Every day I get unwanted emails — some offering me millions of dollars if I reply! Am I foolish for deleting them? ... No! I know they’re not genuine — there’s a catch!

From time to time I get a phone call from somewhere faraway like India offering me a new phone if I sign up with their company. I always refuse. Am I being foolish? ... Maybe. The phone may be perfectly fine. But, I’m just not sure of the conditions and suspect there may be a catch.

I very occasionally get a visit from a JW or from two young Mormon mis­sionaries. I will always engage them in discussion — but I will always refuse their mes­sage. Am I being foolish? They are sincere and no doubt upright individuals. The problem however is their message — it’s just downright wrong! Suppose I get a letter from someone I don’t know — and have never met. What should I do with it? Should I read it? This was the case of the Roman believers when they got this letter in 57 AD. They had had never met Paul. They had never set eyes upon him, or heard him preach. He was a stranger. They had heard mixed reports about him. They had heard of his con­troversial past. They had heard ru­mours of his ‘liberal’ views regarding observance of the law (Acts 21:20, ­ 21). So they had reason to be suspi­cious of him. Why should they then open and read the letter and allow it to shape their everyday lives? Why should we open and read it — 2,000 years later? Is it out of mere historical interest? No! Much more than that. Let me suggest three rea­sons:

1. Because of Who Paul is — He’s an Authentic Christian Leader⤒🔗

Paul establishes his credentials from the word ‘go.’ It’s as though he pre­sents his business card: his license to practice as he introduces himself in this first verse.

He is Paul: not Saul. Not only did the Gospel change his name — it changed his life! He had experienced the power of God in his own life (1:16­-17), which was transformed for good when he met Jesus on the Damascus Road. Saul was the Pharisee. Paul was the Christian missionary to the Gentiles. The letter then should be read because it’s from a man whose life has been changed by the power of the Gospel.

Paul is a servant (doulos) of Christ Jesus. The Romans knew what a slave was: 85-90% of the population were slaves. A slave belongs to his master; obeys his master; serves his master. Jesus is the best of all mas­ters. The letter should be read be­cause it is from a committed Christian man — a man under the claim of God. Paul is a man called to be an apostle. The apostles were men who had the privilege of not only seeing the risen Christ but who were specially ap­pointed by Christ to be His official spokesmen. They were not self-appointed. They were the foundation of the Church and their authority was quite unique. They were clothed with the authority of Christ to teach the Church. When they spoke, they spoke with the authority of Christ. Their words therefore are the words of Christ and should also be in red — just as the words of Jesus Christ are in some Bibles. This letter should be read because it is from a committed Christian man — specially appointed by the risen Jesus to be His mouth­piece.

Paul is a man set apart (separated) for the Gospel of God. He used to pride himself in being a Pharisee, ‘a separated one’, one separated for the law. Now he is truly separated (aphorizo) for the Gospel of God (there may be a word play here — which is lost in translation). This gives us a clue to the content of the letter! Paul was a man with one agenda — the Gospel. Like the irrepressible Billy Bray, the Cornish evangelist, who famously said, ‘If they were to put me into a barrel I would shout glory out through the bunghole,’ Paul was a man who was irrepressible when it came to the Gospel. It’s all he cared about. We should then read this letter from an authentic Christian leader because as we shall see it is all about the Gospel.

2. Because of What Paul Believes — He’s an Ortho­dox Christian Believer (2-5)←⤒🔗

Having established his credentials, what does this man believe? What does he teach?

