#6. Romans 1:7 - The Beginning

Part I: Introductions

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, severed for the evangel of God (which He promises before through His prophets in the holy scriptures), concerning His Son (Who comes of the seed of David according to the flesh, Who is designated Son of God with power, according to a spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead),

Jesus Christ, our Lord, through Whom we obtained grace and apostleship for faith-obedience among all the nations, for His name's sake, among whom are you also, the called of Jesus Christ: to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints:

Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Grace and peace constitute, as it were, the opposite poles between which the entire act of salvation revolves, grace forming the basis, and peace being the replete and undisturbed state of conciliation. The fountain of salvation is in God, the Father, while Jesus Christ is the Mediator of salvation and, as such, the Lord. Thus we have the very foundation of all apostolic preaching condensed in the term, ‘God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.’”

-          H.L., Unsearchable Riches, Vol. 57, p. 139

This is the beginning. Everything that will transpire in Romans stems from these two core themes: grace and peace. In this letter, God is going to show us what grace is, and what peace is. We are, in essence, being given a thesis statement – one that will be proven by the end. In can, in some sense, even serve as a summary of the letter!

Grace is the critical theme to Romans. It is the first blessing God imparts to us – which enables belief, and establishes a proper foundation by which to apprehend everything that follows – both in Romans and in subsequent study. All of Paul’s letters carry traces of this grace, but here in Romans the doctrine is fully set forth for us (Galatians explains and clarifies these points as well.)

We will, as we go along in Romans, consider each use of the word ‘grace,’ which will further enlighten us to its context. The word itself is charis, and its Greek element is the word “JOY.” This term alone encompasses more than ‘mercy,’ for, again, ‘mercy’ is its own term with its own definition. Joy is something that today’s world is sorely lacking. It’s hard to set your sights upon anything in this world and find a permanent, unmovable joy.

Yes, your dog brings you joy. Yes, your coffee in the morning brings you joy. Yes, your family, your wife, maybe money or something – all bring you joy. But the unfortunate reality is that these things do not last. The relative world will pass us by, and there’s 6,000 years of documented human history to prove it. Scientific theory comes and goes. Our understanding of the nature of reality improves or deteriorates as time presses on. Oceans rise. Empires fall. Nothing is permanent.

So! God, that is, the all-knowing Subjector of all, Who is not subject to time, but its Maker, speaks of a joy He is imparting to us in spirit. Would it not follow that this joy is a permanent joy, then? Something that can last? He is under no time restriction, and, being the One that made all, has the only joy that stays. This is grace, or joy, being imparted to you. It can fester within us, effectively changing our life. We will read about it fully in Rom. 3:21-4:25.

The same is true of peace. If the term “grace” and “peace” are made distinct here, then it follows that “grace” and “peace” are two different concepts. Sure enough, God will be using grace as a platform to educate us on the peace from God (Rom. 5:1.) The peace is tranquility – a lack of disturbance, or agitation concerning <insert situation here.> The word is eirene (‘eye-ray-nay,’) and its element is simply “PEACE.” It is derived from the verb eiro, which in Greek means “to join.” This makes sense, of course, as to ‘make peace’ with someone is to settle a conflict, joining or mending the two sides together.

Peace, like grace, has had many relative moments in our lives. We are at peace after a number of ordeals – a walk in the woods, a satisfying read, a night with a lover, a deep meditative reflection, and more. Yet this is no ordinary peace (just as this is no ordinary grace.) We are receiving ‘grace’ and ‘peace’ that is of the Creator of the universe. Yes, the God that created the universe (of which we can see a mere fraction – almost 90 billion lightyears away, that is, a fraction of a percentage of the entire expanse,) wants to share His grace and His peace with you.

Far-fetched? I agree. There has to be some kind of assurance, you know? That any of what we’re about to get into is actually true. If the introduction to this letter is any indication, we are in for a carefully worded, perfectly written argument. It is only if this argument truly stays perfectly written that this letter can prove itself (and I know I, for one, am a very tough crowd to please.)

