Lawrence Taylor Ministry

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor. Each and every week, Dr. Taylor will be sharing a relevant message from the scriptures designed to inform and instruct us in the ways of our God. Dr. Taylor has been the pastor of Kenilworth Baptist Church in the Midwood section of Brooklyn for the past 22 years. He brings a wealth of experience each broadcast, having been a New York City public school teacher and a theology professor. Stay tuned to the end of the broadcast to find out how to stream today's message. Now, here's Dr. Taylor.

Lawrence Taylor: Thank you for joining us today. In this ministry, we do a book study. We go chapter by chapter and verse by verse. We're beginning with the book of Romans today. So, we're going to look at Romans chapter 1 verses 1 through 17. The reason why I chose Romans is because this is Paul's most theological book. All agree. Paul, when he wrote this letter, had not been to the church of Rome. And it's been speculated why he gives such a deep theological treaties. One of the reasons may be because there was a conflict in the church between two different factions.

The old idea that the book of Romans was a book without controversy or any tension within the church has been just about dispelled by every expositor of scripture. We know very well that there were two groups that were at odds. And we find those two groups identified in chapters 14 and 15. In chapter 14, they're called the weak. In chapter 15, they're called the strong. The weak primarily made up of Jews who believed in Jesus, part of the Roman church, believed in observing certain dietary regulations and worshiping on a particular day.

Guest (Male): Part of the strong. Part of the strong.

Lawrence Taylor: The strong made up primarily of Gentile Christians believe that there was no particular day that one had to choose in order to worship. And further, they also believe that they could eat anything. Now, these groups, while made up primarily of Jews that's the weak and the strong made up of Gentiles, those were not exclusive categories. Because Paul, who was Jewish, identified himself as part of the strong. But this is the controversy that was going on. And so, when Paul writes this letter, I believe he's addressing this legalistic issue. In this first chapter from verses 1 through 17, I believe the emphasis is on the gospel.

And if I had to give a theme to this passage, it would be I am not ashamed of the gospel. From verses 1 through 7, the apostle Paul gives this very theological salutation. And then from verses 8 through 15, he gives his introduction. And then from verses 16 and 17, he gives us the theme of what expositors believe is the theme of the entire letter. And that is the gospel. If you note in verse 1, Paul writes Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called an apostle separated unto the gospel of God. In verse 9, the apostle Paul writes for God is my witness whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his son that I constantly make mention of you in my prayers.

And of course, verse 16, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. The word gospel means good news. And here the apostle Paul is specifically talking about the good news of Jesus. That's why he tells us in verse 3 concerning his son. That's the content of the gospel. What amazes me is when I look at Paul reference to his predestination. If you note, he says in verse 1, Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, an apostle separated unto the gospel of God. Separated unto the gospel of God. Well, that verb is also used in Galatians chapter 1 where Paul says when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb.

What does he have in mind? Well, this expression seems to imply that Paul says the reason for his very existence is the gospel. In other words, he was predestined to preach the gospel. And so, when he says that he's been separated unto the gospel of God, says that that is the very purpose of his existence. Now, he didn't know that because in his earlier life, he was a Pharisee. Not only was he a Pharisee, but he was a persecutor of the church. We see that in Acts chapter 7. We see it in Acts chapter 9.

Uh, it's also uh, we see it in Acts chapter 22 and Acts chapter uh, 26 that he was a persecutor of the church. And in his own letters, he identifies himself as a persecutor of the church. For instance, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, in Galatians chapter 1. So, his objective as Saul of Tarsus, his Hebrew name was Saul, was to completely wipe the church out of existence. But now, he became its chief spokesperson. And he says now he understands that God called him into existence for this very purpose. And that is to preach the gospel.

And he says now listen, this gospel is about Jesus Christ. It's something that was promised in the Old Testament scriptures. And then he makes a contrast. And this contrast is very interesting. You see the contrast in verses 3 and 4. In verse 3 says concerning his son who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. And then he makes that contrast with what he says in verse 4 having been established the son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness from the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ, our Lord. So, the contrast is between being born of the seed of David as we see in verse 3 and being established as the son of God in power in verse 4.

