April 15, 2001

Romans 1:1-4; 1 “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God

with power by the resurrection from the dead,

according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name’s sake, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

declared the Son of God

The resurrection hope is an essential and re-occurring theme of the Scripture. See Job’s testimony:

Job 19:25-27; 25 “And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

26 “Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

27 Whom I myself shall behold,

And whom my eyes shall see and not another.

“ . . . declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, ”

1. It is a Concise Declaration

“ . . . declared the Son of God . . .” Paul sets forth the divinity of Christ in the clearest fashion. See his epistle to the Colossians 2:9,10 “For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, . . .”

2. It is a Powerful Declaration

“ . . . declared the Son of God with power . . .”

dunavmei = power from the Greek “dunamis.” We get our word dynamite from this word. Dunamis, power, is to be distinguished from exousia, the right to exercise power as in John 17:2 “Thou gavest Him authority (exousia; KJV, power) over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life.”

The word “crucial” is interesting and fits very well here. The American Dictionary gives this historical meaning; “Having the form of a cross; cross-shaped. [From New Latin (instantia) crucis, (experimentum) crucis, crossroads (case), crossroads (experiment) from Latin crux, cruc-, cross.” It is no accident that at the “crossroads of history is His Story; namely, that Christ died on a cross, was buried and rose again on the 3rd day.

1. Resurrection Power Declares His Ancestry

“ . . . declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, ”

2. Resurrection Power Declares His Sovereignty

Sovereignty in Purpose Acts 2:22,23; 22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

Sovereignty in Position Acts 2:24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

3. Resurrection Power Declares His Soteriology

1st Corinthians 15:16-22; 16 “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. 20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.”