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Romans 1:1

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God

Let me introduce myself to you

How would you write a letter to your brother? ‘Dear Nathan. You still owe me $20. From Mark.’ How would you write a letter to a prospective employer? ‘Dear Sir/Madam. My name is Mark and I would like to apply for the position of chocolate taste-tester at your factory…” How would you write a letter to a group of people in a different country in which you tell them how to live their lives? ‘Dear Italians. I have noticed that you’re not doing a very good job getting along with each other and you need some clarifications on theological ideas you live by. Let me give you some advice…’

That was the exact scenario that Paul was faced with when writing his letter to the Romans. At the end of the letter (spoiler alert), Paul writes he is looking for assistance when he comes to Rome on his way to Spain (Romans 15:23-29). As this is clearly a strong motive for writing the letter, Paul of course wanted the Romans to be willing to read past the first sentence! Therefore in Romans Paul gives a very detailed, theologically grounded greeting at the start of the letter (Romans 1:1-7), including a one sentence autobiography in v.1 telling the readers three things about the author; who he is, what authority he has to write and why he’s writing.

Who he is: ‘a servant of Christ Jesus’

Not only is Paul willing to call himself a servant of Christ Jesus, in that he submits all authority of himself over to the Christ Jesus the Messiah, but he is also saying that he is a servant of Christ Jesus in an employee sense. The prophets of the old testament, like Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), were also referred to as ‘servants of the Lord’.

What authority he has: ‘called to be an apostle’

Although apostle comes from the Greek word literally meaning ‘messenger’, Paul was also using apostle here in the same sense as the twelve apostles. Paul was called to be an apostle, just like the twelve, by Jesus Christ and God the Father (Galatians 1:1), as a Jew with a mission to reach the Gentiles (Romans 11:13).

Why he’s writing: ‘set apart for the gospel of God’

Paul, in being set apart for the gospel of God, has totally dedicated his whole life (because God has called him to), to the sharing of the gospel; the good news of salvation through Christ. If someone has been set apart from their old life for something, it provides a strong indication of where the topic of conversation is going.

ASK YOURSELF: What would your one sentence autobiography be? What would other say your one sentence autobiography is?

I pray to God that I will recognise that I also have been set apart for the gospel, and that will be reflected in my life through the courage I have to share the gospel, and share God’s love with others through the things I do and say.