Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God… (Romans 1:1)
Paul opens his letter to the Romans by making two declarations concerning his identity. First, he is a servant. That means he is one under authority and obedient to a master, in this case, Christ Jesus. Second, his service finds its particular expression in his calling to be an apostle, a sent one. This vocation focused on the spread of the gospel of God.
What is the gospel? It is a concept that is central to the Christian faith. Followers of Jesus are familiar (or at least we should be!), with this language. But perhaps, while not breeding contempt for it, we have lost some of the wonder and meaning of the gospel. We can treat it too lightly or slowly over time begin even to distort it.
One writer defines the gospel this way: Put most simply, the gospel is an announcement - a declaration. The gospel is not advice to be followed; it is good news about what has been done (Tim Keller, Romans for You, 12). Paul, then, is a messenger of this news. Like a herald who was sent to declare a great victory achieved by an emperor, so Paul is called to be one who proclaims the victory of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, that is, of Jesus Christ. And while we are not apostles like Paul, we, as fellow servants, also have roles to play as witnesses of the gospel (Acts 1:8).
In subsequent verses, Paul will go on to say more about this gospel. But for the rest of this post, I want to attend to the little phrase “of God”. What does it mean that this good news is of God? The word ‘of’ is flexible in its usage, whether in the original Greek or the English. This allows it to carry a dual meaning.
On one hand, God is the subject of the gospel. That is the gospel is about God. It is good news about what God has done to justify sinners (cf. Romans 3:21-26). It is not primarily a declaration about the benefits that flow from God’s work, as amazing as those are. Instead, Paul heralds what God has done to demonstrate His love for His people. The focus is God, not man.
On the other hand, God is the source of the gospel. It comes from Him. We use this language when we speak of our family heritage. I am Jon Anderson, son of Jim and Carol Anderson. I come from them. Since the gospel comes from God, it means that it is true and should not be tampered with or changed in any way.
Saints, this should cause our hearts to respond with praise and thanksgiving. God, in His grace, acted that we might be saved. And He has revealed that truth to us in the gospel. Is it any wonder that the apostle Paul, after meditating on and setting forth the gospel in the first 11 chapters of Romans, can no longer contain himself and erupts in praise to God when he says, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)
