Moses and Joshua are good examples of leaders who bore that title. It should be noted that doulos carries both the idea of belonging to a master and the service of a slave.

From several statements in his other letters, it seems clear that in Paul’s view, Christian service has no element of servility, but is the expression of love and of free choice. From this standpoint the idea of service coheres with those of freedom and of son ship. (1 Cor. 7:22; Gal. 4:7; Eph. 6:6; Philemon 16)

Our English word apostle comes from the Greek apostolos (ap·os·tol·os) and describes a messenger sent forth with orders from a person in authority. It appears that Christianity took this secular term and gave it a more specific, though sometimes ambiguous, meaning for describing a person who received "face to face" instruction from Jesus Christ. Using this definition, it’s easy to see why most pastors would be uncomfortable giving themselves this title. Paul did not initially describe himself as an apostle and first claimed the title when he wrote Galatians, but it became standard in almost all his later letters.

Some commentators feel that Paul rejected the requirement that an apostle had to have received "face to face" instruction from Jesus during his earthly ministry, while others point out that Paul saw himself as qualifying for the title because he did receive "face to face" instructions by direct revelation from Jesus after His resurrection (Gal. 1:12; 2Cor. 12:7; Eph. 3:3).

That Paul’s claim to apostleship was controversial, especially in the churches that were not founded by him, is clearly documented in the New Testament record (2Cor. 11:5, 13; 12:11). I find it interesting that in 1Corinthians 15:9, Paul says, "For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." In 2Corinthians 11:5, he says "For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles."

I think it’s a matter of degree. The two terms certainly come from two different words; "called" is kletos (klay·tos) that means to be invited, while "set apart" is aphorizo (af·or·id·zo), to separate, to mark off from others by boundaries, to appoint for some purpose. Paul seems to be building from the general to the specific.

In the Pauline writings, there are twenty references to "the gospel of God"; "the gospel of the blessed God"; "the gospel of Christ"; "the gospel of the glory of Christ"; "the gospel of peace"; "the gospel of your salvation" and "the gospel of the Lord Jesus". The single word "gospel" appears seventy times.

Many Evangelical commentators like to use 1Corinthians 15:1-4 to define Paul’s understanding of the "gospel": Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

I believe that to define Paul’s gospel by these verses is misleading and incomplete. Paul says that the death, burial and resurrection of Christ was "of first importance" (protos (pro·tos)), first; chief; first in rank, not complete or exclusive. Paul’s gospel was not just the "good news" about Jesus Christ; it was the "good news" about God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit!

The cross is certainly the foundation of Christianity…every doctrine of eternal consequence is grounded in that historical event, but that event is not the whole story. Paul says that it began with God the Father long before Jesus came to live as a human and God’s work of redemption has continued long after Jesus was resurrected and ascended into Heaven. Paul’s gospel is the "good news" of a Triune God who has descended from Heaven on a "no-holds-barred" mission to bring back all who are lost and separated from Him and who will not stop until every last one of his family members have been brought home!