Hughes Romans

Righteousness from Heaven
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4335-3618-2
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 336 Seiten

Reihe: Preaching the Word

Paul's letter to the Romans is considered by many to be the richest exposition of theological truth ever written. The majestic themes of justification by faith, freedom from sin, substitutionary atonement, and God's gracious adoption of sinners ring throughout its pages. In this classic commentary, now updated with a fresh look and Scripture references from the ESV Bible, pastor R. Kent Hughes brings clear exposition and pointed application to this power-packed Pauline letter. Useful for corporate or individual study, this volume will encourage and equip believers in their walk with God and understanding of his Word. Part of the Preaching the Word series.

R. Kent Hughes (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior pastor emeritus of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, and former professor of practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hughes is also a founder of the Charles Simeon Trust, which conducts expository preaching conferences throughout North America and worldwide. He serves as the series editor for the Preaching the Word commentary series and is the author or coauthor of many books. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Spokane, Washington, and have four children and an ever-increasing number of grandchildren.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hughes, R. Kent

Leseproben

1

Introducing Paul to Rome

NO REASONABLE PERSON would dispute that the book of Romans is one of the most powerful and in?uential books ever written. The epistle of Paul to the Romans has been the written force behind some of the most signi?cant conversions of church history. St. Augustine, the most brilliant theologian of the early centuries, came to conviction of sin and salvation after reading some verses from the thirteenth chapter. Martin Luther recovered the doctrine of salvation by faith from his study of Romans 1:17 and went on to lead the Protestant Reformation. While listening to the reading of Luther’s preface to the book of Romans, John Wesley felt his heart “strangely warmed” in conversion and became the catalyst of the great evangelical revival of the eighteenth century. John Bunyan was so inspired as he studied the great themes of Romans in the Bedford jail that he wrote the immortal Pilgrim’s Progress. In our own time, while we may not always agree with his theology, Karl Barth’s arguments from the book of Romans devastated liberal Christianity.

There is no doubt about the power of the book of Romans. The study of it produces genuine excitement and genuine trepidation—excitement because of the possibilities the life-changing themes of Romans bring to us, and trepidation at reasonably expounding their massiveness. I would invite each reader to offer the following prayer as we begin the study of this great book.

Father, I know that a humble spirit is indispensable to learning. And I pray that as I now consider the themes of Romans—so great, so history-changing, and sometimes so familiar—that through the study of them you will give me a spirit of humility, that I will be constantly learning even from the familiar. I pray that the power that was exhibited in the lives of Augustine, Luther, Wesley, and so many others—that power which comes from understanding the fundamental doctrines of the faith and appropriating them in life—will be seen in me. Give me a continued spirit of humility. May I continue in prayer throughout this study. May your blessing rest upon my life. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Paul begins his letter with an introduction that is longer than usual. It is also more theological and personal than any of his other epistles’ introductions. The apostle is tremendously concerned that the Roman people receive what he has to say—that they not “turn him off” before they have read his arguments. Thus, he reveals himself and his theology, hoping that if they understand something of who he is and what he believes, they will give him a hearing.

The importance of this for us comes from the well-known fact that how a person perceives himself determines largely how he or she will act. A healthy self-perception tends to produce a healthy approach to life. I recently read of a second-grader in Tennessee who submitted an essay entitled “My Face” to his teacher. It read: “My face has two brown eyes. It has a nose and two cheeks. And two ears and a mouth. I like my face. I’m glad my face is just like it is. It is not bad, it is not good, but just right.” That is terri?c! Now Paul introduces us to his own healthy, dynamic life view that, if appropriated, can produce power in us. As we go through his introduction in verses 1–7, we are going to see:

Paul’s view of himself (v. 1)
Paul’s view of preaching (vv. 2–4)
Paul’s view of his commission (v. 5)
Paul’s view of the Roman believers (and us) (vv. 6, 7)

Paul’s introduction introduces us to deeper and more productive levels of spiritual life.

