Stand Strong in the Word
Stand Strong in the Word is a weekly bible study that teaches through the Bible verse by verse in chronological order. For more information, visit www.standstrongministries.org.
Stand Strong in the Word
#302 "Divinely Drafted: Paul’s Call and Commission" (Romans 1:1)
Have you ever asked, What is God’s calling on my life—and am I truly living it out? To be set apart means God has claimed you for His purpose—to live differently and boldly proclaim the gospel. Today in Romans 1:1, we’ll see what it means to be a servant, called and commissioned by Christ, and how that shapes our obedience today
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Have you ever asked what is God's calling on my life and am I truly living it out? To be set apart means God has claimed you for His purpose to live differently and boldly. In proclaiming the gospel Today, in Romans, chapter 1, we'll see what it means to be a servant called and commissioned by Christ and how that shapes our obedience. Today, turn to Romans, chapter 1, and let's stand strong in the word together. Well, hey there, my friends, welcome to Stand Strong in the Word podcast. Jason Hemman is with you, as always. Blessed to be with you.
Speaker 1:Guys, as we now enter into a new book study on the podcast, we are going to be in the book of Romans. And let me just say right out the gate, even in my seminary days and as a pastor for almost 30 years, this is a challenge. The book of Romans, no doubt, is probably the most profound theological work that we have in the New Testament. Now, I would also probably argue that when you pull in the book of Hebrews and the book of Revelation but this is written, as we know, by the Apostle Paul, he was writing to the church in Rome. This is the capital of the Roman Empire. It's written roughly between 8055, depending on what commentary that you look at to 8058. I think probably roughly around 8056 to 57 is more likely the case and what we're going to be exploring. I don't know how long. To be honest, how long this is going to take us. As you guys know, if you've been following the podcast and listening faithfully to it, some of the books can take well over a year. I know of some pastors not personally who have spent five to 10, in fact, one pastor years ago who's passed away and is with the Lord now, but he spent a year in each chapter of the book of Romans and so that's 16 years. If you think about that. That's what we're going to do here. I promise you that we're not going to spend 16 years. I don't think I'm even that smart to try and come up with that much content to extrapolate, if you will, from the inspired word of God, but I will do my best. But let me just tell you guys, as we are going to be looking at this, this is going to be a powerful time as we explore issues of redemption.
Speaker 1:This book, the Book of Romans, highlights some significant work. In fact, I want to refer to a source by my great mentor, who I miss dearly, dr Norman Geisler. He wrote many books, but this one is a popular survey of the New Testament and in the setting in the Book of Romans there's different highlights like when was it written? To whom was it written? But I want to focus in on one particular portion here. Why was it written? And I want to start here Because here's what Dr Geiser says.
Speaker 1:He says a study of Romans reveals many possible reasons for Paul's writing this letter. The one stated up front was to explain the gospel, and this is obviously in verses 16 and 17. He says in addition, paul desired to help establish in the faith Christians of this strategic city, in verses 11 through 15. What is more, he desired to resolve the tensions between Jewish and Gentile believers by explaining God's plan for each. We'll see this later in chapters 3 and also in chapters 9 through 11. Then too, he wanted to announce his plans to visit Rome and enlist their help for his mission to Spain. We'll see this in chapters 15, verses 23 through 24, verses 28 through 29 in verse 32. And since special supernatural gifts were given only through the apostles 2 Corinthians, 12, acts 8, 18, he desired to impart spiritual gifts to them, which we'll see he talks about in Romans, chapter 12. But then he asked the question what is it about?
Speaker 1:He writes the content of Romans centers around the nature of redemption or salvation. The chief characteristic of the book, or characteristics, manifest this central message. Here's the theme. The central message is redemption, that is, in Christ Jesus, romans 3, 24. It will be seen that is redemption in a broader word for salvation than is justification, which is only the initial stage of salvation. And so one of the things that I've always liked that we can look at and Norm always did a good job, showing us kind of like, the framework, logically, and the key verse that we believe that paul was taken from to, you know, really extrapolate justification, which was a doctrine that was not very known or explored or could be identified theologically at the time, because these are early developments.
