A Life Impacted By The Gospel

[Introduction omitted]

A letter to the Christians at Rome

Like most letters written during this time, the Book of Romans begins with a “from” section and a “to” section, indicating the author of the letter and the audience of the letter respectively. In most letters, the “from” and “to” sections are typically quite short, containing just the names of both parties, and sometimes a short description of either or both parties. Consider the third letter of the Apostle John. In his “from” section, he identifies himself simply as “The elder,” and then comes his “to” section: “to the beloved Gaius whom I love in truth.” (3 John 1)

Paul’s “from” and “to” sections are relatively longer. His first letter to Timothy begins like this: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the command of God our saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope.” (1 Timothy 1:1) That is is “from” section. Next comes his “to” section: “To Timothy, my genuine child in faith.” (1 Timothy 1:2) Sometimes, in his “from” section, Paul includes the names other people who were with him. For example, his first letter to the Thessalonians begins like this: “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,” and then comes to the “to” section: “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:1)

Paul likes to use his “from” and “to” sections to make significant points which would become relevant later on in the letter. For example, take a look at his “from” section in his letter to the Galatians: “Paul, an apostle, not from men, nor through a man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead.” (Galatians 1:1) Now, Paul could have simply written: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ.” Why did he choose instead to expand his “from” section in this way? Well, it could be because he was going to respond to false teachers throughout the rest of the letter, and so he felt the need to remind his audience that unlike those false teachers, his calling to be an apostle came from God.

Paul does the same thing in this letter to the Romans. His “from” section in this letter is longer than any of his other letters which are preserved in the Scriptures. In your Bibles, it spans verses 1 to 6 of chapter 1. In these next few sessions, we will be examining this long “from” section. Today, we will only be looking at the first part of his “from” section: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, marked off unto the gospel of God.” (v. 1)

Who was Paul?

Let us take a look at the first word: “Paul”. That’s his name, right? No big deal; that is simply the name of the author of the letter. But who was this Paul? Many of us know his story from the Book of Acts. We find him first in Acts 7:58, as a young man taking care of the outer garments of men as they stoned Stephen to death. There, he is referred to as “Saul”.

As the narrative progresses, we learn that he was a bitter enemy of the first Christians. He relentlessly persecuted them and “was devastating the church.” (Acts 8:3) All that changed when Saul encountered the Lord in a supernatural way. Many people focus on the fact that he saw a bright light, heard the Lord’s voice, became blinded, and was then healed of his blindness. But perhaps the most supernatural thing was what happened to Saul inwardly: the change in his heart. “Immediately,” the narrative tells us, “he was preaching Jesus in the synagogues” (Acts 9:20)! Many people miss this because they look for the “supernatural” outwardly.

Many people think that Saul changed his name to Paul when he converted to Christianity. However, that is not at all the case. Long after his conversion, Paul continued to use his name “Saul”. In Acts 9:22, we read that “Saul was being strengthened more, and was confounding the Jews living in Damascus.” It is only in Acts 13:9 that we are finally told that Saul “was also Paul.” In other words, it is not as if Saul changed his name to Paul. Rather, he had a Jewish name, “Saul”, as well as a Roman name, “Paul”, and he used both names concurrently.

This is just like many of us ethnic Chinese people in Singapore, who have both a Chinese name and an English name. In many cases, we would use our Chinese names in Chinese-speaking contexts, and our English names in English-speaking contexts. In my case, my English name, Asher, is not in my official documents, and so my Chinese name is still used in some English-speaking contexts, albeit transliterated into English letters. When I was studying in England, my lecturers referred to me by my Chinese name, pronouncing it as they saw it spelled with English letters. However, my friends and some lecturers would ask me if I had an English name, and I would tell them, Asher. So, I never changed my name. Rather, both my names, one Chinese and one English, were used concurrently.

So, that is the historical context regarding the Apostle Paul, the author of this letter to the Christians at Rome. He was once a bitter persecutor of Christians, but once he encountered the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he has become transformed. He describes himself in three ways.

Paul Knew his Master

Firstly, he describes himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus.” The Apostle Paul introduces himself as a servant of God and of Jesus two other times in his writings: Philippians 1:1 and Titus 1:1. The Greek word for “servant” here is doulos. Many translations render doulos as “servant” (KJV, NIV, ESV, WEB, YLT), but I think that the word “slave” best reflects its meaning. Naturally, nobody wants or likes to be a slave. The very term carries the notion of lowliness and humiliation—qualities which are repulsive and counter-intuitive to the natural mind. However, according to the Bible, Christians are slaves of God and the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 6:22; 1 Corinthians 7:22; 1 Peter 2:16).

What does that even mean to be a slave, anyway? This is where we may run into some problems. When we see the word “slave” in the Bible, we tend to import modern western ideas of slavery into that word. That is also why some translators are reluctant to render doulos as “slave”. So, we should take some time to consider what Paul means by being a “slave”.