Well, what does he mean when he says that he was born according to the seed of David? Well, what Paul is referring to is the fact that Jesus was a Jew, a descendant of David. And we know that he says according to the flesh. So, when Jesus walked this earth, he was a Jewish man. He was the son of God. He was the Messiah. But he was also a Jew. But then he says in verse 4 that he was established as the son of God. Now, how expositors understand that word of course has been an issue of controversy.

The reason why I selected the translation established instead of declared is because I believe that's where what the word actually means to be established. Jesus did not become the son of God. Jesus was always the son of God. He became a man. He was not always a man. That is the second person of the Trinity was not always a man, but he did become a man in the incarnation when he was born. But when he talks about being established in verse 4, he is saying more than just the fact that he was declared. He's indicating to us that there was a transformation that did take place in the resurrection of Jesus.

And let me explain what I mean by that. There was a difference between Jesus when he walked the earth and Jesus after he was resurrected. When Jesus walked the earth as son of God, he got tired. He was thirsty. He became hungry and he needed to eat. He slept. And he even died. But after he rose from the dead in his glorified body, no longer does he get tired. In fact, the apostle Paul says in chapter 6 of the same book that death no longer has any dominion over him. So, there he indicates there was a transformation that took place at his resurrection when he got up with his glorified body.

And let's be clear, the very same body that Jesus went into that tomb with is the same body he came out with. In John chapter 2, Jesus said destroy this temple and in 3 days I will raise it up. And it says that he spoke of the temple of his body which his disciples remembered when he was raised from the dead. So, it was the same body. But the difference was that this body was now glorified. And so, that same glorified body Jesus transported to heaven where he is seated right now at the right hand of God.

He is a man in glory. He is almighty God. He is the Messiah. He is the high priest. He is our intercessor. But he is a man. Let's remember that he is a man. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, Paul writes that there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. So, we have a man who is in glory. And I believe that's what Paul is referring to here. But the reason why Paul goes through this elaborate salutation is because of what he says in verse 5. I think in the authorized version it says by whom we have received grace and the apostleship under the obedience of faith to all the nations for his name.

And the by whom is of most importance because what Paul is saying is that the earthly Jesus who walked the earth was not the one who called me to this work. But it was when he was glorified in heaven. That glorified Christ is the one who called me to preach this gospel. You know, if you think about it, this is really an apologetic because here Paul is defending his apostleship. Paul wants everyone to know that the same Jesus, the resurrected, glorified Jesus, that same Jesus who appeared to Peter, James, and John is the same Jesus who appeared to me on the Damascus Road.

And it's that same Jesus who called me. And it's the same Jesus who has given me my apostleship, Paul says. And it's the same Jesus who has commissioned me to go out and preach the gospel. And that is what he means by whom we have received the apostleship, grace and the apostleship. And notice who he has been sent to, to the Gentiles. And so, he says that therefore the glorified Christ called him. And in verse 7, he says to those who are in Rome. Now, that's a very interesting designation to those who are in Rome.

We have noted that there is something missing. And I think it's missing intentionally. Because if you read 1 Corinthians, he says to the church that is at Corinth. When you read Galatians, he says to the churches in Galatia. Or Philippians to the church at Philippi. But what's missing in this salutation, in this greeting is the word church. It's not used here. But that's done intentionally. And I believe the reason why Paul does not use the word because it implies that there was a great division that took place in this church. And that's between the strong and the weak.

That's why later on in chapter 15, Paul says receive one another. Well, if he has to tell them to receive one another, that means that they were not receiving each other. But Paul lets the Roman church know that he wants to come and preach the gospel to them also. Now, in verse 10, he says it is his prayer that he prosper by the will of God to come to those in Rome so that he might see them and might exchange a spiritual gift with them in order for them to be strengthened. In other words, what he's saying is that I've never been to your church.