Paul’s View of Himself (v. 1)

First, in verse 1 Paul describes himself as “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” In just one sentence he capsulizes his self-perception to his Roman hearers. That he introduces himself as a “servant” (doulos) is very signi?cant. He could have introduced himself as “Paul, an eminent theologian, master of the Old Testament Scriptures, frontline warrior, brilliant of intellect,” but he chooses doulos. Paul was well aware that to the Romans this was an abject, servile term. However, he also knew that the Jews viewed it as a title of great honor when attached to God. Paul has both views in mind—and both were glorious to him. Elsewhere (1 Corinthians 4:1) he refers to his slavery with another word, one used of the lowest galley slave.

So we see that the key to Paul’s self-image is servanthood. At the root of his psyche this incredibly productive man views himself primarily as a slave of Christ. No matter who we are—pastor, teacher, of?ce worker, corporation president—if we are to be productive for God, we must be servants—“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

The next facet of his self-perception is that he sees himself as “called to be an apostle.” In Galatians 1:15–17 Paul describes how he persecuted the Church before he was a Christian, and then says,

But when he [God] who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles. . . I went . . .

Paul was not self-appointed! God called him! How essential this was to Paul’s ongoing service. Whenever things got rough, he could always re?ect upon the evidence of his election: God had summoned him. Therefore, he understood that dif?cult circumstances did not come because he had wrongly appointed himself as an apostle, but because God had appointed him and he was being faithful. At the base of Paul’s self-perception was the fact that his lifework was God’s doing. What a comfort—what a motivation!

Closely following, and completing, his self-concept is the ?nal phrase, “set apart for the gospel of God.” The word translated “set apart” has the same root as the word “Pharisee.” In fact, the Greek sounds very much the same. A Pharisee set himself apart for the Law, but God set Paul apart for the gospel. He was a Pharisee of the highest order. “Fashioned of the same stuff as all other men, a stone differing in no way from other stones, yet in his relation to God—and in this only—he is unique.”1 Paul saw himself as uniquely separated for the preaching of the good news.

How would Paul answer the question, who are you? “I am Paul, a bond servant of Christ, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God—that is who I am.” Sometimes pandemonium broke loose around him, and he could have easily felt like a speck of ?otsam on the tide—but he did not! He was sustained by his call as an apostle. He was set apart for the good news. Above all, he was a doulos. He knew who he was!

Next, how did Paul view his task of preaching the gospel?

Paul’s View of Preaching (vv. 2–4)

Verses 1 and 2, taken together, reveal that Paul saw his preaching as an extension of the ancient Old Testament message:

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.

His task was not to proclaim a theological novelty. The gospel was in the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul longed to announce “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the [Old Testament] Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). So much of Messiah was revealed in the Old Testament. Who would Jesus’ mother be? A virgin. Of what house was he to be? Of David. Where would he be born? Bethlehem. What name would he be given? Immanuel. What death would be his? The cross—piercing the body without breaking his bones. Where? At Jerusalem, outside the city.2 Paul’s task was rooted as far back as the garden of Eden, the patriarchs, and the prophets.

According to verses 3 and 4 his task was to preach that Christ was both human and divine. Verse 3 stresses Christ’s humanity by avowing that he “was descended from David according to the flesh.” The Greek here is ek spermatos, from the very seed of David—thus emphasizing his intense humanity. Jesus was a man. He was not play-acting.

Verse 4 equally stresses his divinity by saying, “[he] was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit [or his spirit] of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.”

The story is told that a certain M. Lepeau complained to Talleyrand that a new religion of his—one he considered a great improvement over Christianity—had failed to catch on with the people. He asked Talleyrand for some suggestions. Talleyrand dryly said, “M. Lepeau, to insure success for your new religion, all you need do is have yourself cruci?ed and then rise from the dead on the third day!” The resurrection “declared” that Jesus was the Son of God. The Greek word is very helpful in getting the force of the idea because it is related to our English word horizon, “the boundary between heaven and earth.” God’s mighty deed in raising Jesus from the dead “horizoned” him—that is, it clearly marked out Jesus as the divine Son. Paul’s entire view was dominated by Christ as the Son of God.3

But it must also be...