Romans 1:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

NIV: regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,

NASB: concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

CSB: concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh

NLT: The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line,

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

NKJV: concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,

Paul is so eager to begin teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ that he seems unable to even wait to finish the opening greeting to his letter. He has written that the gospel is something God promised long ago through His prophets in the Old Testament Scriptures. Now he continues that the gospel is about Jesus Christ.

Jesus, as a human being, was a direct descendant of King David. That will become important to Paul's case that Jesus is the Messiah because of the prophetic Old Testament promises that one of David's descendants would sit on the throne of Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:12–16). In the following verse, Paul will show that Jesus was more than just a fully-human man.

Gospels such as Luke and Matthew also provide a genealogy of Jesus to demonstrate that He comes from this Davidic line. The theme of proving that Jesus is the Messiah, and the One promised by the Jewish Scriptures, is also found in books such as Hebrews.

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.

Accessed 5/1/2024 8:08:42 PM