Chapter 1:1–17
Chap. 1:1-7—At the time of the writing of this letter, Paul had not been to Rome, and therefore, takes a little more time than he usually does in his epistles to introduce himself to the saints there.
Vs. 1—He begins: “Paul, a servant [bondman] of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” A “bondman [servant]” of Christ is something more than being a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ. It refers to a personal exercise that occurs in the life of a believer to voluntarily surrender himself to the cause of Christ in this world, and thus, to become His servant. The Lord does not command anyone to be His bondman-servant; all who have made themselves such have done so of their own volition. This exercise comes as a result of realizing that we have been “bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:22-23). In considering the cost of our redemption—that Christ, in love and pity, willingly took our place under the judgment of God to save us—our heart becomes deeply moved, and we respond by giving our life (our time and energy) to Christ as His servant. By stating that he was the Lord’s bond-servant, Paul was indicating that he had gone through this exercise and had placed himself unreservedly under the Lordship of Christ, to be used in His service in whatever way He desired. Thus, he introduces himself to the Romans as one who was totally “sold out” to Christ.
The King James Version (KJV) says, “servant of Jesus Christ,” but some translations render it—“bond-servant of Christ Jesus”—which we understand to be the correct rendering. This is significant. As a rule, when Paul says “Jesus Christ”—using His manhood name ("Jesus") before His title ("Christ") the Anointed One—it is referring to His coming into the world to do the will of God and to accomplish redemption. Whereas, when Paul says, “Christ Jesus” (putting His title before His manhood name), it refers to Him as having completed redemption, and is risen, ascended, and seated at the right hand of God as a glorified Man. It is interesting to see that Peter styles himself as a bondman and an apostle of “Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1), whereas Paul sees himself as a bondman and apostle of “Christ Jesus.” This is because Peter came to know the Lord, and was called by Him when the Lord came into the world at His first coming, but Paul came to know the Lord when the Lord was a glorified Man on high, and was called by Him as such.
Believing that the saints in Rome should know something of his personal history with the Lord, Paul mentions two events in verse 1 That occurred in his life. Firstly, he was “called an apostle.” This took place on the road to Damascus when he submitted to the Lord in faith (Acts 9:1-6). The King James Version (KJV) says “called to be an apostle.” The words, “to be” are in italics, which indicate that they are not in the Greek text, but have been added by the translators to aid in the reading of the passage. Unfortunately, those words, though well intended, are misleading and imply that Paul had to pass through a certain religious process after he was saved in order to become an apostle. This savours of the man-made clerical idea that has been prevalent in the Church for centuries, in which a person passes through a process of training in a seminary, whereupon he (or she) is ordained to a place in "the Ministry." However, the text should read, “called an apostle” or “an apostle by calling.” This means that he received his apostleship the moment he obeyed the call of the gospel and was saved.
The second thing Paul mentions is that he had been “separated unto the gospel of God.” This took place at Antioch about ten years later when the Spirit of God said, “Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:2). Hence, Paul received his apostleship the moment he was saved, but he was not sent by the Lord to do the work of an apostle until sometime later. This means that, even though he was an apostle, and he had placed himself under Christ’s Lordship as His bondman, he needed time to grow and mature in the things of God before he could be used in that work. This process of spiritual growth and maturity is needed in every convert (2 Peter 3:18).
The word “gospel” means “good news” or "glad tidings." Thus, the message of the gospel is God's good news to man. It is good news because it makes known God’s movements in grace toward men, seeking their blessing. (Grace is God's unmerited favour toward man.) By saying that the gospel is “of God,” Paul was indicating that God is the source of this good news. It all emanates from His heart of love; He drew salvation’s plan and in grace He has brought it down to man.
There are two parts to “the gospel of God” which Paul preached. He distinguishes them elsewhere as:
• “The gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
• “The gospel of the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Tim. 1:11).
The Gospel of the Grace of God emphasizes Christ's coming into this world to accomplish redemption; it focuses on God’s condescending grace coming down to meet man in his need by that which Christ accomplished on the cross. The Gospel of the Glory of God emphasizes Christ's ascending up into heaven as a glorified Man. This latter aspect is what Paul calls “my gospel.” He was given special revelations concerning the believer’s position and present portion in Christ, the glorified Man at God’s right hand (Gal. 1:11-12). Paul preached and taught both aspects of the gospel of God. In the book of the Acts, we see him preaching the gospel of God’s grace to sinners (Acts 20:24), but in the epistle to the Romans, we have him teaching the gospel to the saints.
