God’s Gospel
The Christian congregation in Rome had
distinctive characteristics and competences which were observable by all who
came into contact with them. Ordinary people and travelers could see a
membership having all different races meeting together for worship without any
disagreement within and without. Unity was the one distinguishing mark of this
congregation in Rome. Jews, Gentiles, slaves from the imperial royalty, men and
women plus children. All these were regularly meeting as one congregation. Such
was unheard of in the Jewish communities and Gentile World. This unity is what
filled Paul’s heart with inexplicable great joy. He heard of it in every city
he traveled to - Asia, Macedonia, Achaia, Galatia, etc. Paul and all disciples
knew the underlying causes, God’s gospel. The rest of the world could only see
the distinctive character of unity and of course did not understand the
underlying causes.
It is this underlying feature of unity
which Paul refers to as the faith advertised all over the world. Not only had
the pagan travelers talked about this congregation but the many Jewish
travelers must have noted this outstanding competency. This congregation - as a
result - was very different from the ever striving, discontent populace in
Rome Conscious of God’s power of grace (the effects of the Gospel) plus Paul’s
inner induced deep feeling and attraction towards all believers
-
He could not help but have an intense desire
developed to visit this congregation.
-
Thus he introduces himself by way of this
Epistle as their own with one spiritual life marked by the obedience of faith. The
Scriptures (utterances of the New and Old Testaments) can be described in two
words “God’s Gospel”
-
Which alone reveals God’s Power of Grace - “His
Righteousness” Which is the greatest gift to the mankind.
This God’s gospel
consists of:
1.
God’s
Son
2.
The
Son’s gospel
3.
The
Power of Grace – God’s righteousness
1.
God’s gospel
God’s gospel deals with his Son. This is
the whole written Word from Genesis to the last book of the New Testament - the
Book of Revelation. To interpret the term “Son” or (God’s son) exhaustively, we
should treat practically everything that is said in the entire Bible. God’s son
does not start with the Birth of Jesus nor end with His earthly career. It
deals with His divine nature. God makes His own revelation of His Son, as
having a divine nature from eternity and as such - this is God’s gospel.
Two
descriptions of the Son who is at the very heart of the of God’s gospel are;
i)
The
Promise
ii)
The
The
Promise and the Fulfillment consist of;
-
His
entrance into the state of humiliation for His saving work
-
Then
as the Savior - He entered His state of exaltation, a state in which He is in
now
Both
rest on His existence as a Son from all eternity. These two states form the
very heart of the Gospel Promise to the world in its fulfillment.
Thus
He who is God became man without ceasing to be God, without change in His
Deity, with no connotation of sin, but only that of limitation and weakness of
our human nature. He came out of David’s seed as the Messiah and thus all
Messianic promises centered in Him pointing to the Kingly feature in which He
now rules in Heaven in full glory enthroned upon Him.
His state of
Humiliation
- the climax of which was His death on the Cross, He finished the Father’s work
on earth in His holy obedience and thus the Father glorified Him in power.
In His glorified
state;
- He was crowned with glory and honor (in power) because of the suffering and
His death (Hebrews 29) and these passages run throughout every Scripture
and statement regarding the two states of Christ. With these states we know the
substance and contents of the Promised gospel which Paul was commissioned to
preach;
Namely;
“The
Son’s Name” which consists of both states of humiliation and exaltation - as it
was confessed by all the slaves who bowed to it in the “obedience of faith” - The
Name is “Our Lord.”
The expression “Our Lord” contains the full
confession and acknowledgment of God’s Son, by this Lordship we refer to the
One - “who owns us”, has purchased and won us. On whom all our trust and our
obedience depend. This - His Holy Obedience is what makes all believers slaves
of Jesus Christ, Truly we are His property in the true sense of the Word as
indeed an earthly slave is owned by an earthly master - this ever then serves
as deem picture of our slavery to Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The term “Jesus Christ” signifying the
“Person” - a reference to His Divine human nature during His humiliation and
“Christ” - a reference to His office: anointed, our Prophet, High Priest and
King all in one - in His saving capacity.
This
One is Paul’s blessed Master under whom like Paul, all Romans and all believers
have become slaves because He has paid the price of sin and death and thus
saved them. Those who have no will of their own, except that of their Lord
Christ who has saved them.
Over and above this wonderful Power of
Grace by which we all become slaves of Christ, which also made Paul one of the
slaves, there is another spiritual gift, favor, Grace that made Paul and the
other twelve stand out more:
The witness of the Power of God’s gospel “the
humiliation and exaltation of God’s Son to which Paul and the other Apostles
were witnesses - as a result of this witness, Paul writes: “not as one being
another slave of Christ but as an Apostle, i.e., one who is called by Jesus
Christ, a reference to an immediate call (i.e., a direct contact with Jesus
Christ) - this made Paul one of the twelve. These twelve were set apart for
“God’s gospel” meaning, the author,
owner and the sender.