The term “god” is theos in Greek, and its element is “PLACER.” So the God, the Supreme God of Scripture, is, truthfully, not just ‘imparting’ this grace, and this peace. He is placing it in you. This is the force of what Paul is saying. He did not say, “Grace to you and peace from God… unless you don’t really believe in Him, in which case…” He said grace and peace. There is no conditionality in the phrase. The address is different, but Paul will later reveal that this statement is not limited to Rome (Rom. 5:10, 18-19, 11:36.

God, the Placer, is also called our Father, in this portion of Scripture. Sometimes, when I ask people to define “God,” they say, “He’s my Father!” This, unfortunately, is not the definition of god, for placer is the definition of god. It is not ‘His name,’ for there is another word for that (it’s ‘Yahweh.’) ‘God’ is His title. His job description. To place things. You can replace every single use of the word ‘god’ with ‘placer,’ and the force of the sentence will not lose its impact (and, in some cases, it may even provide more of an impact to a sentence you’ve been reading for years.)

Did I just define ‘god’ for you, firmly answering a theological topic that has confused theologians for thousands of years by adhering to simple grammatical cues in a 3,000-year-old language?

Well… no, I didn’t.

Did I give you the key to understanding a theological topic that has confused theologians for thousands of years by adhering to simple grammatical cues in a 3,000-year-old language?

Why… yes, I did!

The simple reality is that we now know what ‘god’ means. Now that we know this, we can firmly assert that ‘placer’ is not the definition of ‘father!’ If you try to implant the word ‘father’ wherever the word ‘god’ is used, you will indeed become very confused (and potentially bloated and gassy) concerning what a father is (leading to instantaneous internal combustion.)

We can tell that this would be an issue because the word ‘father’ is used in conjunction with the word ‘god’ here. Both of these are put side by side more than 20 times in the New Testament alone. There is clearly a distinction and separation between these two departments that make up the Deity.

He calls Himself a providing, caring, affectionate Figure, intimately guiding us through our day – our Father. Not only is He our God, but He is a loving Father, taking us through that which He placed. It is the job of a father to train a son – to like what they like, hate what they hate, see their point of view, and equip them with the tools necessary to learn and mature. This theme will be reflected throughout Romans – our Father, establishing His perspective of us – apart from our own thoughts on the matter.

So! The questions we may ask now are this: how is God imparting this grace, and this peace, on us? This is what I mean when I say that Paul is providing us with a thesis statement for the rest of the letter. He will eventually answer to these two questions perfectly, but it will take the entire letter in order to fully complete this argument.

Now, if that were the end of the sentence, this article would end here. Yet Romans 1:7 has one extra phrase, and it’s this: “and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This takes us headlong into yet another debate, but this is much easier: there are many in Christianity who proclaim to believe in a ‘Trinity,’ that is, the idea that ‘Jesus,’ ‘God,’ and ‘holy spirit’ are all the same Deity. This idea was not invented by the apostles, but in 325 A.D., by the ‘First Council of Nicaea.’ They describe God as “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.”

So! The question we may ask now is this: what the heck does that mean?

Don’t worry. I wonder what it means too. And, here’s the thing: who on earth put the ‘First Council of Nicaea’ in charge of how we should be understanding the Bible? Why is their conclusion, in the minds of many, contingent on whether or not you are saved by God?

It’s these translations we’re using. See how you and I are able to come to an agreement on the definition of a word, and figure out its usage in the text, because we have a faithful method to understanding the text, as opposed to ‘whatever makes sense to us personally’?

The simple reality is that the statement the ‘First Council of Nicaea’ makes (which I will not repeat, for fear of my computer bursting into Resees pieces,) is not found in the Old or New Testament – least of all in Paul’s epistles. This strange assortment of words, in fact, seems to be directly challenged by the fact that Paul simply writes ‘God and the Lord Jesus Christ’ here!

