For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation…
What good is the Gospel? Does the Gospel help us sleep at night? Does it bring power? Does it make everything wrong right?
Paul shares here that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. Worth noting, he does not say that it brings power, opens the door for power, or talks about power. The Gospel is power.* Power for what?
Does the Gospel empower us to live easy lives? Does it empower us to have everything we want when we want it?
The Gospel is the power for salvation. Salvation means “deliverance.”* It brings with it imagery of the Israelites coming out of Egypt.* It refers to liberation from evil powers and the freedom that will come in the end forever and ever.* The salvation that Christ brings through His Gospel is a work that has already been achieved (Ephesians 2:5), is being achieved (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15), and it will be achieved one day (2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Timothy 4:18…).* This is a salvation that consumes the lives of those who believe in the most transformative and life-altering ways — past, present, and future.
How could Paul ever be ashamed of this Gospel?
In times when we are nervous to share the Good News, we must remember what Paul remembered: this Gospel is not a powerful idea that helps people in their lives. It isn’t something that works for some and not for others. Paul tells us that for those who believe, it is power, and it transforms us in the way we need it most: it frees us.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to share the Gospel with someone you know. Perhaps today He wants you to remember the power of the Gospel. Maybe God wants you to set aside shame and timidity and share what you know to be true: God can set anyone who believes free. Maybe today God wants you to come to Him so that he can bring more salvation into your life, delivering you more from the things that bind you.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!
*Osborne, G. R. (2004). Romans (pp. 27–28, 40). InterVarsity Press; [1] Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans (pp. 66-68). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press; Kruse, C. G. (2012). Paul’s Letter to the Romans (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 66–68). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos; Moo, D. J. (2000). Romans (pp. 50–52). Zondervan Publishing House.