Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son…,” Romans 1:1-3a
Yesterday we began a study of the book of Romans. Paul’s letter to the Christians living in Rome is the most thorough and systematic explanation of who Jesus is, what the Gospel of Jesus is, who the Gospel of Jesus is for and what the Gospel of Jesus does. Through Romans, Paul shows how God intervened through Jesus to provide salvation to all people. Paul wrote the letter to teach them, unify them, remind them, and equip them.
In the introduction, Paul introduces himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle, and one who is set apart. By servant, he was totally devoted to Jesus. As an Apostle, Paul was saying he was a messenger appointed by God. Being set apart he was dedicated to the Gospel and nothing else. You see, Jesus was his master. He belonged to Christ. He was then motivated to do what God sent him to do and that was to preach the Gospel of Jesus – the Good News.
As Christ followers, we also are servants of Jesus. However, we want Jesus the Savior and not Jesus as Lord. As Christ followers, we are set apart and called to take the good news of the Gospel into the world. My prayer is that the time we spend in God’s Word will equip us and motivate us to be the church that we are meant to be. I encourage you to read the first chapter of Romans this week. Let God’s word feed you and pour over you.