Today we begin a new series looking at a document that I think is the most influential ever written.
Word Cloud for Paul’s Letter to the Romans
Written to Christians in pagan Rome in the late 50s AD, it outlines as clearly as any other document the essence of the Christian faith and answers many objections to it.
By the mid-4th century, 300 years later, the pagan Roman Empire had become Christian.
In his book The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries, American sociologist Rodney Stark posits that only around 0.02% of the Roman Empire was Christian at the end of the first century. By the end of the 4th century, that number had risen to 56% (approximately 33 million Christians).
Contrary to popular opinion, he says Christianity was not made the official religion of the empire because Constantine was some religious fundamentalist trying to force Christianity on the people. The majority of the population was already Christian, and it was still growing astronomically. It was, therefore, the politically correct thing to do.
One of the earliest Christian thinkers, or church fathers as they are usually referred to, was converted by reading this letter. He would become one of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith, and even today, both Roman Catholicism and Protestants claim him: St. Augustine of Hippo.
Centuries later, in the mid-16th century, it is the discovery, or rather the rediscovery, of this letter, indeed of some of the verses we will think about today, that launched the Protestant Reformation and consequently shaped much of what we think of today as Western civilization.
A couple of centuries later, again, it is this document that led to the conversion of the man who led what is usually referred to as the evangelical revival in the 18th century in England. The revival, which you might not know, is what led to the abolition of slavery in England, among many other things.
And so, even just on those grounds, whether you call yourself a Christian or not, surely you should consider this letter worthy of attention.
We will be in Romans the whole summer and a significant chunk of the autumn, which I assure you is very ambitious.
The famous English preacher Martin Lloyd Jones preached over 370 sermons from this letter; you can do the math on how many years those are. I also heard of another pastor who preached 47 sermons just on chapter 8. We will try to go much faster than that.
And as we start this morning, I want to zoom in on just one verse, which I think captures the introduction really well and summarizes the message of the book.
It is there in v.16:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.'”
It is an expression of confidence: I am not ashamed of the gospel.
And it is interesting that he says it in the negative. He could just as well have said: I am confident in the gospel, or I am proud of the gospel, or I am positive about the gospel. But he says I am not ashamed of the gospel.
Because Paul knows, like we all know, that it is very easy to be ashamed of the gospel. To be embarrassed about it. To just conveniently not bring it up.
I am not ashamed of the gospel.
Three things about the gospel from this introduction:
- The Person of the Gospel
Paul begins his letter with a long personal introduction in which he says he has been called to be an apostle, a special envoy for the gospel of God. The word gospel simply means an announcement: good news.
So Paul is an ambassador, a special emissary for the announcement of God. It is not Paul’s gospel; he is simply a servant of it. It is the gospel of God.
Paul then continues in v.2 that this gospel, this announcement, God promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
So the gospel is not a new religion; Christianity is not a new religion. It is the fulfillment of an old religion.
Which is why he says the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
That is why we have a thick Bible with two testaments, not just one. Both are equally inspired—breathed out by God.
Christianity is a promised religion, and it grows naturally out of Judaism. Paul will spend three chapters in this letter giving the most comprehensive treatment of the relationship between Jewish faith and the gospel. You’ll need to wait till autumn for that.
So the gospel is a completion, a fulfillment of the promises of God through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
And now, most crucially, from these opening verses, the gospel, the announcement, is about His Son (v.3).
The gospel is about a person; it’s not just a concept. It is a who, not a what.
You see, we have not understood the gospel until we grasp that it is not fundamentally a message about our lives, dreams, or hopes. The gospel speaks to and transforms our lives, dreams, and hopes, but only because it is not about us. It is about His Son; it is about Jesus.
And then he says two things about Jesus: first, that Jesus was, in the flesh, a descendant of David. The OT is full of promises that there will one day come a king in the lineage of David who will rule forever. Isaiah 9:6, for example: “The government will be upon His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And of the increase of His government, there shall be no end.”
The gospel is the good news that that long-expected Messiah, King, triumphant over the enemies of God, establisher of joy and righteousness and peace, has come. Jesus is the promised Davidic King.
And secondly, that Jesus was confirmed King by His resurrection.
v.4: “And who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead.”
Let me try and illustrate that. When Queen Elizabeth died, King Charles became king immediately. But he was only appointed, officially declared king almost a year later at his coronation.
That, I think, is the point here. Jesus was already the Son of God, but His resurrection was like His coronation. Declared in power, confirmed, inaugurated for everyone to see that He is indeed the King.
So the gospel is the announcement that there is a King on the throne. The throne of the universe is not vacant; there is someone on it—Jesus Christ, Our Lord! Our boss, our king, our ruler. Indeed, Jesus Christ, Our God.
Rom. 9:5: “The Messiah who is God over all, forever praised. Amen!”
Jesus, our Lord, our God.
