Paul’s Gospel

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There are two expressions in Romans which indicate the special character of Paul’s ministry. “The gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1-171Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, 2(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: 5By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: 6Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: 7To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 10Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. 11For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; 12That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. 14I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. 15So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:1‑17)) clearly points to the source of the gospel, while “my gospel” (Rom. 16:2525Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, (Romans 16:25)), introduced in a sort of doxology, speaks of a blessed revelation which distinguished the Apostle’s teaching from that of the other apostles. It would be difficult to estimate our loss if we fail to grasp these two important truths. Today many are perplexed by the condition of things both in the political and religious world. In the minds of many an idea exists that God has sent the gospel to improve the world, to make it a more congenial place for men to live in. To find the world more hopelessly evil than ever, after strenuously preaching its improvement, has dismayed many a preacher and thrown his listeners into confusion and despair as to the outcome of what they thought was the gospel. Scripture has been misapplied to support the teaching that gradually the gospel preached must permeate the world and result in the establishment of the millennium.
Justification
Nowhere do we find the apostleship of Paul placed on more positive ground than in Romans. He had not yet been at Rome, but, as the apostle of the Gentiles, he would fulfill his mission which he had received from the Lord Himself for the Gentiles (Acts 26:17-1817Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:17‑18)). According to God’s administrative order, Peter was specially commissioned to the Jews; Paul to the nations or Gentiles (Gal. 2:7-87But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; 8(For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) (Galatians 2:7‑8)). As recorded in the Acts, Peter preached forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ, but did not associate with this the truth of justification, while Paul, in his first recorded sermon, added this blessed truth (Acts 13:38-3938Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38‑39)). The gospel was not about man, though it was sent to man; there was nothing joyous to say about him — in heathenism, wantonly corrupt; in philosophy, hypocritical; under law, a transgressor — every mouth was stopped and all the world was shown to be “guilty before God” (Rom. 3:11What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? (Romans 3:1)). God’s Son is the blessed theme of the gospel, and the glad tidings are concerning Him. He is presented in a twofold way: (1) in connection with the promises, “Seed of David according to the flesh,” and (2) “Son of God with power” by resurrection of the dead (that is, “dead ones”). The gospel of God had been announced by the prophets in the Old Testament, and thus every possible objection which might be raised should be silenced before the unfolding of what God’s gospel is. In the person of the Son, God has found One able to accomplish all His purposes and make known all His thoughts of love for men. He alone could solve the problem that man raised by sin in the Garden of Eden and settle it to God’s eternal glory. What marvelous grace that He should enter the dark domain of death where man lay in ruin and exposed to eternal wrath, taking upon Himself all the weakness of man, once and forever rob the enemy of his spoils, and completely triumph in resurrection over all the enemy’s power.
New Life
The new life received by the believer is a life given and founded on the eternal value of what has been accomplished by the Son of God. In this blessed gospel God reveals a righteousness for man who has none —the righteousness of God, on the principle of faith. This is the grand theme of the epistle. In Romans the believer is looked at as justified, righteousness being imputed to him through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, that he may walk here in this world in the power of the risen life of Christ, having the glory in view. This epistle, and that to the Ephesians, are the only two written by the Apostle to the saints which are not corrective; the others had in view certain existing conditions to correct. In these two epistles we have the unfolding of positive truth: the former laying the sure foundation, and the latter giving the blessed structure built thereon.
J. W. H. Nichols, abridged