The Power of This Gospel
Romans 1:16-17 NKJ
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
Paul most likely had the greatest understanding of anyone living regarding the power of the gospel. The revelation Paul received, by his own admission, was given to him by Jesus Himself. Paul was given a clear understanding of what Jesus did for mankind in His death, burial, and resurrection. Paul understood what it meant to be "in Christ." So when Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel, he is telling a truth that was well established in his life. Paul had suffered a great many things in presenting this gospel to the world, and he believed with all his heart in the power of the gospel to change lives.
The gospel, the good news about Jesus, is the power of God to salvation. The gospel has the power to save all who meet the qualification. And the qualification is that they believe. The gospel is not the power of God to those who clean up their life or apologize for what they did wrong. The gospel is the power to those who believe it. And that power is for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. That is one of the greatest qualities of the gospel. Anyone who believes it is saved by it. Some have thought salvation is too easy to come by. They want to add certain standards that make it tougher. But salvation is easy. Living a separated life after receiving salvation is the much tougher part.
But wait, there's more. In this gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. Being right with an all-perfect, all-knowing God is something we did not earn or deserve. Being right with God is a function of His nature and not our good works. This righteousness is revealed in our lives by faith, not feelings. Righteousness is revealed by faith, and it produces more faith. It is written in Scripture that the just live by faith. This is how we live after being made right in God's sight. Knowing we are right with God helps to strengthen our faith. We were made righteous by faith in what Jesus did, and we live our time on earth by continuing to live in that same way.
Application
The idea of being right with God is more powerful than we realize. Our Creator made man so He could have someone to fellowship with. There is something in all of us that yearns to know the One who made us. Much as an adopted child will try to find their natural father, we want to know our spiritual father. When we believe the gospel, we are made right with God, and there is something transformative about knowing our Heavenly Father. The gospel changes us inside out, and the possibilities for the future are endless.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for the gospel. I am not ashamed because the gospel releases Your power in my life and all who choose to believe. Thank You for making me right in Your sight.