Vs. 2—In a parenthesis, Paul adds that this good news declared in the gospel was “promised afore by the prophets.” In chapter 3:21, he is more specific about this, stating that certain elements of the gospel—such as the “righteousness of God”—are “witnessed by the Law and the prophets.” Peter also speaks of this. He states that “the salvation” of our “souls” (a new kind of salvation which Old Testament saints had not known) connected with “the sufferings of Christ” had been prophesied in the writings of the Old Testament prophets (1 Peter 1:9-11). He also mentions that those prophets did not understand what they had prophesied, and that it wasn’t until “the Holy Spirit” was “sent down” from heaven in these Christian times that we now understand what those things are (1 Peter 1:12). An example of this is found in Isaiah 56:1: “Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.”
The fact that the righteousness of God and the salvation of the soul were promised in the Old Testament shows that the gospel is something distinct from the “mystery” (Eph. 5:32). The Mystery is a secret which God hid in His heart from past eternity and did not make known until these Christian times, when the Holy Spirit would come. It has to do with His purpose to glorify Christ in two spheres—in heaven and on earth—in a coming day (the Millennium) through a specially formed vessel of testimony—the Church, Christ’s body and bride. In Romans 16:25, Ephesians 3:3-9, and Colossians 1:23-27, Paul differentiates between the gospel and the Mystery. He states in those passages that the Mystery was not prophesied about in the Old Testament, whereas in Romans 1:2 and Romans 3:21, he indicates that elements of the gospel were stated in the Old Testament.
Vss. 3-4—Paul said that the gospel concerns “His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” In stating this, he was indicating that this glorious Person is the subject of the gospel. Let us understand this clearly; men are not the subject of the gospel. Believing men and women are the beneficiaries of the blessings of the gospel, but they are not the subject of it—the subject of the gospel is Christ.
In introducing the Person whom the gospel concerns by stating His names and titles in the particular order in which Paul did is very instructive. They follow a sequential order from eternity to eternity and tell us much about who Christ is:
• “His Son”—Since this is mentioned before His manhood name of Jesus, it is referring to His relationship with God the Father before He became a Man, as the eternal Son (Isa. 9:6). Thus, His Sonship is eternal.
• “Jesus”—This name refers to His humanity; it was given to Him when He became a Man—this points to His incarnation (Luke 1:31).
• “Christ”—This title refers to His Messianic office as the Anointed One, which He fulfilled in His earthly ministry (John 1:41; 4:25) but was rejected as such and crucified (Mark 14:61-65; 15:32).
• “Our Lord”—This title refers to His exalted position in resurrection, as ascended to the right hand of God (Acts 2:32-36).
Thus, in this one sweeping statement, we have an introduction to the Person of Christ, from His Sonship in eternity past to His position now at God’s right hand as a glorified Man.
The Spirit of God leads Paul to open another parenthesis (from verse 3b to the end of verse 4) to enlarge upon Christ being both human and divine, so that there could be no question as to Who He was. He was “made [come of] the seed of David according to flesh.” This refers to His earthly lineage, being born in the family of King David. It indicates that the Lord Jesus was a real Man, and emphasizes His humanity. He was also “declared [marked out] the Son of God.” This emphasizes His divinity. Note: Paul mentions that there was a point in time when He came “of David’s seed” (at His incarnation), but he does not say that there was a time when He became “the Son of God” because He was always that from eternity, being God’s eternal Son.
Paul says that Christ was marked out (identified) as the Son of God “with power.” That is, He demonstrated that He was the Son of God by His acts of power when He walked here in this world. The power in His earthly ministry resulted from “the Spirit of holiness” being with Him (Luke 4:14; Acts 10:38). Mentioning the word “holiness” indicates that His power to do miracles did not come from some corrupt source (Satanic power), but from the power of the Holy Spirit. The greatest barrier to blessing is death itself, but the Lord overcame this great obstacle by raising the dead—thus showing that He was the Son of God, the great Life-giver (John 1:4; 5:21; 11:25). “The resurrection from the dead” (KJV) is in the plural in the Greek and should read literally, “the resurrection of dead ones.” This is a reference to Jairus’ daughter (Matt. 9:18-26), the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:12-17), Lazarus (John 11:14-46), and the Lord’s own resurrection—all were raised by His power. Thus, the Lord’s family lineage proved that He was “the seed of David” (Matt. 1), but His acts of power in raising the dead proved that He is “the Son of God.”
