Romans 1

Romans 1:1

Paul opens his epistle by introducing himself, not first as an apostle, but as “a servant of Christ Jesus“. The order is significant. Before asserting his apostolic authority, Paul identifies himself as one who belongs entirely to Christ. His authority is therefore not self-derived, nor does it rest upon human appointment, but upon his complete submission to the Lord whom he serves.

The English word “servant“ translates the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos), Strong’s [G1401]. Strong defines the term as a slave or bondservant, while recognizing that it may also be used figuratively of one who willingly serves another. The Septuagint (LXX) frequently employs δοῦλος to describe faithful servants of God such as Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and David. Paul’s adoption of the same expression places him within that long line of those who were wholly devoted to God’s service. Rather than conveying humiliation, the title emphasizes faithful stewardship, obedience, and complete devotion to the One who has called him.

Historical evidence indicates that slavery was deeply woven into Roman society. It has been estimated that there were as many as three slaves for every free citizen residing in Rome during Paul’s lifetime. While many slaves endured severe hardship, others occupied positions of considerable trust, administering estates, managing finances, and even overseeing the education of their masters’ children. Such responsibilities often softened the image of slavery from one of mere oppression to one of delegated authority and faithful stewardship. This historical background helps illuminate Paul’s choice of δοῦλος, for his service to Christ was characterized not only by humble submission but also by the immense responsibility entrusted to him as an apostle of the Gospel.

Unlike many of his other epistles, Romans contains no opening reference to Paul’s fellow labourers or co-workers. Although he later speaks in the plural when referring to the grace and apostleship that “we have received,” he is not presenting others as co-authors of the letter but acknowledging that both he and the other apostles alike received their ministry through Jesus Christ. The emphasis throughout the opening verses remains upon the divine origin of his apostleship.

It is equally noteworthy that Paul makes no appeal to his Roman citizenship or to his birthplace in Tarsus of Cilicia. Neither his civil status nor his earthly heritage forms the basis of his identity. Instead, he presents himself solely in relation to Jesus Christ. Whether intentionally or not, the omission beautifully reflects the transformation that occurred through his conversion. The former Saul, once feared as a persecutor of the Church, has given way to Paul, the servant of Christ. His identity is now determined not by flesh and blood but by his relationship to the risen Lord.

Paul next describes himself as “called to be an apostle“. The English word “called“ translates the Greek adjective κλητός (klētos), Strong’s [G2822]. Strong defines the word as “invited” or “appointed,” while Thayer explains it as one who has been called or invited, whether to salvation or to the discharge of a particular office. Although the doctrine of God’s calling is often discussed in relation to salvation, the immediate context does not concern Paul’s conversion but his appointment to the office of apostleship.

The context is especially important. Paul is not attempting to explain the doctrine of predestination, nor is he presenting a treatise on irresistible grace. Rather, he is establishing the divine authority of his apostolic ministry. His apostleship was not self-appointed, nor was it conferred by men. It originated with God’s call. This distinction becomes even more significant when viewed against Paul’s repeated need to defend his apostleship. Both Jewish believers, who remembered his former persecution of the Church, and some within the wider Christian community questioned his authority. Paul addresses these challenges elsewhere in 1 Corinthians 9:1–2, 1 Corinthians 15:9, 2 Corinthians 11:5, 2 Corinthians 12:12, and Galatians 1:1. Even Luke is comparatively restrained in applying the title “apostle” to Paul, explicitly doing so only in Acts 14:4 and 14:14, where both Barnabas and Paul are described together as apostles.

Paul further declares that he was “set apart for the gospel of God“. The expression “set apart“ translates the Greek verb ἀφορίζω (aphorizō), Strong’s [G873]. Strong defines the word as “to set off by boundary,” “to separate,” or “to appoint,” while Thayer describes it as marking someone off from others for a particular purpose. Although the language of being “set apart” sometimes evokes discussions of predestination, Paul himself defines the purpose of this separation. He was not set apart unto salvation, but “for the gospel of God“.

