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The power of God
The gospel is not a message of God’s power. It is not simply a channel to manifest His power. The gospel is itself the power of God for salvation. There is intrinsic power in the gospel. The Word of God is powerful. How does the Word of God describe itself? It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).
Paul declares, “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is God’s power for salvation” (Romans 1:16).
What is salvation? From the legal aspect, it is justification: God forgives all of your sins. He puts into your account all the righteousness of His Son. God declares you right with Himself (Romans 5:1). You have peace with God. You are reconciled to God. You may enjoy fellowship with Him.
Our salvation is not just legal but also experiential. It is deliverance. God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His Son. God has taken us from death and raised us together with His Son. Spiritually speaking, we are seated with Him in the heavenly places. We were made alive with Christ; we were dead, but now we live. We had hearts of stone, but now we have hearts of flesh. We love the One who loved us first. We are new creations in Christ Jesus—this is salvation.
We need to preach the Word of God in its simplicity, trusting its implicit power. Do we think we can beautify it? Make it more relevant? That’s being ashamed of the gospel. Paul says he’s not ashamed of God’s good news because it is the power of God for salvation. Paul knows that is God’s only plan for the whole world, for all who believe, Jew or Gentile—for everyone who believes.
Salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone. Paul is a believing Jew who understands God’s plan for the church. Paul knows the gospel is a message for faith, “from faith for faith” (Romans 1:17). God’s righteousness is revealed through the preaching of the gospel. How can I know that I’m entirely accepted before God? The gospel declares the way. We are accepted and saved only by faith, from beginning to end. It is a gift. Progressive sanctification is also by faith, never by works (Romans 10:1–15).
About this Plan
We live the Christian life by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us. He has delivered us from sin and made us His own because He loves us. We are not ashamed of God’s message, the gospel. It is a faithful message of His love for all humanity. From beginning to end, this message calls for faith.
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