Lessons #09 and 10
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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The Gospel of God (Rom 1:2-6)
2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Let me refresh your mind that the central message of this section of Romans 1:2-6 is that the Gospel of God is a promised good news given through the prophets and it is about the Son of God. It is from this that we derived a simple message the Holy Spirit wants us to hear from this passage which is You should endeavor to remember that the focus of the gospel of God is Jesus Christ. This message, we indicated, is due to two general statements of the apostle in the section that we are considering about the gospel of God. The first is that it had been in God’s plan from eternity and so was revealed through the prophets in written form as he stated in Romans 1:2. The second general statement of the apostle about the gospel of God is that it is about the Son of God. We argued that the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 or “the Son of God” may be understood as “One, of the nature of God,” that is, “One who is of the nature of God.” Thus, the phrase of Romans 1:3 his Son is Apostle Paul’s way of saying that Jesus Christ is fully God. Following this declaration, he turned his attention to the description of the human nature of the person in view in the phrase his Son and informed us that He was a descendant of David, which we stated that when the apostle wrote the clause of Romans 1:3 who as to his human nature was a descendant of David he meant to convey at least two facts. First, that the One described in the phrase his Son is truly human. Second, that the One described in the phrase his Son is One that fulfilled the prophetic promise given to David of having a Son who would rule forever although up to this point the apostle had not yet identified the One in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 as a reference to Jesus Christ. So, we continue with further description of the apostle about the Son of God or the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3.
The next description of the apostle regarding the One described in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 is that He indeed was clearly characterized to be the Son of God. It is this description that is given in the clause of Romans 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead. Literally, the Greek reads the (one) having been declared Son of God in power according to (the) Spirit of holiness by (the) resurrection (from among) dead ones.
The literal translation reveals at least two facts. The first is that the conjunction and that begins verse 4 is not in the Greek text. However, the translators of the NIV and such other English versions as the ESV, the NRSV, among others added the conjunction “and” to indicate that verse 4 is connected with verse 3 as an additional information provided regarding the One described in the phrase his Son in Romans 1:3. Interestingly, some English versions such as the NABRE, the NCV and the REB used the conjunction “but” to begin verse 4. The use of “but” is intended to contrast what is said in verse 3 to what is stated in verse 4. Both approaches make sense and do not contradict each other but each has a different emphasis in stating what is given in verse 4 in its relationship with what is stated in verse 3 regarding the One described as his Son. There is no doubt that verse 4 is related to the phrase of Romans 1:3 regarding his Son. Verse 3 gives information about the humanity of the One described in the phrase his Son but verse 4 provides information related to divinity of the One described in the same phrase. So, the English versions that introduced the conjunction “and” in verse 4 did so simply to indicate that a second information is provided without being concerned with any difference between what is stated in verse 3 and what is stated in verse 4 while those who added the word “but” were more concerned about the contrast of the information in the two verses, that is, between humanity and divinity of the One described in the phrase his Son of verse 3. Again, we should mention that either conjunction is not in the Greek text but is added by translators to help the reader to recognize that what is stated in verse 4 is related to the phrase of Romans 1:3 regarding his Son.
The second fact the literal translation of verse 4 reveals is that the translators of the NIV and a handful of our English versions did not follow the order in the Greek text. The order in the NIV implies the emphasis is on the “how” of the main information of the verse than on the fact of the information while the Greek emphasis seems to be on the fact of the main information. As far as translation is concerned, there is nothing wrong with the approach of the NIV since it is matter of preference of what to emphasize that is reflected in it. Nonetheless, we will follow the Greek order as reflected in the literal translation the (one) having been declared Son of God in power according to (the) Spirit of holiness by (the) resurrection (from among) dead ones. Our primary reason for following the order of the Greek text is that it reflects probably the excitement of the apostle as the Holy Spirit carried him along to write verse 4. As soon as he indicated that the One described in the phrase of Romans 1:3 regarding his Son is descended from David, he immediately wanted to focus attention to the information that speaks to the deity of the One so described and so in the Greek text the apostle began verse 4 with a Greek phrase that is literally translated the (one) having been declared.
