Romans 1:3 tells us that the Good News of God is about his Son, Jesus, who was a real human being descended from King David. Paul is pointing to the fact that the promised rescuer came through the family line God had announced long before, not out of nowhere. The verse is written by the apostle Paul, who opens his letter to the church in Rome by introducing the message he has been sent to share.
Concerning his Son, who was born of the offspring of David according to the flesh…
Romans 1:3 (WEB)
What Romans 1:3 Means
The phrase “concerning his Son” tells you what the whole gospel is about. Paul is not offering a general religious idea. He is announcing a person, and that person belongs to God in a unique way. The Good News is first of all about who Jesus is.
“Born of the offspring of David” makes a claim about history and promise. David was Israel’s great king, and God had told him that a descendant would rule forever (2 Samuel 7 is the background Paul has in mind). Saying Jesus came from that line means God kept his word in a concrete, traceable way. The phrase “according to the flesh” is Paul’s way of saying Jesus was truly human, with a real ancestry and a real body.
The verse does not explain how Jesus is divine, nor does it describe the resurrection or his authority. Those things come in the next verse. Romans 1:3 by itself establishes his humanity and his place in God’s promises, and it should be read that way.
The Context of Romans 1:3
Paul wrote this letter to Christians in Rome, a church he had not yet visited, around the middle of the first century. Many of them were probably a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers, and some tensions existed between the two groups. Opening with a strong statement about Jesus’s Jewish roots would have spoken directly to people who knew the Scriptures and the promises to David.
Verses 1 and 2 tell us the gospel was promised beforehand through the prophets in the holy Scriptures, so verse 3 is the content of that promise. Verses 4 through 6 then add that Jesus was declared Son of God through the resurrection and that grace has been given to bring people from every nation into obedience of faith. Read in that setting, Romans 1:3 is the first link in a chain showing how God’s old promise has become a present invitation to everyone.
Key Phrases in Romans 1:3
2 Samuel 7:16
Your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you. Your throne will be established forever.”’”
(WEB)
This is God’s promise to David that his house and kingdom would endure forever. Read alongside Romans 1:3, it shows the promise Paul says Jesus fulfills, linking the Old Testament covenant directly to the Son who came from David’s line.
Romans 1:4
Who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord…
(WEB)
The next verse explains how Jesus was declared Son of God in power. Reading it right after Romans 1:3 shows that his human descent and his divine identity belong together in one person.
