Now that the Christmas celebrations
are all just about over, it is time for some serious study! Romans chapter 1,
verses 1 onwards.
We have seen in the previous blog,
that Paul, addresses himself as the servant of Christ Jesus, an Apostle and
someone set apart for the gospel of God, and that he was writing this letter
or epistle to the then thriving Roman church. We also saw that the letter was
written from Corinth around 56-57 AD and its main emphasis was on doctrines of
the new fledgling religion of Christianity.
Chapter 1 lays down the background of
the epistle. Almost all of Paul’s letters have a pattern, in that, they all
begin with greetings to the church it was written to, his prayers for grace of
God on the people he is addressing, thanksgiving, the content or the body of
the letter and special salutations and personal greetings at the end of the
letter.
From verses 1 to 7, it is all simply introduction.
He introduces himself, establishes his credentials, offers his greetings and mentions
that he is writing this to all in Rome and that grace and peace of God be with
them all.
Important points to note include Paul
calling himself ‘a servant of Christ Jesus,’ not even a preacher or teacher of
the Word. He is simply a humble servant of the Lord, a slave who had been set
free by the Lord, but who was willing to be bound as a servant with all his
free will.
In Exodus 21:5, we have a
situation wherein a Hebrew servant is to be released on the seventh year so he
can go free. But in case he declares that he loves his master and wife and
children whom he got during his stay with his master, and hence he does not
want to go free, then before the judges his ears are pierced and he becomes a
servant of the master for life.
Paul might have visualised himself
like that person; he has been set free from sin and eternal hell-fire, but he
loved his master Christ so much that he voluntarily has become His servant for
life, a bondservant, a slave. What a glorious concept for us to emulate!
One third of the Roman population
consisted of slaves and slavery was a familiar part of their culture. However,
a free Roman citizen was extremely proud of his free status and wouldn’t dream
of identifying himself as a salve of any one. In such a culture, Paul unashamedly
calls himself the salve of Christ, thus humbling himself.
Do we call ourselves as the
bondservants of the Lord? Are we proud of such a status? Can we say as Mary,
mother of Jesus, humbly said, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you
have said,” in Luke 2:38. And those who humble themselves are lifted by
the Lord. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he
will lift you up.”
Jesus explained this concept when he
said that he himself came not to be served but to serve, in Mark 10:42-45.
He called his disciples to be servants and slaves to the others and not to
exercise authority over the people. This is the opposite of what we are taught
in the world.
As high officials of the State, even
today, one is trained to exercise his/her authority, so that obedience could be
extracted from the subordinates and to create an awe in the minds of the people
about their power. The term, ‘government servant,’ is only for namesake, for
one look at our political leaders and bureaucratic officers will tell us what a
farce it is!
Paul, next calls himself as an
Apostle. Is it not a boasting? Why would Paul do that, especially after
humbling himself as the servant of the Lord? There seems to be a background to
this. In 2 Corinthians 11:5, Paul is defending his credentials as an
Apostle vis-à-vis some ‘super apostles,’ who claim to be the real apostles.
The two most important requirements
to be called an Apostle, we see from Acts 1:21-22, are that that person
should have been with the Lord throughout His earthly ministry and that he must
have witnessed the resurrection of Christ Jesus. These are the yardsticks Peter
applied to select Matthias as a replacement to Judas Iscariot, after his death,
to make up the number of twelve Apostles of Christ.
As Paul lacked both these
qualifications, some might have questioned his claim to call himself as an apostle
of Christ. Hence his emphatic claim that he is an apostle, for he has suffered
more than others in his ministry and, he has seen more visions and revelations,
2 Corinthians 11:5-6, especially the appearance of the risen Christ to
him on the road to Damascus. Acts 9:3-6.
Thirdly Paul calls himself as ‘set
apart’ for the gospel of God. Paul was not calling himself as a messenger of
the gospel. It was God himself who called him and appointed him as His messenger
of His gospel. To be set apart is to be separated from the ordinary and to be
consecrated for the work of the Lord.
In the Old Testament, God called
Israel to be set apart for him as his own people of all the people on the
earth. Deuteronomy 14:2, Moses writes here “for you are a people holy to
the Lord your God. Out of all the people on the face of the earth, the Lord has
chosen you to be his treasured possession.” Deut.7:6. They were His
royal priests to announce to the world His greatness and holiness and salvation.
Out of Israel, God chose Levites to
be the tribe to minister before Him in His sanctuary. Levites were set part for
this purpose. Numbers 3:11-12. God announces to Israel “…out of all
nations you will be my treasured possession … you will be for me a kingdom of
priest and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:5-6.
These concepts are reiterated in the New
Testament wherein Peter calls the believers as the royal priesthood. “you are a
chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people belonging to God, that
you may declare the praises of him…” 1 Peter 2:9.
That is being set apart, set apart
for the glory of God, made holy and consecrated to serve Him, to be His ambassadors,
to be His royal priests, bringing His good news to the others in the world. For
Jesus said, in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and
appointed you to go and bear fruit – the fruit that will last.”
Yes, it is the Lord Himself who has
called us to be His friends, His ambassadors, His chosen people to bring forth
fruits, be fruitful in His work, bringing in the Gospel, the Good News to the
world, not only through preaching and teaching, but also by living a
Spirit-filled life showing all the fruit of the Spirit abundantly in our lives.
Are you ready? Are you set apart for
the Lord or are you still in the world, trying to make a name and fame in the
world for yourself? The Lord has called you and who has called you is faithful.
Will you not give your heart to me,
asks the Lord. What is your reply?
