Romans Lesson 2

1. Paul:

a. He was a man specially prepared by God to accomplish a particular purpose. His Name, background, education, and character all tell us much about him.

b. He was Saul, then Paul? Switch—(Acts 13:9)

c. Background
(1) Native to Tarsus—Acts 22:25-28
(2) A Freeborn Roman Citizen—Acts 22:25-29
(3) A Religious Pedigree—Phil 3:1-10
(4) Raised to have a trade—every Pharisee had a trade, even if he was rich.

d. Paul’s Greek and Roman Education
(1) Raised up at the feet of Gamaliel—Acts 22:3
(2) Greek classics—Acts 17:28—Tarsus was a center of academia!
(3) Pagan culture and traditions—1 Cor 9:19-23
(4) Athletics—1 Cor 9:24-27
(5) A master of languages—(1 Cor 14)

e. Paul’s Jewish education
(1) Gamaliel—Acts 22:3-4
(2) A trade—tentmaking.
(3) He was a zealous Jew:—Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-2—he was a Pharisee of Pharisees

f. Paul’s Providential Preparation
(1) Gal 1:13-16
(2) Prepared to defend the Gospel against Jewish legalism—Galatians, Romans (Lloyd-Jones)
(3) Prepared to preach to all the Roman world
(4) Prepared to Debate with scholars—1 Cor 2:1-6
(5) Prepared to preach to the simple—1 Cor 1:17-18,
g. Paul’s Conversion and commission—Acts 9:1-16

2. “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ..”.

a. Paul’s authority as an apostle is BASED in his servanthood—Mark 9:35, 10:44
b. Christ’s example –Mat 20:25-28—
c. Jewish custom of a voluntary slave for life—Ex 21:4-6.
d. Paul is not looking to please anyone but his Master—Gal 1:10
e. The Lord’s example: Phil 2:7-9, Mat 11:29
f. The apostles often refer to themselves as the bond servants (doulos) of Christ, or of the church—2 Cor 4:5, Gal 1:10, Phil 1:1, Titus 1:1—
g. Application: The one who would lead in God’s church must be willing to be a servant to all.

3. Called to be an apostle—we need to consider what it means when he says he is an apostle.

a. First, what is an apostle?
(1) The Primary Office—Eph 4:11, Luke 6:13
(2) Only those personally appointed by Christ— John 15:27, 1 Cor 9:1, 1 Cor 15:1-11
(3) There were no provisions for replenishment of the office

b. What was the function and authority of the apostles?
(1) Special Authority and power—Heb 2:3-4
(2) The Apostles were foundational—Eph 2:20
(3) No Apostles Today

c. He was CALLED to apostleship
(1) Something interesting to think about is the fact that Paul was called to his apostleship long before God actually separated him to the work in Acts 13:2,
(2) His Calling
(a) First, God called him to salvation, and revealed almost immediately the mission He had for Paul—Gal 1:15-16
(b) Then God called Paul apart for preparation—Paul did not need seminary--he’d already studied at the feet of Gamaliel and was mighty in the scriptures
(c) Then Paul received Revelation.
(d) Then Paul languished in obscurity in Tarsus as God set him apart for maturation
(e) Then God opened the door for Paul to teach in Antioch—Acts 11:19-26
(f) God has been molding this great servant, He has readied him for the apostleship, and then....Acts 13:2 Now, Paul is ready to begin the mission for which all else in his life was but preparation.

4. Separated to the Gospel—Acts 13:2-3

a. Separated—The word comes from two which mean to mark off a boundary or a property line. God had drawn a line around Paul’s heart from the beginning, but it was not apparent until later—Gal 1:13-15, see also Jer 1:4-5

b. Set apart to the gospel—

(1) The gospel is the prime subject of Romans, as it was the prime subject of Paul’s life.
(2) Paul was obsessed with the Truth of God’s Word, and with the facts of the gospel story.
(3) The Gospel IS
(a) About facts that happened
(b) About facts that were attested to by eyewitnesses—1 Cor 15:1-11
(c) The Gospel is about A plan made before the world was made; a plan promised before it was revealed; A plan embodied, revealed, and accomplished in the life and work of The Lord Jesus Christ;

c. Paul loved to talk about the Gospel—the word “gospel” is used 101 times in the New Testament, and 75 of those times are found in the writings of Paul!

(1) Paul’s Mission—1 Cor 1:17
(2) Paul’s Obsession—1 Cor 9:16 "…
(3) Paul’s Revelation from God—Gal 1:11
(4) Paul’s mission in spite of difficulties—Gal 4:13
(5) Paul sees the Gospel as a Trust—1 Th 2: See 1 Tim 1:11.
(6) Paul sees it as a man to man legacy—2 Tim 2:1-2
Applications
1. God has prepared each of us in distinct, uniquely personal ways
2. God has called each of us to salvation and service (Mat 28:18-20)—we are all disciples
3. God has given each of us gifts that are appropriate to our callings
4. God has placed before each of us our particular mission in life