Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Exposition of Chapter 1: The Gospel of God
Chapter Thirteen

Romans 1:7-8 To all 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. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Doctrine vs. practical?

Even as Paul is speaking in a more personal and personal way, it is still full of doctrine. The Christian life is one and it is indivisible. The peculiar characteristic of the Christian is that all his actions are directly connected to his doctrine, to his belief.

‘Grace to you and peace’

Grace: unmerited favour. Kindness to someone who doesn’t deserve it at all. The whole basis of our salvation. What does this experience of grace lead to? Peace.
Grace > Peace. The grace of God is designed to bring us to and to give us this peace. These two terms are the beginning and the end. Paul is thinking of the source of the river and the sea to which it leads – the Alpha and Omega.
Peace: The opposite of strife, restlessness, uncertainty and unhappiness. The Christian is someone who enjoys peace with God, then from that finds peace in life. The absence of restlessness within.

When you wish anybody grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, you have wished them everything.

‘God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ’

God is a Father to the Christian. He is not a philosopher’s abstraction: the x, the ‘absolute’, the ‘eternal’. No! He is our Father. Personal. ‘and the Lord Jesus Christ’ shows us they are equal… What can you put by the side of God? Nothing but God. Anything by His side must be equal with him.

‘I thank my God’

Paul does not thank them – He thanks God for them. We are not to be praised, It is God who is to be praised for what we are.

‘faith’

What kind of faith? A specific spiritual gift of faith, or a general saving faith? He is not saying they are unusual or outstanding in their faith and in their manefestation of faith. No! He is thanking God that they have faith at all.

‘whole world’

Does not mean every single individual. Let the context decide what the word means in any given, particular instance, and you will find it has different means attached to it in different places. Everyone in the Roman empire? No, he’s referring only to members of the Church in different countries. Christian people everywhere in the Roman Empire and heard that there were Christians even in Rome, and Paul rejoices in that, and they rejoice.

They had not got newspapers, mobiles or the internet. Yet, the news had spread to every Christian in the Roman empire. What a lesson on church publicity! A revival never needs to be advertised. You do not need to advertise the work of the Holy Spirit; it is its own advertisement. Christianity was advertised in the first century at the very beginning simply by the lives and living of Christian people. Are you advertising Christianity?

More from Romans

I noticed an article recently in a Christian publication claiming that a number of well known, much-used worship songs were actually unbiblical. The writer’s arguments concerning specific songs were not particularly convincing, but it did raise an issue that affects all those of us involved in leading and participating in church worship: how much do we take care to ensure what we sing is true? And does it really matter anyway?

Yes.

Over the next few days and weeks, I’ll try and post up some thoughts on the Role of Songs, Doctrine and Experience, Theology and Poetry and Psalm, Hymns and Spiritual Songs.

I’ll tweet once something’s up if you’re interested…