Romans 1:1 - Called to be an apostle

1:1

Romans is different from the other New Testament letters of Paul in that he had not founded the church, and had not visited there. Of course, he will eventually go to Rome, as we read at the end of Acts, and will, according to tradition, be put to death there. The introduction is somewhat longer than was normal at the time, and longer than most of his letters. A “standard” Pauline introduction would have consisted of verses 1 and 7, whereas here we also have verses 2-6. Paul is wanting them to understand who he is, and, more to the point, to establish exactly what the gospel is all about.

He introduces himself as a servant, or slave, of Christ Jesus. The Greek word is actually better translated as slave or bondservant. It is estimated that approximately twenty percent of the people if Rome were slaves. Paul is not blowing his own trumpet. Also, his role in life was to serve Christ Jesus, as it should be with all of us. We need to have the correct mindset, this will help to guard us from straying from the path. In Paul’s case he was “called to be an apostle”. More particularly, an apostle to the Gentiles. This was not a role that he applied for, God chose Him for this task, as we can read about in Acts 9. And he was set apart for the gospel of God. If Paul had not viewed himself in this way it would have been much harder for him to fulfil the task given to him. Again, we need to have the same mindset. The human way of looking at things is to view ourselves as here for our own benefit, and the purpose of the gospel is so that God can help us live fulfilled lives. This is not the right way to look at things!