Read: Romans 1:1-13
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
This week, we will begin our study of Romans. Paul introduces himself to a group of people who have never met him before. He explains his role, and then he invites the Roman believers (and you and me) to find our role.
What’s an “apostle”? Paul tells us he was called to be an “apostle,” which is a word for an ambassador or delegate. When the US government wants to sign an agreement with another nation, they send a delegate. Paul was empowered to do this specific early work because he met and learned from Jesus in person. It means he had a specific mission from Jesus to be one of the original ambassadors of Jesus’s new heavenly-government authority — His “kingship.”
These original apostles had a unique mission:
- To proclaim the good news of Jesus
- To establish and build churches
- To teach the Old Testament in light of Jesus
- To write the New Testament under the authorship of God the Holy Spirit
We still see apostle-like work today as people around the world establish new church communities.
“To bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.”
Paul says he received grace and apostleship “to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of [Christ’s] name among all the nations” (v.5).
What is “obedience of faith”? It means believing God is right—and living like it. This includes repentance: turning away from destructive thoughts and behaviors that rebel against God’s design.
Remember what Tyler Pegues pointed out in Luke 24 where Jesus said,
“repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47).
This echoes the Great Commission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Our Goal: All Nations.
Every follower of Jesus, including you and me, is called to this global mission. Paul’s calling was apostleship, but every believer has a chance to be involved and a part to play in spreading the knowledge of God’s glory. Helping others put more faith in God and live by God’s design is not just Paul’s job, it’s ours too.
Pastor John Piper gives us a way to personalize this passage:
“God wants you to read Romans 1:5 and in the end put your calling in the place of the word ‘apostleship.’ ‘Apostleship’ is Paul’s — not mine and not yours. You might put, ‘Through Christ I have received grace and the teaching role.’
Or: grace and singing.
Or: grace and studentship.
Or: grace and singleness.
Or: grace and widowhood.
Or: grace and motherhood.
And what you should mean is: God has freely given me forgiveness and the power to do a calling, and fulfill a role which I accept by faith.” *
Brothers and sisters at North Wake Church: God has given each of us a part to play in helping others trust him more. Ask him to show you your role. Receive it by faith. And pray for his power to live it out, so that more people in every nation might know how great and kind our God truly is.
*https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/by-his-grace-for-his-name-through-the-obedience-of-faith
