Romans 1:2-4 - The Gospel of God in History

Romans 1:2-4: 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, ⁴ who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Message: The Gospel of God in History

Time: Written sometime in AD 57-58, probably from Corinth, at the end of Paul's third missionary journey.

What the Lord is Saying: Paul begins this letter with a 7 verse salutation or 7 verse introduction or greeting. 

Verse 2 builds upon Verse 1 and Paul being "set apart for the gospel of God" and this gospel is not new. It has been promised through the prophets in the Old Testament. The message of the gospel that Paul will unfold in this book is a salvation message that has been consistent throughout the Holy Scriptures, the Old Testament. It is a message "concerning His Son." The Son is a direct descendant of David. And it is at the resurrection of Jesus from His death on the cross that is the culmination of all these messages and times preceding that moment. It is at the resurrection Jesus is declared King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

What is the promised message of salvation from the Old Testament that is now declared as well in the New Testament here in the Gospel? It is that the righteous shall live by faith. Abraham and Isaac declared it. Habakkuk 2:4 states it. 

Jesus' message is a quotation very often of the Old Testament. Jesus consistently tells us of the importance of understanding the Old Testament scriptures.
Matt. 21:42; 22:29; 26:54; Mark. 12:24; 14:49; Lk. 24:27, 32, 45; Jn. 5:39; Acts 17:2, 11; 18:24, 28; Rom. 15:4; 2Pe 3:16

God promised to David that his throne would be forever (2 Samuel 7:16). When Matthew began his gospel, the first name mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus is David. So, Jesus was a descendant of David, fully man, and the Son of God, so fully God. 

Christ's resurrection is the culmination of the proof of Christ's divinity and His salvation. If people do not believe in the resurrection, they will not believe in Christ. 

John MacArthur states, "It was the Holy Spirit working in Christ Who accomplished Jesus’ resurrection and every other miracle performed by Him or associated with Him. In the incarnation, Jesus Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit."
   
Promise: Jesus is the culmination of history to that point. Jesus is the turning point of history, literally from BC to AD. History looked forward to Christ and now looks back to Christ.