“5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, 6 including you who are also called by Jesus Christ. 7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through Jesus, the Son of God, Christians have received grace and apostleship. We have received grace because we have no way to be redeemed from our sinful transgressions if not for an act of God, if not for His grace. Jesus himself is this grace. Through Jesus, we receive grace because he lived, died, and rose on behalf of sinners, that all who will repent, confess, and believe will be saved. Sinful transgressions are removed, having been placed on Jesus at the cross, and blessed righteousness is put on in its place, having been inherited from the righteousness of Christ Jesus and His perfect, sinless life.
There are two different ways we have received apostleship from Jesus:
First, we have received apostleship from Jesus because it is Jesus Himself who chooses His Apostles. Jesus chose each of the original twelve Apostles, who would be with Jesus for the majority of His ministry on Earth, until His death on the cross. For examples of this see Matthew 4:18-22, 9:9, and Mark 3:13-19. We also see that, as the eleven Apostles seek to replace Judas, the Apostle who betrayed Jesus and later killed himself, God is active. (See Acts 1:23-26)
In these examples we see that Jesus was responsible for appointing each of the Apostles, but why is this important? This is another act of grace from God! In Jesus, we receive grace through salvation, and in Jesus, we receive grace through His establishment and preservation of the Apostles. The Apostles, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, will go on after Jesus’ death to write a majority of the New Testament. In Jesus, we not only have the means of salvation but also the way of knowing and understanding it! Not only that. The Apostles also are responsible for the establishment of what would come to be known as the Christian church. Here Jesus provides everything that is needed to bring God’s elect to salvation through the gospel and sanctification, that is, spiritual growth, through knowledge of the Bible and the accountability provided by the church.
“And He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,…” — Ephesians 4:11-12 (bold added)
The second way we have received apostleship from Jesus is this: All who are saved in Christ have received a commission from Jesus to be “lower case a” apostles. This means we are not God’s specifically chosen Apostles, like those listed above, who were chosen by Him during His life on earth for the initial spread of the Gospel and the establishment of the Christian church. No, we are not listed among the original 13 Apostles (original 12, plus Matthias), but we are all still called by Jesus to go forth and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them about the Holy Scriptures and the will of God.
“Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” — Matthew 28:18-20
It’s worth noting that this apostleship we have received is also a means of grace from Jesus toward us. It benefits God nothing that we are involved in the bringing about of His kingdom. God has no need of our help or assistance in bringing about the salvation of His elect people. Our receipt of Jesus’ commission to go forth and make disciples is for our benefit. Through the process of being apostles, we will find that our own faith in, and understanding of, God and His Word will grow exponentially.
What is the point of Jesus’ sacrifice for sinners and His establishment of the apostles? Paul is working his way up to Romans 3, where he will make it clear that there is not a single human being who has not sinned and is not guilty before God for their transgressions. He will prove to us time and time again that we as humans have nothing to do with the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus. It is a free gift from God, and we cannot do anything to acquire it on our own. The grace and apostleship we have received in Jesus further illustrate that everything we have comes from God and it is His blessing upon us who receive it with gratitude. Paul tells us that the grace and apostleship we receive through Jesus is intended to spur the Gentiles on to obedience. Changed hearts seeking to be obedient is what will bring glory to God! Paul also tells us that Jesus’ work is not merely for the chosen people of Israel, but for the sake of Jesus’ name among all the Gentiles, a group of people for which we know Paul feels especially called to minister. (See Acts 9:15) Notice, the salvation found in Jesus is not without obligation. All who are saved by the grace of Jesus the Messiah will find themselves wanting to be obedient to God. Growing in our faith and becoming more like Christ is not a passive state. Christians must work to be obedient, for the sake of honoring God’s name and bringing glory to His name.
One more quick note: In these first few devotionals, covering the opening seven verses of Chapter 1, Paul includes a quick summary of nearly all the content that he will address in greater detail throughout the rest of his letter. In these verses, Paul affirms the holiness of the Scriptures, and by extension one can affirm their inerrancy. He affirms Jesus as the Son of God, Christ the Lord, descendant of David, the one whom the prophets foretold of, the Messiah. Paul affirms Jesus was born, according to the flesh, that is, human as we are, and yet, is the powerful Son of God, in accordance with the Spirit of holiness, including Jesus as a member of the Trinity. He affirms that Christ was resurrected from the dead, proving His righteousness, perfect sinlessness, and power over death. Each of these doctrines is vital and necessary to understanding the gospel of Jesus that Paul presents in this letter.