The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16
am not ashamed... Greek: epaischunomai. Here; Rom. 6:21; Mar. 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2Tim. 1:8, 1:12, 1:16; Heb. 2:11; 11:16. Paul here fulfills Isa. 28:16.
B gospel of Christ:... Another term for "gospel of God" (Rom. 1:1).
C is the power... Greek: dunamis, inherent power; the ability to reproduce itself, like a dynamo.
The Gospel Is God’s Power:
1. To produce the new birth (1Pet. 1:23).
2. To give salvation (Rom. 1:16; Eph. 1:13).
3. To impart grace (Acts 20:24).
4. To establish people in the faith (Rom. 16:25).
5. To generate faith (Rom. 10:17).
6. To set free (John 8:31-36).
7. To nourish spiritual life (1Pet. 2:2).
8. To cleanse the church (Eph. 5:26).
9. To search the life (Heb. 4:12).
10. To make partakers of Christ (Eph. 3:6).
11. To impart immortality (2Tim. 1:10).
12. To bring peace (Rom. 10:15).
13. To give protection (Eph. 6:17).
14. To give fullness of blessings (Rom. 15:29).
d God unto salvation... Greek: soteria. Translated “salvation” 40 times; “saved” (Luke 1:71; Rom. 10:1); “deliver” (Acts 7:25); “health” (Acts 27:34); and “saving” (Heb.11:7).
Salvation
Salvation is the all-inclusive word of the gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes. It is used 119 times in the Old Testament. There are 7 Hebrew and Greek words for "salvation." They are used 388 times and are translated by 23 English words, some with various endings, which mean salvation, deliverance, save, health, help, welfare, safety, victory, Savior, defend, avenge, rescue, and preserve.
Salvation is used of:
1. Deliverance from danger (Exo. 14:1-31)
2. Victory over enemies (1Sam. 14:1-52)
3. Healing of the body (Acts 3:6; 4:12)
4. Forgiveness of sin (Luke 19:9; Rom. 10:9-10; Psm. 38:18-22; 51:1-13; 79:9)
5. Freedom from prison (Phlp. 1:19)
6. Deliverance from captivity (Psm. 14:1-7)
7. Deliverance from wrath (1Thes. 5:9)
Salvation from sin comes through:
1. Confession (Rom. 10:9; 1Jhn. 1:9)
2. Grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9)
3. Sanctification of the Spirit and
4. Belief of the truth (2Thes. 2:13)
5. Godly sorrow (2Cor. 7:10)
6. Faith in His blood (Rom. 3:25)
7. Faith in His name (Acts 4:12)
Emphasizing theme
Paul’s eagerness to evangelize sprang also from his estimate of his message, the gospel. (This is the fourth of five times Paul used the word “gospel” in these opening verses: Rom. 1:1, 1:9, 1:15-17.) Many consider this the theme of the letter, which it is in one sense. At least Paul gladly proclaimed it as God’s panacea for mankind’s spiritual need. He identified it as the infinite resources (dynamis, “spiritual ability”) of God applied toward the goal of salvation in the life of everyone who believes regardless of racial background. He recognized, however, a priority for the Jew expressed in the word first, which has sufficient textual support here and is unquestioned in Rom. 2:9-10. Not ashamed: Neither ridicule, criticism or physical persecution, could curb Paul’s boldness. He had been imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Berea, laughed at in Athens, regarded as a fool in Corinth, and stoned in Galatia, but Paul remained eager to preach the gospel in Rome.
Power: The English word “dynamite” comes from this Greek word. Although the message may sound foolish to some, the gospel is effective because it carries with it the omnipotence of God. Only God’s power is able to overcome man’s sinful nature and give him new life.
Salvation: Used 5 times in Romans, this key word basically means “deliverance” or “rescue”. The power of the gospel delivers people from lostness, from the wrath of God, from willful spiritual ignorance, from evil self indulgence and from the darkness of false religion. It rescues them from the ultimate penalty of their sin, i.e. the eternal separation from God and eternal punishment.
Believeth To trust, rely on, or have faith in. When used of salvation, this word usually occurs in the present tense “is believing” which stresses that faith is not simply a onetime event, but an ongoing condition. True saving faith is supernatural, a gracious gift of God that He produces in the heart and is the only means by which a person can appropriate true righteousness.
1. Saving faith consists of 3 elements.
1. Mental: the mind understands the gospel and the truth about Christ
2. Emotional: one embraces the truthfulness of those facts with sorrow over sin and joy over God’s mercy and grace
3. Volitional: the sinner submits his will to Christ and trust in Him alone as the only hope of salvation.
Genuine faith wills always product authentic obedience.
Jew First: God chose Israel to be His witness nation and gave her distinct privileges. Christ’s ministry was first to Israel and it was through Israel that salvation was to come to the world.
Because the Jews were God’s Chosen People (Rom. 11:1), the custodians of God’s revelation (Rom. 3:2), and the people through whom Christ came (Rom. 9:5), they have a preference of privilege expressed historically in a chronological priority. As the Lord Jesus stated it, “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). In Paul’s ministry he sought out the Jews first in every new city (Acts 13:5, 13:14; 14:1; 17:2, 17:10, 17:17; 18:4, 18:19; 19:8). Three times he responded to their rejection of his message by turning to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46; 18:6; 28:25-28; cf. comments on Eph. 1:12). Today evangelism of the world must include the Jews, but the priority of the Jews has been fulfilled.
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