Speaker 1:But if you go to Habakkuk, chapter 2, verse 4, you see the background of what Paul was doing, because in Romans, chapter 1, verse 17, he talks about the just and he's referring to them positionally. And if you go back to Galatians, when we studied Galatians 3, verse 11, they shall live, that's in practice, by faith, hebrews 10, 38, and it shows the personal investment, the personal commitment, the personal profession, and so when we go through the study of Romans, when we're exploring these chapters, we're highlighting redemption, that the just shall live by faith, as he refers to Habakkuk, chapter two, verse four in Romans 117. We will see different terminology in the Greek that he uses for redemption, and it's going to go from the agorazo, about being purchases, to buy in the market, to terminology of being released, being redeemed or other Greek terms about that there was a ransom, that was paid, or that we've been freed from a ransom, or we have been set free, we've been delivered, we've been released. This is what Paul is going to unleash in the book of Romans, and so the heart of it is about the gospel that brings redemption, that we have been restored. And so when we start this book, when we look at what Paul says here in verse one, he says I'm a servant of Christ, called to be an apostle set apart for the gospel of God. Even in this one verse that we're going to be unpacking in this episode, it tells us all that we need to know about what this book's going to be about Now before we dive any further, because we know the remarks that Paul oftentimes made in his letters was very customary, you know, in those ancient times, just like even now.
Speaker 1:If you were to write a personal letter, when was the last time any one of us did that? In fact, actually, you know, I just did it the other day to one of our donors. I wrote a personal note to them thanking them for their love, prayer and support, and so those are always special right when you have a handwritten note. But Paul oftentimes did this right to his recipients, and so there's really nothing different, except the way in which he phrases the opening introduction. He refers to himself as a servant or bond servant that will be exploring to be an apostle and being set apart to what? To preach the gospel, to teach the gospel. So when we do look at Paul's life, we know that he used to be Saul of Tarsus, he was a highly educated Jewish Pharisee, and now he's a follower of Christ, the very movement that he opposed.
Speaker 1:If you go back to the book of Acts in chapter nine and you see his dramatic conversion, and then now he's telling the Romans you know who again, remember, he's a Roman citizen, so he's very familiar with this culture, but his authorship is being identified, that he belongs to someone greater than himself. Well, before, it was always about I come in this authority, you know, from the Sanhedrin being sent by this official. Well, he's identifying himself, that he works for Christ, and there's humility in that, because you never forget where you come from or who has saved you. And so Romans is going to be reflecting the redemption of Paul, as he's going to be sharing with this audience, a very high educated audience of individuals, and, remember, romans, a lot of them who are not Christian. They are maybe new in their faith Because, remember, as we know, the church is very new. They're in their infant stages and the Holy Spirit is moving on Paul very progressively. And so this is during his third missionary journey, this is shortly before he's arrested.
Speaker 1:And so, if you have a Bible, I do want to refer back to a particular passage, because this kind of tells us at what point in time Paul is writing to the Romans. And you can find this in the book of Acts. And if you look at the very end of chapter 19, we see something that leads us into chapter 20, that kind of sets the stages. I'm going to kind of unpack a little bit of verse one today, but it says here in chapter 19 of Acts, verse 40 says for we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion. And when he had said these things, he dismissed the assembly. Then it says in verse one of chapter 20, after the uproar ceased, paul sent for the disciples and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece and there he spent three months, and even a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria. He decided to return through Macedonia. Sopater, the brand son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him in.
Speaker 1:Of the Thessalonians, aristarchus and Secundus and Gaius of Derbe and Timothy Asians, tychicus and Trophimus. So this is the setting. He's traveling a lot, he's encountering a lot of persecution, there's a lot of rioting at the time in which Paul is going to be writing to the Romans, and that kind of shows you just where his mental state is, or this strong desire for him to get to Rome. Obviously, a lot of things are happening. All things are centered on Rome. This is the hub, this is the center, this is the capital, and so it was very important for him to make sure that the gospel was getting into the heart of the Roman empire, in which we know it did, but not to the way, or I should say to the degree in which Paul thought initially, because we know he'd be arrested. And then he goes to Rome. Of course, when he was wanting to get to Rome he didn't think he would go there when he was a prisoner of Rome.
Speaker 1:Now, prior to him writing this letter, if we go back when he was writing Galatians, which was roughly about 8047, it's estimated that probably before 8050, so within that window of time some have even AD 49, that an early church was developing in Rome at that point. Now we see in his letter here, in chapter one, verse 13, in chapter 15, verses 23 and 24, that seems to be more churches that obviously have popped up by the time he's writing this letter. And if you look at the statement from Suetonius, by Suetonius, let's say there's even evidence that Christianity was prevalent, right, that there was roots that were already growing at the capital. So when you're looking at that timeframe, then when he's writing Romans for about almost a decade, if you will, the gospel was growing, probably again, not to the degree that Paul wanted, and so that's why Paul wanted to kind of come alongside, because Paul wasn't always just in the business of starting churches, he was also in the business of coming alongside churches and training them and discipling them, and it was obviously very evangelistic to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles, and it didn't matter if they were, you know, philosophers, you know, at the at Mars Hill or spending some time in the local synagogue ministering to Jews. Paul was called to reach Jews and also Gentiles and also even to present the gospel before leaders. So when you go back then to the opening of Paul's letter and he starts by using his Roman name, that's important, okay, and this is something that we actually see him doing.
