Paul, bondman of Jesus Christ, [a] called apostle, separated to God's glad tidings,
Paul gives three descriptions of himself before he states a single doctrine. He calls himself a slave, an apostle by calling, and a man set apart — which raises three questions: whose slave, appointed by whom, and set apart to what?
Why Paul States His Credentials to Strangers
Paul had never visited Rome, so he could not point to work he had done among them. One writer notes what he rests on instead:
In no other letter does the apostle put his apostleship on such firm and formal ground. At Rome he could point to no work of his own. He had never seen the Romans. He was still their apostle, because he was the apostle to the Gentiles.
Slave First, Apostle Second
The word translated "servant" means slave, and Paul puts it ahead of his office. One writer also draws a line between being called to be an apostle and being called an apostle.
Paul was not called to be an Apostle, but he was called an Apostle... Paul loved to call himself a slave of Jesus Christ. He knew the Lord had redeemed him. He was no longer his own. He belonged to the One who had bought him and made him one with Himself. His highest ambition was to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. His Apostleship he puts in the second place. The highest and best is to be in reality a willing, devoted servant of the Lord.
Belonging to Christ this way rules out belonging to anything else. The writer turns that into a question for the reader:
"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus." He was not a servant of any society or party, but of Christ Jesus. Few of us can follow Paul in those few words, and yet how important it is that we do, if our service is to be acceptable to Christ! Have you thought of this as to the whole course of your life and service?
An Apostle by Calling
Paul's office did not come from himself. One writer lists what it was not:
Apostleship was not passed down from father to son, like a Jewish priest's place. It was not voted on by the assembly, as the seven men chosen to look after the daily food in Jerusalem were. Still less could a man take it for himself. He was an apostle by calling as the saints were called.
What Paul Was Set Apart To
The verse names what Paul was set apart to, not what he was set apart from. One writer draws out both, and stresses how wide the break was.
Here, then, we see Paul a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, an apostle by calling, separated to the gospel of God. This word "separated" covers a great deal. Paul was separated from the world, from the law, and from Judaism, and separated to the glorious good news of God.
This is not a special category reserved for apostles. The same word stands over every believer named in the letter:
We may fall short of it, but we too should know what we are separated to. The name saint that we carry says we are separated, and the same grace that separated the apostle separates us.
The Gospel of God
Paul calls it the gospel of God. That title points to where the message starts, and it changes what the word "gospel" means.
He calls the gospel to which he was set apart, the gospel or glad tidings "of God": the Holy Spirit shows us where it comes from. It is not what man ought to be for God. It is not simply the way man can come to Him on His throne. It is the thoughts of God, and His acts, we may add, towards man... we never truly understand the gospel until it is to us the gospel of God — God at work, showing us His nature and His will in grace towards man.
The title itself rules out a popular picture of the cross:
Here we have God's gospel. The phrase shows that grace springs from God Himself. It rules out the common idea of an angry God whom Jesus Christ must win over. If it was necessary for our happiness that the Son of man should be lifted up on the cross, it is His own Son whom God has given.
Summary
- Source. It is God's gospel because it starts in Him. It is not man's way up to God, but God's own thoughts and acts in grace toward man.
- Bought. Because God moved first, Paul is a slave: redeemed, no longer his own, belonging to the One who bought him.
- Call. No one inherited, voted on, or claimed his office. God called him an apostle, just as God calls believers saints.
- Separation. The same grace that set Paul apart from the world, the law and Judaism sets apart everyone the letter calls a saint.
- Service. Paul is a slave of Jesus Christ, not of any society or party — the test of whether a life's service is acceptable to Christ.