Paul, servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1)

By the time Paul sent his epistle to the Romans, his eyesight had declined considerably along with, consequently, his ability to read and write. Therefore, he used secretaries like brother Tertius (Romans 16:22), to whom he dictated his letters. But his passion for Christ and the Gospel was intact. In fact, around this time he was planning to go to Rome—after visiting Jerusalem—to spend time with the church there and to share with them his missionary plan for Spain, hoping perhaps that they might support him (Romans 15:23-24). 

What kept Paul’s fire for Christ burning even in his old age? I believe it was the conviction of his calling. He knew exactly who he was and what he existed for. In Romans 1:1, he describes himself with three adjectival phrases that are revealing: “servant of Jesus Christ,” “called to be an apostle,” and “set apart for the gospel of God.” Let’s take a look at each of them.  

1. “Servant” is from the Greek word doulos, which literally means “slave.” The term was applied to the prophets of the Old Testament and carried a special dignity (Amos 3:7: “Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets”; see also Jeremiah 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4, etc.). Paul applied this word to himself in this sense. He was indeed a New Covenant prophet serving Jesus Christ and held the dignity of his service very highly.

2. “Apostle” is a transliteration of the Greek apostolos, meaning “one who is sent” or “a messenger.” The New Testament uses this word in two ways. Broadly speaking, it refers to any person sent or commissioned by someone else. Such was the case of Barnabas and Paul himself, sent by the church in Antioch (Acts 13:2-3). They are called “apostles” in Acts 14:14. In a restricted sense, the word applies only to the 12 disciples that Jesus chose during his earthly ministry. When Judas committed suicide after betraying Jesus, the 11 had to choose someone to replace him. The candidates were to be disciples “who were with Jesus from the day John baptized him until the day of his ascension” (Acts 1:21-22). The twelve had a special status in the church, especially regarding their teachings. Paul saw himself as a 13th apostle, as he states in 1 Corinthians 15:8-10: 

“… and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Paul’s apostleship was directed especially to Gentiles, Acts 26:16-17: 

“Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them.”

And in Galatians 2:8, he wrote, “for he who acted in Peter for the apostleship of the circumcision, acted also in me towards the Gentiles.” 

3. Finally, “set apart” is from the Greek aphorismeos. The word “pharisee” comes from the same root. Before his conversion, Paul was set apart for the study and proclamation of the Law. Now, as a Christian, he was “set apart for the gospel of God,” that is, for proclaiming the gospel that had its origin in God. He was convinced that God thought of him before his birth, and set him apart to be his spokesman, just as he had done with others like Jeremiah, to whom he said: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I sanctified you, I made you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). 

With enormous dignity and joy, Paul said to the Galatians: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood…” (Galatians 1:15-16).

In these times of pessimism and spiritual malnutrition, of confusion and meaninglessness, of defeatism and fatalism, it is so comforting to listen to someone like Paul proclaim with such enthusiasm and conviction his spiritual identity and role in God’s kingdom. To a large extent, the current spiritual crisis of the church is an identity crisis. We are servants of Jesus Christ, called and sent with a message of hope, set apart for the Gospel of God. Let us remember this and believe it.