In the book of Romans Paul has devoted himself to the discussion of the gospel of God. He has shown us what it means to be wholly enslaved to God and wholly dependent upon God. He has demonstrated to us the life of one who is wholly set apart for the gospel. Paul has shown us that the gospel is truth. God conceived the gospel before time began. It was given to us through God's chosen men and yet not corrupted by them. It was proclaimed by the vast and varied writings of the Old and New Testament. The gospel is ESSENTIALLY Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ became man and therefore understands and knows our weaknesses. And yet as a man, He broke the power of Satan and death, demonstrating His divinity, and thereby freeing His people from their sins! Christ boldly declared his power by His resurrection from the dead. Yet, Paul does not end the gospel here. He shows us the purpose of the gospel.
Romans 1:5-6, "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ."
The purpose of the gospel is for "obedience to the faith." Literally this could be rendered "faith's obedience" or the "the obedience which arises from faith." Thus it becomes clear that this is the PURPOSE of the gospel of God--to secure obedience! All ministries must strive towards this goal. Any ministry, which strives towards any other goal for its people, contradicts the very purpose of the gospel of God.
This is a very important truth. We all must grasp it.
The emphasis of modern Christianity is on the new birth. We tend to stress wholeness and purposeful living. We emphasize conversion. We have our choice of gospel presentations--as though one is not sufficient. We have thousands of gospel tracks to choose from. We have hundred's of evangelism books. One can attend seminars on how to do evangelism. Yet, the gospel is not just evangelism.
The Scriptures emphasize faithfulness, not evangelism. Faithfulness to the end, the glories of God's eternal kingdom, and the completion of the Christian life is the emphasis of the whole Bible. If we emphasize evangelism to the exclusion of faithfulness to Christ and His kingdom we are not preaching the gospel. The obedience of faith is the purpose of the gospel.
John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not (is better rendered does not obey) the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
The goal of spiritual warfare is this:
2 Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
1 Corinthians 9:24, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."
Hebrews 12:1, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
We should not ignore evangelism. Indeed, the Bible has much to say about it.(1)(2) Rather, it is to say that the PURPOSE of the gospel of God is NOT conversion but completion--"obedience of faith!" The PURPOSE of the gospel of God is Christian maturity! When we focus upon conversion and not completion we misuse the gospel!
There are at least two implications, which naturally flow from the gospel's purpose. The first reflects upon our relationships with God. Christians can struggle with complacency. We can become satisfied and comfortable. We can loose sight of the radical nature of the new life in Christ, which plainly says:
1 John 2:1, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
1 Peter 1:15, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation."
When a Christian becomes complacent he settles for disobedience--we call it obedience as long as it does not inconvenience us. We settle for the impure--we call it purity so that we can enjoy that television program or fun thing. We measure our godliness against man rather than God! Jerry Bridges commenting on 1 John 2:1 wrote this:
"The whole purpose of John's letter, he says, is that we not sin. One day as I was studying this chapter I realized that my personal life's objective regarding holiness was less than that of John's. He was saying, in effect, 'Make it your aim not to sin.' As I thought about this, I realized that deep within my heart my real aim was not to sin very much."(3)
The PURPOSE of the gospel is not to secure a people who "do not sin very much", rather it is to produce ones who are obedient on account of their faith.
Titus 2:14, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
Romans 6:16, "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
If our lives do not demonstrate the transforming grace of the gospel, we need to seriously re-evaluate our focus-- is it on conversion or completion? We also need to seriously re-evaluate our faith--does my life demonstrate the reality of the gospel? Salvation is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone!
I hope that this truth revolutionizes your view of your ministry. We should no be satisfied with CHILDREN who profess faith or a CHURCH who professes the faith or a DISCIPLE who professes the faith or a SPOUSE who professes the faith. Our call is to strive for "obedience of faith"--for COMPLETION in these areas!
This means a parent's prayer and desire for his CHILDREN is life long. Parents should not be satisfied with their child's profession of faith. Parents should strive for their children's purity.
As members of the body of Christ our focus is maturation. We cannot be satisfied with a church that just evangelizes. The passion is a church that portrays the gospel! The church needs to emphasize "obedience of faith."