Vss. 5-6—These verses bring us to the scope of the gospel. Paul states that he was given special “grace” to carry out his “apostleship” and bring the gospel to “all nations.” Thus, the scope of the gospel message reaches to the whole human race. By adding the phrase, “For the obedience of faith,” Paul made it clear that the blessings which the gospel promises are only realized by those who have faith to believe the message.
Vs. 7—Paul then identifies those to whom the epistle was written—“all that be in Rome, beloved of God.” This is not referring to all the people of Rome, but to all the believers there. It is likely that some of them had been saved through the preaching of Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2:10), and they had carried the gospel back home and spread it there. That Paul was referring to believers in Rome is evident by his use of the word "beloved." As a rule, the term is used in Scripture for believers only.
Another proof that he was referring to believers is in the fact that he calls those to whom he was writing “saints.” A saint is a “set apart one” or a “sanctified one.” Saints could only be believers. All such have been saved by God’s grace and are (positionally) sanctified, being set apart for blessing. The KJV says, “called to be saints,” but the words “to be” are italicized, indicating that they are not in the Greek text and have been added by the translators to aid the reading of the passage. Unfortunately, as was the case in verse 1, it changes the meaning and makes sainthood a goal to be attained in the future. This is a Catholic error. (Roman Catholicism teaches that if a person lives nobly for that system, after he leaves this world through death, he may be promoted to the special place of a saint.) People have picked up on this mistaken idea and will say things such as, “I don’t pretend to be a saint, but ... ” The text should simply read, "called saints." The truth is that if we are believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are saints—and are such by being called by God! It is not something we hope to be, or we are waiting to be, but something that the Word of God says we are by the grace of God. Some think that it is evidence of humility to refuse to be called a saint now, but this denies the truth of Scripture. There is no Scripture that tells us to try to attain to sainthood, but there are many Scriptures that tell us that all believers are saints, even while they are still living in this world. It is not pride or presumption to believe the Word of God.
Personal Communications
Chap. 1:8-15—Having introduced himself formally, Paul now makes clear his reasons for writing. He also makes known his personal desires for the Roman believers. He seeks to gain their confidence by being as transparent as possible with them—even to the point of calling upon God as a "witness" of his genuineness—thus manifesting his sincere care for their spiritual welfare. His desire was that they would see that he had nothing but their good on his heart.
Paul thanked God for the reality of their faith which had spread throughout the Christian community in “the whole world.” This is an expression that refers to the Roman Empire; it is not the whole globe (Luke 2:1). He also prayed intensely for the saints in Rome and requested that God would allow him to come to them. He had two main reasons for this:
• To impart "some spiritual gift" to the end that they would be established (vss. 10-11).
• So that both he and they would have "mutual comfort" in the Christian path through fellowship (vss. 12-13).
Firstly, Paul's desire to impart some “spiritual gift” to the Roman Christians was not what we see in the present day activities of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. (This Christian group promises a “second blessing” for Christians sometime after they have been saved, whereupon they profess to have the gift of tongues, healing, etc.) Paul was speaking of a spiritual gift in the sense of giving the saints in Rome some spiritual truth. Since he had not been to Rome, it was likely that they were deficient in their understanding of some of the things that he taught, and he simply desired to fill in those things that were lacking in their understanding (compare 1 Thess. 3:10). Paul's intention in giving them a spiritual gift was that they would become "established" in the Christian faith. This proves that the gift that he was referring to was not miraculous sign-gifts, because those things do not build up (establish) a person's understanding of the truth.
Nor does Paul's reference to a “prosperous journey” mean that he was hoping to make money on this trip; he simply desired that God would prosper him so that he would have the finances to come. (See J. N. Darby’s Translation footnote) As it turned out, Paul's prayer was answered in an altogether different way in which he had prayed; the last chapter of the book of the Acts records that he got there as a prisoner!
