The Scope of the Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:16-17

Who can be saved? “...to everyone who believes...” To the Jew first and also to the Greek = Everyone. Salvation is for everyone from every sin at every place under every circumstance. The power of God delivers those who believe. Salvation operates through faith. What is faith? - Believing.

Do not think for one moment that it is possible to be saved without faith. This raises some definite questions as to the nature of faith and as to the object. Faith is belief, and no matter by which name you call it, it is simply acting upon the word of another. A thousand times a year you act on the word of people whom you have never seen. You follow information which is given to you over the telephone, or which you read in newspapers. You conform to advice given by commentators or columnists. You obey road instructions given to you by strangers. All of these actions are movements of faith.

In the realm of spiritual things, faith is simply acting upon the Word of God. He tells you that you are a sinner. You believe it not only because of what you know to be in your heart and in your own experience, but above all because of the revelation of salvation in the Word of God. He tells you that He came to die for you because He loves you. He tells you that He put your sin on Christ and crucified Him in your place. He tells you that He raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead as a sign that by Him all who believe are justified from all things. When you believe that and receive it in your heart, you are saved.

Faith for salvation is trusting and believing that Christ rose from the dead; believing He died for you and trusting Him for eternal life.

The All-Encompassing Gospel

“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’” Romans 10:8-11

The word that is used in the original language for “salvation” covers the entire work of God on behalf of the human soul. I am sure that not one of us, not even the one who has spent the most time with God, can fully comprehend the height and the depth of the vast subject of salvation. The depth is our need; the height is the provision that God has made. Salvation begins when the sinner recognizes the fact that he is less perfect than God and therefore under condemnation.

“Salvation” also is a word that has a complete meaning in the past, present, and future. In the past, the believer has been saved from the penalty of sin; in the present, is being saved from the power of sin; and in the future, he shall be saved from the very presence of sin.

I have been saved from the penalty of sin = Justification.
I have been saved from the power of sin = Sanctification.
I will be saved from the presence of sin = Glorification.

The world is looking for deliverance, but they are looking all the wrong places. The gospel sounds so simple - so stupid, but is the power of God.

Salvation delivers a person from -
▸ Lostness - to seek and save that which was lost.
▸ Sin - we have been delivered from the power of sin.
▸ Guilt - declared not guilty.
▸ Judgement and Death - 1 Cor. 15

Purpose of the Gospel

“...for salvation...” Romans 1:16

What is meant by salvation? The rest of the epistle will give the full answer, for our text is in no small measure the text for all that follows in this epistle. The English word “salvation” comes from the Latin word for “health.” In early times, it described the health of the body, but later it came to be applied to the health of the soul and the spirit. In our spiritual use of the word, “salvation,” it is everything that conduces to the safety, health, and happiness of the soul and spirit.

It is also used in the sense of being delivered -
• Delivered from sin.
• Delivered from Satan
• Delivered from destruction.
• Delivered from judgement.
• Delivered from hell.
• Delivered from death.

Salvation then is to be delivered from sin, death and hell, and delivered into safety of the fullest extent. Man’s security and safe passage through life - divine judgement and his entrance into eternal blessedness is bound up in his being saved. It includes forgiveness and escape from wrath. It includes new life - life in the Spirit, resurrection, eternity.

“Salvation is not something that is done for you, but something that happens within you. It is not the clearing of a court record, but the transformation of a life attitude.” - Albert W. Palmer

The Good News

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” 1 Cor. 15:1-5

The gospel means good news, and here in our verses we find the good news that...
• the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins,
• He was buried, and that...
• He rose again from the dead.
And all of this in accordances with the record that God has revealed in the Scriptures. Let us admit immediately that if these three facts are not historically true we have no gospel, and we have no Christianity.

But these are the facts - over five hundred eye witnesses saw the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:6). The gospel is the truth that rises out of the three great historical facts: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose the third day according to the Scriptures The Apostle now declares that belief in the good news of those three facts brings salvation.

It is this gospel that Paul says he is not ashamed! On the contrary - everywhere he goes, he preaches the truth of God’s word. As we are looking at verses 16-17, we see why Paul can say he is not ashamed - because of the source of the gospel...God (Rom. 1:1). The nature of the gospel - it is the power of God - “Dunamis.”