Speaker 1:If you go back to Acts, chapter 13, and you look at verse six in this setting here with Paul, just to give you a proper context, this is within his first missionary journey and there were some events that happened in Cyprus, and these are areas that Paul was very accustomed to and it says in verse four so, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Cilicia and from there sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. So there we see him ministering to his own people, and they had John to assist them. And it says in verse six when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet, named Bar-Jesus. He was with a pro-council, sergarius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas in Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas, a magician for that is the meaning of his name opposed them, seeking to turn the procouncil away from the faith. But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently on him. So we see that even Luke is identifying in one sense. As they're ministering to Jews, he's Saul. When he was a member of the Sanhedrin it was Saul, but when he is now ministering and writing to the Romans, he's a Roman citizen.
Speaker 1:Saul of Tarsus Probably came from a wealthy family. You know, we know he's very well educated, access of some of the best training at the time, as a young Jew who's a Roman citizen. So they had access to a lot more wealth than the average Jew. And so he's referring to himself in his Roman name while identifying himself as a bondservant of Christ. And why would he do that? Well, the Greek term here is doulos.
Speaker 1:Remember, romans had a lot of slaves and we know some of the history. Some of it can be embellished but nonetheless we know that in my wife and I actually been there. We spent time in Rome and I got to do some research while I was there, investigating things in scripture, tracing back maybe possibly an area where Peter, if not Paul, was arrested and stayed, and I went in there and took some pictures and it was a great time just kind of reflecting on people back then, these apostles who were being persecuted for their faith, and just saying Lord, I want to live for you and I want to be a bond servant like these people. So to use the term bond servant in that culture, when we know the gladiators, knowing the Colosseum, they would bring in slaves. They looked down on these people.
Speaker 1:These were less than second class citizens and what Paul was claiming was his allegiance is ultimately to his master, to God, to Jesus Christ, who was a peasant, who was a traveling, poor Jewish rabbi, who was crucified naked publicly. But there was evidence and there was proclamation and eyewitnesses who came on Passover. You know, after Passover, going into Easter Sunday, that he rose from the dead and that he appeared to many. And so that's the master, that's the risen savior that he worships, and so he's capturing the essence of this humble office. And you know what's interesting is it's also reflective, or paying homage, to Moses, who was referred to in Deuteronomy 34, verse five, as a servant of the Lord. The New King James Bible study handbook says this.
Speaker 1:This biographical introduction doubles as an entry point into Paul's theological vision of salvation, what he clarified as the gospel. In Paul's mind, salvation was appropriated as an individual transfer, allegiance from a former master, sin to a new master, jesus Christ. Whereas the former master paid a punitive wage of death, jesus Christ pays a redemptive wage of eternal life. We see this in Romans, chapter six, verse 23. Herein, the Bible study says, emerges the great paradox of the Christian faith True liberation can be found only in servitude to Jesus Christ, end quote.
Speaker 1:I think that's well said. So see, he's coming with peace. He's not a slave, he's not being abused. This is not indoctrination or brainwashing. This is a humble man who laid down his life because Jesus did that for him. Who laid down his life because Jesus did that for him, and the life he now lives, as we know, in his famous letter of Galatians, 2, verse 20, it's no longer about him, because the life he now lives, he lives for Christ, who loved him and gave his life for him, and so he's in service to the Lord. And so this word apostle, this office called to be an apostle.
Speaker 1:Remember the title in this episode, my friends? And looking at this, one verse is divinely drafted this is Paul's commissioning from God. So, just like when we have the draft for different sports my family we love the NFL draft. That's like one of our favorite times. What are the Patriots going to get? Don't fault me for that, okay, although if you're a Steelers fan out there, still love you. I'm glad you're listening, but it's a great time to kind of see what your team's thinking. You know where your weaknesses are, and are you going to be able to draft a player who's going to help you win, who's going to be a part of the DNA of that team, right? Well, guess what? Paul was drafted. He was called, he was commissioned by God himself. Jesus Christ reveals himself and he's going to be an apostle.