The main information the apostle provided is described with the word “declared” depending on the English version you have. The 1984 edition of the NIV used the word “declared” while the 2011 edition of the NIV used the word “appointed” while the TEV used the word “shown.” The various words used stem from the Greek word used. You see, the word “declared” is translated from a Greek verb (horizō) that may mean “to appoint” as it is used to indicate that God had set a day of judgment of the world through Jesus Christ as Luke recorded the preaching of Apostle Paul in Athens as narrated in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
The word may mean “to decide” as it is used to describe the decision of the church in Antioch to provide help to believers in Judea because of the famine that Agabus predicted was about to come on the Roman Empire as stated in Acts 11:29:
The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.
The word is used to indicate the death of Jesus Christ was decidedly determined in God’s plan so with the meaning “to decree” as we read in Luke 22:22:
The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him.”
In our passage of Romans 1:4, the word means “to declare” or “to be specified,” that is, “to be clearly characterized.” The Greek word that means “declared” or “specified” is in the passive voice indicating that there is an implied subject that is not stated. The context suggests that the actor not mentioned is God. This fact is one that we can derive from another passage where our Greek word is used in the passive in connection with Peter’s declaration of the appointment of Jesus Christ as Judge during his sermon before Cornelius and those gathered in his house, where it is clear that God is the actor as stated in Acts 10:42:
He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
The sentence he is the one whom God appointed as judge is literally this one is the one appointed by God as judge. Thus, the declaration or characterization of One described as his Son in Romans 1:3 is by God.
The thing the One described as his Son in Romans 1:3 is “clearly characterized” or “declared to be” is given in the phrase of Romans 1:4 the Son of God. In our last study, we considered in great detail this phrase, so we will not spend any time on it at this point other than to say that this phrase is one that conveys that the One in the phrase his Son in Romans 1:3 is God. This is because we interpreted the phrase Son of God to mean “One, of the nature of God,” that is, “One who is of the nature of God.” By the way, that God characterized his Son as God according to our interpretation is not unique to the passage we are considering. We find similar situation when the human author wrote of the superiority of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, over angels in that God addressed the Son as God as we read in Hebrews 1:8:
But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
The phrase Your throne, O God has caused problems for interpreters who reject the deity of Jesus Christ. Our concern here is not with the detailed interpretation of the phrase but simply to make a passing reference to the passage we cited to show that God does address the Son of God as God. However, if you want to learn about the details of the interpretation of this passage on Hebrews 1:8, you can do so by going to the website of Berean Bible church of Bay Springs, Mississippi, and listening to lesson numbers 27 and 28. Again, our concern is simply to indicate that it is not strange that God would address the Son of God as God.
Be that as it may, the apostle having indicated that the One described as his Son in Romans 1:3 is “clearly characterized” or “declared to be” the Son of God, proceeds to tell us the manner of this characterization or declaration in the literal phrase of Romans 1:4 in power or with power of the NIV. The question is how to interpret the literal phrase in power. This is because of the Greek preposition (en) used that literally means “in” but it is subject to various interpretations. In our phrase, it is subject to two interpretations. It could be interpreted as indicating the means of the action of declaring or characterizing the One described his Son in Romans 1:3 as God or it may be interpreted to indicate the manner of declaring or characterizing the One described his Son in Romans 1:3 as God. Either interpretation will lead to the translation with power. However, because of the mention of Spirit in the context, the preposition is used to describe manner. Thus, to differentiate it from the interpretation that implies means the literal in power may be translated powerfully.