When the ‘and’ is given, there are two separate objects in play. Unless you are speaking irreverently (maybe ‘I went to the store and found nothing, and more nothing,’) the statement Paul makes here must refer to two different Ones. This is a dangerous claim to be making this early on in Romans, I understand, but I want to emphasize that this will become a critical point of contention throughout the epistle, for many declarations Paul makes cannot make sense apart from them.

Now, to those that believe in a ‘Trinity’ (the foundation of which was presented by the Nicaean Council,) what I just said simply doesn’t matter. They believe that there is a Father, a Son, and a Holy Ghost, and that these three are all one being called “God.” In this sense, they are ‘plural’ and ‘singular’ simultaneously. This, to them, resolves the little 1+1+1=1 issue.

Let me ask you yet another probing question: Paul has been making a complete natural sense so far to any passerby (“Hi, my name is Paul, I’m your neighborhood slave, and I was called for something much bigger than myself: the evangel of God. It’s all about God’s Son, and God’s Son is, in flesh, the true King of Israel, and has a spirit of holiness. He’s my Lord, through Whom I got some pretty cool stuff, and I’m here to share that with you!”) If he makes so much sense when reading this stuff simply and literally, with a concordant translation, then why on earth would we want to sacrifice this for big philosophical jargon?

Let’s do this simply. If this is God’s message to the nations, let’s presume that He wants to clarify, and not confuse. Let’s take Him at His word. For now, we are sticking to basics. We have no reason to concede that ‘God’ and ‘Christ’ are the same Being, per the beginning of God’s letters to us. We are playing stupid as we go through Romans, remember? This is our message – Paul’s evangel. If Paul, the called apostle, does not teach us that ‘God’ and ‘Christ’ are the same Being, then we’ve got no reason to conclude as such. And, as a corollary, if Paul does teach that ‘God’ and ‘Christ’ are part of a triune deity, then we will conform our understanding to align with what God says.

This is the beginning. We are receiving grace and peace from God, our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ. This phrase is not exclusive to Romans. Paul says this (with some slight variation) at the beginning of every single one of his letters (1 Cor. 1:3, 2 Cor. 1:2, Gal. 1:3, Eph. 1:2, Phil. 1:2, Col. 1:2, 1 Thess. 1:1, 2 Thess. 1:2, 1 Tim. 1:2, 2 Tim. 1:2, Tit. 1:4, Ph. 1:3.) This may be perceived as a sweet greeting, but it is also a calling card (just as The Joker leaves a playing card, Batman leaves his batarangs, and I leave my poopy in my girlfriend’s toilet.)

It is Paul’s signature phrase. Did we ask for it? Well, I’m sure we did, at one point or another in our lives. God will now humble us, showing us the true nature of grace, peace, Himself, His fatherhood, and His Son.

If you have made it this far, thank you. I’ll wrap this up with a quote from James G. Poole’s “Notes on Romans,” here:

“[The phrase] occurs in all his epistles with slight variations. It is addressed to those worthy of praise, like the Thessalonians and also to those who need censure, like the Corinthians. It reflects God’s attitude to all of us whether we be worthy or unworthy! The source of blessing is the grace of God our Father, the channel through which it comes is our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace comes first, then peace. This is the divine order.”

*   *   *

This is the end of Paul’s first sentence, seven verses in. Long, isn’t it? Kinda complicated, too, but nothing we can’t grasp so far, with efficient and careful study of the words when properly translated, with a careful eye not to add or remove anything from the text. In this short window we’re given vital information on Paul, the subject, the context, the credits and credibility, the Source of the word, our relation to Christ (Paul calling God his “Father” is no small matter, as it would make Jesus Christ our Brother as well,) and facts for believers to carry with them throughout their lives.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you. And strap in! We’re in it for the long haul. Grace and peace.

- GerudoKing