This distinction is essential to the flow of Paul’s introduction. Every believer is called to be a servant of Christ, but not every believer is called to the office of apostle. Paul’s separation was vocational rather than salvific. God had appointed him to proclaim the Gospel among both Jew and Gentile. His statement also recalls Galatians 1:15, where Paul declares that God had set him apart before his birth and called him by His grace. The emphasis in both passages is not upon a unique method of salvation but upon God’s sovereign appointment of Paul to a unique ministry.

Accordingly, Paul’s opening words accomplish far more than a simple greeting. Before discussing the Gospel itself, he establishes the divine authority under which he writes. He is Christ’s servant, God’s appointed apostle, and one who has been specifically set apart for the proclamation of the Gospel of God. Everything that follows in this epistle rests upon that divinely appointed ministry.

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Romans 1:2

Having established his divine calling, Paul immediately turns his readers’ attention to the message he was commissioned to proclaim. This Gospel was not a new religion, nor was it an innovation introduced by Christ or the apostles. Rather, it was the fulfillment of God’s eternal redemptive plan, “which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures“. Before Paul explains the content of the Gospel, he first establishes its divine origin and continuity with the Old Testament.

By grounding the Gospel in the prophetic Scriptures, Paul demonstrates that Christianity is not detached from Israel’s history but is its fulfillment. The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings all anticipated the coming of the Messiah and the salvation that God would accomplish through Him. The Gospel, therefore, is not a departure from the Old Testament but the unveiling of what God had long before promised.

This opening statement also introduces one of the principal themes that will run throughout the Epistle to the Romans. Paul’s purpose is not merely to proclaim Christ but to demonstrate that everything accomplished through Christ had already been foretold in the Scriptures. Throughout the letter he will repeatedly appeal to the Law, the Prophets, Abraham, David, and Israel’s history to show that God’s plan of redemption was never an afterthought but part of His eternal purpose.

In this sense, the Gospel is both foreknown and foreordained by God. Long before Christ’s incarnation, the prophets announced His coming, His sufferings, His kingdom, and the blessings that would extend beyond Israel to all nations. The Gospel does not replace the Old Testament; rather, it reveals the fulfillment of mysteries that had been progressively disclosed throughout the Old Testament Scriptures.

Paul develops this same truth elsewhere. In Ephesians 3:9 he speaks of “the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things“, while in Ephesians 5:32 he describes the union of Christ and His Church as “a profound mystery“. These mysteries were not unknown because God had failed to reveal them, but because their complete fulfillment awaited the coming of Christ. What had once been promised in shadow is now revealed in substance.

Paul therefore begins his epistle by reminding his readers that the Gospel rests upon the unchanging faithfulness of God. The message he proclaims is the very message God promised beforehand through His prophets. The same God who inspired the Old Testament has fulfilled His promises in Jesus Christ, demonstrating both the unity of Scripture and the certainty of God’s redemptive plan.

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Romans 1:3–4

The Gospel promised beforehand concerns one person above all others—God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul immediately presents Christ according to both His humanity and His deity, establishing the foundation upon which the entire Gospel rests.

According to the flesh, Christ was “descended from David“. Paul assumes his readers already understand the significance of the Davidic covenant and therefore offers no extended explanation. Throughout his other epistles he speaks more fully of Christ’s incarnation and His descent from David’s lineage, often referring to David’s “seed“ (σπέρμα, sperma). Here, however, a simple affirmation is sufficient. Jesus is the promised Messiah who fulfilled God’s covenant with David by entering history through David’s royal line.

This brief statement is the only direct reference in Romans to Christ’s Davidic descent. Although Paul does not return to the subject later in the epistle, its placement here is significant. Before discussing justification, faith, or the righteousness of God, he first establishes that Jesus is the promised King foretold throughout the Old Testament.

Yet Paul immediately balances Christ’s true humanity with His divine identity. The One descended from David according to the flesh was also “declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead“. The resurrection did not make Jesus the Son of God, for He was eternally the Son. Rather, the resurrection publicly declared and vindicated who He truly is. The empty tomb became God’s open declaration that Jesus is indeed His Son.

Paul’s description beautifully unites the two natures of Christ. According to His humanity He is the Son of David; according to His deity He is the Son of God. The incarnation did not diminish His divinity, nor did His deity diminish His true humanity. Both truths stand together in perfect harmony within the one person of Jesus Christ.

