| Romans - Declared to be the Son of God |
Romans 1:1-4 "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the
gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by
the resurrection from the dead:"
We see in Romans 1:3, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the very heart of the gospel, that He is the
Son of David according to the flesh. Now we come to verse 4, here in chapter one, and we see
that the Lord Jesus is declared to be the Son of God, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead. Notice it says, “And declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” Here we see three
things that are very important.
gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by
the resurrection from the dead:"
We see in Romans 1:3, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the very heart of the gospel, that He is the
Son of David according to the flesh. Now we come to verse 4, here in chapter one, and we see
that the Lord Jesus is declared to be the Son of God, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead. Notice it says, “And declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” Here we see three
things that are very important.
Jesus Christ was Truly the Son of God
Here is absolute proof of the Deity of Christ. Notice it says that Jesus was declared to be the Son
of God. You see, His resurrection did not make Him the Son of God, but it revealed who He
was. His resurrection is a revelation, a declaration, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
of God. You see, His resurrection did not make Him the Son of God, but it revealed who He
was. His resurrection is a revelation, a declaration, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Jesus Christ was Declared to be the Son of God with Power, According to the Spirit of Holiness
This means the Lord Jesus lived a life of victory over the power of sin. He was holy, pure,
undefiled and separate from sinners. He never looked with lust; He never spoke an untrue word;
He never had an impure thought; He was never out of the will of the Father; His judgments were
never wrong, and He never wasted His precious time. Beloved, the Lord Jesus could have
stepped right into heaven at any time. He had absolute victory over sin from the very moment
He drew His first breath in the manger in Bethlehem until the moment He closed His eyes in
death on the cross of Calvary, as He died for the sin of the world.
undefiled and separate from sinners. He never looked with lust; He never spoke an untrue word;
He never had an impure thought; He was never out of the will of the Father; His judgments were
never wrong, and He never wasted His precious time. Beloved, the Lord Jesus could have
stepped right into heaven at any time. He had absolute victory over sin from the very moment
He drew His first breath in the manger in Bethlehem until the moment He closed His eyes in
death on the cross of Calvary, as He died for the sin of the world.
Jesus Christ was Declared to be the Son of God by the Resurrection from the Dead
Here we see that the Lord Jesus had victory over the penalty of sin. By His holiness He had
victory over the power of sin, and by His resurrection He shows us that He has the victory over
the penalty of sin. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. The Lord Jesus took our sin
upon Him and died for them. But it didn’t end there on the cross. That was just the first step in
redeeming us. He was buried, but on the third day He arose from the dead because death could
not hold Him. The Bible says in (Acts 2:23-24) “Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible
that he should be holden of it."
Beloved, the resurrection proves everything. It’s the resurrection that declares Him to be the Son
of God. Without the resurrection all would be in vain concerning our faith and salvation. The
Bible says in (I Corinthians 15:14-23) “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain,
and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have
testified of God that he raised up Christ. whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise
not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is
vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If
in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ
risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward
they that are Christ’s at his coming.”
I think surely, by this we can see how important the resurrection of Christ is to the gospel. The
Lord Jesus Christ is the very heart of the gospel, and the resurrection is the very heart of
Christianity. Without the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, beloved, there would be
no gospel; no good news of salvation for the poor hell bound sinner. Yes, the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead declares Him to be the Son of God; not makes Him the Son of God,
but declares Him to be the Son of God.
Now we come to verse 5. “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to
the faith among all nations, for his name:” Here we see two things that are important in every
Christian's life.
victory over the power of sin, and by His resurrection He shows us that He has the victory over
the penalty of sin. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. The Lord Jesus took our sin
upon Him and died for them. But it didn’t end there on the cross. That was just the first step in
redeeming us. He was buried, but on the third day He arose from the dead because death could
not hold Him. The Bible says in (Acts 2:23-24) “Him, being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible
that he should be holden of it."
Beloved, the resurrection proves everything. It’s the resurrection that declares Him to be the Son
of God. Without the resurrection all would be in vain concerning our faith and salvation. The
Bible says in (I Corinthians 15:14-23) “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain,
and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have
testified of God that he raised up Christ. whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise
not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is
vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If
in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ
risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward
they that are Christ’s at his coming.”
I think surely, by this we can see how important the resurrection of Christ is to the gospel. The
Lord Jesus Christ is the very heart of the gospel, and the resurrection is the very heart of
Christianity. Without the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, beloved, there would be
no gospel; no good news of salvation for the poor hell bound sinner. Yes, the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead declares Him to be the Son of God; not makes Him the Son of God,
but declares Him to be the Son of God.
Now we come to verse 5. “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to
the faith among all nations, for his name:” Here we see two things that are important in every
Christian's life.
The Source of Salvation and Service
God’s grace is the method of imparting His salvation to us. The Bible says in (Ephesians
2:8-10), “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them.” Notice here that grace is first, and then apostleship is second.
