I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes… For in the the gospel the righteousness from God is revealed. The righteousness that is by faith… Romans 1:16-17
Introduction
Religion is man’s effort to reach God
The Gospel is God’s effort to reach man…
Jesus… I am come to seek and save the lost… Luke 19:10
Man's efforts to reach God are totally worthless… hopeless
Before we even think about doing good Jesus tells Nicodemus that he is already condemned… past sin… John 3:18
And the best of our actions are as filthy rags in God’s sight… Is 64;6
Without God and without hope in the world… Eph 2:12
We appreciate that the difference in power between God and man is incalculable…
He creates the worlds and creates history etc.
But somehow we do not ascribe the same incalculable difference between the righteousness of God's ways and man’s ways…
God is holy we are dead in sin… an incalculable gap Eph 2:1
Paul had tried religion…
A well educated Pharisee… he knew and practiced the law…
A man of action persecuting the church in terms of the law…
He believed they were righteous acts on his part.
But they were not the righteousness of God…
So, on the road to Damascus God calls him to His way… vs 1
The gospel of God that delivers the righteousness of God… vs 17
And appoints him an apostle to preach the Gospel of God that delivers the righteousness of God.
That is what Romans is all about.
Promised beforehand
Notice, this is not some new philosophy invented by Jesus… or Paul
This was created before creation… Eph 1;4
And taught from the beginning… Rom 1:2
Recorded in the Scriptures… that Paul had studied…
Revealed thru the prophets… Isaiah & Psalms
In terms of a principle recorded by Habakkuk… Habakkuk 2:9
The righteous will live by faith…
Not by the righteous acts of Man.
Paul refers back to the Old Testament no less than 57 times.
Most importantly… It is the story of one man… Messiah
A descendant of David… fulfilling God's promises to him… vs 3
Declared to be the Son of God… vs 4
Jesus… the man
Christ the promised one…
Our Lord the master of all.
The proof of that being his resurrection from the dead…
Death came about because of sin…
But death could not hold him because in him was no sin…
He gave up his life so that he could take full responsibility for our sin… 1 Peter 2:24
This is the Gospel of God… vs 1
God’s good news to us about salvation…
This is not religion… mans effort…
It is God's free gift to us through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Summary
The gospel is indeed good news for Paul as his own efforts had turned out to be a complete disaster…
But the gospel of God had been brought to him and given him the righteousness of God.
Fulfilling God's impossible demands…
I’m not ashamed of the gospel
Ashamed… Epaischunomai
Epai…
Is used to intensify the meaning…
Saturday's match was epic.
Aischunomai…
To experience a painful feeling or sense of loss of status.
A consciousness of guilt or embarrassment that one's expectations might prove false.
We know these feelings in many matters…
But in the context here it is about the Gospel of God…
We are reluctant to proffer our opinions on the Gospel because we fear embarrassment.
Paul writing to the Corinthian church says… 1 Cor 1:23
But we preach Christ crucified…
A stumbling block (Skandalon) to the Jews…
A scandal… Circumstance that offends established moral conceptions.
And foolishness (Considered intellectual weak and irrational) to the Greeks…
But Paul says “I am not ashamed”... FOR…
Because he knew from personal experience the impact of the gospel on his life…
They crucified Jesus… but he rose again
He persecuted the church… but now he preached Christ
The gospel created many scandals for Paul…
Imprisoned in Philippi… Acts 16:23
Chased out of Thessalinica… Acts 17:1
Smuggled out of Berae… Acts 17:10
Sneered at in Athens… Acts 17:32
Stoned in Galatia… Acts 14:19
But despite all of these things the Gospel of God was thriving everywhere…
At the time of writing of this letter Paul was completing his 3 missionary journey and he planned a 4th for Spain…
So all that had been done to hinder the gospel had come to nought…
FOR it is the power of God for salvation.
And like Jesus “He despised the shame”... Heb 12:2
Challenge… Yet how ashamed am I to speak for Jesus.
