"Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures."
Romans 1:1-2

A PREACHER OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD

Paul saw his calling very specifically. Above everything else that he did for the Lord, in humble service, he saw his calling and separation to proclaim the Gospel of God. The following texts bear out this understanding of his calling to be a preacher of the Gospel.

"For Christ did not send me to baptize,
but to preach the gospel…"
1 Corinthians 1:17

"To which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle,
and a teacher of the Gentiles."
2 Timothy 1:11

THE CONTENT OF THE GOSPEL OF GOD

When Paul preached the Gospel, he would invariably have Jews disputing with him over the content of the message he proclaimed. The following text is an example of the kind of opposition he encountered from the Jews.

"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were
filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming,
they opposed the things spoken by Paul."
Acts 13:45

Paul thought much about the fact that the present epistle he was writing would have a Jewish audience and readership. He wanted them to know that the content of the Gospel he preached was not inconsistent with what was written in the Holy Scriptures! There were three vital things he knew he needed to emphasize so as to remove fears and misgivings among the Jews in the Church in Rome.

1. "Which He promised before" (Promises of God)

Paul was fully aware of the doctrine of the promises of God in Jewish theology! Did the Gospel he proclaimed contradict any promise of God? Far from it! His Gospel affirmed the promises of God made to Israel!

2. "Through His prophets"

Did Paul preach against any of the prophets of God? Paul had never spoken against the prophets of God. On the contrary, he cited the writings of the prophets frequently in his messages and in his writings. Paul in fact argued strongly that his Gospel was derived from the prophets!

3. "The Holy Scriptures"

The Holy Scriptures were held in the highest esteem by Israel. Any and every doctrine preached would be measured against the authority of the Holy Scriptures. Paul affirmed that his Gospel was in perfect alignment with the Sacred Text.