Romans 1:2-3

^KJV 1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

^SCR 1 Pau/loj( dou/loj VIhsou/ Cristou/( klhto.j avpo,stoloj( avfwrisme,noj eivj euvagge,lion Qeou/(

² (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

² o] proephggei,lato dia. tw/n profhtw/n auvtou/ evn grafai/j a`gi,aij(

³ Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

³ peri. tou/ ui`ou/ auvtou/( tou/ genome,nou evk spe,rmatoj Dabi.d kata. sa,rka(

Last time we looked at Paul as the ,doolos, the slave or servant of Christ called to be an apostle.

He was also separated unto the Gospel of God.

Paul was set apart for a purpose. He was set apart unto the Gospel, and this Gospel is of God.

To be set apart for a particular purpose means that what he is set apart to must be his prime consideration. That is what his task is as a servant of Christ. That is his responsibility as Christ's .

He is set apart unto the Gospel. That is he belongs to the Gospel, the , euaggelion, and God owns the Gospel.

The , the Gospel has Paul for the purpose of making the Gospel known.

The Gospel is God's Gospel. God brought it into being. God uses the Gospel to bring his people to himself.. God uses Paul to bring the Gospel to people.

The Gospel is the way that God has provided for sinful people who deserve nothing from God to be made right before God, and for God to gain full satisfaction from them because of their offence against Him.

Full satisfaction for their offence against God means the death penalty. Yet God the Son takes the place of the condemned and is condemned in their place. The sinless son of God is able to die in the place of sinners, yet because he is sinless and man, and God, he after death lives forevermore.

When Christ died His people who had offended him died, and when He came back to life, new life was there for his people. As the Gospel is applied to hearts and condemned sinners recognise that the one who took their place graciously grants them an eternal pardon on the basis that their debt is fully paid they respond in faith. Men women and children who were enemies of God because of their sin against him are wonderfully converted to being members of God's family.

It is Good news to those who are being saved and who are brought back into a right relationship with God.

² (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)

This Gospel is not a new thing. The Old Testament Prophets promised this good news, and the place where they recorded God's promised Gospel is in the Holy Scriptures. The hagiais, Holy scriptures the set apart scriptures.

The scriptures are not ordinary writings they are graphais, writings, which are set apart especially for God's purpose. Just as Paul was.

But what does Paul say about the scriptures? He says that it is God who made the promise which is now fulfilled God made His promise in time past and God made the Promise by his prophets. God used the prophets to put His promise in these Holy scriptures. God is the author of what is in these Holy scriptures, yet what God promises comes in the words of his prophets .

God has spoken in these writings. By the prophets God has spoken of this promise of good news that comes from Him.

From the time that Adam and Eve first sinned, though they were condemned for their sin yet right there at that time in the scriptures we read of the first reference to the Gospel.

Gen 3:15

^KJV 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The seed or child of a woman who though he would be bruised by Satan He would bruise shuph, or crush ( or cover ) Satan's head. oê rosh.

Again and again through Scripture information concerning God's promise comes through.

Deuteronomy 18:15

^KJV 15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

KJV Acts 7:37 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.

KJV 2 Samuel 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

KJV Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

KJV Isaiah 9:6,7

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

KJV Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

KJV Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

Isaiah 52:13-15

^KJV 13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. ¹⁴ As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: ¹⁵ So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Isaiah 53:1-12

^KJV 1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? ² For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. ³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. ⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. ⁸ He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. ⁹ And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. ¹¹ He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

KJV Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

KJV Isaiah 62:11,12.

11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

As well as the references to Christ as saviour in the Old testament,

God's work among his chosen people, with the Laws of God, God's punishments of his people's sin, the sacrificial system, God's gracious works toward his people play a part in the promise of God fulfilled in the Gospel of Christ.

Having said that, we need of course to recognise that God uses his scriptures for other reasons as well, like teaching his people the way he wants them to live, to teach about himself etc.

Paul is God's servant, Christ's servant, set aside to make known that God has fulfilled His promise.What God promised in the Old Testament He fulfills in the New.

God chose and called Abraham out of a heathen family to turn him to himself.

Joshua 24:2

^KJV 2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

Genesis 12:1-3

^KJV 1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: ² And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: ³ And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 15:5-6

^KJV 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. ⁶ And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

In Christ God fulfils the covenant he made with Abraham (Gal.3:8-9,29).