They are witnesses of the authority of the
Word as God’s very own - as the Good news Of the Good News and the Apostles
being the ones to whom the message is committed (wholehearted dedicated)
This
Good news was first committed to the Prophets in only a form of advance promise.
It was the very promise of God which the Prophets were chosen to convey - the
message about the fulfillment to come. This fulfillment (the promised
salvation) was accomplished in Jesus Christ and these Apostles had to follow
with the identical Gospel - same contents but now with the addition of the
great fulfillment.
The
Promises were conveyed in Words, we still have the words in writing “black and
white” in the Holy Writings - a fully reliable medium for conveying His
Promises to all men. And
God enabled the Prophets and finally also the Apostles to transmit His words
exactly as He wanted them transmitted. This is the verbal “inspiration” a
simple fact
God
speaks in and through these words and they reach back to Adam, and all exist
for the Holy Promise - i.e. for salvation – a reference to God’s son who is “The
Promise and fulfillment” and this is what Paul refers to as the Grace and
Apostleship.
The
Apostleship (is this office) with its especially called bearers is the Lord’s
gift to the entire Church plus the actual gift of Grace.
This
office = its main aim and purpose is for obedience of faith among all nations. It
is this Apostleship which achieves salvation.
The
congregation in Rome had already received the Apostolic Gospel -the result of
which was their unity which was advertised throughout the world to which Paul
writes as an Apostle - with the same Gospel – i.e. unity of the heart and the
same great desire and interest in extending the faith’s obedience among all nations.
2. The Son’s Gospel: (The power of Grace
as evidenced by Faith)
We
have God’s gospel with the Savior Lord as its contents and the Apostleship
which transmits its power through the obedience of faith - both are known as
Grace
All
believers have received Grace and are thus called beloved or saints. The other
name for this Grace is “God’s Love” as constituting His son.
Love
or Grace is a specific term referring to God’s knowledge (God’s son) which
knowledge bestows the power of grace or the (intelligence and Purpose) and thus
a testimony. The knowledge of God’s Son filled Paul’s heart with full fervor
(intense and passionate feeling) for the Romans, though he had never met them.
In the same manner this congregation will feel exactly the same.
When
they receive the apostolic letter, they both feel real contact with each
other’s soul
The
Effects of the power of grace - it draws believers together. See the contents
of Paul’s heart: you only need to look at the contents of the letter, how he
reveals himself to them
This
deep feeling is the result of a new life as a result of his connection with the
Gospel - the Romans to have the same gift of new life.
It
is the inner spiritual life and contact with God - that underlies all his
apostolic work as it ought to underlie the work of all believers - “I serve in
my spirit” in connection with the Gospel of His Son. The personal worship in
his own spirit in prayer. It is the personal spiritual connection with the
Gospel.
The worshipers: here the Son’s Gospel enables his spirit to draw near to God. You
draw to God by drawing near to His beloved people in a spiritual manner. The
purpose of spiritual drawing near is to impart some spiritual gifts to others.
For their confirmation: this is not a one sided act, it always has a mutual
effect - upon him who imparts as upon him who receives. Thus for Paul to
confirm them means something also for him, namely; jointly being comforted - with
them. The one cannot be done without bringing about the other.
See
the sequence and development of this power of love “faith” In vs 5 he united
himself to the Romans by speaking of what “we” (the Romans & Paul) received
(past) - the Gospel
But
in vs 12 here he speaks of what he and the Romans jointly are to receive
(future)
That
is, being jointly comforted, encouraged, cheered in a blessed joint experience,
i.e., through each other’s faith - both yours and mine
- This faith in its
expression reveals itself by means of confession, love and other evidences;
- It is true, that
one of the happy experiences of the ministry is this enjoyment of comfort which
Paul looked forward to with such desire and it is sweeter because of the
mutuality it involves.
- He prayed constantly to get to Rome, petition
that God would soon shape his course
- Grace as power - debtor
of Grace: to fulfill the official apostolic purpose to obtain some fruit of his
apostolic labors in the great city before going to Spain - Rome was the center
of the world
- One nation but this
obligation extended to other nations as well the fruit is always faith which is
kindled.
The
Gospel made him a debtor to both the educated and the uneducated, to all races
both black and white - in each nation this he did not only in Ephesus but
almost throughout all Asia in the region of Achaia and Macedonia. His
apostleship made him the great debtor who could discharge his heavy obligation
only in Gospel coin.
