Romans 1
CHAPTER 1
Romans 1:1-17 . INTRODUCTION.
a servant of Jesus Christ--The word here rendered "servant" means "bond-servant," or one subject to the will and wholly at the disposal of another. In this sense it is applied to the disciples of Christ at large ( 1 Corinthians 7:21-23 ), as in the Old Testament to all the people of God ( Isaiah 66:14 ). But as, in addition to this, the prophets and kings of Israel were officially "the servants of the Lord" ( Joshua 1:1 , Psalms 18:1 , title), the apostles call themselves, in the same official sense, "the servants of Christ" (as here, and Philippians 1:1 , 1:1 , 2 Peter 1:1 , Jude 1:1 ), expressing such absolute subjection and devotion to the Lord Jesus as they would never have yielded to a mere creature.
called to be an apostle--when first he "saw the Lord"; the indispensable qualification for apostleship.
separated unto the--preaching of the
gospel--neither so late as when "the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul" ( Acts 13:2 ), nor so early as when "separated from his mother's womb" the same time to the faith and the apostleship of Christ ( Acts 26:16-18 ).
of God--that is, the Gospel of which God is the glorious Author. (So Romans 15:16 , 1 Thessalonians 2:2 1 Thessalonians 2:8 1 Thessalonians 2:9 , 1 Peter 4:17 ).
2. Which he had promised afore . . . in the holy scriptures--Though the Roman Church was Gentile by nation as it consisted mostly of proselytes to the Jewish faith to this Epistle), they are here reminded that in embracing Christ they had not cast off, but only the more profoundly yielded themselves to, Moses and the prophets ( Acts 13:32 Acts 13:33 ).
3, 4. Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord--the grand burden of this "Gospel of God."
made of the seed of David--as, according to "the holy scriptures," He behooved to be.
according to the flesh--that is, in His human nature (compare Romans 9:5 , John 1:14 ); implying, of course, that He had another nature, of which the apostle immediately proceeds to speak.