The Gospel is Centered on Jesus – Romans 1:1-4
Bethel Baptist Church, David Rising
Romans 1:1-4; March 1, 2026 Sunday AM
The Gospel is Centered on Jesus
Last week we began a study of the book of Romans. We focused on the very first word of the book – Paul – and gave an overview of the change that God brought into his life.
Before Christ came into his life, he was an enemy of the church. However, Jesus stopped him in his tracks, turned his life around, and now Paul began to preach about this Jesus whom he once persecuted.
Since those early days from Acts 9 in Paul’s life, much has changed. As we come to the letter of Romans, the church God called into being has been functioning for some time. The church has grown and Paul eventually pens this letter to the saints in Rome.
Before Paul gets into the heart of the letter, he begins in the opening verses with a critical focus.
The theme of Romans is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Paul begins with a focus upon the subject of the gospel – Jesus Christ.
There is no gospel – no good news – apart from Jesus. The gospel is centered on Jesus. And so he begins there, and so will we today. Pray.
1. Paul’s Identity (1:1)
1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
Παῦλος δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ,
Paul was first known as Saul, but in Acts 13:9 we learn he is also called Paul. That is the last time he is known as Saul other than in Acts 22 & 26 when he recalls his testimony as the Lord called out to him as Saul.
We know from Paul’s other letters that he was a very good jew. He checked all the boxes: circumcised according to the law on the 8th day. From the tribe of fierce Benjamin. Very strict when it came to the law – a Pharisee. And on he notes, but only mentions them to say that any of those credentials that might seem to matter to some, mean nothing in the light of his high calling by Christ Jesus.
And so, here in Romans he identifies himself in three ways:
(1) a bondservant of Jesus Christ (δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ) He had previously been on a mission as a devout Jew to snuff out those who were following Jesus, but this same Jesus changed him. Jesus called him to a new work, and now his resume reads very differently.
The NKJV/NASB uses the word ‘bondservant.’ KJV has ‘servant.’ This word doulos refers to someone who is under someone else. We can understand that as most of us function in some way as under someone else. This is someone who was made a servant, enslaved. The NET translates it as ‘slave’ which is accurate.
Slaves are under the authority of another. They are beholden to their master. When the master is evil or harsh, it is a terrible situation.
When the master is Jesus Christ, then this is the most blessed role one could ever have.
Paul was not ashamed of it, and he begins his letter identifying himself in this way.
(2) called to be an apostle (κλητὸς ἀπόστολος) This identification speaks to his calling, his ministry, his official role in God’s newly established organism called the church.
When we think of apostles, we think back to Matthew 10 and the Lord’s calling of the 12 disciples. When the persecution arose against the church, all the believers scattered – except the apostles (Acts 8:1).
Apostles were key leaders in the church, and in Acts 9:27 Barnabas brought Paul to the other apostles and explained what had happened to him. The apostles needed to validate this man’s testimony.
The first time Luke identifies Paul in the book of Acts as an apostle is during his first missionary journey. Acts 14:14, along with Barnabas.
When we speak of Paul, we usually call him the apostle Paul.
By calling him an apostle, Paul would accept that title with great respect and humility. I say that because in 1 Corinthians 15:9 Paul admits this:
For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
This is not some false humility, but rather the absolute truth. Paul was not among the original 12, and so he never walked personally with Jesus during those days.
He came later, and as he says, he did not start on the right team. He was initially opposed to the church.
Paul will tell the Ephesians that apostles, along with prophets, and of course, Jesus, were key components in the church:
Ephesians 2:19–21 (NKJV) 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Paul writes this letter with this authority as an apostle of Jesus Christ.
(3) separated to the gospel of God. (ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ) Paul refers here back to the time when Jesus appointed him to the work of preaching the gospel.
In Acts 13:2, we see the same term:
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
The church in Antioch sent out Barnabas and Paul because of their divine calling.
They were identified out of the group for this special work because the Lord had given them this work.
Paul was separated to the gospel of God (εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ).
We may expected to hear the phrase “the gospel of Jesus Christ,” but we will shortly see that God’s gospel is all about Jesus.
This is one of the many places in scripture we can see that God and Jesus Christ are used interchangeably. Jesus is God!
The word ‘gospel’ means ‘good news’ and is shorthand for all of the details we will see in this letter.
The gospel is the work of redemption that God through Christ accomplished for His people.
The English word ‘evangelism’ comes from the Greek word (εὐαγγέλιον) that is translated in English as ‘gospel.’
The EU sound in Greek comes across as EV in English. It’s probably just easier to use the V sound than a U.
And so verse 1 gives us these three bullet points about Paul.
Notice now in verses 2-4 that Paul now further explains what this gospel of God is:
2. The Gospel Described (1:2-4)
a. Promised Long Ago (2)
2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
2ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις
This verse speaks about the gospel originating at a time prior to Paul. It was something that preceded the apostles and came through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
This most certainly refers to the time of the Old Testament – a time long before Paul or any of the apostles were called to their work.
This is amazing because we do not think of the gospel as something the Old Testament spoke about.
This gospel centers upon Jesus, but Jesus appeared to this world well after the time of the OT prophets.
Perhaps this is why Paul calls this the gospel of God.
Listen to what Paul says in Acts 26 when he gives his defense before Agrippa:
Acts 26:6–8 (NKJV) 6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7 To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
Paul links the promise God made to the fathers with the hope that is linked to the resurrection of Jesus. We might not feel as apt to draw that straight of a line, but Paul does and here in Romans he speaks to this as well.