The expression “Spirit of holiness” is one of several ways Paul refers to the Holy Spirit. Here the Spirit is closely associated with Christ’s resurrection and with God’s declaration of His Son’s power. Holiness itself is never portrayed in Scripture as something fallen humanity can produce through its own efforts. Human corruption is incapable of generating true holiness. Throughout Scripture, holiness is consistently presented as the work of God’s grace through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus Himself declared, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

This distinction is important as the epistle unfolds. Neither Paul nor any other apostle possesses the power to impart holiness to others. Their ministry consists in proclaiming Christ through teaching, preaching, and instruction. It is God alone, through His Spirit, who transforms the believer and produces the holiness that the Gospel requires. Paul’s authority therefore rests not in personal ability but in faithfully proclaiming the message through which God’s Spirit works in the hearts of those who believe.

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Romans 1:5–6

Having established both the humanity and deity of Jesus Christ, Paul now turns to the blessings believers have received through Him. It is through Christ that “we have received grace and apostleship.” The emphasis rests not upon Paul’s accomplishments or qualifications but entirely upon the gracious provision of God. Every aspect of Paul’s ministry originated in God’s grace before it ever became his responsibility.

The plural expression “we have received” should not be understood as introducing co-authors to the epistle. Unlike many of his other letters, Romans opens without mention of fellow labourers or companions. Rather, Paul is acknowledging that he, together with the other apostles, received both the grace necessary for ministry and the apostolic office itself through Jesus Christ. Their authority was never self-appointed, nor did it originate with the Church, but with Christ Himself.

The purpose of that apostleship is immediately defined: “to bring about the obedience of faith“. This expression is significant because Paul does not write, “the obedience of the Law“, but rather “the obedience of faith“. Faith and obedience are not presented as opposing concepts but as inseparably related. Genuine faith produces obedience because it trusts the One who has spoken. Obedience, therefore, is not the means by which one earns salvation but the natural response that springs from believing the Gospel.

Throughout Romans, Paul consistently teaches that justification is by faith apart from works of the Law. Yet this never diminishes the necessity of obedience. Rather, the obedience God desires is the obedience that flows from faith. The believer obeys because he has believed, not in order that he might believe. Thus, Paul’s ministry sought to produce lives characterized by faithful submission to Christ among those who received the Gospel.

The ultimate purpose of this ministry was “for the sake of His name among all the nations“. Paul’s motivation was never personal recognition or earthly honour. As a servant of Christ, his entire ministry existed for the glory of Christ’s name. Just as a trusted servant in a Roman household exercised authority on behalf of his master rather than for his own benefit, so Paul exercised the authority entrusted to him for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom. Every act of service, every sermon preached, and every church established ultimately served the honour of Jesus Christ.

The phrase “among all the nations“ also reveals the universal scope of God’s redemptive plan. The Gospel was never intended to remain confined to Israel alone but was destined to extend to every nation, fulfilling God’s promises made long before through the prophets. Paul’s apostleship was therefore directed primarily toward the Gentile world, proclaiming the same Gospel to all peoples without distinction.

Paul then adds, “including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ“. The word “including“ is especially important because it emphasizes inclusion rather than exclusion. By definition, the term identifies the Roman believers as part of the larger group Paul has just described. Having spoken of “all the nations“, Paul now identifies the believers in Rome as belonging within that universal company whom God calls through the Gospel.

This marks the first of two distinct uses of the word “called“ in Paul’s opening greeting. Earlier, Paul described himself as one called to be an apostle, referring to his divine appointment to a specific office. Here, however, the calling is directed toward those who belong to Jesus Christ. The emphasis is no longer vocational but relational. Paul is speaking to those who have responded to God’s Gospel call and now belong to Christ.

The inclusive nature of Paul’s language deserves careful attention. The phrase “all the nations“ embraces humanity without distinction, while “including you“ identifies the Roman believers as members of that larger body. Paul’s purpose is not to introduce the doctrine of selective calling but to assure the believers in Rome that they share equally in the gracious salvation God has extended through His Son. As the epistle unfolds, Paul will repeatedly emphasize that God’s saving purpose extends alike to Jew and Gentile, for there is no partiality with God. The Roman Christians stand among all those who belong to Jesus Christ, having been brought into that relationship through the gracious call of the Gospel.

