Romans: Our Identity in His Calling

Romans 1:1-7

Welcome to a study of Paul’s letter to the Romans!  

All Scripture is inspired by God; therefore, every book of the Bible must be considered. And... the book of Romans clearly presents the Christian faith and our identity in Christ like no other. J. I. Packer said:

All roads in the Bible lead to Romans, and all views afforded by the Bible are seen most clearly from Romans, and when the message of Romans gets into a person’s heart, there is no telling what may happen.[1] 

Throughout church history, when the message of Romans touched a person’s heart, remarkable things happened! A verse in Romans 13 was used by God to change St. Augustine’s life (354-430), freeing him from pursuing sinful desires and empowering him to become a defender of the faith. Romans also influenced Martin Luther (1483-1546), leading him to saving faith, which started the Protestant Reformation. John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of the Methodist Church, came to faith one night when he entered a church meeting where the leader was reading from the preface and introduction of Luther’s commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. That night, Wesley’s heart was “strangely warmed,” and he was never the same. 

My prayer is that Romans will take root in our hearts through this study. There is no limit to what God can do in our lives. Let’s approach this journey through this book with high expectations that we will encounter God in a new and fresh way. 

I’ll give an outline of Romans and some background info in the Weekend Recharge. Today, let’s dive into the first few verses of this incredible book. 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus… (Rom. 1:1a)
Paul begins his letter by introducing himself and emphasizing his identity. The first thing Paul wants the Romans to understand is that he is a “servant of Christ Jesus.” The Greek word for servant is doulos. The Old Testament equivalent of doulos (Hebrew: ‘eved) describes a person who loves his master so much that he commits himself to his master for life (Ex. 21:2-6). One scholar describes doulos as “one who was bound to his master in chords so strong that only death could break them, one who served his master to the disregard of his own interests, one whose will was swallowed up in the will of his master.”[2]

This should be the identity of all believers. We should all serve Jesus with disregard for our own interests, swallowed up in the will of our Lord and Savior. As we introduce ourselves to the people in our lives, they should recognize that we are servants of Christ Jesus. 

…called to be an apostle,… (Rom. 1:1b)
The word “apostle” (apostolos) generally described a person “sent with authority.” In Christianity, it became the title of the twelve disciples. An apostle had to have specific characteristics:

• An apostle saw the resurrected Lord (Acts 1:21-22).
• An apostle was called by Christ (Acts 1:21-22).
• An apostle had the authority to work miracles (2 Cor. 12:12).
• An apostle was able to impart spiritual gifts to others (2 Cor. 10:8; 1 Thess. 2:11-12). 

Paul was not one of the original twelve. He was a Pharisee, trained by Gamaliel, one of the most respected teachers in Israel’s history. He despised Christians and viewed them as a threat to the Jewish faith. 

Paul, whose original name was Saul, oversaw the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:58). After obtaining approval from the high priest, he headed for Damascus with the authority to persecute Christians in Syria. However, on the way to Damascus, Jesus personally confronted Paul. That direct encounter with the risen Lord (Acts 9:1-6) transformed Paul’s life. 

Following this significant change in his life, Paul traveled to Arabia and spent three years studying the Scriptures. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in his life, Paul came to understand that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. He returned to Syria, but this time to share the message of Jesus with the people. 

Fourteen years later, he returned to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and tell them the story of God’s calling on his life. Paul said, “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Cor. 15:8). 

…set apart for the gospel of God (Rom. 1:1c).
God had been working in Paul’s life all along. He was a student of the Old Testament law and understood Greek culture. As we will see in this book, Paul was able to reconcile the teachings of the Old Testament with the work of Jesus. Paul said God “set me apart before I was born, and [he] called me by his grace” (Gal. 1:15). 

When we grasp God’s sovereignty, we can confidently affirm it. God never wastes our time; he uses all our training, experiences, and failures for his purposes. 

The gospel that Paul was called to proclaim was centered on Jesus, who was fully human (“descended from David according to the flesh”–Rom. 1:3) and fully God (“declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection”—Rom. 1:4). This gospel was not something new. God promised to send the Messiah “through his prophets in the holy Scriptures” (Rom. 1:2). It is only through “Jesus Christ our Lord” that the apostles and all believers “have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:5-6). 

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:7).

Paul did not send this letter to the church of Rome but to the “saints” in Rome, loved and called by God. At that time, there was no single main church in Rome; instead, there were probably several churches in the city. We know that one group met at the home of Aquila and Priscilla (Rom. 16:5). 

Paul had not yet visited Rome, and it seems no other apostle had been there either. So how was the Christian faith introduced there?

The best answer is in Acts 2:10-11. On the day of Pentecost, there were “visitors from Rome” who saw the miracle of the apostles speaking in different languages and listened to Peter’s sermon about “the mighty works of God.” Some were likely among the 3,000 converts that day. Additionally, as the gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire, believers probably migrated to Rome and shared the message of Christ. An apostle did not start the church in Rome; instead, it grew organically among believers who shared their love for Jesus. This serves as a reminder that believers everywhere should keep sharing Jesus’ message, just as those early Christians in Rome did. 

We’ll stop here today, but let me leave you with this question: What will happen when the book of Romans captures our hearts? I can’t wait to see!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Romans 1:1-7. Consider the word “servant.” Are you living as one who serves “his master to the disregard of his own interests, one whose will [is] swallowed up in the will of his master.”

Talking to God: How is your identity being influenced more by culture or personal desires than by your calling as a servant of Christ?

Have Questions?
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