Monday, October 1, 2012

Monday, October 1st

Today's passage from the Chronological Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Luke 1, John 1:1-14
Today's scripture focus is Romans 1:16-17

16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

In these two verses we see the theme of the entire epistle, and the gospel message - power, salvation, faith and righteousness.

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

MacArthur, in his sermon The Gospel of Christ, says....
All the learned religionists, all the philosophers of Rome do not intimidate Paul. They did not intimidate him in Athens. They did not intimidate him in Corinth. They did not intimidate him in Ephesus. They did not even intimidate him in Jerusalem. And they aren't about to intimidate him here. He is proud of the gospel. He is overjoyed at the privilege of proclamation. He is utterly and absolutely eager to preach Jesus Christ. And even though it is a stumbling block to the Jew and foolishness to the Gentile the gospel is still the power of God unto salvation to all that believe and Paul is not hesitant to preach it.
He has been imprisoned in Philippi. He has been chased out of Thessalonica. He has been smuggled from Berea. He was laughed at in Athens. He was seen as a fool in Corinth. He was nothing but an irritant and sore spot in Jerusalem. He was stoned while in Galatia. And yet he will be eager to preach the gospel at Rome also.

I guess all of us would like to be able to identify with Paul in that same way. But the fact is for you and for me very often we are ashamed of the gospel of Christ. I don't think we'd con­fess that, I don't think we'd state that, I don't think we easily admit that but that's the way it works out. Because in those times when we could speak we don't speak. When those times come when we could be bold we are not bold. We face the hostility of the world. We face the unimpressiveness of the gospel. It talks about sin and blood and death. And it sounds so foolish and so silly to men, and we're afraid of what they might think and so we tend to be silent when we should speak. But Paul calmly viewed the distain of the unbelievers. He understood the contempt and the ridicule of those who rejected Christ. He faced death itself for the gospel but never once did he become ashamed of Christ.

Isn't that incredible?  I would like to be able to identify with Paul in that same way.  But what MacArthur says is true of me - there are time I don't speak, when I could speak.  Especially in person.  On Facebook it's easier to share God's truth or my faith, because I can't see their reaction.  It's less intimidating.  But in real life, I admit there are times I don't speak.  And I've never thought of it in these terms before, but if I don't speak when God gives me the opportunity to speak, it proves that I am ashamed.  And for that, I am ashamed.

Paul was able to overcome any such fear quite simply.  He tells us right here. - because of what the gospel is and because of what the gospel does.  It is the power of God for salvation. It's powerful, it changes lives, and Paul has seen it and he believes it.  Do we believe it?

There is indeed power in the gospel, because it has the very power of God behind it.  Man cannot change himself - not in his heart.  And certainly not enough to attain the absolute perfection required by God.  No, we are completely unable.  But we have a God who is able!


behind the gospel is the power. How much power is behind the gospel? I'll tell you. The Bible says, "God has great power," Psalm 79:11. The Bible says, "God has strong power," Psalm 89:13. The Bible says, "God has glorious power," Exodus 15:6. He has mighty power, Job 9:4. He has everlasting power, Isaiah 26:4­.  He has sovereign power,Romans 9:21. He has effectual power, Isaiah 43:13. He has irresistible power, Deuteronomy 32:39. He has incomparable power, Psalm 89:8. He has unsearchable power, Job 5:9. He has power.
Jeremiah 10:12 says: "It is He who made the earth by His power." Jeremiah 27:5 says: "It is I who by My great power and My outstretched arm have made the earth."
In Psalm 33:8 and 9 it says: "Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him for He spoke and it came to be." What power .... what power.
By the same powerful command the Lord maintains the universe. Behind each miracle in the Bible there is the power of God. God can part the sea. God can bring food from heaven. Miracle after miracle show His power. But I really believe the greatest expression of His power is found in His power to save, to transform people, to change their nature, their time and their eternity. Psalm 106 verses 8 and 9: "He saved them for His namesake, that He might make known His mighty power." You see, the manifestation of His power comes in salvation.
The New Testament presents the same power. In Alatthew 28:18 He said: "All power is given unto Me." He had the power to cast out demons. He had power over sickness, every illness, to heal. He had power over the universe to provide for the needs of the people. He had the power to still the storm, the power to walk on the water. He had power over death. He called Lazarus out of the grave. He gave life to the dead son of the widow of Nain. He gave life to the daughter of Jairus. He raised Himself from the dead. But most of all, Romans 1:16 says it, "He had the power of God unto salvation." He had power to save.

Now that is power!

The power of God is able to save.  Salvation.  We need to be saved from sin, from Satan, from evil, from death, from hell, from judgment.  And only the gospel of Christ has the power to do that.

When does it saved?  When we believe.  When we have faith.

Salvation is not professing Christianity. It's not that. It's not ... salvation is not baptism. Salvation is not moral reform. Salvation is not going to church, it's not conforming to rules. It's not self-discipline and restraint. It's not morality. So many people think they're saved for the wrong reason...Salvation doesn't come through the church. 

Salvation comes because a man or a woman recognizes that he has no resources and he sees himself lost and undone and he sees the filthiness and deformity of his sin. And he perceives the rottenness of his heart and the pollution of his nature and he is drawn to Christ as a remedv. And he sees One who died for his sin and who conquered his sin and paid the price and wants to give him new life. And he says - I believe ... I believe.   And it doesn't matter who that man is...

Yes, the primacy of salvation was extended to the Jews. Salvation has primary relevancy to the Jews since they were God's specially chosen people. 

The preaching of the gospel to the Jews first served various important ends. It fulfilled Old Testa­ment prophecies. It manifested the compassion of the Lord Jesus for those who shed His blood, to whom after His resurrection He commanded His gospel to be first proclaimed. It showed that it was to be preached to the chief of sinners and prove the sovereign efficacy of His atonement in expiating the guilt even of His own murderers. It was fit too that the gospel should be begun to be preached where the great transactions took place on which it was founded. (Robert Holdane)

Sure, to the Jew first. But also to the Gentiles. The salvation of God was not limited -to any nation. To everyone, the Jew or Gentile.

But how can the power of God change us even when we believe?  Because when we believe the righteous of God is given to us. We do not suddenly become righteous in ourselves, we are still incapable of that.  But God gives us His righteousness. And He is able to do that because Jesus bore the penalty for my sin, for my unrighteousness. 

This is the glory of the gospel that it is the power of God unto salvation. That it is activated by faith and that faith activates it because faith releases the manifestation of the righteousness of God on our behalf. 


Tomorrow's scripture focus: Romans 1:18-20
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage:  Matthew 1, Luke 2:1-38

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Interestingly, I was thinking last week that Paul probably had a similar behavior of being more bold in letter than in person as what you note happens in social media:

2 Cor 10:7 You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. 8For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, 9for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. 10For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” 11Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.