Romans 1:3-4

Passage

… regarding His Son who according to the flesh was born out of the seed of David and who according to the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord …

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul focuses upon the humanity of Jesus.  He was a seed of David.  In other words, the greatest king of the Hebrew people was a part of Jesus’ ancestry.  This point is not important because David’s genetics were superior to everyone else’s genetics.  This point is important because it fulfills a promise that God made.  God tells His people that their salvation would come from a shoot that rises up from the stump of Jesse.  (Jesse was David’s father.)  Here again we see that God did proclaim His work before He did it.  He prepared the people.  Then He fulfilled His promise.  This is how God works.  He prepares us and then fulfills His will in and through us.

There was roughly 1,000 years between David and Jesus: does this fact put you in awe of how patient God is in fulfilling His promises?  How has God fulfilled His will in your life as promised by Him to you?

Second Thought:

Paul also focuses on the divinity of Jesus.  He was the Son of God.  He had the power of God.  God’s awesome nature was surely on display in Christ!  He was no simple prophet or miracle worker.  God’s power flowed through Him in thought, teaching, and deed.  It was a powerful display indeed of how God loves us and desires to be in relationship with His creation.

How has God’s power in Christ been on display in your life?  What are some of your favorite stories about Jesus that displays the power of God in the lives of those around Him?

Third Thought:

Paul also makes it clear that the resurrection of the dead is significant.  Yes, we are saved by the grace of God that comes through the crucifixion of our Lord.  However, we know God’s power and promise in the resurrection of Christ.  If God can raise Jesus from the dead, then He can certainly raise those who are found in Jesus as well!  In that act, God demonstrates Himself as even more powerful than the one power on this earth we cannot escape: death.  Our only way through death is to be in Christ and claim the promise and power of God as a gift unto us.

Have you claimed God’s promise for eternal life?  What do you think the resurrection of the dead will be like for you?  What do you think it was like for Jesus?  How is God’s power over the forces of this world on display in the resurrection?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 1:5-6