Called into the fellowship of His Son.
The Apostle and the Gospel of God (2)
Romans 1:1–17
1. Paul’s Position: A Slave of Jesus Christ (what he is)
2. Paul’s Identity: A Called Apostle (who he is)
After Paul says, “a slave of Jesus Christ,” he says, “a called apostle.”
This order is very important. Paul does not first say, “I am an apostle.” He first says, “I am a slave of Jesus Christ.” His calling did not begin with title; it began with belonging. Before he was sent by Christ, he was owned by Christ. Before he had a commission, he had a Master. After introducing "what he is", he begins to let the saints in Romans know "Who he is". "What he is" refers to his position, his status, and "Who he is" refers to his identity.
Being different from other people, Paul didn’t introduce himself based on his resources, experiences, and connections to make himself known to people. Paul's identity wasn’t built up by Paul himself. Paul said he was a “called apostle.” No natural soulish man like to be called and to be sent. They want to be themselves; they want to take the initiative to show their ambition, their ability, and their achievements.
Paul, being a called apostle, shows that his apostleship was not self-appointing. He did not choose apostleship as a spiritual career. He did not say, “This is what I want to do with my life.” He did not enter the work of God by personal ambition, religious interest, natural ability, or human arrangement.
The call was God’s initiative.
This is very important. In the things of God, man does not first choose a spiritual career. God calls. God summons. God apprehends. God takes the initiative. Paul’s apostleship began not from earth but from heaven; not from man but from the Lord. It began not from Paul’s decision but from Christ’s appearing. On the road to Damascus, Paul was not looking for a ministry. He was not applying to become an apostle. He was opposing Christ. But the Lord met him, arrested him, conquered him, and called him.
So, Paul’s identity came from God’s call.
In today’s world, people often ask, “What career should I choose? What future should I build? What kind of person do I want to become?” These are not wrong questions in themselves. But for a bondslave, there is a deeper and different question: “Lord, what have You called me for? Why have You laid hold of me? How does my life serve Your purpose?”
Paul was not a self-made apostle. He was a called apostle. In 2 Tim. 1:9, Paul says: “ who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” God takes the initiative step and Paul responses. That should be the controlling principle to every servant of God.
Called into the fellowship of His Son
Paul’s calling was not merely a call to do something for God. Paul said calling first brings us into Christ Himself.
1 Cor. 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” This means God has not called us into a religion, a doctrine, a meeting, or a work. God has called us into the fellowship of His Son, and through the revelation of the Holy Spirit enlighten us what is the hope of His calling .
What is fellowship? Fellowship means participating together and sharing the benefits. Fellowship means what belongs to Christ is made ours in union with Him. Therefore, In Chinese Union Translation, “fellowship” is translated as “sharing together”.
We are called into the fellowship of His life (Joh. 10:10). His life becomes our life. We are no longer living by our natural life, our old life, our self-life. Christ becomes our life.
We are called into the fellowship of His purpose (2Tim. 1:9). What God intends for His Son now becomes the direction of our life. We are not saved to have a better future. We are saved to be brought into God’s eternal purpose concerning His Son.
We are called into the fellowship of His suffering (Phi. 3:10). If we belong to Christ, we cannot expect the world to love us in the way it loves its own. The path of Christ includes rejection, misunderstanding, pressure, and the cross. But even His suffering becomes our fellowship with Him. This suffering comes from the world, from the outside.
Hebrews chapter 2 says that the suffering our Lord endured was "the suffering of death," This suffering is of the suffering not living from Himself, the suffering of not doing anything by Himself. This suffering is not passively received because of external people and things, but actively received from God within the Lord, just as we read in Philippians chapter 2, " Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God. " In Philippians 3:10, we also see that after fellowship with the sufferings of Christ, the result is the conformation to His death.
We are called into the fellowship of His victory (2Cor, 2:14). Christ has overcome sin, death, Satan, and the world. We are not called to fight from defeat, but from His victory. His triumph becomes our ground.
We are called into the fellowship of His fullness. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, And you have been made full in Him, …(Col 2:9-10 ). We are made full in Him, in Him filled full. His resources become our resources through our union with Him. We draw the same resources as He does.
We are called into the fellowship of His inheritance. (Rom. 8:17) Christ is the Son and Heir of all things. In Him, we receive sonship. We are brought into the position of sons. And if sons, then heirs — heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.
This is very high. God has not merely forgiven us. God has brought us into the Sonship of His Son. The Son’s life, the Son’s relationship with the Father, the Son’s purpose, the Son’s resources, the Son’s inheritance — all these become ours in Christ.
So calling is much greater than an assignment, tha a mission. Calling means God has brought us into the fellowship of His Son.
This is why Paul could be an apostle. He was not merely sent to speak about Christ outwardly. He was brought into Christ inwardly. The Christ whom he preached was the Christ in whom he lived. His apostleship came out of his fellowship with the Son.
(To Be Continue)