Romans 1:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

NIV: Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.

NASB: through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles in behalf of His name,

CSB: Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,

NLT: Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

KJV: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

NKJV: Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,

After declaring who Jesus is—both man and Son of God, resurrected from the dead and deserving of the title "Our Lord"—Paul returns to identifying himself to his readers. It turns out that Paul's identity cannot be separated from that of Jesus.

It is through Jesus that Paul has received grace, which is unearned favor, as well as apostleship, which gives Paul the authority to speak on Christ's behalf. Paul has been sent by Christ, for the sake of Christ's name—or for the sake of His honor—to bring about the "obedience of faith."

That's a very specific phrase. Paul will be completely clear about what this does not mean. He has not been sent by Christ to get people to obey the law of Moses. He has been sent to bring about obedience to faith in Christ. In other words, Christ calls people to believe in Him. To refuse to believe in Jesus is to disobey that call. Believing is obedience, both in becoming a Christian and walking in Christ throughout our lives.

Paul has been sent to bring this about among "all the nations." Paul's unique mission, given to him directly by Jesus, was to carry the good news about salvation through faith in Christ to all the non-Jewish peoples of the world.

Here's what Jesus said about Paul in Acts 9:15: "He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel."

Romans 1:1–7 begins Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome with an introduction of himself as a servant and apostle of Jesus. He has been set apart to preach the gospel, or good news, about Jesus. Paul interrupts his own introduction by immediately beginning to teach the gospel, that Jesus Christ our Lord is the Son of God who was resurrected from the dead. He addresses his letter to those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints. This would include all the believers in Jesus.

Romans 1 introduces Paul and his purpose in writing this letter to the Christians in Rome. As servant and apostle of Jesus, Paul's mission in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus to all people groups, both Jews and Gentiles. He hopes to do so in Rome soon. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God's power for the salvation of all people by faith in Christ. We need to be saved because God is angry with us. Because of our sin, humanity has rejected Him as creator and provider. We worship created things, instead. In response, God has given us over to indulge in all kinds of sinful practices that lead to misery now and His angry judgment later.

Romans 1 begins with Paul's introduction of himself and his mission to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. After telling the Christians in Rome that he is eager to come see them and preach the gospel there, Paul declares that the gospel is God's power to save everyone who believes in Jesus. We need to be saved, because our sin has earned God's wrath. As a whole, humanity has rejected God as creator and provider. We worship creation instead of Him. In response, He has given us over to the full indulgence of our sinful desires. We are guilty and deserve His judgment.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.