1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 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, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7)

I’m struck by just how much Paul in introducing himself in the book of Romans, in the traditional way of greeting and introduction of the times, goes completely out of his way to minimize himself, to draw attention away from himself and instead towards the Living God.  The spotlight is on the Lord and not on Paul.  The Apostle Paul was very clear on where his identity came from, what his mission was, who he was and “whose he was”.   Filter this passage through who, what, where, when, why and how and you pretty much have all the answers!

All the answers point to God.

Speaking specifically about verse 1, John Piper puts it like this (emphasis mine):

“In all three phrases the crucial thing is not who Paul is, but whose Paul is. And this will, in the end, be what makes your life significant or not – not who you are, but whose you are.”

So, Paul was:
1. a servant of Christ Jesus
2. called to be an apostle
3. set apart for the gospel of God

What a glorious identity Paul had!  And although we know that the foundation was laid once for all by the apostles and prophets, what a glorious identity we have!  We are servants of Christ, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ and we’ve been set apart to live out and share the Gospel of God.

Questions I’m asking myself:

1. Am I embracing, walking in, living out, proclaiming with my life, the fact that I am a servant of Christ?
2.  Does my life testify, in word and in deed, whose I am?
3. Will I attempt to address #1 and #2 in my own strength?  Or will I pursue the Lord, petition Him, seek Him sincerely and ask Him to change me through His Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit?
4.  Will “works” consume me or will I desire God Himself?  Will “doing the right things” be my concern or will knowing the right person, and increasing in that knowledge be my aim?
5.  Will I be self-centered (living for/by myself, as if I am “my own”) or will I be God-centered, living as a servant of Christ, because I am in fact, not my own?

Praise be to God for His steadfast love and faithfulness as he deals mercifully with us as we fight sin to live out our true identity.

(Image credit: Spekulator)