Romans 1 Devotional

The Power That Saves

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.”Romans 1:16 (BSB)

Paul introduces himself as someone set apart for the good news God promised long before through the prophets, news about his Son, born in David's line and shown to be the Son of God by rising from the dead (1:1-4). Paul is not embarrassed by this message, because it is God's own saving power for everyone who believes, Jew and Gentile alike (1:16-17).

Then the letter turns dark. God's wrath, his settled opposition to evil, is being revealed against people who know him through what he has made yet refuse to honor him or thank him (1:18-21). They trade God's glory for images of creatures, and three times God hands them over to what they chose (1:24, 26, 28). The list that follows sets envy, gossip and boasting beside murder (1:29-31). No one reads it from a safe distance. That is exactly why the gospel is good news. It is God's power for people who cannot rescue themselves, and it can be received today without first cleaning yourself up.

To think about: Where are you tempted to keep quiet about the gospel, and what would change if you saw it as God's power rather than your own argument?