"And declared to be the Son of God with power…" Romans 1:4

MORE THAN MERE CLAIMS

It is one thing to lay claims, it is another thing to prove it! In an encounter with hostile Jews, Jesus appealed to a number of things as His witnesses:-

1. He appealed to the witness of John the Baptiser (Cf. John 5:32-35),

2. He also appealed to His works as proof (Cf. John 5:36).

3. He went on to speak of His Father as another Witness (Cf. John 5:37).

4. Finally He appealed to the Scriptures as His witness (Cf. John 5:39).

IN THE SAME VEIN

Paul did not merely make a verbal claim that Jesus was the Son of God. The following text shows Paul making a strong appeal to further powerful proofs.

"And declared to be the Son of God with power
according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection
from the dead."
Romans 1:4

1. Involvement of the Spirit of God

Paul argued that the Spirit of God Himself was deeply involved in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ!

a) His power was outpoured in Jesus' life (Cf. Luke 4:1, 14).

b) The Spirit of God Himself "declared Him" to be the Son of God.

c) The prophets spoke of the Holy Spirit's ministry in the life of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2-3; 61:1).

2. The sign of the resurrection

One of the most powerful truths that Paul posited was the resurrection of Jesus as proof that He was truly the Son of God!

a) It takes nothing less than Divine power to raise a person from the dead.

b) The resurrection of Jesus was effected by none other than the Spirit of holiness.