GOD IS CALLING YOU

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the central theme of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans can also be called “the Gospel According to St Paul”. The key text is found in Romans 1:16–17 where Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” If you were to read this epistle carefully, you will not fail to see the intense passion with which Paul wrote this letter. Paul was very passionate about the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel. His love for Christ and His Gospel comes through very clearly in the words, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” Paul’s heart and mind was in overdrive as he sought to present and defend the Gospel of Christ in this epistle.

Why was he so moved? He was so moved because of the personal call he received from the Lord Himself. Before his conversion, as Saul the Pharisee, with great zeal he persecuted Christ and His Church. But since his conversion on the Damascus road, he became Paul the Apostle, and with greater zeal, instead of persecuting Christ, he now proclaims Christ and establishes His church. Christianity as demonstrated by Paul is not an occupation (a job you have to do, whether you like it or not, in order to make a living); neither is it a profession (paying lip service to Christ only—professing faith, but never possessing faith). Christianity is a vocation—a calling. It is something you respond to not only with your mind, but also your heart, even your whole being.

In Romans 1:1–9, Paul rightly starts off with the call of Jesus Christ in his attempt to present and defend the Gospel of Christ. God calls sinners into His kingdom through His Gospel. When Christ calls us to His Gospel, how should we respond? Paul says here that we ought to respond in these two ways: We ought to respond to the call of Christ (1) by believing in the Gospel of Christ and (2) by preaching the Gospel of Christ.

To Believe in the Gospel of Christ

Paul in the first verse introduced himself as “a servant (or a bond-slave) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” What is this “gospel of God”? Paul defines what the Gospel of God is in the next three verses.

First, the Gospel is defined as a promise (Rom 1:2). Paul says that the Gospel of God was that “Which he had promised before by his prophets in the holy scriptures.” The Gospel is not an idea that originated from man. The Gospel is a Plan that came directly from God as found in the Holy Scriptures. The Gospel is not human invention, but divine intervention. When the first man—Adam—failed the test of obedience in the Garden of Eden, and plunged the whole of humanity into the depths of sinful depravity and corruption, God intervened and promised a Saviour who will save His people from sin.

God was the first Evangelist. He was the first to preach the Gospel in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” This is the First Gospel—the promise that the seed of a woman—the Virgin-born Son of God—would crush the head of the serpent (viz, Satan and all that he represents), by His death on the cross. Not only Genesis 3:15, there are at least 36 other direct prophecies in the Old Testament (not counting all the analogies, allusions, or types of Christ) concerning Christ’s first coming as Saviour. The Gospel is not new. It was prophesied 6000 years ago. It is something planned by God, promised before in the Scriptures, and performed in history at the appearance of Christ.

Second, the Gospel is defined as a provision (Rom 1:3). What did God promise to provide in the Old Testament? God promised a Saviour in “His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.” Please take note of how Jesus Christ is described in this verse. Christ is here called “His Son.” Christ is the eternal Son of God the Father. Christ is the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity. In other words, Christ is God Himself. He is 100% God.

Christ is also of “the seed of David.” How is Christ of the seed of David? Take note of the word “made” here. The KJV translation of the original (genomenou) here as “made” instead of “born” evinces the theological astuteness and faithfulness of the KJV and its translators. Ordinary human beings are born into this world. We all have a beginning in our existence. We all began to exist at the time of conception in our mother’s womb. But Jesus was not only a human being, He was also the eternal Son of God who existed from eternity past. He already existed before He became a human being. So, he was not born but made a human being. He was made flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary who was from the line of David. Thus, Christ was made “flesh” (ie He became 100% Man).

In order to save us, Christ had to be 100% God and 100% Man—fully God and fully Man. Christ had to be 100% God because only a perfectly holy Sacrifice can atone for sin. Only God is holy. Only God alone can offer Himself as a Sacrifice for our sins. But being God alone is not enough. In order to save us, Christ had to be 100% Man in order to represent man, and be his Substitute. Only a Person who is both God and Man can save us from our sins. The Lord Jesus Christ is such a God/Man. Even His name reveals this: His humanity is seen in His name JESUS which means “Saviour;’ and His deity is seen in His name CHRIST which means “The Anointed One.” In Christ, God provided a perfect Sacrifice for our sins.