Paul's other reason for wanting to come to the Roman Christians was, as mentioned above, for "mutual comfort." They would encourage him and he would encourage them "by the faith which is in the other, both yours and mine." He explains to them that the reason that he hadn't come to them thus far was that he had been "hindered hitherto." Since the door was closed at that time, Paul undertook to write this letter in an effort to help them understand his gospel more clearly, and thus, to get them on the way to being established in the faith. He promised that when he would get there, he would give them "the fullness of the blessing of Christ" (chap. 15:29). This is an allusion to the truth of the Mystery, which is a higher line of truth than that in the gospel, and is what actually completes the Christian revelation (Col. 1:25-26 – J. N. Darby Trans.). Understanding the Mystery, which brings the believer in accord with God's “eternal purpose” for “the ages” (Eph. 3:11) and also in accord with His program for this present dispensation (1 Tim. 1:4 – J. N. Darby Trans.). Both lines of truth—the gospel and the Mystery—are necessary for the believer’s establishment in the Christian faith (Rom. 16:25).
Vs. 14—Paul said that he was ready to preach and to teach the gospel to everyone. He felt that he had a debt to discharge in announcing the gospel—stating, “I am a debtor ... ”
Firstly, he was ready to preach to various kinds of unbelievers—“the Greeks” and “the Barbarians.” These were the civilized and the uncivilized people of this world in his day. (In using the term “Greek,” he is not referring to those who are Greeks by nationality only. It is a generic term that includes all people among the Gentiles who have been educated and refined under the Grecian culture to some degree. A refined Roman, for instance, would come under this title.). Then he says, “To the wise and to the unwise.” These were the educated and the uneducated people of the world. Thus, in referring to these different classes of lost men, Paul has drawn a line over the globe from north to south, and from east to west, and has touched on every kind of unbeliever there is in the world. Whatever their status in life may be—rich or poor, educated or uneducated, black or white—Paul was ready and willing to preach the glad tidings to them, because he genuinely cared for them and desired that they all would be saved.
Vs. 15—Secondly, Paul was ready to speak to believers about the gospel too. He said, “I am ready to announce the glad tidings to you also who are in Rome.” “You” is the believers in Rome. We might wonder why he would want to bring the gospel to believers when they were already saved, but it was because he wanted them to know the truth of it better. His presentation of the gospel to believers, of course, would take a different character from what he would stress to unbelievers. This second point shows that there is a need for not just preaching the gospel to sinners, but also for teaching the gospel to the saints. The saints need to learn the truth of the gospel soundly because it gives the soul a solid foundation on which to grow spiritually (Rom. 16:25). It brings assurance and peace and thankfulness, out of which comes obedience and devotion in service, which chapters 12-15 of this epistle indicate.
We see from verses 14 and 15 that Paul did not lack desire to come to Rome with the gospel (he was ready for it when the Lord opened the door); it was that he lacked opportunity, being hindered “oftentimes” (vs. 13).
The Three Main Elements of the Gospel
Chap. 1:16-18—Now we come to another great thing concerning the gospel—its substance. This could be summarized as three things—“the power of God,” “the righteousness of God,” and the “the wrath of God.”
Before delineating these three things, Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” While it is true that we should never be ashamed of being publicly identified with Christ in this world, this is not exactly what Paul is saying here. His point is that the preacher of this great gospel never needs to be ashamed of what he announces, because the Lord Jesus Christ is better than he can ever state. Sometimes when a person presents something that he wants others to accept, he may enthusiastically overstate the qualities of the thing, and when the person accepts it, he finds that it is not as good as it was stated. But this will never happen in presenting the gospel. The preacher does not need to fear that the receiver of the message will be disappointed, because Christ and the blessings promised in the gospel cannot be overstated.
The Power of God
(vs. 16)—Firstly, “the power of God unto salvation” has to do with what the gospel can do for the sinner who believes. Those who believe its message and receive Christ as their Saviour experience God’s power in salvation. The gospel Paul preached was a very full and complete thing. It promises deliverance (“salvation”) from the penalty of sins, deliverance from the power of sin working in the believer, and eventually when the Lord comes, deliverance from the presence of sin altogether, by being taken to heaven. (Salvation and deliverance in Paul’s writings are the same thing.)