Beloved, salvation is always before service. If there is no salvation, then there is no
acceptable service. You see, the Lord Jesus first says, “Come unto me" and then He
says, “Go ye into all the world.” So then, we see the source of Paul's salvation and
service was from the Lord Jesus Christ, just as it is with us today.
2:8-10), “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them.” Notice here that grace is first, and then apostleship is second.
Beloved, salvation is always before service. If there is no salvation, then there is no
acceptable service. You see, the Lord Jesus first says, “Come unto me" and then He
says, “Go ye into all the world.” So then, we see the source of Paul's salvation and
service was from the Lord Jesus Christ, just as it is with us today.
Our Mission and Our Message
Paul says here that he had received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all
nations. As with Paul, our mission is to get the gospel to every person that we can. The church is
to go into all the world with the glorious good news of salvation. That is our mission and
message. No one has a message that can be compared to the gospel of Christ. We see in
(Romans 1:16), “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The greatest
message a sinner can hear is the gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation. This
is a message that will deliver a condemned sinner who is under the wrath of God, on the way to
hell and the lake of fire. This is a message that has eternal consequences. Therefore, it is the
most important message a person can hear.
As born again believers, we are new creatures in Christ, and ambassadors of Christ. The Bible
says in (II Corinthians 5:17-19) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not
imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you
in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” We have received this great privilege of salvation
and service by the grace of God. None of us deserved such a great blessing. It is all by God’s
grace and mercy.
So then, we see in this verse that our attitude should be “obedience to Christ in all things,” and
our mission is to go into all the world; our message is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and our power
and authority is in Christ’s name. We are fully equipped to do the job effectively and joyfully.
Beloved, let me say again, that personal salvation must come before true service. The apostle
Paul received this salvation by grace from God. He said in (I Corinthians 15:9-10), “For I am
the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed
upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace
of God which was with me.” We must always remember that our power is from God, and not
from ourselves. And our work is always to be for Christ’s sake, for His glory and honor, and not
for our self-glory. We must always keep this in mind.
Now we come to verse 6, which says, “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:”
Here Paul reminds the saints at Rome that they are the called of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is
true of all who are saved. Who are the called of the Lord Jesus Christ? They are the sheep that
hear the Lord’s call. The Lord Jesus said in (John 10:27-28), “My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Beloved, who are you following? If you are
following someone else, or something else, you are not one of the Lord’s sheep. Those who hear
and follow Him are the called ones. The Bible says in (Romans 8:29-30), “For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”
Beloved, listen to the Lord Jesus calling you today. He says in (Matthew 11:28-30) “Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” What a precious invitation this is! Come to Jesus
Christ and be saved now. The Bible says in (Romans 10:13), “For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. “ Will you call on Him now?
nations. As with Paul, our mission is to get the gospel to every person that we can. The church is
to go into all the world with the glorious good news of salvation. That is our mission and
message. No one has a message that can be compared to the gospel of Christ. We see in
(Romans 1:16), “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The greatest
message a sinner can hear is the gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation. This
is a message that will deliver a condemned sinner who is under the wrath of God, on the way to
hell and the lake of fire. This is a message that has eternal consequences. Therefore, it is the
most important message a person can hear.
As born again believers, we are new creatures in Christ, and ambassadors of Christ. The Bible
says in (II Corinthians 5:17-19) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not
imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you
in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” We have received this great privilege of salvation
and service by the grace of God. None of us deserved such a great blessing. It is all by God’s
grace and mercy.
So then, we see in this verse that our attitude should be “obedience to Christ in all things,” and
our mission is to go into all the world; our message is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and our power
and authority is in Christ’s name. We are fully equipped to do the job effectively and joyfully.
Beloved, let me say again, that personal salvation must come before true service. The apostle
Paul received this salvation by grace from God. He said in (I Corinthians 15:9-10), “For I am
the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the
church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed
upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace
of God which was with me.” We must always remember that our power is from God, and not
from ourselves. And our work is always to be for Christ’s sake, for His glory and honor, and not
for our self-glory. We must always keep this in mind.
Now we come to verse 6, which says, “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:”
Here Paul reminds the saints at Rome that they are the called of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is
true of all who are saved. Who are the called of the Lord Jesus Christ? They are the sheep that
hear the Lord’s call. The Lord Jesus said in (John 10:27-28), “My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Beloved, who are you following? If you are
following someone else, or something else, you are not one of the Lord’s sheep. Those who hear
and follow Him are the called ones. The Bible says in (Romans 8:29-30), “For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”
Beloved, listen to the Lord Jesus calling you today. He says in (Matthew 11:28-30) “Come unto
me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” What a precious invitation this is! Come to Jesus
Christ and be saved now. The Bible says in (Romans 10:13), “For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. “ Will you call on Him now?
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Blessed Hope
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
A Continuing Ministry of Milford Cecil
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