Romans 1:16

Romans 1:16

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.
(Rom 1:16 NKJV)

The Gospel, God's Power to Salvation

This passage, consisting of four parts, contains Paul’s inspired pronouncement about God’s gospel.  Paul affirms –

  1. He is not ashamed of this gospel.  Does he expect intelligent people to believe such amazing claims as the Lord’s virgin birth, His resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, and His plan of salvation?   As a matter of fact, many in Rome have already embraced these facts.  Paul will give others the opportunity to do so.
  2. The gospel is God’s power to save from sin.  Some deny this statement.
    1. Skeptics deny the truthfulness of the gospel.
    2. Those who affirm a direct operation of the Holy Spirit deny the power of the gospel.  If the Holy Spirit directly saves the sinner, even apart from the gospel, then Paul is wrong in this assertion.
    3. Some affirm that modern miracles, not the word of God, make believers.  Would the Holy Spirit actually lead someone to deny what Paul says here? The Lord’s miracles are preserved in written form so that readers may believe (John 20:30-31).
  3. This gospel is for everyone.  Both Jews and Gentiles received it and were saved by it.  They still are.
  4. The gospel contains conditions for salvation.  It brings salvation to everyone who believes.  If salvation were unconditional, everyone would be saved and, again, the gospel would be irrelevant.  

Paul does not teach salvation by belief alone.   He later affirms that “the goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4).  He adds, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).  The same epistle shows the necessity of baptism.  “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Romans 6:3).

We learn all these facts through the gospel, for it is God’s power to salvation.

-- Rick Duggin