Promised Afore by His Prophets

2014-02-24

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:1-3).

Paul identifies himself by three traits in verse 1, the last of which was being “separated unto the gospel of God” in Romans 1:1. The parenthetical in verse 2 is referring to the previous phrase “gospel of God,” indicated by the word “which.” The good news of Jesus Christ was promised previously in the Old Testament by many of the prophets. One of the first of these promises was Genesis 3:15, where we see that a descendant of a woman (i.e., a virgin birth) would come and destroy the devil and his works.

Promised Afore

The Bible talks at length about how God showed His people what to look for when the promise of the Messiah’s coming would be fulfilled. Here are some examples:

In Romans 1:3, the gospel concerns God’s Son Jesus Christ our Lord. According to the flesh, He was a part of the Davidic line of kings. He fulfilled prophecy this way, so people knew what to look for when He came.

Made of the Seed of David

Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel 7. In Jeremiah 22:24-30, we see how Judah’s king Coniah (Jehoiachin) son of Jehoiakim was taken away in captivity to Babylon and cursed:

Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. (Jeremiah 22:30)

Ultimately we see that King Jehoiachin had no child who reigned over Judah. Zedekiah, the subsequent and final king, was a near relative, but not a son of Jehoiachin. However, we see that Jesus Christ was called the son of David. According to the two genealogies of Jesus, we see two very different genealogies, both which contain Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel. Surely Shealtiel could not have had two fathers! Because of what Jeremiah says pertaining Jehoiachin, we know that Jesus could not have had physically descended from him. Matthew 1:1-17 must be a genealogy based on the passing of kingly authority, while Luke 3:23-38 must be the actual lineage from which Jesus came, according to the flesh.

But God had something totally different in mind than mere flesh and blood. This man Jesus was not just a man; He was God’s Son. He was with God from eternity past, and the usage of the phrase “the Son of God” was a declaration of His deity. Though He was God, He had a distinct personhood from God the Father. Romans 1:4, as we shall see, will expand much further on this.

What we can see here is that when God promises us something, it is certain. God is not whimsical, and neither does He lie. When God promises us eternal life, or anything pertaining to the Christian life, we can stand on His promises as trustworthy.