1:1 From Paul,5 a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to
further the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the
truth that is in keeping with godliness, 1:2 in hope of eternal
life, that God who does not lie promised before the ages began.
1:3 But now in his own time he has made his message evident
through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the
command of God our Savior.6 His Name (vs. 1a), “Paul.” In
keeping with the practice of the day, Paul opens the letter with
his own name. “Paul,” a Roman surname, means little and is the
name he used in connection with his calling and ministry to the
Gentiles. As such, it is used in all of Paul’s epistles. His
Hebrew name was “Saul.” He undoubtedly used the name Paul
because of his call to go to the Gentiles and because it
expressed his attitude about who he was as a recipient of God’s
grace (see 1 Cor. 15:10; 1 Tim. 1:12-16). His Position or Status
(vs. 1b), “a slave of God.” “Slave” is the Greek doulos, often
translated merely “servant,” bu