Firstly, slavery involves ownership. The word doulos is a relational term. Being a doulos, “slave”, means belonging to a kyrios. The word kyrios means “lord” or “master”. Whenever we read in the New Testament that Jesus Christ is referred to as “lord”, the Greek word for “lord” there is kyrios. A kyrios is a master of slaves. So, when we call Jesus “lord”, what are we really saying? We are saying that he is our slave master, and we are his slaves! As slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ, we belong to him! But what does that mean? A slave is someone who has completely surrendered all his rights to his lord. That is what this belonging entails. The lord of a slave literally owns him, pretty much in every way.

Christ’s ownership over the Christian is what Paul had in mind when he tells the Corinthians Christians in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “you do not belong to yourselves because you were bought at a price.” Because God purchased us “at a price”—the price of Jesus’ blood—we now belong to him! But what does that entail? According to the element of slavery which we have just considered, it means that God now possesses absolute rights over us. Thus, a Christian is someone who no longer has the right to live any way he likes. Rather, he lives according to the way his new lord, Jesus Christ, want him to live. “Therefore,” the next verse says—because you are no longer your own, because you have been bought at a price, ”glorify God with your body and with your spirit which belong to God.”

Secondly, being a slave involves obedience. A slave is obligated to obey his lord in all things; even in things which he may not like. In fact, more than just an obligation, a slave is even characterized by obedience to his lord. In Romans 6:16, Paul says: “Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves unto obedience, you are slaves to whom you obey?” In other words, obedience is definitional to being a slave; one cannot be considered to be a slave of someone if he does not obey him!

Our pride simply does not like that, does it? But if we are truly slaves of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, then we would willingly submit ourselves to him in humble obedience. Sadly, there are many people today who say that they are Christians, but they have no desire to live the way God wants them to live. Many of them say that Jesus Christ is their lord, but the way they live their life blatantly contradicts that claim! This is certainly biblical grounds to question their claim to be Christians, but we shall discuss this in later messages.

Thirdly, being a slave involves a reward. This is very counter-intuitive our the modern Western mind, because we are used to thinking of a slave as someone who works at no cost. To us, slaves are defined as free labour. However, this was not the concept of a slave which Paul had in mind here. In chapter 6, where Paul talks about being “slaves to sin” (vv. 17, 20), he says that “the wages of sin”—the wages that sin pays to its slaves—“is death” (v. 23). From this, we see that in Paul’s concept, a slave receives wages from his lord for the work that he has done.

How then should we Christians, as slaves of God, view God accordingly? In Hebrews 11, the writer lists people who served God as slaves of God. Each of them knew that they would have to face difficult circumstances when they chose to serve God, yet they readily chose to. How were they able to do that? They served God “by faith.” Faith in what? What did they believe about God that empowered them to serve him regardless of the cost? Verse 6 tells us: “he who draws near to God must believe that [God] is, and becomes a rewarder to those who seek him out.” As we serve God, we must believe that God is a rewarder. Why? Because that is true of him. To think otherwise is a denial of his faithfulness. God will definitely reward all those who serve him as his slaves.

Paul Knew his Mandate

Next, Paul describes himself as “a called apostle.” The English word “apostle” is borrowed directly from the Greek word apostolos, which refers to a person who has been sent to accomplish a mission in the name of the one who sent him. In his case, Paul was sent by Jesus Christ, to represent Jesus Christ on a mission to proclaim this Gospel to both Jew and Gentile alike (cf. v. 5).

Paul was “a called apostle.” The Greek word for “called” is the adjective klētos, which describes Paul’s vocation as an apostle as coming from divine appointment, and not the result of men’s choice or effort. In several of his letters, Paul often introduces himself, highlighting the divine origin of his commission as an apostle. In 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians and 2 Timothy, he introduces himself as “Paul, a called apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God.” In 2 Corinthians, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God.” In Galatians, “Paul, an apostle, not from men, nor through a man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father.” In 1 Timothy, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the order of God our saviour.”

By introducing himself as “a called apostle”, Paul wished to emphasize that it was not he himself who chose this vocation as an apostle, nor was he selected to be an apostle based on the results of an interview process. Remember that Paul was once a bitter persecutor of Christianity. Naturally speaking, he would be the last person we would expect God to appoint as an apostle. Even the First Christians were initially unwilling to believe that he had actually become Christian (Acts 9:26). If they were the ones in charge of selecting and appointing apostles, Paul would be the last person they would choose!

It was God, by his grace, who acted contrary to the natural expectations of men. In 1 Corinthians 15:9–10, Paul writes, “I am the least of the apostles, yet I am not even fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God, but by the grace of God, I am what I am”—an apostle. Paul recognized that naturally speaking, he was not supposed to be an apostle because he was once a persecutor of the God's people. But somehow, “by the grace of God,” he still ended up as an apostle. This is what grace means: not on the basis of one’s merits, but even contrary to the disqualification of one’s demerits!

This is why I define grace not merely as unmerited favour, but even as demerited favour. God’s grace is not favour that we just do not deserve; it is favour that we have done everything to forfeit! It is on this grace that the callings of God are based. Are you called by God? Then remember always that it is by grace that God called you, not because of anything intrinsically good about you. Some of us recognize how unqualified we are for our callings, so much so that we appreciate this grace all the more, because we realize that God had called us contrary to the expectations of men.

