Romans 1:1 Paul the Apostle

Paul begins the epistle by presenting his credentials:
1:1 - He is a BONDSERVANT OF CHRIST, he is CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE, he was SEPARATED TO THE GOSPEL
There are 3 points to note here:

i) A bondservant is a willing slave, not a forced one. Paul is thinking of the case of the Hebrew slave who so loved his master that rather than take the opportunity to go free, he preferred to stay and serve the master he so loved, as a sign of his devotion the slave had his ear pierced (Deut.15:12-18). In the same way Paul so loved his Master, the Lord Jesus that he served Him willingly not by compulsion.

ii) He was called to be an apostle. Paul's ministry was not something he had decided upon for himself, throughout his ministry he was always at pains to stress this point (see Gal.1:1; 1:14ff.). His calling and ability to fulfill that calling was a gift of God's grace. In 1Cor.15:10 he states:


But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I but the grace of God which was with me.

He is then stating that the authority for his ministry is God-given and God-empowered, it is the highest possible authority.

Any who are serving the Lord in a ministry ought to be able to say the same. Too much harm is being done to the church through the false ministry of men and women who have either appointed themselves or have been appointed by others because of natural talents rather than God-given ability.

iii) Paul says he was separated to the gospel, in other words God had set him apart for a specific purpose, chiefly to declare and teach the gospel. He was a chosen vessel of God (Acts 9:15) and here he affirms that calling to his readers. Paul is further emphasizing his divine authority in matters of faith, particularly those which concern the gospel.