Romans 1:16-17

Tied to the eager anticipation Paul has in v15 is the unashamed attitude he has towards the gospel in this passage.  His inability to make it to Rome has nothing to do with the spirit of timidity that often afflicts believers (2 Tim. 1:7-8).  Rather Paul longs to preach the gospel in Rome because he knows the truth about the gospel.

·        The gospel is the power of God to salvation.

Salvation is a big term in the Bible.  In the Old Testament David spoke of being saved from temporal difficulties.  His enemies would be making life difficult and he would cry out to God for deliverance.  This use illustrates man’s greatest predicament: he is separated from God by sin.  Man’s lost situation is hopeless.  He cannot save himself.  (That is the bad news that will be further developed in Rom. 1:19-3:20).

To man in his predicament comes the gospel, good news from God about Christ (Rom. 1:1-4).  This good news is God’s power to salvation.  It is the word of the cross (1 Cor. 1:18) that is God’s means of doing for man what he cannot do for himself.

Two statements clarify the scope of this power.  It does not work for just anyone.  It is for those who believe.  Romans 4 will explain that salvation is not to be earned by moral or religious achievement.  It is granted to those whose confidence is in Christ, the subject of the good news.

On the other hand it is said that this gospel saves all who believe, whether Jew or Greek.  Paul will spend significant time in Romans (Ch. 9-11) explaining the place of the Jews in God’s plan.  It was a question of significance in the first century Church.  In Old Testament times Israel was considered God’s chosen people.  But now Paul himself has been preaching that there is a new entity, the Church, the Body of Christ.  All the saved belong to this new entity.  And his point now is this: the gospel is God’s power to save all men who believe no matter what their background.

Man’s hopeless situation has a remedy.  But anyone familiar with the God of the Bible knows that God’s granting of salvation on the basis of faith leads to a predicament for God.  How can a holy God save sinners without Himself becoming unrighteous?  Thus there is a second gospel truth.

·        The gospel reveals God’s righteousness.

The gospel reveals how sinful men gain a right standing with a holy God.  A holy God by nature must judge sin.  The judgment has always been death.  Men are dead spiritually.  They will die physically.  If that judgment stands then man has no remedy.  He is getting what he deserves.  The gospel reveals hos God satisfies the demands of His holy wrath in judging sin, while at the same time granting man a righteous standing.  Rom. 3:21-26 will show how Christ takes man’s judgment.

Again, this revelation is from faith to faith.  It is by faith in every way.  Christ is both the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:1).  To reinforce the point, Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:2: The just shall live by faith.  It has been the case in every age that those who will live a just or righteous life will do so by faith.

You may have noted the frequent reference to other places in Romans where the truth in these two verses is expanded.  That is because these verses give us in a sound bite the course of the letter to come.  Romans is about the gospel that saves believers so they may live!  Why would anyone be ashamed of that kind of good news?