Romans 1:5–12 — Serving with the Spirit in the Gospel: Thirst for Fellowship, Not Programs

Paul’s words in Romans 1:5–12 expose the stark contrast between true Christian service and the hollow, program-driven ministry that dominates much of contemporary Christianity. The difference is not cosmetic—it is foundational, touching the very heart of the gospel, the nature of our inheritance, and the reality of our sonship. If we lose sight of this, we lose everything that makes the Christian life what God intended.

The Authority of the Enthroned Christ: The Source of Grace and Apostleship

Everything begins with Christ—specifically, with His unique position as the Seed of David, the Last Adam, and the representative Head of the human race. Before His death, He was already the rightful heir to all God’s promises. But it was through His death and resurrection that He was designated the Son of God with power, enthroned at the right hand of God, possessing all authority.

This is not a mere title. Just as a seed labeled “rose bush” is destined to manifest its true nature in time, so Christ’s resurrection revealed what was always true of Him. Now, there is a Man on the throne of the universe, and from His position of absolute authority, grace and apostleship flow to us. This is not grace in theory, but grace backed by the authority of the enthroned Christ—the only true source of our life, our calling, and our service.

To sever grace from Christ’s throne is to sever the believer from the very foundation of his sonship and inheritance. Any system that makes grace conditional on human performance, or that treats it as a mere supplement to our efforts, undermines the finished work and empties the gospel of its power.

Serving with the Spirit: The Only Acceptable Service

Paul declares, “God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son.” This is not a mystical aside—it is the dividing line between genuine Christian service and the dead works of religion. The human spirit, regenerated and joined to the Lord, is now the vessel through which God is known, enjoyed, and served.

• The Spirit as Organ: Our spirit is the “inner man,” the very place where the Divine Spirit dwells. It is here, not in the mind or emotions, that we contact God directly.
• Faith as Sense: Just as our physical senses connect us to the material world, faith is the sense by which our spirit apprehends and enjoys the realities of Christ’s finished work.
• Service as Enjoyment: True service is not laboring in the outer court of religious activity, but ministering in the Holiest of All—our spirit—where nothing remains to be done but to enjoy God and share that enjoyment with others.

To serve God apart from the spirit is to return to the shadowy rituals and ordinances that could never bring us into the presence of God. The blood of Christ has opened the way; to ignore this is to trample on the very purpose of His sacrifice.

The Gospel: Not a Program, but a Realm

The gospel is not a set of instructions or a recruitment pitch for religious activity. It is a realm—a sphere in which every fact of Christ’s accomplishment is true and operative for the believer. When we exercise faith, we enter this realm and find that Christ’s victory, forgiveness, and the gift of sonship are not distant promises but present realities.

This is why Paul’s service—and the service of every true minister—is driven by a thirst for fellowship. He longs to see the saints, not to manage them, but to impart spiritual gifts that establish them in the enjoyment of Christ. The goal is mutual comfort and edification, a shared participation in the riches of the gospel.

“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” (Romans 1:11–12)

This is the heart of Christian ministry: not building organizations, but bringing believers into the shared enjoyment of Christ, where faith is the common ground and fellowship is the inevitable result.

The Tragedy of Programmatic Ministry

Contrast this with the programmatic, works-driven ministry so prevalent today. When service is reduced to external works, traditions, and the philosophies of men, the result is a barren landscape—no true fellowship, no enjoyment of the gospel, no mutual edification. The spirit is sidelined, and the riches of Christ are obscured by endless activity.

Let this be clear: what is lost is not a matter of preference or style, but the very purpose of God—to work Himself into His people through the Spirit-enabled enjoyment of Christ’s finished work. When ministry is divorced from the spirit and the gospel realm, we forfeit the reality of our inheritance, the comfort of mutual faith, and the establishment that only comes from grace. We are left with programs, but no presence; activity, but no life.

The Only Way Forward: Spirit-Led Fellowship in the Gospel

God’s purpose is fulfilled only as He works Himself into us through joyous, spirit-led fellowship and ministry. This is not optional or secondary—it is the very heart of the new covenant. To serve with the spirit in the gospel is to stand in the good of Christ’s finished work, to enjoy Him as our portion, and to minister that enjoyment to others.

Anything less is a denial of our sonship, a forfeiture of our inheritance, and a collapse of justification itself. The church does not need more programs—it needs a return to the spirit, to grace, and to the mutual enjoyment of Christ in the gospel. Only here is God’s purpose accomplished, and only here is true Christian service found.