So the gospel is not first and foremost about how we are saved; not even that Jesus is the Savior; it is that Jesus is the King. Indeed, it is that Jesus is God in flesh come to reign.
The gospel is about Jesus.
- The Power of the Gospel
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.”
So this announcement from God about Jesus’ reign, Jesus’ kingship, is the power of God to save everyone who believes.
Which kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? A couple of weeks ago, we thought about how powerful God is, and so when He speaks, we expect that His words will be powerful.
And God has spoken. He has given an announcement, and that announcement is dynamite—it is powerful to save.
With lots in the news about plummeting numbers in the pews and the decline of Christianity, I think people can get desperate and be tempted to think that the power is in something else.
But the power is not in clever, funny, and charismatic priests or preachers. The power is not in an impressive church building with lights and smoke. The power is not in being relevant to the culture and jumping onto every social justice issue that the world cares about, whether it is about climate, gender, or race. The power is in the gospel—God’s grand announcement about Jesus’ kingship, promised beforehand in the Holy Scriptures—is the power of God that brings salvation.
Do you believe that? Are you confident in that?
But you may ask: How? How is the gospel able to save?
v.17: “For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.'”
The word is righteousness; and there has been a huge debate over the last 30 years on what that word means.
The two options are:
1. It describes the character of God as being a God who does what is right. A God who is just. He does the right thing.
2. It is about a status or even a verdict that God bestows on people, so we can say ‘righteousness from’ instead of ‘of God.’
Think of a judge declaring someone not guilty after a trial: innocent. And it is a concept that is going to be significant in Romans: God declaring people not guilty. The other word for it is justify; so we can say righteous-ify.
So which is it?
And I want to be annoying and say that I think it is both. In the context of salvation and eternal judgment, I think it is clearly the second one: God declaring people righteous/innocent.
But God is able to do this because He is righteous and just. He does it the right way, so that He can be righteous and justify or declare righteous those who have faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:26).
The gospel is the power of God to save everyone who believes, because in the gospel, God reveals a way to be declared innocent before Him, righteous before Him.
Not guilty. How?
By faith from first to last.
The word faith just means to trust in something or someone.
So here is how I think of it: you and I need to be perfect. We need to be innocent before God to enjoy eternal life with Him. We need to be declared righteous. And here is the announcement: Jesus, the promised King, was righteous and innocent. He lived a perfect life and died a death to take the punishment for all the ways in which we are not righteous and innocent. The ways in which we are guilty.
And all we need to do to be saved, to be declared innocent, to be righteous-ified, is to trust Jesus.
We will come back to this theme again and again in this series.
- The Priority of the Gospel
Who is the gospel for? Simple answer: everyone.
v.14: I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
These categories encompass everyone. Either you are a Greek, or you are a non-Greek.
I am obligated to everyone—all the nations.
So at university, I read a course with a very long name: Btech-IM&B.
Now imagine I didn’t become a minister and ended up being a CEO of some big pharma company. And in our lab, we find the cure or vaccine for some global pandemic, or even cancer. We confirm everything, 100% guaranteed we got it.
But then I call a staff meeting and tell my staff, “Don’t mention this to anyone at all. We will just give this to ourselves, close family, and friends.” What would you think of me?
You see, if you find something like that, you are obligated to share it.
And Paul says, I am obligated. I am in debt to everyone to share the gospel with them.
Indeed, this letter is written to mobilize this Roman church to support him as he goes to the Wild West in Spain, proclaiming the gospel.
You see, Paul is committed to what we would call global mission or cross-cultural mission.
And he puts it differently in v.5, but it’s the same thing:
his ministry, he says, is to call all the gentiles, and gentiles simply means nations, to call all the nations to the obedience that comes from faith.
And it is that phrase that he uses in the last line of the letter in ch.16.
So 16:26, so that all the gentiles/nations might come to the obedience that comes from faith—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
In other words, Paul is committed to seeing the nations bow the knee to King Jesus as they come to Him in faith.
Paul is committed to various people groups, whether they are abroad or in your office, coming to put their trust in the Lord Jesus.
And he wants the Roman church, indeed he wants you and me, to join him in that commitment.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.
But the gospel is not just for non-Christians.
He tells these Christians that he is eager to come and preach the gospel to them. He tells them how he has longed to come to them. He writes this long letter to them explaining the basics of the Christian faith.
Not because they don’t know. He says their faith is reported around the world. He says in Ch.15 — that he is satisfied about them, that they are full of goodness, full of knowledge, able to instruct one another.
And yet Paul is desperate to preach the gospel to them.
You see, whether you are a Christian or not, whether you’ve been in church for 4 weeks or 50 years, we all need to hear the gospel.
And so I guess the application for this Sunday is to go and begin to read the book of Romans. It will just take you one hour to read through it in one sitting, but read it and read it again. This document changed everything.