Anyway, whether the Greek phrase is rendered “with power” or “powerfully”, it should be clear that it is a supernatural power that is concerned. This is because the word “power” is translated from a Greek word (dynamis) from which our English word “dynamite” is derived; it basically means “power.” The word may refer to special enablement or strength that the Lord Jesus promised the disciples would receive to help them be His witnesses as we read in Acts 1:8:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The word can refer to the power that works wonders as the power associated with Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry on earth, as the Apostle Peter stated in Acts 10:38:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
Power may be understood in a general way of the potential for functioning in some way. It is in this way that the word is used to describe the gospel message in Romans 1:16:
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
When the Greek word is used in the plural the word predominantly means “miracles” as that done by God through Apostle Paul as stated in Acts 19:11:
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
In our passage of Romans 1:4, our word has the sense of “power that works wonders.” Hence, the declaration or characterization of the One described as his Son in Romans 1:3 as the Son of God is carried out in a supernatural manner. Jesus Christ has always been and was still the eternal Son of God during the incarnation, but this fact was not known prior to incarnation and so for our information He is characterized as the Son of God in a supernatural way.
The supernatural power involved is related to the “Spirit of holiness” as in the literal translation of Romans 1:4 according to (the) Spirit of holiness or in the NIV through the Spirit of holiness. The expression “according to” of the literal translation or the word “through” of the NIV is translated from a Greek preposition (kata) with several usages but in our passage it is used either to convey that the supernatural power in question is in keeping with the norm governed by the “Spirit of holiness” so may be translated “according to” or it is used to convey that the supernatural power in view is related to the “Spirit of holiness” in which case the word may be translated “in relation to” or “with respect to.” It is probably the second interpretation that the apostle meant. In effect, the supernatural power is related to the “Spirit of holiness” although the first interpretation is also possible. Anyhow, the problem is how to understand what the apostle meant in the phrase Spirit of holiness since this is the only place the phrase appears in the Greek NT.
The first thing we need to consider is how to fully unpack the phrase Spirit of holiness. There are at least three possible ways of unpacking the phrase. It could be understood as “Spirit characterized by holiness.” Another understanding is to read the phrase as “Spirit that produces holiness.” Still another understanding is simply to read it as “Holy Spirit.” This reading, begs the question if that is what the apostle meant why he did not simply use the phrase “Holy Spirit” instead of “Spirit of holiness.” This is not such a problem as one may think in that it is possible that the apostle wanted to emphasize the association of Spirit with holiness. Anyway, it is difficult to be certain which reading the apostle had in mind since all three readings say essentially the same thing. This may be a case where the three interpretations are necessary to fully explain the Greek phrase translated Spirit of holiness. Nonetheless, there is still the problem of how we should under the word “Spirit” used.
The word “spirit” is translated from a Greek word (pneuma) that may mean “wind”, as in the description by our Lord of the one that is born again in John 3:8:
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The word may mean “breath” as Apostle Paul used it to describe the manner of the destruction of the future lawless one by the Lord Jesus in 2 Thessalonians 2:8:
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
The word may mean “spirit” as that which animates or gives life to the body, as the word is used to indicate that without it the body is lifeless in James 2:26:
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
The word may mean God’s being as controlling influence, with focus on association with humans hence means “Spirit.” It is in this sense that the word is used in Romans 1:4.
It is our interpretation that “Spirit” in Romans 1:4 refers to God’s being although there are those who take “Spirit” as a reference to “soul” or “spirit” of Jesus that survived His death. However, since Apostle Paul is concerned with declaration or characterization of the Son of God, the context demands we take “Spirit” as the being of God, specifically the Holy Spirit. There is a sense that even in the introduction of the epistle to the Romans, the apostle had in mind the three persons of the Godhead although he did not directly mention God the Father but that is implied in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3. In effect, because of the mention of God and the phrase his Son, the word “Spirit” should be understood as a reference to the third member of the Godhead, that is, the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the apostle elsewhere speaks of the vindication of Jesus by the Spirit, meaning the Holy Spirit as we read in 1 Timothy 3:16:
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
So, the supernatural power that declared or characterized the One described in the phrase of Romans 1:3 his son as the Son of God is associated with the Holy Spirit that the apostle described as Spirit of holiness in Romans 1:4.