Our MARRIAGES need to focus on being a household of faith. It is not enough to be simply married to a professing Christian. We need to hunger and thirst after Christ and we need to see our spouse hungering and thirsting to reflect Christ.
The PURPOSE of the gospel of God is Christian maturity!
Romans 1:5, "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name.(4)"
In the Old Testament and the New Testament name is used as a summation for the whole person. Thus name could be translated character.
The PURPOSE of the gospel of God is for the sake of God's character, or better, for the sake of God's glory.
2 Corinthians 1:20, "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."
Ephesians 1:5-6, "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."
Romans 15:7, "Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."
Revelation 16:9, "And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory."
Thus it is not the advantage of the nations that is paramount in the promotion of the gospel but the honor and glory of Christ!
In 586 BC Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians. This captivity caused God's name to suffer reproach. The heathen nations around Judah said that Jehovah God was not strong enough to save His own people. However, God promised to deliver and gather His people together. The purpose was to vindicate God's name.
Ezekiel 36:23, "And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes."
God's glory is the supreme concern of God! Thus the PURPOSE of the gospel of God is God's glory!
God's glory must be our supreme concern. As the family of God, it is easy to fall into the error of comparing and evaluating our ministry against that of others in the push for glory. In those situations when our children seem better behaved are we really looking for God's glory or our own glory? When one seems more mature is it really that we are looking for God's glory or own glory? When we want a Bible study to be popular is it for our glory or God's glory?
It is easy to look down on others in pride and draw attention to ourselves when their children misbehave, or the Bible study is not popular. It is easy to look with jealousy upon others and hope with all our being that they fail! But when we do this we are not looking for God's glory. We really are just seeking our own glory. We must see that our PURPOSE in life is to exalt and glorify God!
To glorify God means that the end to which we strive and labor is for people to say, "What a God," and not, "What a Christian!" We must be content to be unnoticed, un-thanked, neglected, and overlooked when it comes time for recognition! When others come to us and say this: "He to whom you have born witness, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him"(5) we must respond, as did John, "He must increase, but I must decrease!(6)"
The end to which we are laboring upon this earth is not to fashion people after our image. We are not to build our own kingdoms. Rather we are to advance God's name. We are to advance God's kingdom.
When we are seeking God's glory we will find that all our efforts to fulfill the ministry of the gospel will not be done out of pity for those in darkness. Our ministry will not be out of pride. We will no longer need an argumentative attitude. We will not be attempting to move others to jealousy. All of what we do will be for the glory of God! And when this is the overriding passion of our lives, we will find ourselves filled to overflowing with joy!
The task of every Christian is Christian maturity. The task of every Christian is divine exaltation.
Romans 1:5, "By whom we have received grace(7) and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name."
The tool that God has given us to fulfill our purpose is the grace of God. Grace primarily refers to unmerited favor. Donald Grey Barnhouse said this: "Love that gives upward is worship, love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace"(8) Thus generally, grace is God giving man what he doesn't deserve.
Romans 1:7, "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Titus 3:7, "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Yet God's grace can, and many times does, refer to the power by which the Christian is enabled to carry out the task allotted to him.
Galatians 1:15, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace."
Romans 12:6, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith."
1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
1 Timothy 1:13-14, "Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
Thus, for Paul it is the grace of God that ENABLES the Christian to fulfill the call which God has placed on their lives. And that is the idea behind this verse. The grace of God is a tool whereby the Christian is enabled to fulfill his call to the gospel of God! If we are to minister the gospel of God unto Christian maturity and God's glory, it will be only by the grace of God.
This truth ought to make us rejoice. The gospel doesn't depend on us! It is the grace of God which brings about Christian maturity!
1 Corinthians 3:6, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase."
It is the grace of God which brings about God's glory!
Exodus 9:16, "And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth."
Our call then is NOT to results. Our call is to faithfulness. We need to be faithful with regard to our WITNESS. This means that we need to stand for the truth. We need to be verbal with regards to our witness. We need to adorn the gospel by our living. And if no one ever comes to know God or if God doesn't appear to have been glorified we must remember our call. God has called us to faithfulness. We must do the work of planting and watering and rely on God to bring the increase!
