“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning His Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and 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.”

The book of Romans is believed to be a complete summation of the Gospel, or the Good News, for all Christians. Paul’s other letters address particular churches and the struggles they encountered; whereas, his letter to the Romans focuses more on God and His great plan of redemption. Perhaps Paul wanted to make sure that the Christians in Rome had the complete Gospel in case he couldn’t make it there to preach it in person.  

I think to fully understand our selected passage, we need to back up to verse one and take a look at the whole of verses one through four. In the very first paragraph, Paul asserts that he was a servant of Christ and was called by God to be an apostle. This is interesting because when Paul says that he is a servant, it’s more than just being a slave under someone else’s control. It was his complete and utter devotion to Christ. It was by choice that he placed himself under the Master, and then he was called by God to be a messenger of the Gospel. This gives Paul the credibility to claim what he goes on to preach in the rest of this letter.  

The Gospel, or Good News, was promised in the ancient days. This promise of the Gospel was written about in the scriptures as spoken by the prophets. That’s what Paul is affirming here before he moves on. And what is the Good News? The Good News is that Christ came, died, and was resurrected. Without this last part, the resurrection, our faith would be empty and hopeless. It’s this very resurrection that brings the believer hope and endurance for the life we live because it makes provision for our own spiritual rebirth in Jesus’ name. And though that rebirth is vital for our eternity, it also greatly affects our here and now.

Dr. David Jeremiah talks of this in a blog he posted recently and gives three reasons the resurrection of Jesus can change your life today:

1. Because of the resurrection, you can live a life of forgiveness. Your biggest regrets and greatest mistakes are erased by the blood of Christ. You no longer need to live under their power. You can live in freedom.
2. Jesus’s resurrection means you can live a life of meaning. You have a greater purpose than your everyday busyness. You can live in partnership with the God Most High in His kingdom work. You can tell others with boldness the difference the Savior has made in your life.  
3. The resurrection gives you, as a believer, access to the power that raised Jesus from the grave. Ephesians 1:19-20 says, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”  

Praise You Jesus that You don’t leave us the way You found us. Praise You for Your resurrecting power that can bring a life dead in sin to the flesh to life in the Spirit. Jesus Your mighty power lives in us and through us in the Spirit. Let us live according to that truth. ~Amen!