In any case, another declaration or characterization of the One described in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 that shows He is the Son of God is resurrection as stated in the phrase of Romans 1:4 by his resurrection from the dead. This phrase is really at the heart of the gospel. You see, the apostle had been describing the gospel of God that he said it is about his Son. The gospel message will not be complete without the subject of resurrection. In fact, if there is no resurrection, we have no gospel so the apostle could not mention the gospel without referencing resurrection since it is at the heart of the gospel he preached, that he stated to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:2–4:
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
The apostle would later in the fourth chapter of Romans convey the importance of resurrection in ensuring that a person is in the right relationship with God, but he had to reference it at this point. This is probably because he did not want anyone to think of the gospel of God without this important element, that is, the resurrection Christ. For, to the apostle, without the resurrection, we have no gospel to preach and there can be no forgiveness of sins as he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14–18:
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.
Anyway, for the apostle it is unimaginable to mention the gospel without resurrection. So, because he was still describing the central figure of the gospel of God, the apostle had to bring up the matter of resurrection as that which characterized or proved that the One described in the phrase of Romans 1:3 his Son is the Son of God. The point is the apostle wanted to convey in the phrase of Romans 1:4 by his resurrection from the dead is that the last thing that attests to the fact that the One described in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 is indeed the Son of God is resurrection from the dead. By the way, we indicated that the supernatural way of characterizing Jesus Christ as the Son of God is associated with the Holy Spirit. This supernatural way associated with the Holy Spirit is implied in the subject of resurrection. It is true Apostle Paul nowhere directly stated that Holy Spirit raised Jesus Christ, but he indicated that He is involved in His resurrection as implied in Romans 8:11:
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
The involvement of the Holy Spirit is more directly stated by Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:18:
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
The verbal phrase made alive by the Spirit is a reference to the involvement of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of course, resurrection involved the exercise of supernatural power of God the Father in Jesus’ resurrection as Apostle Paul conveyed to the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:19–20:
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
The pronoun he in verse 20 refers to God the Father the apostle mentioned in Ephesians 1:17. The point is that resurrection is a demonstration of supernatural power associated with God.
In any case, the apostle has made clear that the gospel of God is about His Son who he has so far described in two ways. He indicated that the One described in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 is descended from David so that He is truly human. Another description is that the One so described in the phrase his Son is indeed God as that is what he meant in the use of the phrase Son of God in Romans 1:4. Up to this point, the apostle had not given any personal name to the One described as his Son in Romans 1:3 but he changed that in the last part of Romans 1:4. He made his third point which is that this One has a name by which He is identified (the first point is that He is a descendant of David in His humanity and the second is that He indeed was clearly characterized to be the Son of God). Thus, the third point is that He is Jesus Christ. In other words, the apostle supplied a personal name to Him in the phrase of Romans 1:4 Jesus Christ our Lord.
The word “Jesus” is a common name among the Hebrew people being equivalent to Joshua (Hebrew yehôšuaʿ), a name that means either “Yahweh is salvation” or “the Yahweh saves.” The Greek word (Iēsous) translated “Jesus” is translated Joshua, the successor of Moses, in Stephen’s sermon as we read in Acts 7:45:
Having received the tabernacle, our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David,
That the name “Jesus” was a common name among the Jews in the NT is evident in the fact that there are others with that name as we find, for example, in Colossians 4:11:
Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.
The name Jesus as a proper name to be given to the child that was to be born through Mary via virgin pregnancy is explained in relationship to salvation in Matthew 1:21:
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
That the name of the Son to be borne by Mary is “Jesus” is differentiated from all others that bear that name because this Jesus would be involved in forgiveness of sins. Hence, the name “Jesus” speaks to both the humanity of the Son of God and His role as Savior.
