FOR HIS NAME’S SAKE
Romans 1:1-7
Key Verse: 1:5
“Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.”
· Paul, the Servant of Jesus Christ(1-4)
1. How does Paul introduce himself (1)? What does he mean by “servant”, and why does he describe himself in this way (6, 6:16, 7:14)? What did it mean to Paul to be “set apart” for the gospel (Gal 1:15)?
He introduced himself as a servant of Christ Jesus. He is called to be an apostle.
He had a sense of belonging to Jesus. He regarded himself as a slave of Jesus.
He was chosen for the gospel of Jesus. He existed only for the master Jesus.
But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal
His Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. (Gal 1:15-16)
2. What is Jesus’ relationship to the gospel (2-3)? What else does Paul tell us about Christ Jesus to whom he is a slave?
The gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
He was promised in the old Testament as the good news of great joy. He was a descent of David. He was raised from the dead. He is the promised Messiah to save men from the power of death.
3. How does the gospel reveal the faithfulness of God (2-4, Gen. 3:15, Gal. 4:4)? How does this prove the authenticity of the Bible?
God kept his promise to defeat the power of Satan through the seed of the woman. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was regarded as the seed of the woman. God promised the victory of the Messiah and prophesied through the Prophets and fulfilled that promise by defeating the power of sin and death.
The Bible is not a fiction but the fulfillment of God’s promise.
4. What does Jesus’ decent from David show about him? How did he become a spiritual king? What does this show about Paul’s servantship?
Jesus is a descendant of the King David. Jesus is our king. He defeated the enemy Satan and the power of sin and death and freed all men from Satan’s reign.
· Grace and Apostleship (5-6)
5. What was Paul’s position under his King Jesus (5, 7:25, 1 Tim. 1:14-15, 1 Cor. 15:10)? What is the basic grace which Paul (and we) received through Jesus?
6. What was the mission which was given to Paul? Do all who receive the grace of forgiveness also receive the grace of mission? How can fallen man be restored to live for God’s glory?
7. What can we learn about the believers who received this letter from Paul (6-7)? What does it mean to live for his name’s sake? What is your life purpose and mission? What are you doing for his name’s sake at this point?