Satan is no hindrance to the mighty "power of God" working to save sinners who believe. When the gospel is received, the believer is thereupon delivered from the clutches of Satan (being his captives) and is translated into the kingdom of God’s Son (Luke 11:22; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13). Sin also is no hindrance to God’s power in the gospel. A person may be a slave to some sinful vice, but the power of God can deliver him from it (Rom. 8:2). Also, the world, with its attractions and entanglements, cannot stop the power of God from working to deliver the believer from it (Gal. 1:4). Thus, all the barriers to man’s blessing are destroyed by the power of God when a sinner receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour.
“Saved” and “Salvation”
In this verse (16), we come to the first reference to “salvation” in the epistle. Many Christians are not aware that salvation is a broad subject in the Word of God, having many aspects and applications. They rejoice in the fact that they have been saved from the penalty of their sins through faith in Christ, and in their simplicity they imagine that every place where “saved” or “salvation” are mentioned in Scripture, it is referring to that eternal aspect. However, this is a mistake that will surely lead to a number of wrong ideas. Mr. Kelly, in fact, points out that the eternal aspect of salvation from the penalty of our sins is usually not what is in view in most passages that speak of salvation! (Lectures on Philippians, p. 43; Lectures Introductory to the Study of the Minor Prophets, p. 379) We would do well to let this statement sink deeply into our minds. It means that when we run across the words "saved" and "salvation" in our Bibles, it is probably not referring to deliverance from the penalty of our sins! Having said that, the salvation spoken of in this 16th verse, refers to the eternal aspect of salvation from the penalty of our sins.
Paul adds that the gospel is “to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” This shows that the gospel has no racial boundaries; it's for "everyone." It does not matter if a person is—as Sunday-School children sing—"Red or yellow, black or white, all are precious in His sight." The only condition attached to the gospel is that a person has to believe it. The gospel has no power to those who trust in circumcision for salvation, or for those who are trying to keep the Law for salvation, or for those who trust in baptism and church attendance for salvation, etc.—its power is only for those who believe its message concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible indicates that the blessings of the gospel will not be possessed by every person in the human race, because “all men have not faith” (2 Thess. 3:2). Sad to say, there are many who, after hearing the gospel, choose not to believe it. We can only pray for such that they will change their minds before it is too late. Paul's comment: “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” is a reference to the historical order in which the gospel went out; it is not a priority of persons. (See Acts 15:11.)
Note also: Paul does not say that this message of good news is sent to angels. The gospel, which promises salvation, is not for that class of beings. The angel who came to the shepherds in Bethlehem to tell them about the birth of the Lord Jesus made reference to this fact. He said, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour” (Luke 2:11). He did not say, “Unto us is born this day ... ” Elect angels have not sinned, and therefore, do not need redeeming grace, and there is no mercy for the angels that are fallen (Matt. 25:41).
The message of the gospel is not for angels, nor is it carried by angels. God has not sent angels to preach the gospel of His grace. He would only have redeemed men to carry that message to others—that is, people who have personally experienced its power, love, and grace. Thus, it would be communicated to others, not merely as facts and knowledge, but as something that has had a personal effect on the bearer of the good news, as far as his own soul’s blessing is concerned. The old adage is: “What comes from the heart (of a person) goes to the heart (of another person).” An angel cannot convey this, for he has never experienced this grace.
This fact is seen in the account of the salvation of Cornelius (Acts 10). He needed to hear words whereby he and his house could be “saved” (Acts 11:14). An angel appeared to him and told him what to do; he was to send for a man named Peter who would tell him how to be saved. God could have had the angel tell him the gospel, and thus spare the men who went to find Peter the trouble of taking the 40-mile journey from Caesarea to Joppa. Also, it would have saved Peter the trouble of going all the way to Caesarea. But the angel would not do that, because it is not for angels to carry the message of redeeming grace.
The Righteousness of God
(vs. 17)—Secondly, the gospel reveals “the righteousness of God.” This has to do with how God is able to save sinners without compromising what He is in Himself. The righteousness of God is about God acting in love to save sinners, and at the same time, not giving up what He is as a holy and just God.