Power of God… Divine intervention
Power… Dunamis…
Power that overcomes resistance
Ability to cause a strong effect
Used 22 times to describe miracles or miraculous
English… dynamic, dynamite.
It results in explosive action.
It is not a little pop.
God's power is displayed in Scripture in many ways …
Glorious power… Ex 15:6
Irresistible power… Deut 32:29
Unsearchable power… Job 5:9
Great power… Psalms 79:11
Everlasting power… Isa 26:4
Sovereign power… Rom 9:21
And many more…
The only power that can save us is God's own power…
Salvation… Objective
Soteria…
To turn from, rescue, deliver… from danger… destruction.
Restoration to a place of safety… or well being…
Preservation from danger or destruction…
So we see that the Greek word goes beyond a one time experience to a lifetime of salvation…
Soteria conveys the the ideas of…
Deliverance, safety, preservation, healing…
Salvation is the great inclusive word that gathers together all the redemptive acts and processes such as…
Justification, redemption, grace, propitation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification.
As we go thru Romans we will deal with all these subjects.
So Paul is able to say to the Ephesian church …
He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing… Eph 1;3
And the Colossians
We are complete in him… Col 2;9
When we understand these things we know without doubt that only the power of God working thru Christ can achieve these things.
To everyone… who believes… inclusivity
Everyone… Pas
Without exception…
Jesus died for the sin of the whole world… 1 John 2:1-2
This verse refers to the capacity not quantity.
There is no person who is beyond the salvation available in Christ.
Where there is exclusion it is by our own free will.
The gospel is all inclusive…
Male or female & Jew or Gentile, Muslim or Hindu.
But at the same time it is conditional…
The condition is everyone who believes (In Jesus)
Believes… pisteuo…
Adherence to, commitment to, faith in, reliance on.
It includes our reasoning but goes beyond a mental assent.
It is in the present tense and active voice…
Literally means continually making a volitional choice to believe.
This does not exclude some days when doubts occur.
We all do.
God's salvation saves us from…
Past… Sin and its penalty
Present… preserves & keeps us steadfast
Future… Presents us faultless
Righteousness of God
It is very important that we understand this verse as it is the key to the epistle …
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed.
The gospel does not change us from naughty boys into goody 2 shoes.
The righteousness of God…
Dikaiosune…
A state that conforms to an authoritative standard or norm…
So if I obey the laws of the road the law declares me righteous.
God’s righteousness is the standard…
Luther's problem
God's character is the definition and source of all righteousness.
In his character he is holy…
In all his actions he behaves in accordance with his holy character and is therefore righteous in all his ways.
So…
When he makes a promise he keeps it.
When he passes judgement he does it in terms of his law and is righteous.
John, speaking about fellowship with God, says in his epistle…
In order for us to have fellowship with God we must walk in the light as he is in the light… 1 John 1:5-10
In other words we cannot have fellowship with God unless we have his righteousness.
And in our own strength, that is an absolute impossibility…
So in the gospel we have the righteousness of God imputed (Attributed) to us.
Now we have God’s righteousness which previously we did not enjoy.
And as far as the law is concerned we are untouchable.
So when speaking about reconciliation the Scripture says we are reconciled to (Not with) God…
God is holy and never changes… Mal 3:6-19
So we must change…
Look at the Scripture references to the gospel…
Redeemed, saved , born again, a new creation, justification, forgiveness, sanctification.
All of these terms speak of change.
And those changes are effected in us by the power of the Gospel of God.
Conclusion
FOR I am not ashamed of the gospel… BECAUSE of what it delivers.
Yes he suffered in so many ways and places
But the unstoppable progress of the gospel more than vindicated the suffering.
The progress despite the persecution proved the power of God.
As did the life of Paul and of so many others prove they enjoyed the righteousness of God…
The Gospel is…
The power… Its ability to produce the desired effect.
Of God… its divinity
Unto salvation… its purpose
To everyone… it is impartial
To all who believe… Its only condition.
And all of this thru one man Jesus Christ our Lord…
The same Lord THEREFORE we can expect the same outcome.
Salvation and righteousness is available to EVERYONE who believes.