The name Jesus is followed in Romans 1:4 with the word Christ. The word is one that distinguishes Jesus from all others that have the name “Jesus.” Anyway, the word “Christ” is translated from a Greek word (Christos) that means “the Anointed One, the Messiah, Christ” as it is used in Herod’s description of baby Jesus that he pretended to the Magi that he wanted to worship when in fact he wanted to kill him as narrated in Matthew 2:4:
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
The Greek word may be used as the personal name ascribed to Jesus as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:2:
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
In our passage of Romans 1:4, the word is used in the sense of “Anointed One,” that is, “Christ.” It is not used here as a proper name but a title. To the Jews of the NT times, the word Christ or Messiah was a title that referred to the promised Davidic King that would bring an everlasting peace to the people of Israel. Consequently, in the NT, many Jews believed the Messiah would be a political-military figure that would free them from foreign oppression. This we can learn from the confession of the two men that were on their way to Emmaus that the Lord Jesus appeared following His resurrection, as we read in Luke 24:21:
but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
Furthermore, it is because of this expectation that the Messiah or Christ would be a political-military figure that caused Herod to panic and so attempted to kill Him as recorded in the passage we cited previously, that is, in Matthew 2:4.
Anyway, Apostle Paul did not stop with the two names Jesus and Christ, but he added an additional phrase in Romans 1:4 our Lord. The word “Lord” is translated from a Greek word (kyrios) that may mean “owner” as it is used to describe the owners of the colt that Jesus requested to be brought to Him for His entrance into Jerusalem, as recorded in Luke 19:33:
As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
The word may mean “lord, master” as a person in a position of authority. It is in this sense that the word is used to describe Abraham in relationship to his wife Sarah as one with authority hence Sarah described Abraham as her master, meaning that he has authority over her, in 1 Peter 3:6:
like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
The word may be used to describe God in a general sense without distinction to the person of the Godhead in view as in Matthew 4:7:
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
The phrase Lord your God implies that Lord refers to God without distinction of the persons of the Godhead. It is in the sense of God the Father that the word is used in Matthew 11:25:
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
The word “Lord” may refer to Jesus Christ. This may be the case in some quotations from the OT Scripture. Take for example, in Jesus’ quotation from Psalms in the question He posed to the Pharisees as reported in Matthew 22:43–45:
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”
The Lord Jesus quoted from Psalm 110:1 where we have the sentence The Lord said to my Lord. In this psalm “Lord” refers to God in a general sense of the supreme creator whereas the phrase my Lord refers to the promised Messiah who is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, the second “Lord” refers to Jesus Christ. The word “Lord” is applied to Jesus even when there is no quotation from the OT. Thus, the word was applied to Him when He had ordered His disciples to get Him the colt, He would ride into Jerusalem in Luke 19:31:
If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
The word is applied more often to the Lord Jesus Christ in the epistles of Apostle Paul, as for example, in Ephesians 3:11:
according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The apostle’s use of the word to refer to Jesus Christ implies that he recognized Him as God as, for example, in Romans 12:11:
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
As we have indicated, the apostle uses the word “Lord” to refer to Jesus Christ so if he encouraged serving the Lord, he must mean serving and worshipping the Lord. The apostle would not have in any form advocated for worship of any person other than God so even in this passage in Romans 12, he implied that Jesus Christ is God. As we have stated, Apostle Paul, when he is not quoting from the OT uses the word “Lord” often to describe Jesus Christ although in some passages it is difficult to be certain whether the apostle means Jesus Christ or God in a general sense, as for example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:6:
and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.
This notwithstanding, the point is that Apostle Paul used the Greek word translated “Lord” to describe Jesus Christ as God and not an ordinary human. Hence, the apostle in the phrase of Romans 1:4 Jesus Christ our Lord still was conveying the two natures of the Son of God, that is, His humanity and deity. In any event, the third point of the apostle about the One described in Romans 1:3 his Son is that He is the One known as Jesus Christ our Lord. This brings us to the fourth point of the apostle regarding the One describe in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3.
The fourth point of the apostle regarding One describe in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 that he clearly identified as Jesus Christ in verse 4 is that He is the agent of blessings. The idea that Jesus Christ is the agent of blessing is introduced in the phrase of Romans 1:5 Through him and for his name’s sake in the 1984 edition of the NIV. The translators of the 1984 edition of the NIV did not follow the Greek order in that the phrase for his name’s sake is the last phrase in the Greek text. Of course, the 2011 edition of the NIV followed the Greek order and so we will use the translation of the 2011 edition of the NIV that follows the Greek order in our consideration of the Romans 1:5. This means that the first phrase of Romans 1:5 is simply through him.
The phrase through him should be fully expanded to read through Jesus Christ. The phrase we are considering is an important one in the NT because it is a phrase that indicates Jesus Christ is central to God’s plan in dealing with humans. It is a phrase that reminds us of His importance from creation to redemption and final judgment. To support this point, we will show various ways that reflect the importance of Jesus Christ from creation to redemption and final judgment. It is through Jesus Christ that the world was created and governed as stated in John 1:10:
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
The Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul referenced the fact that creation is through Jesus Christ as stated in 1 Corinthians 8:6:
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Apostle John in his gospel, conveyed that it is through Jesus Christ that God showed His grace and truth in John 1:17:
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The UBS Handbook states that the phrase grace and truth is a reminder “that God’s ultimate expression of love and his absolute faithfulness to his covenant are both seen in Jesus Christ.”
Salvation is through Jesus Christ as the phrase through him is used in John 3:17:
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Salvation involves forgiveness of sins and so Apostle Peter while preaching to the Gentiles assembled at Cornelius’ house asserted that forgiveness of sins is through Jesus Christ although he used the phrase through his name in Acts 10:43:
All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
An element of our salvation is the fact of reconciling humans to God; consequently, the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul, applying the phrase through whom that is related to our phrase through him indicates that reconciliation is through Jesus Christ as stated in Romans 5:11:
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Another element of our salvation is peace with God. This, the Holy Spirit through the apostle states that it is through Jesus Christ that such peace is obtained as we read in Romans 5:1:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
We have assurance of our salvation through Jesus’ intercessory work on our behalf as the human author of Hebrew indicates regarding Jesus Christ being able to save us completely, implying that our salvation is secured as we read in Hebrews 7:25:
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
The phrase through him is one that indicates that miracles occur through Jesus Christ as Peter stated during his sermon on the day of Pentecost as stated in Acts 2:22:
“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
After the apostle healed a crippled man, he was quick to let the people know that the miraculous healing was through the name of Jesus Christ as he stated in Acts 3:16:
By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
The phrase through him of Romans 1:5 indicates that any meaningful thanksgiving or praise to God is only through Jesus Christ. Thus, Apostle Paul communicated to the Romans that his thanksgiving to God is through Jesus Christ as we read in Romans 1:8:
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
The human author of Hebrews recognized the importance of anything meaningful happening must be through Jesus Christ, commands the readers to praise God through Jesus Christ as we may gather from Hebrews 13:15:
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.
By the way, we have access to God the Father in prayer through Jesus Christ as Apostle Paul communicated to the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:18:
For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Believers should expect final victory over sin and death. This victory, the Holy Spirit, through Apostle Paul, indicates is through Jesus Christ as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:57:
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have indeed described blessings that come to believers through Jesus Christ, but we should also be reminded of the unpleasant fact that judgment of any kind is also through Jesus Christ as we read in Romans 2:16:
This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
In any event, we have cited various blessings through Jesus Christ to support our assertion that Jesus Christ is central to God’s plan in dealing with humans because we are concerned with the phrase of Romans 1:5 through him.
Be that as it may, the fourth point of Apostle Paul regarding the One describe in the phrase his Son of Romans 1:3 that he clearly identified as Jesus Christ in verse 4 is that He is the agent of blessings. This point is made in the first clause of Greek of Romans 1:5 that reads in the 2011 edition of the NIV as Through him we received grace and apostleship. What does the apostle mean in this clause? We are out of time and so we will consider the clause in our next study but let me end by reminding you of the message of this section that we have stated which is You should endeavor to remember that the focus of the gospel of God is Jesus Christ.
05/03/24