Speaker 1:Now, although Paul, again, was not one of the original 12, he was not a part of the Galilean ministry right the three and a half years that the disciples, the core group. He's not one of the 12 disciples and you see this over and over again that is reflective of the 12 tribes of Israel. He's not one of those original guys but his authority is equal to the original 11 because we know Judas Iscariot killed himself and you see this in Matthew 10, verses 1-7, and also Acts 1, 24-27, when they cast lots and they replaced Judas Iscariot. But Paul had confidence in his calling as an apostle. He understood that he was one born at a due time. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 9, verse 1, he says Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus, our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? You can also take this into 1 Corinthians 15, where he lays out the gospel, but then he also mentions this calling that God had specifically given him in 1 Corinthians 15. Let me just read you a portion of this after he lays out the gospel and then you pick up in verse eight, it says, last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me, for I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. I always love this next line, verse 10, but by the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace toward me was not in vain. Isn't that beautiful? You can also see this in Galatians 1, 15-16. In fact, in Galatians 1, verse 1, this is how Paul opens that letter. He says In Galatians 1, verse 1, this is how Paul opens that letter.
Speaker 1:He says Paul an apostle, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God, the Father who raised him from the dead. Talk about a way to open up a letter. I mean, he lays it out right there. So you can take Galatians 1, 1. And says I'm an apostle, not for man and not through man, and not for man, meaning I'm just appeasing them, but through Jesus Christ and God, the father who raised him from the dead. So he says I'm a servant of Christ Jesus, I'm a servant of the resurrected savior. He says here in Romans 1, 1, I'm set apart for the gospel of God. And what is that gospel? Like we talked about, it's going to be redemption, or you can use the word salvation, that he saved us from sin and death. He saved us from the diminutive darkness and now I'm a bondservant for Jesus Christ. So when he uses this terminology, again he's not saying I'm some big shot. He's not introducing himself to an audience Again. Remember, he's not visited them. So this is a letter that he's entrusting that they're going to read through the direction and conviction of the Holy Spirit. So when he says that he's been set apart, this is key because this is introducing holiness. So we see the transformative work, that he is a servant of Christ, that he's walking in step with the Holy Spirit and that he's set apart, knowing that my life has changed. So it's not just saying that I've had a conversion story, that conversion now turns into theology.
Speaker 1:You have a biographical account of when you and I came to Christ. But when you gave your life to Jesus Christ, who gave his life up for you and as Acts 9.15, remember. And the Lord said to him for you are a chosen instrument of mine to carry out my name to Gentiles, to Kings and to the children of Israel. So, my friends, when God has commissioned you, when you have been divinely drafted by God and you become a bond servant, you belong to him. You've been bought and sealed by the Holy Spirit. You've been bought with a price, the price of Christ on the cross, who became the last Adam because the first Adam failed.
Speaker 1:When you've been divinely drafted and you've given your life to Christ, now, what are you going to do with that life? Is it for the gospel? See, the gospel is a gift from God and in verse nine, paul refers to it as the gospel of his son. And in verse 16, paul uses the phrase the gospel of Christ, which he's not ashamed. Are you ashamed? You may be brave to talk about your faith amongst other Christians or at church, but are you afraid to talk about how Christ has changed your life and that you serve him at work, at school? It is Jesus who atoned for our sins. It is Jesus who rose again.
Speaker 1:You know, even just recently I was watching a video that my friend if you've heard the name, ray Comfort I love how he has devoted his life to sharing the gospel. Now I get it. Some people may not like his tactics. They may not like how he uses the Ten Commandments and all I get with the times, ray, I love it. In fact, there have been many times I've used that approach.
Speaker 1:I think there's different approaches for different people. I don't think there's just this one way of sharing the gospel. And that's just how Ray does it and I love it because he cares for people so much. He's out there all the time, takes his dog with him and just recently, in this one interaction that he had with somebody at Huntington Beach is where he commonly goes this man was just so arrogant and prideful and cutting him off and mocking him and when he says, have you ever used the Lord's name in vain? And then he starts using the Lord's name in vain, of course they're bleeping it out, but at the end Ray was undeterred and at the end this man, his demeanor, changed. He was softer, he got emotional.
Speaker 1:Ray then points it out and is like A minute ago you were Very arrogant and loud and condescending and trying to joke and blow things off. And he's like but now you're very emotional, why? And he says because I really feel like we had a moment where I felt God's presence. You know, I love that, my friends, and it's so convicting. But it's also very rewarding when you take the gift that you and I have through Jesus Christ, knowing that we've been commissioned by him to spread his message, amazing things happen. And so when you and I see this gift that's been given to us freely, and Paul knows it and he dedicates his life to spreading that good news, that redemptive story that is in all of us, to let people know you don't need to be dead in your sins. There's an answer. His name is Jesus.
Speaker 1:Let me ask you this as we close. I asked this in the opening of the podcast, so let me ask you one last time what is god's calling on your life and are you truly living it out? I pray you are. Hey, my friends, as I go, let me just say this I love you. I'm so thankful for your heart and your devotion and your support.
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