A Gospel-Centred Life (Romans 1:1–17)

I once had the wonderful privilege to meet theologian Graeme Goldsworthy in Brisbane, Australia. That meeting some thirty-five years bean a process of helping me to understand better what it means to live a gospel-centred life and the necessity of having a gospel-centred ministry. I have often failed in both, but where I have experienced any measure “success,” I credit to that meeting in Goldsworthy’s office.

Having just commenced my ministry as a pastor and missionary at Belmont Baptist Church in Australia, I was very “green,” to say the least. A colleague was visiting me from Cairns who had arranged a meeting with Goldsworthy to ask him about a recent book he had written on biblical theology—how the storyline of Scripture unfolds with one major theme: God’s good news of salvation through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we sat in his office, I asked him about his incredibly busy speaking schedule and I asked what he preached as a guest preacher. He answered that he preaches the gospel. One thing led to another, and he asked me to turn in my Bible to Romans 1. He read the first five verses and pointed out that the gospel is much more than being saved from sin and the wrath of God. While it is that, it is so much more, for the “gospel concerns God’s Son.” He then said that Christians need to continually hear the gospel because “we never outgrow the gospel.” How true. And yet how often easily forgotten.

I share that story because what I learned over three decades ago is precisely Paul’s point in writing this epistle to the Romans. And this matter of a gospel-centred life and ministry is a particular emphasis in Romans 1:1–17.

In this study, I want to help us by reminding us of the glory of the gospel of God and three things that characterise the gospel-centred Christian and the gospel-centred local church.

As we study this passage, I trust that each of us will be persuaded that we never outgrow the gospel for, as another great Bible teacher has said, “The gospel is not the ‘ABCs’ but the ‘A to Z’ of the Christian life” (Tim Keller).

The first characteristic of the gospel-centred life and church is gospel stewardship:

The apostle Paul planned, at some point, God willing, to visit Rome. He would ultimately do so in a roundabout way (by arrest in Jerusalem). To prepare the way, he sent them his gospel-credentials in the form of this epistle. The book of Romans is a kind of “gospel introduction” from the apostle Paul to the church at Rome in which he expounds the gospel to build up that church and to prepare the way for their support of his ministry to take this gospel to regions beyond.

As Paul unpacks his gospel thesis, he highlights the character, content, and practical conduct produced by the gospel. Verses 1–17 serve as a preamble to all that follows. In these verses lies the germ of what will unfold in the course of the next sixteen chapters. It is instructive for all Christians, for every local church.

The first thing that Paul highlights is his own stewardship of the gospel (vv. 1, 5) as he implies the same stewardship expected of every Christian and every local church. To the degree we take seriously this stewardship, we will grow in our love for and commitment to this gospel.

In these opening words, Paul introduces himself and greets the church at Rome. As he does so, we highlights several things that are necessary if we will faithfully steward the gospel.

Paul identifies himself as a “servant” (slave) of Jesus Christ. He was a worshipping servant of a worthy Master (Exodus 21:1–6) precisely because of the gospel by which and to which he had been “called” and “set apart.”

“Called” carries with it soteriological associations. Paul is not merely saying that he was “called into the gospel ministry” but that rather that he was graciously set apart by and to the gospel by the grace of God. In fact, since Paul says, in v. 7, that the Roman Christians had also been “called,” this word must mean more than merely a vocational calling. It was rather a “salvation calling.” Acts 22:12–16 show that Paul’s salvation and vocation were wrapped up in one. The same is true today. We are called to salvation to serve the Sovereign in the gospel of his Son (Matthew 28:18–20).

Further, Paul saw that through the gospel he was set apart not only from sin and guilt and wrath but, positively, God had set him apart “for” his “gospel.” Paul’s servanthood was gospel-centred. It was God’s gospel-centred, a stewardship he took seriously. It was God’s good news and Paul was faithful to not tamper with it. Neither must we.

Later Paul will refer to God’s gospel as “my gospel” (2:16). God owns it. It must own us. Then we own it and steward it like we don’t own it!

Paul was God’s chosen vessel to take the gospel to the Gentiles. But this was grounded in being chosen by God for salvation. Before he called others to the gospel, he himself was called by the gospel.

It is an eternal tragedy to be an unconverted preacher of the gospel of God. We must be wary of merely assuming the gospel. Elder, church member, do you personally know the power of the gospel of God? Can you say, “my gospel”? Children, can you? As Don Carson has so aptly argued, we dare not “assume the gospel,” either of our audience and most certainly not of ourselves

Paul defines the “gospel of God” as the message that is “concerning [God’s] Son.” The gospel is not merely good advice; it is not merely a philosophy of life; it is not simply a “good idea” to be debated. The gospel is grounded in a person: the second Person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son.