Man’s sin has seemingly put God in a dilemma. Since “God is love” (1 John 4:9), His very nature calls for the blessing of man, for He loves all men (John 3:16). But at the same time, “God is light” (1 John 1:5), and thus His holy nature justly demands that man should be judged for his sins (Heb. 2:2). If God acted according to His heart of love and brought men into blessing without dealing with their sins, He would cease to be holy and just. On the other hand, if God acted according to His holy nature and judged men according to the claims of divine justice, all men would be justly sent to hell, and none would be saved—and the love of God would remain unknown. How then can God save men and still remain just? This is what the gospel announces. It declares God’s righteousness and reveals the good news that He has found a way to meet His holy claims against sin, and also be able to reach out in love to save sinners who believe. Thus, God is presented in the gospel as being “just and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (chap. 3:26). (The righteousness of God will be explained in more detail in our comments on chapter 3:21-31.)
Paul says that the blessings of the gospel are possessed “on the principle of faith, to faith.” That is, salvation from start to finish is something that is only received by faith. This shuts out the principle of works altogether. Chapter 4:5 confirms this. It says that it is “to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Also, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 to show that blessing on the principle of faith is not some new thing. The “just” in every previous age were only blessed on that principle. Hebrews 11 testifies to that fact.
The Wrath of God
(vs. 18)—Thirdly, the gospel reveals the truth about “the wrath of God.” This has to do with why men need to believe God’s glad tidings. The simple answer is that if a person will not receive the Lord Jesus Christ (the divine Sin-bearer) as his Saviour, then he will have to bear the judgment of his own sins, because sins must be dealt with justly. For God to indefinitely pass over sin would be a denial of what He is in the essence of His being as a holy and just God. The wrath of God, therefore, will be vented “against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” This fact is now “revealed from heaven” in the gospel. Eternal punishment was not announced in the Old Testament. The Lord Jesus first announced it in His public ministry (Matt. 5:22, etc.), and this solemn fact is announced in the gospel.
While the wrath of God has been “revealed,” it has not been executed yet. In the meantime, before the judgment falls, God is acting in long-suffering mercy toward sinners, calling them to come to Christ for salvation. Thus, mercy, in a general way, has been shown to all mankind (Rom. 11:32), but the person who receives Christ as his Saviour experiences God's special mercy (1 Tim. 1:13; Titus 3:5).
Mercy is not getting what we deserve. We surely deserve to be judged for our sins, but God graciously exercises His mercy on those who believe and delivers them from judgment, because He has a ransom (a full payment) in the finished work of Christ on the cross (Job 33:24; Matt. 20:28; 1 Tim. 2:6). Grace, on the other hand, is getting something that we don't deserve. The believer gets salvation and many spiritual blessings which he surely does not deserve, but such is the giving heart of God (Eph. 1:3).
Hence, warning proclamations of coming judgment are made known in the gospel. People are told that the cross has not changed God’s mind about sin; it does have to be judged. Thus, the gospel reveals the solemn fact of God's wrath against sin.
Thus, in these introductory verses (1-17), Paul has presented a chain of important facts about the gospel that we all need to understand. He has mentioned:
• The source of the gospel—It is “of God” (vs. 1).
• The subject of the gospel—It concerns “His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (vs. 3).
• The scope of the gospel—It is for all people in “all nations” (vs. 5).
• The substance of the gospel—It announces “the power of God,” which has to do with what God can do for sinners who believe; “the righteousness of God,” which has to do with how God is able to save sinners without compromising His holiness; and “the wrath of God,” which explains why sinners need to believe the gospel—divine justice demands that sin must be judged (vss. 16-18).
The Responsibility of Man and The Sovereignty of God
If any are to believe the gospel and be blessed of God, there must be a work of God in them. A man must be "born again" (John 3:3-8; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23) or "quickened" (Eph. 2:1-5; Col. 2:12-13). Both have to do with God communicating divine life to a soul whereby the spiritual faculties in a person begin to function, and it results in his seeking God. But that side of things which has to do with the sovereign working of God in souls is not taught in Romans 1-8, because the responsibility of man is in view. This is why we do not read of new birth or quickening in this part of the epistle. The sovereignty of God will come into view in chapters 9-11 where new birth is alluded to in chapters 9:16 and 10:17).