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A Servant of Christ Jesus: The Gospel That Claims Your Life
Romans: The Gospel That Changes Everything | Romans 1:1
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”Romans 1:1Before Paul explains the gospel, he shows us what the gospel had already done in his life. The gospel had taken a man who once persecuted the church and made him a servant of Christ Jesus. It had taken a man who once opposed Christ and made him an apostle of Christ. It had taken a man who trusted in his own righteousness and set him apart for the gospel of God.The gospel was not merely a message Paul preached. It was the message that had mastered his entire life.
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Paul Belongs to Jesus Christ
Paul begins by identifying himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus.” The word translated “servant” carries the idea of belonging to another. Paul was not presenting himself as an independent religious thinker, a self-appointed spiritual authority, or a religious free agent. Paul belonged to Jesus Christ.This is especially significant when we remember Paul’s former life. He had opposed Christ, persecuted the church, and sought to destroy those who followed Jesus. But the risen Christ met Paul, saved him, called him, and claimed him.Paul’s identity was no longer found in his religious status, personal zeal, ethnic background, education, or moral record. His identity was found in belonging to Christ.This directly confronts the modern pursuit of self-definition. People are constantly encouraged to define themselves by their desires, achievements, personalities, politics, careers, suffering, successes, failures, sexuality, or personal stories. The Christian, however, does not begin with self-definition. The Christian begins with Jesus Christ.Dear Christian, your deepest identity is not found in what you have done, what has been done to you, what you feel, what you accomplish, what you lose, or what others say about you. Your deepest identity is this: You belong to Jesus Christ.Christ is not a cruel master. He is the Savior who purchased His people with His blood, brought them into His kingdom, and rules them with grace, truth, wisdom, and love. To be saved by Christ is to belong to Christ.Paul Was Called to Be an Apostle
Paul continues by saying that he was “called to be an apostle.” Paul did not appoint himself to this office. His apostleship did not arise from personal ambition, charisma, education, or persuasive ability. Paul was called directly by the risen Jesus Christ.An apostle was one sent with authority as an appointed witness and messenger of Christ. Paul therefore did not write Romans as a man merely sharing his private opinions or theological reflections. He wrote as one called by Christ and authorized to deliver apostolic instruction to the church.Paul’s apostleship was unique and foundational. The apostles laid the foundation of the church, with Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone. The church does not need new apostles who claim the same authority as Paul, Peter, or John. The church remains under the apostolic Word preserved for us in the sixty-six books of Scripture.This is especially important in light of movements such as the New Apostolic Reformation, where some individuals claim to possess the same kind of apostolic authority found in the New Testament. Paul’s apostleship cannot be separated from his direct calling by the risen Christ, his role as an eyewitness, and his recognition by the other apostles.The foundational apostolic office is not an ongoing office that must be restored in every generation. The foundation has already been laid. Christians today do not need new apostles or new revelation. We need the inspired, inerrant, sufficient, clear, and authoritative Word of God.The authority of Christian ministry does not rest in the personality, office, influence, or reputation of the servant. It rests in Jesus Christ and in the Word He has given.Paul Was Set Apart for the Gospel
Paul also says that he was “set apart for the gospel of God.” His entire life had been marked off, claimed, and devoted to one message: the good news that comes from God.The gospel is not Paul’s invention. It is not religious philosophy, political ideology, moral advice, cultural therapy, or a program of self-improvement. It is the gospel of God.God is the source of the gospel. God is the author of the gospel. God is the revealer of the gospel. God is the One who accomplishes salvation through the person and sufficient work of His Son.The gospel is God’s message about God’s Son for God’s glory and the salvation of sinners.Because the gospel comes from God, Christians do not have the authority to revise, soften, reshape, or reinvent it. We must receive it with humility, proclaim it with confidence, and remain faithful to what God has revealed in His Word.Sinners cannot save themselves through morality, sincerity, religious activity, personal achievement, or self-effort. Humanity’s deepest problem is not merely brokenness, disappointment, or a lack of purpose. Every person is a sinner by nature and by choice and stands in need of reconciliation with God.The good news is that Jesus Christ lived the righteous life we have not lived. He died the death sinners deserve, bearing the penalty for sin in the place of His people. He rose from the dead in power and reigns as Lord over all.The gospel is not about sinners climbing their way up to God. It is the announcement that God has acted in Jesus Christ to save sinners who cannot save themselves.The Gospel Reorders the Whole Life
In one verse, Paul tells us who he is, who owns him, who called him, and what he has been set apart to proclaim.Paul is a servant of Christ Jesus. He is called to be an apostle. He is set apart for the gospel of God. His identity, authority, calling, labor, suffering, and mission are all defined by Christ and the gospel.The gospel did not occupy one small part of Paul’s life. It reordered his entire life.This is where Romans 1:1 presses upon every Christian. What defines us? What owns us? What message has captured our hearts? Where are our attention, energy, devotion, affection, and obedience directed?The Christian life is not Jesus added to an otherwise self-directed life. The Christian life is a life lived under the lordship of Jesus Christ. We belong to Him. We are saved by Him. We are called to follow Him. We are sent to bear witness to Him. We are set apart to live for the glory of God.The gospel that saves sinners also claims sinners for the glory of God.Come to Jesus Christ
Paul was not always a servant of Jesus Christ. He was once an enemy of Christ, a persecutor of the church, and a man who trusted in his own righteousness. But Jesus Christ saved him, claimed him, called him, and sent him.That is grace, and that same grace is the hope of every sinner.You cannot make yourself acceptable to God through your works. You cannot redefine yourself into salvation. You do not clean yourself up and then come to Christ. You come to Christ because Christ alone saves.Turn from your sin and trust in Jesus Christ alone. Rest in His perfect righteousness, sufficient death, and victorious resurrection. Be reconciled to God through the person and work of Jesus Christ.Dear Christian, remember who you are. You belong to Jesus Christ. You are not your own. You were bought with a price. Your life is not meaningless, and your identity is not up for grabs.Trust the gospel. Submit to God’s Word. Rest in the righteousness of Christ. Proclaim the gospel of God. Live as one who belongs to the Lord.Continue Through the Book of Romans
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