Paul; an Apostle of Jesus Christ
A Sermon on Romans 1:1
Originally preached Oct. 28, 1955
Scripture
1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Sermon Description
Just who was the apostle Paul and what right did he have to speak for God? In this sermon on Paul the apostle from Romans 1:1, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones seeks to answer these questions. While many question the credibility and authority of God’s chosen author of Romans, Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows Paul as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, and be separated unto the gospel of God. In order to be categorized as an apostle, one had to have been explicitly called and empowered by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Paul received this calling while travelling on the Damascus Road. As an apostle, he had the same knowledge, truth, and authority as all of Christ’s twelve apostles. Paul was explicitly called to share this knowledge and truth of the gospel with the Gentiles. Seeing now the impact of Paul’s ministry, one can question why God did not convert Paul at an earlier time. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the timing of God is one of the most fascinating things seen in Scripture. In time, the true fullness of God will come and as God has planned. In the same manner, God knew each of His children before the foundation of this world was formed, and His fullness will be revealed in His followers in His timing.
Sermon Breakdown
- Paul introduces himself to the Romans as a servant of Jesus Christ.
- Paul was called to be an apostle, meaning he was commissioned by Jesus directly.
- Paul was separated unto the gospel of God, meaning he was set apart for this purpose even before birth.
- There is no apostolic succession today. Apostles had to be eyewitnesses of Jesus and be directly commissioned by him.
- The commission to heal the sick and raise the dead was given only to the apostles, not the church today.
- Paul's calling was not an afterthought but part of God's eternal plan.
- The timing of God's plans is perfect and purposeful. Though things seem chaotic, God is in control.
- Our salvation is part of God's eternal plan, determined before the world began.
- Knowing God's sovereignty should compel us to live holy lives.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.