Third, the Gospel is defined as power (Rom 1:4). Jesus is declared “the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Jesus saved us by His perfect life on earth, “according to the spirit of holiness.” The “spirit of holiness” here does not refer to the Holy Spirit. Again the KJV translates the word “spirit” here accurately with a small “s.” When it clearly refers to the Holy Spirit, the term would usually be found with a capital “S” (like in Romans 8). Here the “spirit” refers to Jesus’ essential virtue of holiness and purity. In holiness, He lived a perfect life on earth; He fulfilled all righteousness; He kept perfectly every jot and tittle of the Law to earn righteousness for us.

Jesus Christ not only had to keep the Law, He had to die on the cross, shedding His precious blood for the remission of sins. And that was not the end of the story. If that was all that Christ did—dying for us and no more, then it is bad news and not good news. He must be raised from the dead. Paul said, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain,…ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor 15:14,17). Praise the Lord, He is indeed risen (Matt 28:6, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6)! Jesus saved us by His life, His death, and His resurrection. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25–26).

May I ask this vital question now? Have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have not, then you are a man who stands condemned before God, condemned in your sin, condemned to face the fiery judgment of eternal hell-fire. But know, dear friend, that God loves you, and desires for you to escape this terrible judgment that is to come. How to escape? Paul says in Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Confess and believe in Jesus Christ right now! Don’t delay! Salvation does not cost you a single cent! Salvation is not something you can work for either. All the work is already by Christ. That is why Paul said in verse 5 that it is all by grace—“we have received grace.” This tells us that the forgiveness of sin and eternal life is the free gift of God in Christ. Won’t you receive this gift now? Confess! Believe!

To Preach the Gospel of Christ

The call to believe in the Gospel of Christ also involves the call to preach the Gospel of Christ. This is clearly taught by Paul in verse 1: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God.” Having been bought out of sin’s condemnation, Paul now belongs to Jesus as His servant. The word “servant” here refers to a servant who is a bond-slave. Now, what is a bond-slave? In the Old Testament, a slave served his master for six years, and in the seventh, he would be set free. Although he is set free, there is a provision for him to choose to remain a slave in his master’s house if he so desires. We read of this in Exodus 21:5–6, “And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master,…I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges;…and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever.” He has become a bond-slave. So a bond-slave is a willing and a happy slave. He loves his master because of his master’s love for him, and he wants to serve his good master for life.

What was Paul’s specific duty as a bond-slave? He was “called to be an apostle.” The word “apostle” literally means a “messenger.” Paul was a messenger for God. What message did he preach? He preached the “Gospel of God.” Paul was “separated unto the Gospel of God.” This reminds us of God’s call of Paul and Barnabas to the ministry of the Gospel in Acts 13:2. The Holy Spirit spoke to the Church in Antioch, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul (or Paul) for the work whereunto I have called them.” So the separation here has to do with a separation from the world and all secular pursuits so as to be fully occupied with the ministry of the Gospel. It was a call to full-time Christian service.

As Bible-Presbyterians, we believe that God calls certain of His saints to full-time Christian service. (Read a testimony of such a call in a recently released book—When God Calls—by the Rev Stephen Khoo available at www.febc.edu.sg) I pray that God will call more to full-time service. We thank God for using True Life BPC to establish and support a good number of missions and missionaries overseas. But do realise that some of these places do not have a residential full-time or trained pastor. Some of our local churches also do not have pastors. As we pray the Lord to open more doors to plant churches, we also need to pray all the more for God to raise up full-time servants to shepherd God’s flock here and elsewhere. When there is no shepherd, the sheep scatters (Matt 9:36).

Now the duty of preaching the Gospel is not only for the full-time pastor, but for all believers. This we find in 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.” All Christians are called of Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel to all nations. The Roman Christians were active in preaching the Gospel. In verse 8, Paul thanked God for the testimony that the Roman Christians bore, for “your faith is spoken of throughout the world.” God has called you to preach His blessed and glorious Gospel, are you doing so? Let us reach out to our family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers with the Gospel of Christ which is the power of God to salvation to all who believe. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matt 24:14). JK