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Romans 1:7

To all who are in Rome who belong to Jesus Christ, Paul extends a greeting that is both deeply personal and profoundly theological: “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“. Every expression in this greeting identifies the believer’s present standing before God. They are loved by God, they belong to Jesus Christ, and they are called saints. These are not future aspirations but present realities grounded in God’s grace.

The word “saint“ simply means “a holy one,” “a sanctified one,” or “one who has been set apart for God.” Every person who has trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation has been sanctified positionally before God and is therefore, in the biblical sense, a saint. Sainthood is not reserved for an elite class of believers, nor is it a spiritual status attained after years of exceptional Christian living. It is the present standing of every believer who is in Christ.

In the King James Version, Romans 1:7 reads, “called to be saints.” However, the words “to be” appear in italics, indicating that they are not found in the Greek text but have been supplied by the translators to make the English read more smoothly. The Greek simply reads κλητοῖς ἁγίοις (klētois hagiois), literally, “called saints” or “called holy ones.”

While the translators intended only to aid readability, the addition of the words “to be“ can easily give the impression that sainthood is something believers are called to attain at some future point rather than a present reality. Throughout the New Testament, however, believers are consistently addressed as saints, not because they have reached a particular level of spiritual maturity, but because they have been set apart unto God through their union with Christ.

This understanding stands in marked contrast to the common Roman Catholic usage of the title “Saint,” which is ordinarily reserved for those whom the Church has formally canonized after death. Scripture presents a very different picture. The apostles regularly addressed ordinary living believers as saints without any ecclesiastical process, special recognition, or posthumous declaration. According to the New Testament, a person becomes a saint the moment he responds in faith to the Gospel and is united with Christ. Sainthood is therefore not something believers hope to become but something God declares them to be by His grace.

There is no passage in Scripture that instructs Christians to strive to attain sainthood as though it were a future reward or a higher spiritual rank. Instead, the New Testament repeatedly affirms that all believers are saints while they are still living in this present world (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2). Their conduct should certainly grow to reflect their holy calling, but their identity as saints rests upon what God has already accomplished in Christ.

For this reason, some believers, thinking it an act of humility, hesitate to refer to themselves as saints. Yet genuine humility does not consist in denying what God has declared to be true. It is neither pride nor presumption to accept God’s description of every believer. Rather, true humility receives by faith what the Scriptures plainly teach concerning our position in Christ.

Paul’s description of believers as “called saints“ is closely connected with the preceding expressions “beloved of God“ and “called to belong to Jesus Christ“. These are not separate callings but complementary descriptions of those who belong to Christ. To all the believers in Rome—to those who are loved by God, who belong to Jesus Christ, and who have responded to His Gospel call—Paul addresses them collectively as “called saints”. This designation belongs exclusively to those who are in Christ and identifies their present standing before God rather than a future spiritual aspiration.

The English word “saint” translates the Greek word ἅγιος (hagios), Strong’s [G40], which denotes that which is holy, consecrated, or set apart for God. Thayer defines it simply as “a saint“ or “a most holy thing,” while modern Greek lexicons likewise emphasize the idea of one who has been dedicated or consecrated to God’s service. Paul’s use of the word therefore highlights not merely moral purity but the believer’s separation unto God through His gracious calling.

Paul’s greeting concludes with the familiar blessing, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ“. The order is significant. Grace always precedes peace. Fallen humanity cannot experience true peace with God apart from first receiving His grace. Peace is therefore not merely the absence of conflict but the blessed result of reconciliation accomplished through Jesus Christ. By joining God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as the joint source of grace and peace, Paul once again affirms the full deity of Christ, placing the Son alongside the Father as the divine giver of every spiritual blessing.

This greeting also serves as a fitting summary of the Gospel Paul is about to expound throughout the epistle. Those who belong to Christ have already become the objects of God’s love, the recipients of His grace, the possessors of His peace, and the saints whom He has set apart for Himself. Everything that follows in Romans rests upon these foundational truths.

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