It is vital to embrace the gospel as your “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” The gospel is certainly about more that Jesus and you, but it is not about less than that. We need what only Jesus can provide: the righteousness that God prescribes and Jesus Christ provides. Paul says several things about the gospel’s Christ.

First, he was predestined, promised and prophetically proclaimed. God “promised” the gospel “beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures” (v. 2). This is what Goldsworthy helped me to see and what I try each week to help my congregation see. The gospel is grounded in the faithfulness of God (Hebrews 13:20; 2 Timothy 1:1–2; Titus 1:1–3). Therefore, believe it!

Second, he was incarnated. The gospel is about God’s “Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh” (v. 3). This was necessary for him to be our substitute. Christmas is not about sentiment but rather about the serious mess the world and its human inhabits are in. It is about the only way out of this mess: through the sinless, selfless, sovereignly sent substitute who alone can save us from our sins.

Third, he was vindicated. Christ “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (v. 4). Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was destined to come, descended from David, and was declared to be “our Lord” by his resurrection from the dead. The Son of God came as promised, and his birth, life, death, and resurrection proved what was promised.

Jesus Christ is “Lord.” Do you embrace him as your Lord? If so, being his steward will be a given. We will steward his gospel and everything in the light of this gospel.

The gospel is about God’s Son. The gospel is not merely a propositional message. It is that and so much more. Jesus Christ, as revealed in Scripture—the Son of God descended, who died and was raised from the dead to never die again—is the good news. Christian, we must steward both our devotion and our declaration. The gospel is about a person. It is about the Saviour, not merely a system. May we love him more.

It was Paul’s passion to preach Christ with the objective of an obedient outcome, a believing outcome “among all the nations.” Rome was one such “nation.” This passion both opens and closes the book (16:25–27). He writes of Jesus Christ “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” (vv. 5–6).

“The obedience of faith” shows us that obedience consists in faith. That is, the gospel demands the response of faith. Obedience is not an option when it comes to the gospel of God, for God commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

With a Spirit-filled tone, we must do all we can to help the lost to see the urgency of faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is not calling us softly and tenderly, waiting and watching to see if we will respond to his wooing. He is Lord and he commands. May sinners listen and obey.

Sinners, like you and me, must obey “for the sake of his name”; that is all that he stands for and all that he is. We are not apostles, but we have the same privilege to call people to “the obedience of faith.” We call people to believe and thus to obey.

Christian church, we must be passionate to see the fame of Christ’s name spread among the nations, including in our own churches (v, 6).

Keep grounding/discipling each other in God’s gospel. We steward this gospel because we have been loved to salvation by this gospel (v. 7). The gospel community in Rome was on Paul’s radar as a people who would share his love for the gospel and for the gospel’s Christ because they were “loved by God” and therefore, like him “called to be saints” (“set apart,” see v. 1).

This is an astounding statement: God set his love upon a particular people in a pagan city. Let us steward this gospel message faithfully.

The second characteristic of a gospel-centred life and church is gospel partnership:

Paul wanted to have true gospel fellowship with this church and to engage in gospel partnership with them. As my father-in-law showed me many years ago, this was a missionary prayer letter (see 15:22–24).

For this reason, Paul reminds them of the glory of the gospel and the goal of the gospel as he expounds the content of the gospel. He was grieved that people didn’t believe the gospel (see 9:1; 10:1) and he wanted the church at Rome to grieve over this as well, and then to give so he could alleviate the grief through gospel proclamation. That is, he wanted meaningful gospel partnership with gospel-centred local churches, like this one. We see this in this passage.

There are several things in this passage that stand out as we engage in gospel partnership with other likeminded, gospel-hearted local churches.

Paul expresses appreciation for this church and for what God has done and is doing through them.

Paul expresses his affection for these whose “obedience of faith” is “proclaimed in all the world.” In other words, he was grateful that they were the real gospel deal. He expresses his gratitude in two ways.

First, he praises God for them (v. 8). God is at work globally; do we praise him for this? Do we praise him for gospel-faithful churches? Do we praise him for gospel-faithful churches that are not the result of our ministry? Do we thank him for churches that even are not fully like us?

Second, he prays for them (vv. 9–10). We should remember that there are many others who also love our gospel. Let us be grateful to God for one another and pray one for another. Informed by the gospel, let us move beyond tribalism.

Having heard of what the gospel has done among them Paul desired to come and be with them to both strengthen them and to be strengthened by them. The theme of mutuality is front and centre.

Paul did not see himself as a “celebrity preacher” but rather as a fellow lover of the gospel. He desired to strengthen them in their gospel stewardship and knew that they could strengthen him in his gospel stewardship.

