Paul’s letter to the Romans is often called the fullest, plainest, and grandest statement of the gospel in the New Testament. Martin Luther called Romans “really the chief part of the New Testament, and … truly the purest gospel.” John Calvin said similarly that “if we have gained a true understanding of this Epistle, we have an open door to all the most profound treasures of Scripture.”[1] Romans is a book that repeatedly change the world, by changing people. Augustine, pillar of Christendom, was converted by reading Romans 13:13-14 after wandering in the spiritual desert for a long time. Martin Luther was another good example. He was a monk. He was a good monk, but he didn’t love God and was tired of his powerless Christian life. In his writing he said, “…. Therefore I did not love a righteous and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him…”[2] But then, as he was preparing to teach his class, meditating on Romans 1:17, he had a born-again experience. About 200 years later, John Wesley had a similar experience. Basically, he did everything he could do – Bible studies, daily prayer, giving alms to the poor, visiting prisoners, and all other good works. He even volunteered to go to Georgia as a missionary to the settlers and the Indians. But the harder he tried, the more he felt empty and dry. Then one evening he attended a Moravian meeting. Somebody was reading Luther’s Preface to … Romans. While he was listening, he had a conversion experience. In his journal, Wesley said, “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” So as we explore Romans, let us be prepared for the consequences of reading this letter. You have been warned!
For Everyone, for You
For Everyone, for You
So why is Romans so life-changing? It is because Romans is all about the gospel. We often think that the gospel is for those who are outside the church to be saved. But the truth is that everyone needs the gospel, both the “we” inside the church and the “they” who are yet outside it. In verse 15 the Apostle Paul says to “Christians” in Rome, “So I am eager to preach the gospel to you!” Yes, we need the gospel to be saved, but also we need the gospel to grow in faith. Each and every one of us needs the gospel every day.
What is the Gospel?
The word “Gospel,” which comes from the Greek word euangelion, literally means “good news.” In the first century, if an emperor won a great victory on a battlefield, he would send heralds to spread good news. So what is then the Christian gospel? The Christian good news is the gospel of God. In verse 1 Paul says that he was set apart for the gospel of God. So The origin of the gospel is God. The gospel is not human speculations. It is revelation. That’s the first characteristic of the gospel. It all starts with God. The apostles did not invent it. It was revealed and entrusted to them by God. The gospel is not advice to be followed. It is news, good news about what has been done. The gospel is God’s good news of the way of salvation.
Second, the gospel is not something new. It’s found in the entire Bible, both the Old Testament and the New. Romans 1:2 says, “God promised the gospel beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” In fact, the Old Testament is all about the gospel. For instance, Jesus was the son of man of Daniel 7 and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. All the “Scriptures” point forward to the same gospel.
Third, most importantly, the gospel is about a person, not a concept. In verse 3 Paul says, “the gospel concerning his Son…” (NRSV). NLT reads verse 3 in this way: “The Good News is about his Son.” The gospel is “who,” not “what.” It is all about God’s Son, the man Jesus.
The Gospel concerning His Son: Jesus, Christ, Our Lord
Second, the gospel is not something new. It’s found in the entire Bible, both the Old Testament and the New. Romans 1:2 says, “God promised the gospel beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” In fact, the Old Testament is all about the gospel. For instance, Jesus was the son of man of Daniel 7 and the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. All the “Scriptures” point forward to the same gospel.
Third, most importantly, the gospel is about a person, not a concept. In verse 3 Paul says, “the gospel concerning his Son…” (NRSV). NLT reads verse 3 in this way: “The Good News is about his Son.” The gospel is “who,” not “what.” It is all about God’s Son, the man Jesus.
The Gospel concerning His Son: Jesus, Christ, Our Lord
Who is His Son? Paul expounds who he is in three ways. First, he is “Jesus.” The name Jesus refers to the fact that he is a fully human, historical figure. Verse 3 says, “As to his human nature he was a descendant of David” (NIV). Why is it so important that Jesus is fully human? It is because only human can be crucified and shed blood. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Hebrews 9:22 also says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Jesus has come to us in the flesh to die on the cross and shed his blood for us.
Second, he is “Christ.” In Hebrew, “Christ” is “Messiah,” which means, “the anointed one.” In Jesus’ time all the Israelites knew that “Messiah” refers to the Son of God, God himself. Christ is the true God, fully divine. Verse 4 says, “Through the Spirit of holiness he was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (NIV). Then why is it so important that he is fully divine? It is because only God can be resurrected from the dead. In human history there is no one resurrected. Only Christ, the Son of God can be raised from the dead. The resurrection is the essence of the Christian faith. By the resurrection of Christ God proved that Christ is righteous, and considers anyone who believes in him also righteous as much as Christ.
Third, he is “our Lord,” who owns and rules our lives. In verse 4, as Paul puts the gospel in a nut shell, he calls God’s Son in this way: Jesus, Christ, our Lord. The gospel is not just a concept or a philosophy. Intellectual agreement is not enough. The gospel, by nature, calls us to love Christ, trust Christ, obey Christ as the Lord. In verse 5 Paul tells us the goal of the gospel. It is to bring about the obedience that comes from faith (NIV). Obedience is not a second condition for our salvation, but it is a natural outcome, consequence of saving faith. Martin Luther put it in this way: “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” It always brings about grateful, joyful, trusting obedience. So let us ask ourselves. Where can we see the obedience that comes from faith in our own lives?
The Gospel: the Power of God
Second, he is “Christ.” In Hebrew, “Christ” is “Messiah,” which means, “the anointed one.” In Jesus’ time all the Israelites knew that “Messiah” refers to the Son of God, God himself. Christ is the true God, fully divine. Verse 4 says, “Through the Spirit of holiness he was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (NIV). Then why is it so important that he is fully divine? It is because only God can be resurrected from the dead. In human history there is no one resurrected. Only Christ, the Son of God can be raised from the dead. The resurrection is the essence of the Christian faith. By the resurrection of Christ God proved that Christ is righteous, and considers anyone who believes in him also righteous as much as Christ.