It is man who desires change, but change on the inside comes only through the power of God. It is the power of God...
▸ that sets men free from sin.
▸ that sets men free from Satan.
▸ that sets men free from judgement.
▸ that sets men free from hell.

It is the power of God that changes people’s lives.

The Power of the Gospel

“...for it is the power of God for salvation...” Romans 1:16

Why was Paul bold? “...for it is the power of God for salvation...”
We go from the heart of the apostle - to the heart of the epistle. He was bold to preach because of what the gospel is and what the gospel does. He is unashamed because he knows the power of the gospel - the changed lives he has seen in action.

When you know the power of the gospel, there is a holy boldness to proclaim it. The Greek word for “power” is the word “dunamis.” It is the word we get “dynamite,” “dynamic,” and “dynamo” from.

Most people want to change their lives, but they have no way to do that. We spend all our time, energy, and money trying to clean up the outside, but we never change the heart - but God can!!

The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to change people’s lives - to free them from sin, Satan, judgement, death, and hell - and give them eternal life, hope meaning, peace, and happiness. The gospel is the power of God. Let the world say what it will, but I have seen the power of God change lives.

▸ Look how it changed Paul.
▸ Look how it changed Peter.
▸ Look how it changed disciples.
▸ Look how it has changed you!

How much power does He have, you ask?
“Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think...” Eph. 3:20

The Cost of the Gospel

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...” Philip. 3:7-10

Did you ever notice that Paul’s ministry wasn’t one of comfort? We have a gospel being preached today that offers health and wealth. You name and claim it. All Christians ought to be healthy and wealthy. I do not find that in the life of Paul.

If you’re looking for comfort and ease, you’ve come to the wrong place. What keeps men from Christ? Personal comfort and pleasure? And yet we live in an age where there is a false gospel being offered. One of comfort, wealth, happiness, and no real commitment. And people are flocking after it by the thousands.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a gospel that accommodates the sins of men, but rather one that deals with it, confronts it, and destroys it. We have not been called to compromise the cross, but to preach the cross.

Someone said, there is a new cross in Christianity today...
▸ The old cross slew men - The new one entertains them.
▸ The old cross condemns men - The new one assures them.
▸ The old cross destroyed confidences in flesh - The new one encourages it.
▸ The old cross bought tears and blood - The new one is bringing laughter.

“The flesh, smiling and confident, preaches and sings about the cross; before that cross it bows and toward that cross it points with carefully staged histrionics - but upon that cross it will not die, and the reproach of that cross it stubbornly refused to bear.”
- A.W. Tozer

What we need today is to be bold and confront folks with the claims of Christ.

The Gospel of God

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16

The theme of Romans is the gospel. Anywhere and everywhere Paul goes, he preaches the gospel - no matter what the reaction is.

Remember who Paul is writing to - the Romans.
• Rome was the center of the world.
• Rome was the center of culture.
• Rome was the center of wealth.
• Rome was the home of Caesar.
• Rome was the center of power.

But even to this city, Paul was not ashamed to preach the gospel. Though it was a city of slaves, he would not center his preaching against slavery. It was a city of lust, but he would not center his preaching on moral reform. It was a city of economic injustice, but he would not center his preaching on economics. It was a city built on wars, but he would not center his preaching on pacifism. No, it would be the Gospel.

He is not intimidated by the folks he preached to. He is proud of the gospel. And even though it is a stumbling block to the Jews, it is still the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

Remember that Paul - lowered in a basket from Damascus - mistreated by the apostles...
▸ Has been imprisoned in Philippi
▸ Was chased out of Thessalonia
▸ Was smuggled from Berea
▸ Was laughed at in Athens
▸ We seen as a fool in Corinth
▸ Was stoned while in Galatia
▸ Was seen as a traitor in Jerusalem
...All because of gospel.

So when Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel, I understand that.
That is how it should be with us - but unfortunately...
▸ When we should speak - we don’t.
▸ When we could - we don’t.
▸ When there are times for us to be bold - we are not.
▸ We are intimidated by people.
▸ We quit witnessing because someone says “no.”
▸ Sometimes we don’t even share Christ, for fear of rejection.

But Paul sees that not as a personal rejection, but as a rejection of Christ. He never quit, and God help us not to either.