This gospel fellowship was concerned about both strengthening Christians and evangelising non-Christians. It was both inwardly and outwardly concerned. Apparently, he assumed they were not “territorial.” He assumed they would appreciate the extra hands as they served the Lord in Rome. There are a few threads here that are closely connected in this ecclesiological quilt.

First, we see the thread of edification (vv. 11–12). It is the privilege of the church to strengthen other churches. To whom much has been given, much is required. I thank God for a church that understands this. I thank God for church members who look beyond their own edification to their need to strengthen others. Do you appreciate the giftedness of others? Are you willing to learn from others? Are you grateful when the Lord uses others to reach those we did not or could not?

We need to be open to gospel partnerships. In fact, we need to pursue these. We are not the only ones concerned about gospel-centred ministry. Those with gospel-centred ministries need the help of others to maintain a gospel-centred ministry. Let us strengthen the hands of one another.

Second, we see the thread of obligation (vv. 13–15). Because he was saved by Christ, Paul was a servant of Christ. He was saved to serve by sowing the gospel. Possessing the bread of life obligated him to pass the bread to others.

His unique calling (to minister to Gentiles) meant that he was indebted to preach in Rome and beyond. In the words of John Wesley, the world was his parish.

Though Paul had a unique calling, nevertheless this applies to us as Christians. Christian, you are under obligation to have a gospel harvest in your home. You are under obligation to preach the gospel at work, at school, to friends and family, etc. Such evangelism is strengthened by a network of Christians.

Paul concludes his introduction to the Roman church with what are now very well-known verses, which speak to the confidence we need concerning the dynamic of the gospel.

Christian, church member, if we will maintain a gospel-centred ministry, there are at least two areas in which we need to steward our gospel confidence.

First, we must be confident that the gospel saves (v. 16). Paul uses understatement to emphasise his firm confidence that the gospel of God is indeed the gospel of God and therefore powerful to do what God prescribes and powerfully provides.

The gospel brings about saving faith. The gospel is the power of God at work and therefore the gospel has the power to make it not only possible but to actually produce belief and thus salvation.  No “nation” is immune to God’s power.

Paul was unashamed to believe and preach the gospel, anywhere and to anyone, including in Rome to Romans (v.15). Knowing the condition of humanity, knowing the person and work of Jesus Christ, and knowing therefore the power of God, he was confident that the gospel is productive in accordance with God’s will. Like dynamite, it is able to blow away any obstacle to unbelief.

Brother and sister do you have the same confidence? I know some Christians were hard nuts to crack—but no match for God’s power. Keep praying for and proclaiming to those who seem hardest to the gospel. Grow in your confidence by growing in your knowledge of the subject of the gospel: Jesus Christ (vv. 1–5).

Second, we must be confident that the gospel sustain. “From faith to faith” means “faith through and through,” “faith from first to last.” It means by faith alone. Saving faith in the God who saves is sufficient from the beginning of the Christian life to its end.

Whatever else Paul is saying by this apparently complicated wording, he is making the point that God’s gospel is the beginning of one’s salvific relationship with God and it sustains ones relationship with God. The gospel sustains us by reminding us that, on our best day as on our worst day, we are accepted through Jesus Christ.

Paul makes the point that this was “revealed,” which means that this way of salvation would never be discovered unless God made it known.  Consider your conversion. Perhaps you heard the gospel over and over until one day God “revealed” it to you. The light of the glorious gospel of Christ shined into your sin-darkened heart and you were made new. Pray that for your child, your spouse, your friend. God is still saving!

Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4, which contextually was about God’s people persevering amid the hardship of Babylonian attack and captivity. The people of God were being encouraged to trust God I. difficult times, amid seeming setbacks, if not even apparent failures.

Here Paul cites this to make the salvific statement that the one who is justified by faith will live. That is, the one whose righteousness comes by faith shall live. Or, “It is the one who is made righteous in this way [by faith alone] who will live.”

I belabour this because Paul’s point is that that, apart from God’s direct intervention, like Judah, who faced certain devastation, we too will remain dead in the water—or, rather, dead in our sins. The only way to have spiritual life—eternal life—is to have the righteousness of Jesus Christ and that only comes by trusting him to have died in your place. As Jesus himself said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).

So, will you believe this good news from God? Will you call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved? There is no need to be ashamed. It is the gospel truth.

Christian brothers and sisters, we need to keep this gospel truth before us. That is, we must persevere in faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.  Amid the temptations and trials which we face in our “Rome,” the gospel equips and empowers us to trust the Lord. Having saved us from our sin and guilt, having reconciled us to God, the powerful good news of our Saviour Jesus Christ enables us to continue to believe, to continue to live by faith.

That is, the gospel is the “A to Z” of the Christian life. We need all the gospel for all of life—just as Goldsworthy taught me long ago; just as Paul teaches us in this passage. May we be faithful to live gospel-centred lives.

AMEN