I don't know you personally. I have not seen you. But I want to be there so that I can encourage you and share the spiritual gift that God has given me so that you can be strengthened. But then apparently there was a rumor that was going around. And that rumor was that Paul was afraid to go to Rome. That's why he says in verse 13 but I want I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that I often time attempted to come to you and I have been hindered up unto the very present. Well, Paul wants the Roman church to know that listen, it was always my desire to come to you, to preach to you.

But I did not have the opportunity. I was hindered. But it looks like the Romans may have said well, maybe he doesn't want to come to Rome because after all, Rome is not like other places. Here we have a lot of philosophers and intellectuals. And maybe Paul's gospel, the gospel that he preaches will not be able to stand up to scrutiny. Maybe when he's challenged by others, he may not be able to give a great defense. Well, Paul responds to that by telling them that he is a debtor. He has an obligation in verse 14 to both the Greek and to the barbarian, to the wise and the unintelligent.

And he says so I desire to preach the gospel to you in Rome. So, Paul lets the church of Rome know that intellectual uh, people will not be able to stop me from preaching the gospel. Doesn't matter how smart you are or how intelligent you are. Doesn't matter what kind of philosophy you may have. He says that my gospel will stand up to any scrutiny no matter who may come against me. And you know, that should be an encouragement to all of us because let's face it. We got a lot of smart people in the world.

And a lot of people who look down on this gospel, they attribute it to an to something that only people who are unsophisticated in their thoughts hold to. Uh, people who are not advanced, uh, people who are not intellectual can only believe in these kinds of myths. And so, most likely that is what Paul was facing also with some critics in Rome who said he will not come to Rome because he is afraid that his gospel will not stand up. Paul says no, I am obligated to do this and I am going to come to you in Rome.

And Paul lets them know that he's not afraid because this is what he declares in verse 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. So, Paul declares that I will go anywhere and preach the gospel because my gospel will stand up. Notice what he says about the gospel in verse 16. He says the gospel is power. It is not just some kind of philosophical system. It is not merely a case of the intellect, but he says it is power. Listen, I'm all for education.

I think you should get as much education as you possibly can. But let's note education cannot transform a sinner. Cannot make a sinner something that's new. Education does not have the power to do that. The only thing it will do is make you a sophisticated sinner. But you're still a sinner. The difference between Paul's gospel and some kind of philosophical system is that the gospel has power to transform a life. And that's what Paul means when he says it is the power of God unto salvation. See, unlike any philosophical system, the gospel has the power to get you right with God.

Every person has wrong standing with God. And it's only the gospel that can change that relationship. No intellectual system can do that, but the gospel can do it. And so, Paul says that's why I am not ashamed of the gospel. And note what Paul says here. It says to the Jew first and to the Greek because Greek means the Gentile. Well, what Paul says is that the message went to Israel first. And after Israel, then to the Gentile world. But he also indicates its universality. This is for everyone regardless of their nationality, regardless of their race, regardless of their political ideology.

It is for everyone. But he also tells us that the gospel is a revelation. If you note in verse 17, for in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. And it is written the just shall live by faith. The word righteousness is loaded here. And while we don't have time to explore all the variations of the meaning of this Greek word let me suggest this that Paul is using this word as the word justification. It is synonymous with the word justification. And that is how a person obtains right standing with God.

It is the righteousness that God confers on a person who believes. So, he says the gospel tells you how you obtain that. Uh, so that's what the gospel is. He says it is a revelation of how a person gets right standing with God. And notice it's from faith to faith in verse 17, from faith to faith. You begin with faith and you end with faith. It is not that you only believe and you get saved. It means that as a result of your right standing, you will live a life of faith in God. And that's why he quotes from Habakkuk.

The just shall live by faith. You enter this by faith. That is the gospel and it will be a life by faith.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to today's program. This broadcast is an extension of the ministry of Dr. Lawrence Taylor and the Kenilworth Baptist Church. To stream today's message, please go to lawrencetaylorministry.com and click on Lawrence Taylor Ministry forward slash message. Please join us again next week at the same time for Teaching the Word with Dr. Lawrence Taylor.