Romans 1:16-17

Passage

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God into all the ones who are faithful: first to Jews and then to Greeks.  For the righteousness of God is being revealed out of faith into faith through Him, just as it has been written, “And the righteous shall live by faith.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel.  I think this is a simple point, but it is a point worth making.  How many times do we make excuses for our faith or the fact that we believe in God?  How many times do we put up boundaries so that we know where our faith can exist and where our faith needs to be hidden?  No!  Paul is not ashamed!  I am reminded of Matthew 5:14-16.  You do not put a light under a basket, for then the light will not be able to accomplish its purpose.  The same is true for us.  We have been given the Gospel so that God may shine before mankind.

When do you hide your identity as a Christian?  Where do you hide your identity as a Christian?  What might God be saying to you about this?

Second Thought:

Paul talks an awful lot about faith in this passage.  In fact, the word (or a direct derivative of the word) is used four times in these two verses alone.  The Gospel is the power of God into all the ones who are faithful.  In other words, we are indeed saved by God’s grace through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ on the cross.  But the power of the message of salvation comes upon us when we not only believe in the message but also faithfully respond to it.  When God is made incarnate in us then the power of God works magnificently through us!  Also, don’t forget that the Greek word for “power” is the root of our English word dynamite.  The Gospel of God’s salvation is explosively powerful in us.

Have you ever felt explosively powerful in God?  How do those times correlate with your willingness to be faithful?  How might this line of thinking also tie into submission?

Third Thought:

Paul tells us that it was through Jesus that faith was being revealed out of faith (or even, faithfulness).  Here is literally what Paul is saying.  Jesus came.  He was faithful to what God asked of Him.  Through that faithfulness, we can see righteousness.  Out of that faithfulness – because He died on the cross for our sake – we come into faith.  Literally, our faith is born out of Christ’s faith.  Without the faithfulness of Christ, our faith is nothing.

How do you understand where faith comes from?  What does it mean to you to hear someone say that without Christ our faith is nothing?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 1:18-20