Third, he is “our Lord,” who owns and rules our lives. In verse 4, as Paul puts the gospel in a nut shell, he calls God’s Son in this way: Jesus, Christ, our Lord. The gospel is not just a concept or a philosophy. Intellectual agreement is not enough. The gospel, by nature, calls us to love Christ, trust Christ, obey Christ as the Lord. In verse 5 Paul tells us the goal of the gospel. It is to bring about the obedience that comes from faith (NIV). Obedience is not a second condition for our salvation, but it is a natural outcome, consequence of saving faith. Martin Luther put it in this way: “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” It always brings about grateful, joyful, trusting obedience. So let us ask ourselves. Where can we see the obedience that comes from faith in our own lives?
The Gospel: the Power of God
When we think of the life of Paul, we see this beautiful fruit of obedience in his life. In Paul’s time, Rome was the symbol of imperial pride and power. Everybody hoped to visit Rome at least once in their lifetime, in order to look and stare and wonder. But Paul wanted to visit Rome not as a tourist but as an evangelist. According to tradition, Paul was an ugly little guy with beetle brows, bandy legs, a bald pate, a hooked nose, bad eyesight and no great rhetorical gifts.[3] It is only common sense that he would be wiser to stay away. Or if he must visit Rome, it would be prudent for him to keep silent. But Paul knew what the people in Rome needed most – the gospel. He said, “I am under obligation (v. 14)… I am eager to preach the gospel to you (v. 15)… I am not ashamed of the gospel (v. 16)…” Why? It is because the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The gospel changes us. It completely changes our behaviors, our character, our minds, our hearts, our life orientation, our world view, our value, our understanding of everything that happens. It changes everything. And more importantly, only the gospel can save us, reconcile us to God, and purify us to grow in faith. How do we know this? We have such a great cloud of witnesses. But in the long run, we ourselves have to experience at first hand the power of the gospel in our own lives. The gospel of Christ was preached to those who were in Korea about 130 years ago. My maternal grandfather, who were about to commit suicide because of difficulties of life, heard the gospel and met Christ. Then he brought his entire family to Christ. My father was suffering from acute pneumonia. In the midst of his suffering, he cried out to God, encountered Christ and surrendered his life to Christ. For a long time, I was wandering in the spiritual desert. But God was patient. He opened his arms to me, standing before me, for 22 years. And finally, by the grace of God, I saw the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. That changed everything.
The message of Romans is not simply to live a new life. The message of Romans is this: Believe the gospel, and the gospel will set you free, change you, give you power to live a new life in Christ. Once there was a young disciple, who was filled with complaints about the world and people around him. One day his teacher asked him to bring a bowl of salt and a glass of water. Then he told him to put a handful of salt in water and drink. And he did. Then the teacher asked, “How was it?” The disciple gave a sullen answer, “It’s much too salty.” Then, the teacher took him to a lake and said, “Now put a handful of salt in water and drink.” And he did. Then the teacher asked, “Is it salty?” The disciple said, “No, it’s not.” Then the teacher said, “Although you put the same amount of salt in water, the degree of saltiness is different. It depends on how big your bowl is.” The gospel may not change our circumstances. But it changes our hearts for sure. It makes our heart like a big lake with calm surface. The gospel is not about spiritual concept or doctrine to agree with. The gospel is about the person. The gospel is Jesus Christ our Lord. So do you believe the gospel? Believing the gospel means believing that we are so wicked and spiritual failures that only the death of Jesus could save us. Believing the gospel means believing that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead to make us righteous and now he lives in us. When we believe the gospel, we join the Apostle Paul in his confession of faith: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20, NIV). Amen.
[1] John Stott, The Message of Romans: God's Good News for the World, (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 1994), Kindle Location 220 of 8863.
[2] Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You: For reading, for feeding, for leading (The Good Book Company, 2014), Kindle Location 47 of 2850.
[3] John Stott, Kindle Location 933-939 of 8863.
The message of Romans is not simply to live a new life. The message of Romans is this: Believe the gospel, and the gospel will set you free, change you, give you power to live a new life in Christ. Once there was a young disciple, who was filled with complaints about the world and people around him. One day his teacher asked him to bring a bowl of salt and a glass of water. Then he told him to put a handful of salt in water and drink. And he did. Then the teacher asked, “How was it?” The disciple gave a sullen answer, “It’s much too salty.” Then, the teacher took him to a lake and said, “Now put a handful of salt in water and drink.” And he did. Then the teacher asked, “Is it salty?” The disciple said, “No, it’s not.” Then the teacher said, “Although you put the same amount of salt in water, the degree of saltiness is different. It depends on how big your bowl is.” The gospel may not change our circumstances. But it changes our hearts for sure. It makes our heart like a big lake with calm surface. The gospel is not about spiritual concept or doctrine to agree with. The gospel is about the person. The gospel is Jesus Christ our Lord. So do you believe the gospel? Believing the gospel means believing that we are so wicked and spiritual failures that only the death of Jesus could save us. Believing the gospel means believing that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead to make us righteous and now he lives in us. When we believe the gospel, we join the Apostle Paul in his confession of faith: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20, NIV). Amen.
[1] John Stott, The Message of Romans: God's Good News for the World, (InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, IL, 1994), Kindle Location 220 of 8863.
[2] Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You: For reading, for feeding, for leading (The Good Book Company, 2014), Kindle Location 47 of 2850.
[3] John Stott, Kindle Location 933-939 of 8863.
