Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s Longing to Visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome.
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
My Understanding: As I read this passage of scripture this morning, what stood out to me is how this passage described what it means to be a servant of the Lord, which we are all called to be, yet by choice, not by force. We are called to be slaves of righteousness and bondservants of our Lord Jesus Christ (see Romans 6). Jesus set this example to us by being willing to leave his home in heaven to come to earth, to take on the form of a servant, and then to die on the cross for our sins, so that we could go free of the penalty and control of sin over our lives. He set this example in all that he did when he walked the face of this earth, and in particular he did this when he knelt down and washed the feet of his disciples and then when he died on the cross for our sins. And, we are to follow his example of servanthood. Though we are sons of God and friends of Jesus, yet we are still his servants, by choice, as well. And, we are called to obedience to God/Christ Jesus.
Paul said that he was a servant of Jesus Christ and he was called to be an apostle. An apostle is a sent out one, a messenger, an ambassador, a herald, a delegate, a proclaimer, and a representative, et al. After Jesus was resurrected from the dead he told his disciples: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Before Jesus was taken up to heaven he told his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We, as his disciples, have been given the same commission, I believe, to go (as sent out ones) and to make disciples of Jesus Christ of all nations, to baptize, and to teach them to obey Christ.
Paul said that he was set apart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, have all been called to be sanctified (set apart for a sacred purpose) and to be made holy. I Peter 1:1 says: “To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout… who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.” So, although we may not be called in the sense that Paul and the other apostles were called, still we are called to be set apart for Christ and his gospel, we are all to be servants of the Lord, and we are all to go (as sent out ones) and to make disciples of Christ, teaching them to obey Christ. We are to be lights to the world for the gospel and to not hide our lights.
Paul also said that he longed to see his fellow believers in Rome so that he might impart to them some spiritual gift, i.e. that “you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” We, as believers in Jesus, are also called to use our spiritual gifts for the edification (encouragement) of the body of Christ. So many times we get this idea of “encouragement” as giving people compliments, even though falsely, sometimes, to give them pats on the back, and to tell them that they are ok when they are not ok. Yet, this is not what our Lord had in mind, because he often spoke against this kind of false flattery and saying what tickles people’s ears and saying what pleases men but does not turn them from sin. Encouragement involves inspiring, cheering, reassuring, boosting, and yet also urging, nurturing, assisting, persuading, and spurring people on to good works and to true faith in Jesus Christ. Edification, as well, involves enlightening, informing, educating, instructing, teaching and helping others to improve their situations. And, this is the kind of encouragement Paul was speaking of and hoped that would take place mutually, one using his or her spiritual gifts to help strengthen others to walk faithfully in obedience to Christ.
Paul’s attitude about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that he was eager to preach the gospel and he was not ashamed of the gospel, because the gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” The gospel of Jesus Christ is that Jesus, God the Son, left heaven, he came to earth and took on the flesh of man, yet still maintaining his God-nature, i.e. he was fully God and yet fully man. He suffered and was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, and then he was crucified on the cross for our sins so that we could be set free from the penalty and control of sin over our lives. Jesus crucified our sin when he died on the cross and he buried our sin when he was buried, and then he rose from the grave, triumphing over hell, Satan, death and sin. We receive this salvation from sin that he provided on the cross and via his resurrection when we come to him in genuine believing faith via turning from our sin and turning to walk in faithful obedience to Christ. This is the true and Biblical meaning of the word “faith” and it is by God’s grace and through this kind of faith that we are saved. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul was eager to preach and of which he was not ashamed.
We need to have that same love for the gospel message, and for the same reason as Paul – because the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. The Bible says that people cannot believe if they don’t hear the gospel message and they can’t hear unless people are sent and unless people proclaim the gospel. It goes on to say, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news.” We should be eager, as well, to tell people about Jesus Christ because the gospel is their cure for cancer, i.e. they are going to die and they are going to go to hell because of the cancer of sin in their lives if they do not trust Jesus Christ as Lord (master) and as Savior of their lives via repentance (turning from sin) and obedience to Jesus’ commands, which is what faith is all about.
We should be passionate about sharing the gospel message and we should not be ashamed to tell people of their need of Christ, of their need to repent and of their need to walk in obedience to Christ. It is not the gospel if it does not present people with their sinful condition (the disease) and if it does not give them the remedy (the antidote), i.e. they must repent (turn from sin) and they must make a conscious decision of the will to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience and surrender of their wills to his will for their lives. This is the power of the gospel to change lives and to bring salvation to a world dying in their sins. If the “gospel” message is such that it does not require repentance and obedience for salvation, then there is no power in that gospel for it leaves people in bondage to sin. So, in our passion for the gospel and our eagerness to tell people the gospel message, we need to make sure we are telling them the true gospel, i.e. the only one that offers true hope.
So, being a servant of Christ Jesus means that we are set apart for Christ and for his service, that we are ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that we are to be his witnesses, that we are to make disciples of all nations, that we are to teach them to obey Christ’s commandments, that we are to turn people from their sin by letting them know that true faith involves repentance and obedience to Christ, that we should be eager to tell people about how they can come to know the Lord Jesus, too, that we should be passionate about our faith and desire to use our spiritual gifts God has given us to truly encourage and edify other believers, in the truest sense of what those words mean, and that we should not be ashamed of the full gospel message nor should we hide the light of the gospel from others. And, this is just a tip of the iceberg of what it means to be a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ and to be his hands and his feet and to continue the ministry he began when he walked the face of this earth via his Holy Spirit now living and working in and out through us. We should be so in love with Jesus Christ that we will desire to do whatever he asks of us.
A true servant of Christ Jesus is one who is seeking to hear God’s voice, is listening to God’s voice speaking, and then is obeying what he or she is being taught via the word of God and via the witness of the Holy Spirit in teaching us all that God has given to us. I pray that we would all, as servants of the Lord Jesus, call upon him today in prayer, seeking his face, and asking him to speak to our hearts what he has for us in this hour. And, I pray that we, too, will be willing to do whatever the Lord has for us to do as his servants and as his witnesses.
Speak, Lord / An Original Work / May 8, 2011
Speak, Lord, for Your servant’s list’ning to You.
Let me hear You speak in love and in truth.
Guide me, I pray. Teach me Your way.
Speak, Lord, while I bow before You now.
Speak, Lord, fill me with Your peace and Your joy.
Let Your Holy Spirit’s work now employ.
Strengthen within. Keep me from sin.
Speak, Lord, words that lead to victory.
Speak, Lord, so that I might walk in Your ways.
Let Your love o’er-flow in my heart today.
Be my desire. Set me on fire.
Speak, Lord, comfort me with Your presence.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/speak-lord
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77GLImHr4HQ
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1169/Speak-Lord
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