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This week we are going to focus on verse 4, which tells us that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord”. This verse is a continuation of what Paul began to describe last week in verse three regarding the identity of Jesus Christ.

This week we are going to focus on verse 3, which tells us that Jesus was God’s “Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh”. We know that Jesus was the promise of salvation, who was spoken of by the prophets for centuries before arriving here on this earth, and we know that Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine – as these verses highlight, not to mention other places in the Bible such as John 1:1-18.

¹Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among the nations, ⁶including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, ⁷To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As we come to our fifth week, studying Romans 1:1 – 7, we will be directing our attention to Paul’s words in verses 1 – 2 where he says that “the gospel of God” is something “which he [God] promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures”. Have you ever stopped and thought about how the gospel, as an ancient promise, is meant to become part of your identity? Part of the image of who you are?

As we come to our fourth installment in our study of Romans 1:1 – 7, I want to remind you of the reason we are studying so slowly. The reason why we are examining these verses, word for word or phrase by phrase is because in these opening verses, in these words, in these phrases, we find a great theology of our identity.

Well, here we are, week three in our study of the book of Romans. More specifically, week three of studying the first seven verses of the book of Romans as we consider all of the marks of identity that Paul uses to describe himself, the person of Christ Jesus, and the believers in Rome.

Last week, we began our study of the book of Romans, and we surveyed the first seven verses, commonly referred to as Paul’s introduction to the letter. What we learned last week, is that it is far more than a mere introduction; it is far more than the appetizer before the main dish of the letter.

Today we begin our study in the book of Romans! I have wanted to preach the book of Romans since the Lord saved me over twenty-six years ago. I have had the pleasure of preaching certain portions of Romans over the years, and many of you know that Romanschapter Eight is my life chapter – the one chapter in all of Scripture that has affected my life and ministry the most.