Commentary - Romans 1:1-7

Bird's-eye view

In these opening seven verses, which constitute one magnificent, sprawling sentence in the original Greek, the Apostle Paul lays the entire foundation for the greatest letter ever written. This is no mere throat-clearing or conventional pleasantry. This is the overture to the symphony, containing all the major themes that will be developed in the subsequent chapters. Paul establishes his authority as a divinely commissioned apostle, defines the gospel as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning the Son of God, summarizes the person and work of Christ in His humanity and deity, and outlines the goal of his ministry, which is to bring about the obedience of faith among all nations for the glory of Christ's name. Finally, he addresses the Roman believers, reminding them of their own divine calling and blessing them with the grace and peace that flow from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the gospel in miniature, a dense and glorious declaration of the central truths of our faith.

At the heart of this introduction is the gospel itself. It is not a set of principles or a program for self-improvement; it is the good news about a person, Jesus Christ. Paul is at pains to show that this message is not a novelty but is deeply rooted in the ancient promises of God. And the goal of this message is not mere intellectual assent, but a radical, life-altering submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ, an "obedience of faith" that is to conquer the world, bringing every nation to bow the knee to its rightful King.

Outline

Context In Romans

Romans 1:1-7 serves as the formal introduction to the entire epistle. Paul has not yet been to Rome, and so he is writing to a church he did not found in order to introduce himself and his gospel in a systematic way. This is crucial because he plans to visit them and then use Rome as a base for a future missionary journey to Spain (Rom 15:24). He needs their support, and to get it, he must lay out his credentials and the substance of his message with clarity and authority. This introduction, therefore, sets the stage for the book's grand argument, which begins in earnest at verse 18 with the declaration of God's wrath against sin. Before Paul can diagnose the universal disease of human sinfulness, he must first present the all-sufficient remedy: the gospel of God concerning His Son.

Key Issues

The Gospel's Salutation

We live in a casual age, and our greetings reflect that. A quick "hey" or "what's up" is all we expect. But in the ancient world, the opening of a letter was a formal affair, and Paul uses this convention to pack in a breathtaking amount of theology. He is not just saying hello. He is establishing the entire framework for his argument. He is declaring his identity, the source of his message, the content of his message, and the purpose of his message, all before he even gets to the "to" line of the address. This is a man who is utterly captivated by the gospel. He cannot help but talk about it, and so it overflows into every part of his communication, even the formal salutation. This is not a man trying to warm up the crowd; this is an ambassador presenting his credentials from the King of the universe.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, having been set apart for the gospel of God,

Paul begins by identifying himself in three ways, each one building on the last. First, he is a slave of Christ Jesus. The word is doulos, and it means slave, not servant. This is not a title of honor in the world's eyes, but for Paul, it is everything. He is not his own; he has been bought with a price. He belongs, body and soul, to his Master, Jesus Christ. This is the foundation of his identity. Second, he is a called as an apostle. His apostleship was not a career he chose or a position he earned. It was a divine summons, an authoritative commissioning directly from the risen Christ. This establishes his right to speak with authority. Third, he has been set apart for the gospel of God. This is his life's purpose, the singular mission for which he was created and called. Notice also that it is the gospel of God. It is not Paul's gospel or a human invention; it originates with God Himself.

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

The gospel is not a new thing. It is not a Plan B that God came up with after Israel failed. Paul immediately anchors his message in the Old Testament. The good news about Jesus is the fulfillment of promises God made centuries before through men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and David. The entire Old Testament was pointing forward to this. The "holy Scriptures" were pregnant with this gospel, and now, in Christ, the child has been born. This is a crucial point against any who would try to sever the New Testament from its Old Testament roots. The Bible is one book, telling one story of redemption that culminates in Jesus.

3 concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

Here is the heart of the gospel: it is news "concerning His Son." The gospel is not fundamentally a system of ethics or a set of doctrines; it is a person. Paul then gives us a two-fold description of this Son. First, he deals with His humanity. He was born of the seed of David "according to the flesh." This means He was a real man, with a human nature, a physical body, and a royal bloodline. His connection to David establishes Him as the rightful heir to the throne of Israel, the promised Messiah-King.

4 who was designated as the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Having established Christ's true humanity, Paul now declares His true deity. He was "designated as the Son of God in power." This does not mean He became the Son of God at the resurrection, but rather that His eternal Sonship was publicly demonstrated and vindicated with explosive power. The resurrection was God the Father's cosmic "AMEN!" to everything Jesus claimed and did. This designation was "according to the Spirit of holiness," which refers to His divine nature, just as "according to the flesh" referred to His human nature. The resurrection was the ultimate proof that this Son of David was also the eternal Son of God. Paul concludes this magnificent summary with His full title: Jesus (His human name), Christ (His messianic office), our Lord (His sovereign authority).

5 through whom we received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of His name,

The gospel has a purpose, and it is accomplished through Christ. It is "through whom" Paul and the other apostles received two things: grace and apostleship. Grace is the unmerited favor that saved them, and apostleship is the specific task assigned to them. And what is the goal of this task? To bring about "the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles." This is a critical phrase. The goal is not just faith, but an obedient faith. True saving faith is not a passive, intellectual agreement; it is an active, submissive trust that obeys the commands of the King. And this mission is global, extending to "all the Gentiles," with the ultimate motive being "for the sake of His name", that is, for His glory and honor.

6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

Paul now directly connects this grand, global mission to his specific audience in Rome. The Roman believers are not an accident or an afterthought. They are part of this great harvest among the Gentiles. Their presence in the church is proof that the mission is succeeding. And how did they get there? They are "the called of Jesus Christ." Their salvation, like Paul's apostleship, was not their own initiative. They are believers because the sovereign Lord Jesus Christ called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. Election is not a footnote in Paul's theology; it is right here in the introduction.

7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally, Paul formally addresses his readers. They are "beloved of God" and "called as saints." A saint is not a spiritual superstar; a saint is a sinner who has been set apart (the meaning of "holy") by God's call. Their status is a gift, not an achievement. He then bestows upon them the standard Christian blessing: "Grace to you and peace." Grace is the unmerited favor of God, the fountainhead of all blessing. Peace is the result of that grace, peace with God and the peace of God. And this twofold blessing flows from a twofold source, which is actually a single source: "God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." By linking them together in this way, Paul makes another profound statement about the full deity of Jesus Christ. He is the co-giver of grace and peace, on equal footing with the Father.

Application

This introduction to Romans is a gospel tonic for the soul. It reminds us of several foundational truths we are prone to forget. First, our identity as Christians begins with our status as slaves of Christ. We are not our own. This should shape every decision we make, every dollar we spend, every word we speak. Our lives are not a platform for our own glory, but for the glory of the Master who owns us.

Second, the gospel is not something we get to redefine. It is the gospel of God, promised in the Old Testament, concerning the God-man Jesus Christ, vindicated by the resurrection. We must be vigilant to ensure that the message we believe, and the message we proclaim, is this gospel and not some watered-down, man-pleasing substitute.

Third, saving faith is obedient faith. In our day, there is a great temptation to separate belief from behavior, to create a category of "Christian" who professes faith in Jesus but whose life shows no evidence of submission to His lordship. Paul will have none of it. The goal of the gospel is a worldwide submission to the benevolent rule of King Jesus. This means our faith must work. It must produce the fruit of righteousness, not as a means of earning salvation, but as the necessary evidence of having received it. Let us, therefore, submit every area of our lives, our families, our work, our politics, our entertainment, to the obedience of faith, all for the sake of His great name.