Romans 1:5 : Through whom we received grace and apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations, for his name's sake. In the first verse Paul declares that he was a called apostle now he gives the source of that call. He had not forced himself into that high office, neither had he been called to it by men, but had received his apostleship direct from the Lord Jesus Christ. In that respect he was the equal of any other apostle of the Lord. In another place he says of himself: "For I reckon that I am not a whit be-hind the very chiefest apostles" (2 Corinthians 11:5): "For in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles" (2 Corinthians 12:11). "Obedience of faith" is the obedience to which faith leads, and which perfects faith. Paul had been made an apostle for the obedience of faith among all nations--an agent of God to bring men to an obedient faith. Jesus said to him on the way to Damascus, "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou host seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of dins and an in-heritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:15-18). Paul preached much to Jews, but he was especially an apostle of the Gentiles. It is God's plan that Jew and Gentile have equal rights to the blessings of the gospel.