“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be 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 descended from David, according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 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” (Romans 1:1-7).It is not so much that Paul’s introduction to the Romans is different than his greetings to other churches or individuals. It is that the Romans introduction is much more extensive and elaborate. The format is the same: Paul introduces himself, gives credit to God, and then states who he is addressing, before following that with some personal comments. But he goes into more detail than usual in Romans. We do not know precisely why he does this, though most seem to believe that it has to do with the fact that Paul had never been to Rome before. He has not seen them in person nor spent time with the brethren in Rome like he did with the others to whom he had written (e.g. Corinth and Ephesus). And because they did not know him on a personal level, perhaps Paul wanted to make sure they knew what he was about and that his apostleship was established.
I think something that makes this especially interesting though, is when you consider the Gentile side of those to whom this letter is addressed. Paul's words here regarding authority coming from God, through the gospel of Christ, along with Christ's Lordship were obviously not going to set well with many in the Gentile world whose loyalty was to the Caesar, who for all intents and purposes was the most powerful man in the world at this time. N.T. Wright states that such a claim here by Paul would put the Caesar's claim resting "in the shade" (Paul for everyone: Romans part 1, p.4).
Often times today, when we think of the term “slave,” perhaps negative images come to mind. Slavery during this day was not necessarily the same as what we might think of as slavery in our recent times or that our culture recently experienced. Under the Law of Moses when slavery was first established (Exodus 21) and even further into the Law, slaves were actually protected by laws forbidding slave owners from mistreating the slave. For the most part, slavery was voluntary. In fact, after six years, the owner was even required to let them go, unless the slave decided to stay, which had to be through his own free will. In any event, a slave still truly labored. It was hard work. And this slave was regarded as the property of his owner and had no say-so in a lot of matters with regard to his circumstances. This makes it interesting that Paul would describe himself as a slave (or servant) of Jesus Christ. This word in its original language describes what was during this day, a slave or a bondservant. In fact, Paul makes this statement in several of his other letters also (i.e., Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1, Titus 1:1). He wants his readers to understand that he thinks of himself as one who truly labors for and belongs to Christ. By claiming himself as a bondservant of Jesus, he is affirming that he is the very property of the one through whom God’s grace shines.
It is also interesting that he makes it a point later in the book to remind us that we too are bondservants of Christ.
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).Paul wants us to remember that when we left sin (to which we were servants) we voluntarily committed ourselves to Christ’s ownership. He owns us. And everything we do is to be done in such a way that keeps in perspective that we are His property. It is interesting what Paul teaches us just by way of his introduction. I will say more on this later when we get to chapter 6.
Of course, Paul also introduces himself as an apostle and one that is set apart for the gospel. Obviously his apostleship was unique in that he did not have the relationship with Christ during His earthly ministry that the other apostles did, and as v.5 indicates, he was called to preach among all nations (i.e., the Gentiles) and not to the Jews only. Paul seems to be affirming that God singled him out for a very distinct or special role—to carry the gospel to the Gentiles.
C.E.B. Cranfield has an interesting take on the first four verses that I had never considered before. In his book, Romans: a shorter commentary, he discusses how Paul mentions three aspects of the gospel: (1) it is from God, (2) it was prophesied in the Old Testament, and (3) this gospel concerns and surrounds Jesus Christ. Now, this will preach! Cranfield suggests that part of Paul’s point of emphasis here is that the substance of the gospel is indeed Jesus Christ (pp.3-4). What a powerful message Paul establishes right off the bat, especially when you consider the whole essence of this letter is that we are saved by God through Jesus and not of our own righteousness. Paul establishes Jesus’ natures, both human and divine, along with His incarnation, His Messiahship, His resurrection, and His Lordship (i.e., ownership and authority).
Also in v.5, Paul in these few words really reveals a lot about his apostleship. The origin is from God, and Paul never loses perspective of this. He always gives God the glory and what a tremendous lesson this teaches us about the attitude we should have in all of our accomplishments. He considers his role as an apostle as a gift of grace. Do we consider our role as Christians as mere responsibilities or also as gifts from God? Perhaps the former could be a significant reason as to why Christians don’t do more. In any event, after mentioning his purpose of bringing the “the obedience of faith” to the Gentiles, Paul gives us a hint as to what his ultimate goal really is—to bring honor and glory to Christ. He states that he does what he does “for the sake of his name” (v.5).
And finally, in vv.6-7, Paul mentions the recipients of the letter. He wants to teach these Christians in Rome the deeper issues of the gospel (vv.7, 15). Jews and Gentiles were part of the church here in Rome. Paul says they are called by God to be saints. This should remind us of how significant and meaningful it really is to be a Christian.
More next time on the personal comments Paul makes to these Christians in vv.8-17.
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