We need to be faithful with regard to our FAMILY. This means that we indeed must talk of God, "...when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.(9)" We must diligently and fervently pray for our children's and grandchildren's salvation and purity. We must do everything we possibly can to be consistent and genuine! And if our children grow up and reject Christ, or fall into immorality, if they fail to mature as Christians or glorify God, we must remember our call. God has called us to faithfulness. We must do the work of planting and watering, and rely on God to bring the increase!
We need to be faithful with regard to our CHURCH FAMILY. This means that we need to be faithful to one another and attend church. We need to gently and humbly hold each other accountable. We need to diligently exercise our spiritual gifts. We need to encourage each other and work at building each other up. And if we are confronted with ungratefulness or if the people we are weeping over and praying for don't advance in maturity and God doesn't appear to be glorified we must remember our call. God has called us to faithfulness. We must do the work of planting and watering, and rely on God to bring the increase!
And when we understand that God fulfills our call to the ministry of the gospel of God, our evaluation as servants of the gospel will change! "Set backs" will be understood to be further opportunities to minister.(10) A "successful" ministry is defined not by numbers, but by faithfulness.(11) Success is not the fruit reaped but the seed sown. Success is not the great harvest, but the diligent tending of the field. Success is not the honors bestowed, but the honor of serving Christ! All kingdom work, no matter how insignificant it may appear, will reap eternal riches in glory.(12)
Romans 1:5, "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name."
I'm not going to say much about this since we have already covered this in chapter one. But I want us to see that Paul received his apostleship from God. The word received is known as known as the epistolary plural with the meaning of I. This was Paul's call! As an apostle, Paul not only received a call to minister God's gospel, but he also received special powers to effect that end!
We also have received a call to the gospel of God, excluding the apostolic powers.(13) Paul likewise was called of Jesus Christ. As we saw in our study in chapter one Paul is expressing the truth that not only have apostles been called by God to proclaim His Gospel, but so has EVERY believer. All believers have been chosen "of Jesus Christ." This means they have been gathered unto and intimately united to Christ for His purpose. This purpose is for the service of the gospel of God.
It is important that every Christian understand this. For it is this truth that could mean the difference between our being a good steward and being a poor steward. When the difficulties come and being faithful to the truth may mean loosing your job, a friend, alienating family, or loosing "credibility" in the world's eyes we must remember that we are called to faithfulness. Only those who understand that they can do nothing else but be faithful will be steadfast in their witness. You've been placed here for that purpose.
The gospel of God (to which Paul and every Christian is bound) has been given for a specific purpose--Christian maturity, God's glory, and Divine exaltation. To miss this purpose and to focus on conversion of people, our own glory (esteem, convenience), and personal exaltation is to misuse the gospel. It is to take the talent, which God has entrusted, to our care and BURY IT.(14) It is to be entrusted with a vineyard, and refuse to pay rent and ultimately kill the owner's son.(15) It is to beat your fellow slaves thinking that the Master's return is far off.(16) Let us all prove faithful with regard to our ministry of the gospel of God and diligently labor for the maturity of God's people and God's glory.
1 Compare Matthew 28:19 and 2 Timothy 2:2
2 This passage tells us that Paul's specific mission field was the Gentiles. Compare Acts 9:15; 22:21, Romans 11:13; and Galatians 1:16 These passages clearly indicate that each believer has been entrusted with a general call to all that we meet in our daily walks. Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore [as you go] and make disciples."
3 Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness, page 96
4 This is literally rendered "on behalf of His name."
5 Compare John 3:26
6 Compare John 3:30
7 Of the 155 New Testament usages Paul uses it one hundred times.
8 Expositions of Bible Doctrines Taking the Epistle to the Romans as a Point of Departure, vol. 1 [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1952], p. 72).
9 Compare Deuteronomy 6:4-7
10 Compare Luke 21:12-13; and 2 Corinthians 4:7-11
11 Compare John 21:22
12 Compare Hebrews 6:10-11, 1 Corinthians 15:58
13 Refer to our selection on Spiritual Gifts.
14 Compare Matthew 25:14-30
15 Compare Matthew 21:33-46
16 Compare Matthew 24:42-51