Romans 1:2-4: "The Good News Salutation Part II"

Paul began his salutation by explaining who he was as the author. He explains that he is a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, he defends his apostleship, and gives all credit to God as being set apart to preach the gospel. He will now explain to the Romans the unfathomable deity of Christ and how he fulfilled the scriptures they had studied all their lives.

In v.2, Paul is trying to show the Roman Jews that the Old Testament they had studied and read so many times was replete with prophecies about Jesus Christ. "It is estimated that the Old Testament contains at least 332 prophecies about Christ" from MacArthur's commentary. It is amazing to think that the very scriptures that were the backbone of Jewish history, which spoke so often of the Messiah, did not open their eyes up enough to see the fulfillment of them in Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2, "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son".

Some of the main OT prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ include (taken from The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell:

1. Born of a Virgin

Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Matthew 1:18, 24, 25, "She was found with child of the Holy Spirit . . . then Joseph . . . did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus."

2. Son of God

Psalm 2:7, "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You."

Matthew 3:17, "And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"

Also, Mark3:11 The demons realized his Sonship as well as the high priest (Matt. 26:63).

3. Seed of Abraham

Genesis 22:18, "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

Matthew 1:1, "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."

The whole 53rd chapter of Isa. speaks of the suffering the Messiah must go through to satisfy the penalty of sin. All this clearly illustrated in Christ's death on the cross.

In v.3 another OT prophecy is shown in which Christ is not only the Son of God, but also born a descendant of David "according to the flesh". In Jeremiah 23:5, "Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the land." In Luke 3:23, 31, "Jesus, . . . the son of David . . ."

Jesus gets his humanity through Mary within the line of David, yet in v.4 we see Christ's deity through God as He declared Christ the Son of God. It is an amazing thing to think about this, and often times hard to explain or even believe. Yet, I understand that this could be the only way. It could not make sense for Jesus to be solely human. For if this were the case, he would have no right to be the substitution for our sins. No human can appease the wrath of God that is being stored up on us for our sins. It is only in God that we can get our forgiveness, and yet He could not pure that wrath out on a sinful human and our sins be washed away. He had to be 100% man as well. This is clearly explained in Hebrews 2:17, "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people". What an amazing thought. The gospel is so perfect in it's dealing with justice and mercy and Christ embodied both of those perfectly.

So we can see that Christ not only fulfilled OT prophecy about being in the line of David, but also being God Incarnate. This single issue, often referred to as the deity of Christ, is the essential claim of Christ. We must believe in these facts with all our hearts in order for us to be saved. It is imperative that we understand that Jesus is who He claimed to be: GOD. It is on this that so many of the Jewish people could not understand and believe, and for this reason were not able to inherit the kingdom. It is on this that Christ was crucified by His people. They thought it was blasphemy for anyone to call themselves equal with God, which is very true of everyone except Christ; who proved throughout His lifetime He truly was the Son of God. MacArthur explains, "It was at the time that He became a human being, Paul says, that Jesus was declared the Son of God. Though the plan was eternal, the title Son is reserved as an incarnational term, applied to Jesus in its fullness only after He put on the robe of humanity. He was the Son of God in the sense of oneness of essence and in the role of dutiful, loving submission to the Father in His self-emptying incarnation . . . We could say, then, that Christ was the Son of God from eternity in expectation and was declared God's Son in fulfillment at the incarnation and forever." Paul further provides commentary on this history changing event in Philippians 2:5-8, "Christ Jesus, . . . although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, . . . being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." What an amazing, deeply rich theological statement on the deity of Christ.

Paul goes on to explain in v.4 the most substantial and essential of all the proofs of His Sonship, "with power by the resurrection from the dead . . ." With only the power that God has to raise the dead to life, God established Himself in all that Christ claimed to truly be God, the son. All of Jesus life was a testimony to His deity. He never sinned, He had wisdom beyond any that had ever lived, He did numerous miracles, but above all it was the resurrection from the dead that substantiated any claim He ever made. There have been many men that have claimed many things, and just because someone claims something does not truly mean they are. However, Christ proved to be who He said He was as the only "man" to ever raise Himself from the dead.

Paul again explains further about this event by adding, "according to the spirit of holiness. MacArthur explains, "[This] is another way of saying, 'according to the nature and work of the Holy Spirit.' It was the Holy Spirit working in Christ who accomplished Jesus' resurrection and every other miracle performed by Him or associated with Him. In the incarnation, Jesus Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the resurrection He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit . . ." In this verse we can see the working action of the trinity with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What a doctrinally rich passage.

To wrap up this section of the salutation Paul explains that this man who was "promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures" and "who was declared the Son of God" who was a "descendent of David" who was "resurr[ected] from the dead, according to the spirit of holiness" is in fact this person you have heard about, His name is Jesus Christ and He is "our Lord". In one sentence Paul has described who Jesus Christ was and is, and in the next section will described what He did for us.