Concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
—Romans 1:3-4
Right here at the opening of Romans, before Paul has argued a single point, he plants the deepest truth in all of theology. He tells us who Jesus is. And what he says will not let you sit on the fence.
First, Jesus is fully human, “descended from David according to the flesh.” He was a real human being, born into a real family line, who walked dusty roads and grew tired and wept real tears. This is the Incarnation, what we celebrate every Christmas. But here’s the wonder of it: He never sinned. Not once.
And second, He is fully God, “declared to be the Son of God in power” by His resurrection from the dead. Let me be careful and clear here, because this is where so many go wrong. Jesus is not a man who worked His way up to becoming God. He is God who came down and became a man. The resurrection didn’t make Him the Son of God; it declared, for all the world to see, what was true all along.
Now why does this matter to you on an ordinary Tuesday? Because people will tell you there are many roads to God. “One religion is just as good as another,” they say. “Just sincerely pick your path.” And in one sense they’re right, all the religions are just alike, because apart from Christ, they’re all powerless to save. The gospel is not a philosophy. It is not a process. It is not a set of precepts and religious duties to keep. It is a Person, and His name is Jesus.
I’ve heard people say, “I know the plan of salvation. I’ve got that down.” But listen, you are not saved by the plan of salvation. You are saved by the Man of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ! It is all about Him.
Paul didn’t preach Christianity; he preached Christ. The core conviction of every believer is exactly what Paul lays out here: that Christ died, was buried, and by the power of His resurrection was declared King of kings and Lord of lords. As Paul would write later in this very letter, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Who do you say Jesus is? Everything hangs on your answer.
YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY THE PLAN OF SALVATION. YOU ARE SAVED BY THE MAN OF SALVATION, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