Even if you do not think that God has not called you to any ministry or service, the very fact that you are a Christian—that you believe in Jesus Christ salvation—signifies that you are called by God. Hebrews 3:1 calls our Christian calling a “heavenly calling.” Second Timothy 1:9 says that God “has saved us and called us by a holy calling, not according to our good works, but according to his own purpose and grace.” God saved us by calling us to be a Christian. Again, we see that this calling is according to grace. However, notice that God’s calling is also “according to his own purpose.”

Likewise, Romans 8:28 says that “God works all things unto good together with those who are called according to his purpose.” When God calls someone by grace, it does not mean that God calls arbitrarily, for no reason at all. Rather, God calls purposefully. When God calls, he has a specific purpose which he intends to fulfill by making that calling. If you are called by God, then you are called according to a purpose! We shall consider more deeply the matter God’s calling unto salvation later on in the series.

This calling of Paul to be an apostle was an effectual calling, and not merely an invitation which Paul accepted. This calling was not the calling of a voice, like when we call to our friends: “Hey, come over here!” God did not just call Paul to become an apostle just by telling him verbally: “Paul, become an apostle!” Rather, God called Paul to become an apostle by orchestrating events in his life such that he inevitably ended up becoming an apostle. To become an apostle, Paul had to first become a Christian, and we all know how that was arranged. However, as an apostle, Paul also needed to correctly and accurately represent Christ in his teaching and in his writing, some of which we consider God-breathed Scripture. That requires a solid grounding in healthy doctrine.

Did God accomplish all that by waving a magic wand and suddenly striking him smart with all the right theology? No, God does not work by magic. Rather, he works supernaturally naturally. God arranged that from a young age, Paul would be thoroughly immersed in the scriptures. From his youth, he was taught by one of the best Bible teachers of the day: Gamliel the Elder (Acts 22:3). This meant that by the time of his conversion, he was thoroughly immersed in the content of the Bible. Notice that he did not need an Alpha course or a series of Bible studies to teach him anything new. “Immediately,”—right after his conversion—“he was preaching Jesus in the synagogues... proving that [Jesus] is the Christ.” (Acts 9:20, 22) When he came to believe in Christ, the scales simply fell off from his eyes, and the Scriptures—much of which he had already memorized by this time—finally made sense to him. This is how he knows that “whenever one shall have turned toward the Lord, the veil is removed.” (2 Corinthians 3:16)

Paul Knew his Message

Thirdly, Paul describes himself as “marked off unto the gospel of God.” Actually, these are not three separate descriptions of Paul, but they are explanations of one another. First Paul says that he is “a slave of Christ Jesus.” In what capacity is he serving as a slave for Christ Jesus? In the capacity of “a called apostle”. What is the mission on which he was sent off? The mission of preaching the “gospel of God.”

The Greek word for “marked off” here is the verb aphorizō, which means to set boundaries around someone so as to separate him away from all other things. Thus, that thing or person is set apart, focused solely on one purpose or task alone. Paul had boundaries set around him to prevent him from being distracted or sidetracked from the gospel of God. This indicates Paul’s absolute dedication to the preaching of the Gospel.

Have you ever met a person so engrossed, so consumed in his task that he becomes upset when someone distracts or sidetracks him? This was Paul’s attitude toward the Gospel. Paul considered the preaching of the Gospel as his life’s mission assigned to him by God, and he took it so seriously that he had given himself entirely to this work. The perfect tense of the verb aphorizō here signifies his determination to remain in the state of being “marked off.”

What is our life’s mission and goal? What is the thing which engrosses and consumes us? What is it that directs our daily walk, and is the basis on which we make life-changing decisions? Are we “marked off” for a work that is “of God”? As they say, “You only live once,” and that is quite a sobering fact. God has given us the precious gift of life, but we have only one chance to make of it what we will. What are we doing with that life? Is our life really worth dedicating to things which are not “of God”? A life lived in service to God is the most purposeful life to live.

Conclusion

At this point, I have spent many words expounding on the person of the Apostle Paul, drawing out from the words he has chosen to introduce himself by. Indeed, I have spoken of him as if he were the ideal Christian, totally surrendered and entirely given to the Lord and his work. However, if you are despairing about how your life does not match up to his, or if you think that I am trying to discourage you by “setting the bar” at his high standards, then you are missing the point. If anything, I submit to you that the dedication and energy which he demonstrates for the Gospel did not originate from himself; it came from being impacted by the Gospel. Paul knew from personal experience how powerful the Gospel could be in the life of a person.

Perhaps the matter to consider at this point is this: Do you consider yourself a slave of Christ Jesus? Do you accept your called apostleship from the Lord? Are you marked-off unto his cause? Or, at the very root of it all: Have you been impacted by the Gospel? If you want to live a God-glorifying life like the Apostle Paul did, then the solution is not to compare your life with his and despair, but to be empowered by the same Gospel which he presents here in the Book of Romans.