16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:16-17 (KJV)
In Romans, the Apostle Paul turns the spotlight on the gospel that he is going to be writing about. In these two verses, we are given one of the greatest summaries of the gospel ever written by man.
There are at least four reasons why some would have been ashamed.
- Because of the moral condition of that day.
- Because Paul was a Jew.
- Because the gospel Paul was preaching was almost unbelievable. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
- Because everywhere Paul went preaching the cross, he was ridiculed, cast out, imprisoned, or treated cruelly.
What did he know that made him keep on going for God? What was it about the Gospel that invigorated the Apostle and kept driving him around the world preaching the same hated message?
The Power of The Gospel
Paul tells us that the Gospel is the power of God.
The word “power” comes from a word that refers to the might, energy, force and strength that dwell within God.
God could have revealed His power against sin in any way that He chose.
Nowhere is the power of God as visible as it is in the Gospel of Christ! God could have sent us all to hell, but He instead chose to send us His love wrapped up in His Son, the Lord Jesus. (1 John 4:19)
Notice that Paul’s message is the Gospel of Christ.
Make no mistake about it, there are many different gospels being preached in our day.
- There is the gospel of religion that says, “Turn over a new leaf; to begin anew; to change one’s ways.”
- There is the gospel of materialism that says, “Your worth is determined by what you have. Gain is the goal of life.”
- There is the gospel of liberalism that says, “I’m OK and you’re OK. God accepts us like we are and will take us to Heaven if Heaven really exists.”
- There is the gospel of society that says, “Do as you please for life is short.”
Paul’s message, on the other hand, says, “You are a sinner, and if you die in your sins, you will go the hell.”
Which gospel are you trusting in today? The gospel of religion, materialism, liberalism or society or the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
The Purpose of The Gospel
Why did God go to such lengths for men?
Why did He give up His Son to die on the cross for the sins of humanity? The primary answer is simply that He loves us. God’s plan and God’s purpose in giving the gospel message is salvation.
The word “salvation” is a very important word. It means, safety, preservation, deliverance. It carries the idea of being rescued from all harm and danger. God’s desire in saving sinners is to forever deliver them from spiritual death, spiritual defilement, spiritual deception, and spiritual destruction.
The primary purpose of the gospel message is the salvation of the lost.
The Plan of The Gospel
Verse 16 tells us in no uncertain terms exactly how this gospel message of salvation is activated. Notice that it is to everyone that believeth. This makes it perfectly clear that biblical salvation does NOT involve complicated religious rituals or flowery and elaborate religious exercises. Salvation is the product of faith and faith alone! (Ephesians 2:8-9)
This is the point where many people stumble.
They like to feel that they have a part of everything in their lives. However, in the matter of salvation, the sinner can have no part. It is all God, all the way.
Salvation comes to the person who is willing to simply receive the message of Christ be faith. (John 6:47, John 3:16, John 5:24, Acts 16:31)
The Pledge of The Gospel
This great, saving gospel message is for every single person in the world!
No one is beyond the reach of the Gospel of grace. (Revelation 22:17, John 6:37) The pledge of the gospel is that anyone who hears the message and needs the cure can be saved by God’s precious grace!
Many have labored over the term “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
God didn’t give the Gospel to the Jew first in reference to priority. He gave the Gospel to the Jew first in reference to time.
He had been dealing with the Jewish people for thousands of years, and when He sent His Son into the world to be the Messiah of the Jewish people, they rejected Him. (John 1:11, John 1:12)
The pledge of the Gospel is for every man, everywhere!
The Product of The Gospel
The product of the gospel in the life of the believer is righteousness. Man has two great problems:
- He thinks he is righteous and is therefore acceptable to the Lord.
- He is wrong about the first point.
However, when faith is placed in the gospel message and Jesus is believed on in the heart, God takes the sinners and declares him to be righteous. What man cannot do by effort, God does by His power. (Romans 8:33)
Simply stated, everything man looks for in religion peace with God, acceptance by God, a right relationship with God, etc. are all given to the believer when he receives the gospel message. That is a message worth sharing!
What does the phrase “from faith to faith” mean?
It simply refers to the fact that the believer’s life is to be one of faith in God, and as life is lived in faith, the righteousness of God is revealed in the believer’s life from “beginning faith” to “ending faith.” As this verse concludes, faith is to be the way of life for the child of God.
Are you trusting in the Gospel of Christ for salvation?
Are you sharing the Gospel like Paul did?
Are you ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?
The same message that was able to save then, can save now. The same power that worked in Paul’s day is working in our day.