The Gospel of God

While most of us would look to Romans 1:16–17 for the theme of Paul’s letter to the Romans, this isn’t the first place he talks about the gospel in the letter. He actually tells us what the gospel is in the opening words of the letter. Let’s see how Paul defines the gospel, the message that is the “power of God for salvation” (Ro 1:16), at the beginning of his letter to the Romans. We’ll be using the study notes from the CSB Baker Illustrated Study Bible for this post.

The Messenger of the Gospel

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God ​—”

Romans 1:1, Christian Standard Bible

The first word, typical for ancient letters, is the name of the sender. Paul introduces himself with his Latin name, Paul(l)us (Gk Paulos); his Hebrew name was Saul (see Ac 7:58; 8:1, 3; 9:1, 4; 13:9). Paul underlines three realities that explain who he is:

(1) He is a “servant” of Jesus Christ; his life totally belongs to Jesus Christ, to whom he thus owes total allegiance.

(2) God called him to be an apostle, who carries the gospel to others (Gl 1:15–16; 1 Co 15:5–7).

(3) Paul has been “set apart”—that is, consecrated and commissioned—“for the gospel of God.”

The message he proclaims is the “good news” (Gk euangelion, “gospel”) of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles.

The God of the Gospel

“Which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ​— ​concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead.”

Romans 1:2–4, Christian Standard Bible

The reference to “the gospel of God” (1:1) prompts Paul to describe the message he proclaims.

(1) The gospel, which has been promised by God through his prophets (1:2), is God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.

(2) The gospel of God concerns Jesus Christ (1:3–4).

(3) As far as Jesus’s human nature (“flesh”) is concerned, he is of royal messianic descent. Jesus fulfills OT promises and Jewish expectations (2 Sm 7:16; Is 11:1, 10; Jr 33:14–18).

(4) Jesus was declared to be “the powerful Son of God”; that is, he was installed in the messianic office as God’s Son, who is invested with God’s power (Ps 2:7).

(5) Jesus’s resurrection from the dead marks the beginning of the new age of God’s Spirit, who gives life and holiness (Ezk 37:1–14).

(6) Jesus the Messiah is “Lord” (Gk kyrios), exalted by God to be the ruler of the world.

The Goal of the Gospel

“Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.”

Romans 1:5–6, Christian Standard Bible

The reference to Jesus Christ then prompts Paul to add a description of his own apostolic ministry. He has received the grace of being an apostle through the mediation of the risen and exalted Lord Jesus Christ. The plural “we” (1:5) is a writer’s plural, not a reference to all Christians; the structure of the epistolary prescript (“a to b, greetings”) clarifies that Paul still describes himself as the sender.

The goal of his work as God’s envoy is to lead Gentiles to faith in the gospel and thus to faith in God himself and in his Son Jesus the Messiah and Lord. Faith in the one true God and in his Son Jesus Christ involves, by its very nature, obedience—loyalty to God’s sovereignty and submission to God’s will. Paul focuses the scope of his missionary work on polytheists, pagans who worship other deities (Rm 11:13–14; Gl 2:8–9).

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