ROMANS
1:1
“Called To Be”
This is the book of Romans and how it begins. Paul
introduces himself as a servant and an apostle. Paul was called to be an
apostle. There were only 12 apostles. We are not called to be apostles but we
all have a calling from God once we are saved.
Consider these verses in the New Testament which all use
the word calling: 2 Timothy 1:9, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according
to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began.” Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of god are without
repentance.” Ephesians 4:4, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are
called in one hope of your calling;” Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 4:11 says, “And he gave some, apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and sone, pastors and teachers.” Is
important to know what God has called you to do. If you do not know what you
are called to do by the LORD you had better find out so that you can serve him
in the way he wants you to. God calls and gives us spiritual gifts. Learn what
your calling is and your spiritual gift or gifts are so that you can better
serve Jesus. Some Christians God calls to be preachers or teachers, and some
God calls to serve in other ways. Luke 6:31.
Even though Paul was an apostle he called himself a
servant of Jesus. No matter what your spiritual gifts are you should consider
yourself a servant of Christ. Part of being a servant is the mind set of not
thinking of yourself as better than or above other people. Another part of it
is to find ways to serve people. Paul
was an Apostle, the highest position in the church, yet still he was a servant.
We can serve others by putting others before ourselves. We can serve other’s by
loving them in our actions.
“And as ye would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” Most people expect others to serve them. They
expect others to give them what they want, to do what they want. Don’t be like
this to be a real servant. Don’t live for yourself. It is easy to find ways to
be a servant. One way is simply in your attitude towards others especially
those who have authority over you. You are always going to run into situations
where other people have authority over you. For example, in the work place you
will have a boss, and
the government. It’s a big government and they are many in the government with
authority over you from law enforcement to other governmental officials. Serve
others, put them first. If you learn to serve others then you will open doors
for them to listen to the gospel.
A high calling, a holy calling one hope of your calling,
make your calling and election sure.
Romans 1:1 says, “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called
to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” In the last pat of verse 1 Paul says that he was separated unto the
gospel of God. We are not Paul but we
should be separated from the world. In the world but not of the world.
The word separated is an important word. For Paul his whole
life was about the gospel. We will never be Paul or attain the dedication that
he had to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But if we stay separate from the world,
we can be fulfill our calling of God and better fullfill being witnesses in this world.
Romans 1:2, “Which he had promised afore by his prophets
in the holy scriptures.”
What was promised? The gospel was. This promise of the
gospel goes all the way back to the book of Genesis and the story of Adam and
Eve when God slew a lamb to make coats of skin for them. You will find the
gospel in every book of the Bible. The key word here is the word promise. God
keeps his promises. This is a very important truth to remember. God promised to
redeem man from his sins and that he has done through Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:3, “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;” Jesus is the Son
of God. There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now
concerning his Son he was made of the seed of David according
to the flesh. We are talking according to the flesh now. Why is it important to
understand that Jesus according to the flesh was made of the seed of David:
Because of the Davidic covenant.
The Davidic covenant is one of the great promises made to
Israel; the promise that the throne of his kingdom would be established over
Israel forever. This promise is fulfilled in Christ Jesus.
Psalms 89:3-4, “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I
have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I
establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all
generations. Selah”
Just imagine how things are going to work out. One day
Israel will be the greatest nation and Jesus will rule the world from a throne
in Jerusalem. This is a great promise and it teaches us something very
important about faith. From a human perspective this seems impossible. After
all, in today’s current events Israel is a small nation that only possesses a
fraction of the land once given to it by God, a small nation oppressed by the
Muslim nations around it. Who would think that one day this could happen that
Israel will become the greatest nation on the earth? God is going to make it
happen. God is going to turn things around and upside down.
If you think about the Davidic covenant and understand it,
it will help your faith. God can turn anything around and often what God does
is not what we would expect. In this case however we can expect it with
certainty because it is written in the Bible.
God loves Israel. God has great plans in the future for
Israel. The Davidic covenant teaches us about God’s great plan for
himself ruling upon the throne of Israel.
So do not forget that Jesus was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh. This is a great truth. The lineage of Jesus is recorded
for us in the gospels.
Romans 1:4, “And declared to be the Son of God with
power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”
As is clearly stated in this verse Jesus is the Son of
God. We know this because the Bible says
so. We know this because he rose from the grave. Romans is the great doctrinal
book on salvation. One of the things mentioned in the explanation of the gospel
is the resurrection from the dead of Jesus. Do not underestimate the importance
of the resurrection from the dead. Christ is the first fruits and we are to
follow. The resurrection is our great hope.
Romans 1:5 “by whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:” We
have all received grace from God. Remember salvation is by grace through faith.
When you enter into his grace do not waste it by not being obedient to the
faith. Why are we obedient? We are obedient for his name. What does that mean,
to be obedient to the faith? Perhaps it means don’t lose your faith, don’t give
up on your faith, keep the faith, continue trusting in God
day by day and relying upon his promises and applying them to your life.
If you want to do something for his name then be obedient to the faith.
Romans 1:6, “Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:” In verse one Paul said that he was
called, called to be an apostle. Now in verse 6 he tells other believers that
they are called also. To be called of God means to have the opportunity to
serve. Not only was Paul called of God and the believers in Rome called of God
but we are all called of God.
When you are called of God you will be given a burden.
For example, Paul was called to the gospel: his burden was the gospel. Another
example would be a believer being called to the mission field. God will give
them a burden for a particular people or particular country.
If you are a believer you are called of God. If you are
called you will have a burden. What has
God called you to do? Paul was called to be an apostle. His burden was the
gospel and he was given the gift of an apostle. You know that you are called,
so know your spiritual gift or gifts and how to use them and recognize any
burden or burdens that God places on your heart.
The first call of course is to salvation. The gospel is
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. If you believe that Jesus is the
Son of God, that he died on the cross for your sins, was buried and rose again
the third day you can be saved.
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Copyright; 2021 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved