Romans 1:1-7

Romans 1:1-7 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God-- 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 {4 Or who as to his spirit} of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God {4 Or was appointed to be the Son of God with power} 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. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul begins his letter to the Romans explaining why one can be confident that Jesus is the one God sent to earth to redeem fallen humanity. He list them in the first couple of verses:

1. God promised it through the prophets (vs. 2)

2. Jesus descended from King David's line...also predicted in the OT (vs. 3)

3. Jesus showed he was God's son by miracles and the resurrection (vs. 4)

4. That the gospel was spread to the Gentiles (vs.5)

5. That you have heard the gospel and it has impacted your life (vs. 6)

Paul then gives a grace greeting (grace and peace to you...vs. 7). A grace greeting is like a dear so and so today. It was common in antiquities to write a letter in the name of a god. Even in Paul's opening, he is confirming the deity of Jesus.

From Paul's opening words, he looks to confirm the truth of Jesus and all that he did for the salvation of people. We, like the Romans, can trust that the gospel that Paul will example through the remainder of the book is indeed true because of the evidence he gives in his introduction to the Romans.