Galatians 3:8-9

^KJV 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. ⁹ So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Gal 3:29

^KJV 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

A Chosen people who would be God's people, restored to a right relationship with God. People from all nations.

Robert Haldane says of the Gospel in the Old Testament:

"The Gospel had been promised by all the prophecies which foretold a new covenant, -- by those which predicted the coming of the Messiah, -- by all the observances, under the law, that contained in themselves the promise of the things they prefigured, -- by the whole of the legal economy, that preceded the Gospel, in which was displayed the strictness of Divine justice, which in itself would have been a ministration only of condemnation, had it not been accompanied by all the revelations of grace and mercy, which were in substance and embryo the Gospel itself, and consequently foretold and prepared the way for a more perfect development." end of quote.

Haldane's quotes taken from:

EXPOSITION OF THE

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

by Robert Haldane SAGE Software Albany, OR USA

Version 1.1 © 1996 (No Date, Public Domain) after 1816

This Gospel was

³ Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

³ This promise that God made was about His Son. He is also Jesus-

"Jehovah Saves" and Christ that is the anointed one.

Regarding Christ as God's son Peter Barnes comments

"The subject of this gospel is God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (vv.3-4). The subject of Buddhism is not Buddha but his teachings. The same can be said for all other religions and philosophies - Confucianism, Islam, Marxism, existentialism, and the rest." end of quote.

When Jesus claimed to be the Son of God they accused Him of Blaspheme because they understood this claim to be a claim to be God.

John 10:24-36

^KJV 24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. ²⁵ Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. ²⁶ But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. ²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: ²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

³⁰ I and my Father are one.

³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

³³ The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

³⁴ Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? ³⁵ If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; ³⁶ Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

Christ claimed to be God, as in many places the scriptures show him to be, in the beginning with God the Father, and is God ( John 1:1) yet he was also man born in the normal way, hungered, was thirsty, became tired, he wept, became angry, had flesh and blood.

As God he is Jesus the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Joshua "Jehovah Saves" and He is the Christ. The anointed one.

Those anointed in God's scheme of things were Prophets,

Priests,

and Kings, e.g. 1Kings 19:16

^KJV 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

Exodus 28:41

^KJV 41 And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office.

Jesus was all three. Prophet Priest and King.

Prophet:

Matt 13:57

^KJV 57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

Matt 21:11

^KJV 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

Priest:

Hebrews 5:5-6

^KJV 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. ⁶ As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

King:

1 Timothy 6:14-15

^KJV 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: ¹⁵ Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

This Gospel is concerning no ordinary being, yet this one who is son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, was made to be of the seed of David according to the flesh. See Matt.1:1-17; Mark 10:46-47.

Exalted above all yet humble as a man to bring men back to God.

many express predictions,

2 Samuel 7:11-16

^KJV 11 And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. ¹² And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: ¹⁵ But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. ¹⁶ And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

We have here a reference to David's son Solomon, yet it also looks beyond Solomon to one who is of the flesh descended from David and Solomon who's Kingdom is established forever. So in a sense the Kingdom of David extend's into eternity by virtue of this descended of His through the flesh who is more than flesh. Who is God the Son Creator sustainer, Saviour, and Judge of all that exists.

Psalm 132:11-12

^KJV 11 The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne. ¹² If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.

Isaiah 11:1-3

^KJV 1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: ² And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; ³ And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

Isaiah 11:10

^KJV 10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

Christ was born of a virgin from the family of David and as Haldane says: "the first promise, containing His earliest name, the

seed of the woman, indicated that He was in this supernatural manner to come into the world; "

end of quote.

Again from Haldane:

"God has also seen it good to exhibit, in the birth of Jesus Christ, that union of majesty and dignity on the one hand, and weakness and abasement on the other, which reigns through the whole of His economy on earth."

End of quote.

Just as David was King in Israel yet spent most of his rein in humble poverty, so Christ who is Lord of all humbled himself

For the sake of saving people who had offended him and to reconcile them to the Almighty God whom they had offended.

Paul is the slave of Christ set apart to make this Gospel known.

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Greek and Hebrew fonts from Bibleworks 6.