His message is no novelty (v2). It was not some new revelation or in­vention of Paul’s. His message is what the OT scriptures have always pointed to. It’s not as though there’s one message in the Old and an­other in the New. It’s not as though the message in the Old Testament didn’t work so it had to be replaced by the New Testament. No! The Gospel of God is the climax and fulfilment of what God had promised long ago through the prophets. There is a unity in the Bible — a rela­tionship of promise and fulfilment. Jesus made that clear as He spoke to the two dejected disciples on the road to Emmaus — see Luke 24:25­-26. It’s been well said that, ‘The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.’ The Old Tes­tament is the cradle of the gospel. We will see this confirmed and illus­trated as we proceed (DV) in chap­ters 3, 4, 5 and 9-11. His message is the message that the true Israel had hoped in. His message is the his­toric, orthodox message of every true believer in every age. The gospel is what the whole Bible is about. His message is ‘concerning his Son ... Jesus Christ our Lord’ (v 3a). The Gospel is about a person. It’s not a new philosophy, or a set of good ideas or some complicated theory. It’s not about trying to love your neighbour — important as that is — or trying harder to please God. It’s about a person — about who He is and what He’s done. It’s been said that, ‘Jesus Christ came not to preach a gospel but in order that there might be a gospel to preach.’ (R.W. Dale).

Who is this Jesus? He was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power... (vv 3-4). There is much for the theologians to get their teeth into here! Is Paul quot­ing from an old creed as some sug­gest? This is Paul expressing what he also says in Philippians 2:5-11. This is what the Shorter Catechism refers to as Jesus state of humilia­tion and exaltation. When Jesus was on earth, He was in a state of hu­miliation. ‘He was born, and that in poor circumstances, was subject to God’s law, He underwent all the mis­eries of this life, He endured the wrath of God, death on the cross; was buried and continued under the power of death for a time.’ (S. Cat. 27). Jesus was a real man and un­derstands what life on earth is all about. That’s good news for you and me. It means He understands how you tick.

He was declared the Son of God in power. He did not become God’s Son. He was always the Son of God. But now through his resurrection and exaltation He is revealed to be what He always was. His exaltation con­sists in His resurrection, His ascen­sion, His sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and in coming to judge the world at the last day. (S. Cat. 28). Paul makes clear that Je­sus is not only fully man, but fully God. That’s good news for you and me. It means He is able to save us completely.

We should then read this letter be­cause Paul is an authentic Christian leader who teaches orthodox Chris­tian doctrine.

3. Because of Why Paul Writes — He’s a Caring Christian Missionary (vv 8-13)←⤒🔗

The Jehovah Witness or Mormon missionary who comes knocking on your door is not really concerned about you. Their motive is purely selfish. They are under instructions from headquarters. Because they believe in a works salvation, the pur­pose of their call at your door is pri­marily for their own salvation. It will gain them some extra brownie points. It will give them an impressive CV when they stand in the judgement — or so they think.

By contrast, Paul reveals the heart of a true missionary and pastor. He has the interests of the Church at heart. He cares for them. He is moti­vated by the glory of God; ‘for the sake of his name’ (v 5b). He is thankful for them (8); he prays for them (9); and he longs to visit them (v 10) so that he may benefit them and also benefit himself by their fellow­ship in the gospel (vv 11-12). It was the desire to do them good which motivated him to write this letter. We may there­fore expect it will do us good, too. Let us pray that it will do us good as it has done to many generations of believers before us. We should read it, then, because it’s from an authentic Christian leader, who is com­mitted to the historic gospel and who really cares for the church.

Stuart Olyott writes, 

When a believer begins to understand Romans, the effect on his spiritual life is remarkable. It be­comes clear to him what the biblical gospel really is. He is able to see that much of what passes for the ‘gospel’ today, is not the gospel of God at all ... It is not surprising that almost every revival of Biblical religion has been associated with a new understanding of Paul’s epistle to the Romans.

Martin Luther, along with many others, was greatly influenced by this letter. Luther was converted through it. Romans 1:17 became for him the gateway to heaven. He called Romans ‘the chief part of the New Testament, and ... truly the purest gospel ... It is worthy not only that every Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but also that he should occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul.’

Its influence has not been confined to the giants in the Church. It has changed the lives of many ordinary men and women as well. I hope I’ve persuaded you to pick up and read this book along with me. As F.F. Bruce writes, ‘There is no knowing what may happen when people begin to study the letter to the Romans.’