“Saint” is a title that means “separated” or “sanctified”, and all the people of God are called saints. In later times men began to award the title “saint” to those, usually dead, whom they considered worthy of it, such as Paul himself. However, Paul is never referred to in the scriptures as “St. Paul”, although he is a certainly a saint, as are all the true disciples of Christ because they are all “separated unto the gospel of God”.
Belief of this gospel is essential for salvation. “Belief” is often translated by the word “faith”, and the faith required by God is “belief of the gospel”. Only those who believe the gospel (i.e. have faith) will be counted righteous by God and receive eternal life.
God requires us to believe the gospel and live our lives according to the commandments of his Son. We shall thus be counted righteous and ultimately receive the gift of eternal life. However, this truth has been greatly corrupted as men have departed from belief in the true God and “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator”. Paul, in this chapter, outlines the fall of mankind from the worship of the Creator to the worship of idols and even of men themselves. People also fell from the holy way of life demanded by God into the abominable practices which are so prevalent today, so Paul concludes with the warning: “they which commit such things are worthy of death”.
Verses 1-3
Waiting for response for Romans 1:1-3The essential facts which must be believed concerning Jesus are, firstly, he is the Son of God and, secondly, he is the Christ, i.e. the Messiah, king of Israel, who will ultimately sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem and reign over the kingdom of God. Therefore, Paul opens his letter by declaring he is a messenger of this good news, known as the gospel.