The Gospel Message

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Prayer:  When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?  For You have made Him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned Him with glory and honor.  You have made Him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet (Psalms 8:3-6, NKJV).  Amen.

Today’s Bible Verse: Romans 1:1-6

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.  Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.  And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

Associated Scriptures:

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John 5:39-40).

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18, NKJV).

He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?"  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:25-27).

Correlative Quotes:

It is noteworthy that the Holy Spirit did not take up an unlettered fisherman or provincial Galilean to unfold His redemption plan in all its majesty and grandeur. He selected a man of international outlook: a Roman citizen, yet a Hebrew of the Hebrews; a man whose education combined familiarity with Greek and Roman lore, lectures on Romans including history, religion, philosophy, poetry, science and music, together with closest acquaintance with Judaism both as a divine revelation and as a body of rabbinical traditions and additions to the sacred deposit of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. This man, born in the proud educational center, Tarsus of Cilicia, and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem, was the chosen vessel to make known to all nations for the obedience of faith, the gospel of the glory of the blessed God, as so marvelously set forth in this immortal letter.[1] – H. A. Ironside

God poured out all of that vengeance on Christ and to us He gives grace and forgiveness.  That's the good news. I don't know how well you've known the good news before. I hope you understand it now.  Jesus died for you.  He rose for you.  He bore your sins and says that if you want the life that I offer, just by faith receive Me.  As many as received Him to them gave He the right to be called the sons of God.[2] – Leon Morris

The greatest of Paul's epistles and considered by many as the greatest book in the NT. Galatians has been called the "Magna Charta" of Christian liberty and the Roman epistle has been called the "constitution" of Christianity. Its subject material, its logical reasoning, its vigor of style, and its relevance to human need give it a foremost place in biblical revelation. It is a book, in one sense, simple and clear, but in another sense so magnificent that it baffles complete comprehension.[3] – Unger

Biblical Analysis:

The overarching theme of Romans is the righteousness that comes from God: the glorious truth that God justifies guilty, condemned sinners by grace alone through faith in Christ alone.[4] – John MacArthur

Paul was called, especially chosen by Jesus (Acts 9:3-5), to spread the gospel message to the gentiles (Acts 9:15).  However, he also impacted Jewish believers (Acts 16).  Paul was specifically selected because he was unique.  Few people of his day would have enjoyed Paul’s substantial credentials.  He was born in Tarsus a city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) “no ordinary city” (Acts 21:39), not Palestine as were the other Apostles, a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28-29), born into a wealthy family.[5] 

He was born and raised a Jew (circumcised on the eighth day; of the tribe of Benjamin, (Philippians 3:5), well educated in both Jewish (Acts 22:3, by Rabi Gamaliel) and Roman law[6], a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee (Acts 23:6).  Paul was the right man at the right time to implement and fulfill God’s plan for spreading the gospel, planting churches, and helping those churches to grow.

It is not surprising that Paul and the spiritual leaders of his day knew that the Messiah would come to rule and reign over them (Isaiah 9:6-7).  The Gentiles were the hidden part of God’s eternal plan for mankind (Colossians 1:26-27).  The prophets predicted that salvation would come through death on a cross (Psalms 22:16-18, Isaiah 53:12) and the resurrection of the Messiah (Psalms 16:10).  They didn’t realize that salvation through Christ would be offered to both Jews and Gentiles on the same terms, by grace through faith alone in Christ.

  1. The gospel is prophesied in the Old Testament: The Old Testament points toward Jesus Christ. Every story and every event lead directly to the Savior.[7] In Isaiah 49:6 God says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth."
  2. The gospel is proclaimed in the New Testament: The “Gospel of Salvation” is the message of deliverance. It is a pardon that offsets and cancels the wrath of God for sin. An absolution that He promised beforehand.  This gospel message of God is the mystery of the ages. The great mystery is that God would send His only son to die for the sin of all mankind and that the opportunity for redemption would be universal.

This great act of God would be provided for us, not because of who we are, what we are, or how much we have done, but as a gift given to all those who accept it by faith in Jesus Christ.  This action of Jesus brings to light the fulfillment of the mystery which for ages has been hidden by God; the One who created all things.  This action of emancipation was accomplished so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church under the direction of the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places.  “This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:9-11).

  1. Future Grace: What was provided then, is available to us now and in the future. This great gospel message provides salvation to the lost. It is the same gospel that Paul used to convert sinners in his day. This is the same truth that planted churches throughout the known world.  It is available to those who would believe today and, in the future, (Romans 10:9-10). 

The message is eternal life through Jesus by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).  It encompasses the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus who is God in human form.  1 John 4:10 sums it up with these words, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Spiritual Application:

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NKJV).

The gospel message means the good news of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.  The act of one Man Jesus has opened the door to eternal life for those who will believe.  This is a simple but profound message that initiates God’s plan for salvation.  It is an action that honors Him and through Christ’s death and resurrection.  God deserves and should receive all the glory.  Salvation is by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:1-9).  It is not by our works but instead is a free gift.  It is the message of unimaginable sacrifice, where one man, God Himself in flesh, would willingly suffer the worst conceivable death to pay the price for all men.  Paul knew and preached this message.  We must believe to receive (Romans 10:9-10).

Lessons Within the Lesson:

According to verse 1, what is Paul’s Spiritual gift within the church and how did he receive it?

Why does Christ have the right to offer salvation as a free gift (verses 3 and 4)?

What is the significance of introducing the Holy Spirit in verse 4?

How do the Old Testament and New Testament combine to authenticate the Lordship of Jesus Christ?  Read Matthew 5:17.

[1] Harry A. Ironside, Lectures on the Epistle of Romans, 6th Edition 1944, Loizeaux Brothers Publishers New York, 10, New York, p. 9.

[2] Leon Morris, The Theme of Romans, W. Ward Gasque & Ralph P. Martin, eds., Apostolic History and the Gospel. Biblical and Historical Essays Presented to F.F. Bruce. Exeter: The Paternoster Press, 1970. Hbk. ISBN: 085364098X. pp.249-263.

[3] The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.

[4] John MacArthur, And Now for the Good News, © Grace to You, All Rights Reserved, March 2, 2003, message 1269.

[5] Risto Santala, Paul the Man and the Teacher in Light of Jewish Sources, © 1995 Risto Santala, ristosantala.com/rsla/Paul/paul05.

[6] S. R. Llewelyn, New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity, © 1992 The Ancient History Document Research Center, Macquarie University, Australia, p. 39.

[7] Adrian Rogers, An Old Testament Portrait of Jesus, © Love Worth Finding, All Rights Reserved, April 15, 2012, lwf.org/articles/posts/an-old-testament-portrait-of-christ-11800