Paul tells the Galatians these words in Galatians 3:8:
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”
Here is another remarkable straight line between the OT and Jesus.
It sounds odd for us to say that God preached the gospel to Abraham, but Paul says just this very thing.
Remember, Paul was very knowledgeable of the scriptures, and so he makes these connections very clearly.
Another passage from the OT that is linked to the gospel is one we recently covered in our evening study in Genesis:
Genesis 3:15 states:
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
In short, this verse speaks about the triumph of man over the serpent, of God and His people over Satan.
In Galatians 3 Paul clearly links the ‘Seed’ of Genesis 3:15 with the ‘Seed’ which is Christ:
Galatians 3:15–16 (NKJV) 15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.
That Seed – Christ – would one day crush the head of the serpent. That took place at the cross and will one day be finalized when Satan is tossed into the lake of fire for all eternity.
Paul will make a reference to this in
Romans 16:20 (NKJV) 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
These and other scriptures remind us that this gospel of God is not something God invented at the time of Paul. Yes, the details were made clear in the revelation of this mystery, but the essence of the gospel is from long ago.
Indeed, as Paul will say to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15, the sacred writings, the Scripture, the OT, can make one wise unto salvation which is in Christ Jesus.
2. The Gospel (1:2-4)
a. Promised Long Ago
b. Centers on Jesus (3-4)
3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
3περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα,
This ancient gospel of God is concerning, is about, centers upon God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God’s Son, and Jesus is our Lord. Paul identifies Jesus both in relationship to the Father and to believers.
When Jesus commissioned Paul to bear the name of Jesus before a lost world, his message was singular – Jesus Christ.
Paul made it his business to develop the story line of Jesus, how it is rooted in the OT Jewish story and how that story culminated in Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, and ascension.
Paul brought good news wherever he went even though so many did not receive it as good news. They received it as a threat to the establishment.
Paul’s message centered upon the person and the work of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
Those details are unfolded carefully in this entire book and the application of those realities are given in the latter chapters.
Paul gives us in verse 3 an initial explanation of Jesus. He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.
That is, Jesus was a genuine son of the family of king David. His genealogy goes back to David and links to another amazing promise that God made.
King David wanted to build a nice house for God, for God’s ark. It was a noble idea, but God said no. David’s son, Solomon, would build it.
Instead, God made David a promise that was better than any building David would construct.
God promised David a house, a dynasty, a kingdom that would be everlasting. Forever.
The reason it would be an everlasting kingdom is because it would have an eternal King – a King of kings and Lord of lords.
Linking the gospel with Jesus and then linking Jesus to David draws together that ancient gospel in the person of Jesus.
Notice verse 4 explains more about Jesus:
4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
4τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν,
Jesus was a man, a genuine human being. He took upon Himself flesh and blood and lived on this earth.
At the end of the gospels we see His obedience to the Father in the work of the cross, and He was buried in the tomb. He did not stay in the tomb, but was raised again.
Verse 4 here speaks about the results of that resurrection – He was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness.
His resurrection sent a message to the world that He was God’s Son. This was not some ordinary man.
Who has ever been raised from the dead apart from the work of God? No one.
I think it is important to note that Jesus did not become God’s Son by the resurrection. He always was God’s Son.
However, during His earthly ministry, His divinity was veiled.
But after the resurrection, there was a shift.
Now this resurrection showed God’s power, and so now He was declared this Son of God with power. He was now ‘Christ over all’ (Romans 9:5) in an exalted position.
Philippians 2:5–11 (NKJV) 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When Jesus was raised, it send a powerful message to the world that this was indeed the Son of God.
Those timid apostles went from timidity to courage. How else do you explain the transformation of Peter? Denying Jesus before the cross, but preaching Jesus after the resurrection.
Notice in verse 4 that God the Spirit was a part of Jesus’ resurrection. The unique way of describing the Spirit here may anticipate the work that He does in the lives of believers – the sanctifying work of the Spirit making us more like Jesus every day.
We’ll say more about that when we dig deeper into the book.
In verse 5 which we’ll cover next time, we’ll see Paul connect Jesus to his calling and further see details about Paul’s life and work.
Application
1. Let us remember who we really are.
Paul might have said many things about himself at the start of the letter and impressed some people, but he chose the truth that matters.
What he said gave authority for the letter, but it also gave a summary of who he really was.
He was first and foremost a servant of the Lord Jesus.
When asked, our natural inclination is to describe ourselves to others first by our career, and Paul does this actually in verse 1.
But “career” is probably not the right word to use. He would say it was a calling, an appointment from God.
Paul was eager to identify himself humbly in relation to his Master, the Lord Jesus.
May we find a way to do the same.
2. If our gospel message is not centered on the person and work of Jesus alone, it is not the true gospel.
The gospel is about Jesus. Full stop. His is death, burial, resurrection.
The gospel is NOT about what WE do.
The gospel is NOT about keeping the law.
The gospel is NOT about doing better.
The gospel is NOT merely believing there is one God. James says that the demons believe that and even tremble (James 2:19).
For James, genuine FAITH in the gospel WILL result in works, but WORKS are not a part of the gospel. They are the RESULT of the gospel in our lives.
The book of Galatians addresses the perversion of the gospel: Jesus plus circumcision. Jesus plus the Law.
Galatians 6:14 (NKJV) 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Paul is very strong and says there that if anyone preaches any other gospel than the true gospel, let them be accursed.
And so our study in the book of Romans will help us get the gospel right, and I trust you will be strengthened and encouraged and challenged as we continue together through this marvelous book.