There are two expressions in Romans which indicate the special character of Paul’s ministry. “The gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1-17) clearly points to the source of the gospel, while “my gospel” (Rom. 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 26:17-18). According to God’s administrative order, Peter was specially commissioned to the Jews; Paul to the nations or Gentiles (Gal. 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 13:38-39). 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. 3:1). 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