Preaching “the Gospel” is God’s chosen
strategy for “salvation” - through faith i.e. for all those living to be saved
This strategy is what the world regards as
“foolishness”: instead they have chosen and preferred political systems,
governed by laws, pressure groups and the like - the very ones for our
condemnation through the law.
The Gospel is what the whole world needs, the
same preaching which makes wise the simple - the supreme requirement.
“Debtor”
is the compulsion under which Paul worked - to obtain fruit - the fruit of believing
souls through which God’s righteousness is acquired.
3 God’s Righteousness
The great successful men of the
world are found in big cities of this world - and that’s where we all aspire to
be, where we want to finish off our lives. These cities are the centers of
power, glory, magnificence and riches and these are the earthly attractions
which captivate all souls of men. One might draw the strongest contrast between
these attractions and the Gospel.
The Gospel is no longer attractive and
powerful as it was in Paul’s day - man is no longer truly conscious of what the
Gospel really is - all these earthly things have completely blindfolded man in
such a manner that has completely failed to see the destructive power of sin
and hence our connection to the Creator and His verdict of death because of the
ungodliness of the world.
Sin and death is the one proof that all men
are under the power of Satan and are living in his kingdom of darkness.
- Being completely
blindfolded by the earthly attractions, man does not realize the source of his
suffering and death there is in this world.
- All the suffering and death do not serve as
signals of danger to man and are meaningless to him and they do not understand
the reason it exists.
- Because man is
living under the power of darkness, he is not aware of God’s adverse verdict of
eternal death nor does he realize God’s gracious gift of grace which alone removes
his sinful condition through faith in God’s son (the Gospel) it is thus we say
the World belongs to the devil.
And
the world with all its attractions offers no credible solution to save mankind.
The Gospel is God’s power of grace towards sinners and it is wholly unmerited.
- To reject the
Gospel is thus to reject being saved from death by the resurrection
- Is to desire death
more than life
- Is to be blinded by
the earthly lures than by the everlasting live
- In any of the great
lures of the world, the power, glory, magnificence there is no power even to
save one little bit.
- The Gospel snatches
sinners away from Satan’s kingdom of darkness and doom, into union with Christ
and God in the kingdom of Heaven.
- This is the view of
the Son’s Gospel that must shine out gloriously, draws and attracts us so that
we too may be saved.
How
does this Gospel save?
The Gospel saves - when preached, when it
comes into contact with us, when it kindles faith, i.e., when one puts his
entire trust in what it offers (in the gift it offers).
It
is the very nature of the Gospel to make him who hears it a “believer” -
thereby saving him. We need to understand well what the Gospel is: namely it is
not only the Truth and Divine reality - it is the most blessed Truth in the
Universe - the most personal truth for every sinner which reaches into the soul
in order to save him from the curse and the doom of his sin, by making you and
me, God’s own through the Savior, Christ.
Truth, and above all truth, the Divine
saving personal faith, works faith, confidence and trust. Woe unto him who
rejects this faith and trusts the lie. Being saved is simple (easy to
understand) by working confidence in the heart, the Gospel bestows salvation
Faith is the one door to salvation - by
getting into contact with the Gospel, the heart becomes enlightened then
assurance and finally confidence - all of which constitute the faith, which is
God’s righteousness and in this manner the Gospel saves.
This righteousness
is justification by faith alone.
In
fact, both God’s wrath and His Righteousness are revealed in this Gospel
- The one (the wrath)
is in law which condemns - and the other the Gospel that saves. God’s
righteousness had to be revealed otherwise none of us would know anything about
it.
- For the only righteousness
man can think of is man’s own self-made righteousness
This
Righteousness of God is entirely an attribute of God. God only bestows the
status of His righteous verdict to only those who have believed. This status of
righteousness never springs from any works of ours, nor does it spring from any
good moral behavior - it is God’s verdict of righteousness upon a sinner. On the
basis of this personal justification is Christ’s blood and righteousness which
became effective the day He died and rose again.
It was the happiest day of Luther’s life,
when he discovered that “God’s Righteousness” as used in the Epistle to the
Romans, means God’s verdict of righteousness upon a believer
This
joy is ours today - to all believers - a status of righteousness into which faith
and the believer are placed by God’s verdict of righteousness.
This is the doctrine of justification by
faith alone and this is the sum of God’s Gospel. This righteousness is the
power of grace which the gospel offers as a gift to everyone believing. This is
God’s Righteousness out of faith unto faith.
Revealing
takes place in the preached Gospel in connection with the saving power of the
preached Gospel which is so efficient in creating faith in the heart. Man is
ever inclined to discount faith, to elevate something else, but God centers
everything in the faith he creates by the Gospel: Righteousness, life is mine.