Romans 1:1–17 – The Power of the Gospel

Introduction: Setting the Stage

Now before we dive into the text, let’s take a moment to understand the background here. Romans isn’t just another letter. It’s Paul’s longest and most carefully crafted epistle. Written around AD 57, most likely from Corinth, this letter is different from others because Paul hasn’t been to Rome yet. He didn’t plant this church. He’s writing to believers he’s never met, but he’s longing to visit them and strengthen them in the faith.

Why Rome? Because Rome wasn’t just another city. Rome was the city. It was the capital of the empire, the seat of Caesar, the place of power, culture, trade, and influence. To reach Rome was to have a foothold in the very heart of the known world. Think of it like the New York or London of the ancient world—what happened in Rome spread everywhere.

But the church in Rome wasn’t a megachurch with influence and prestige. Most likely, it was a collection of small house churches scattered across the city, filled with ordinary people—slaves, merchants, immigrants, a handful of Jews, and a growing number of Gentiles. In AD 49, the emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome because of unrest surrounding “Chrestus” (likely a reference to disputes about Christ). That meant Jewish Christians were forced out, and the church became almost entirely Gentile for several years. Then after Claudius’s death, the Jews returned, and suddenly you had this tension: how do Jewish believers with deep traditions and Gentile believers with pagan backgrounds worship together as one family?

That’s one of the big reasons Paul writes Romans. He wants to show that the gospel unites Jew and Gentile into one people of God. He wants to lay out clearly what the gospel is and how it changes everything. And he wants to rally support for his future mission to Spain by strengthening the Roman church in gospel clarity.

So this is not Paul giving us some side teaching. This is Paul saying: here’s the center of it all. The gospel is the power of God for salvation.

And that’s where this lands for us today. Brampton is one of the youngest, most diverse cities in Canada. People here come from every background, every culture, every religion. The question is the same: what can unite us, what can transform us, what can sustain us as a church family on mission? Paul’s answer then is the same answer now: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you’ve got your Bible, open with me to Romans 1.

Romans is not a casual letter. This is Paul’s magnum opus—the deepest dive into the gospel we have in the New Testament. Paul writes it around AD 57, most likely from Corinth, and he’s sending it ahead to a church he hasn’t even visited yet. That matters because Rome wasn’t just another city. Rome was the hub of the known world. It was the political capital, the cultural epicenter, the heartbeat of the empire. If you influenced Rome, you influenced the world.

And yet, Paul doesn’t write to lobby Caesar, he doesn’t write to build a political coalition, he doesn’t write to rally social reform. He writes to preach the gospel. Why? Because Paul believed the gospel—not politics, not culture, not Caesar’s sword—was the true power to change the world.

Now, here’s what we need to understand about the Roman church: it was diverse. The emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome in AD 49. So, for years, the church was mostly Gentile. But then the Jews returned after Claudius’s death, and suddenly you’ve got a mixed community trying to figure out how to live as one family. Jews with kosher backgrounds and Sabbath traditions. Gentiles with pagan backgrounds and no categories for circumcision or the law. And Paul is saying, “The only thing that will hold this together is the gospel.”

John Murray puts it this way: “The epistle to the Romans is the fullest, plainest, and grandest statement of the gospel in the New Testament.”

This isn’t abstract theology. This is Paul writing to unify a divided church, to ground them in gospel identity, gospel power, and gospel boldness. And Church of the City, this is exactly what we need in Brampton. We don’t need another gimmick. We don’t need just cultural programming. We need the gospel at the center of who we are and what we do.

The Gospel Creates a New Identity (vv. 1–7)

Let’s look at how Paul introduces himself. Verse 1: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”

The word for “servant” here is doulos—slave. Paul was once a Pharisee of Pharisees, trained under Gamaliel, respected in Jewish circles, zealous for the law. But now he introduces himself not by his résumé, not by his accomplishments, but by this: “I belong to Jesus. My life is not my own.”

This is identity transformation. This is what happens when the gospel takes root.

And Paul roots this gospel in history. Verse 2: “which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.” The gospel isn’t some new fad. It’s the fulfillment of centuries of prophecy. From Genesis 3:15 where God promised a serpent-crushing seed, to 2 Samuel 7 where He promised David a forever king, to Isaiah 53 where He promised a suffering servant—this is that story fulfilled in Christ.

Verse 3 says the gospel is “concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh.” That’s 2 Samuel 7, Psalm 2, Psalm 89—all the royal promises coming true. And then verse 4: He was “declared to be the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead.” The resurrection is the great vindication: Jesus is who He said He is. He is the Davidic King, but more—He is the risen Son of God.

Illustration: Think about how we introduce ourselves in Brampton. We say, “I’m Punjabi.” “I’m Jamaican.” “I work in IT.” “I drive for Amazon.” “I’m from Castlemore.” And those things matter. But Paul is saying the gospel gives you a deeper identity. Above culture, above career, above neighborhood, above status—you are a servant of Christ.

Douglas Moo says it like this: “Paul’s gospel is not simply good advice; it is the good news of what God has done in Christ, in fulfillment of His promises, to bring people into the realm of His Son.”

Church, if we are going to reach Brampton, we cannot be a community built around shared background. We must be a family built around a shared Savior. That’s gospel identity.

The Gospel Is the Power of God (vv. 8–15)

Paul thanks God for the Romans in verse 8 because their faith is being talked about all over the world. That’s incredible. Without social media, without podcasts, without livestreams—word has spread that this diverse little church in Rome believes the gospel. That’s the power of God at work.

Paul says in verse 11 he wants to visit them to strengthen them, but also to be strengthened by them. Don’t miss that—Paul the apostle, Paul the theologian, Paul the missionary, says, “I need your encouragement too.” The gospel sustains us in community. It’s not just what saves us at the beginning, it’s what sustains us to the end.

Then in verse 14 he says, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.”That’s shocking in the first century. The Greeks thought of themselves as cultured and educated. “Barbarians” was their insult for anyone who wasn’t Greek. And Paul says, “I owe the gospel to both. Nobody is beyond this power.”

Rome worshiped power—military power, political power, cultural power. But Paul is saying, “The real power is not Caesar’s sword, it’s the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The word for power in verse 16 is dynamis. It means inherent, unstoppable force. It’s not like a battery you plug in. It’s not borrowed. It is God’s own power unleashed through the message of Jesus.

Illustration: In 2021, Time Magazine reported that Brampton is one of the youngest and most diverse cities in Canada—over 600,000 people, more than 70% visible minorities, and over 200 cultural backgrounds. Let’s be honest—politics can’t unite that. Cultural programming can’t unite that. Only the gospel has the power to make that kind of diversity into a true family.

John Stott says: “The gospel is God’s power for salvation. It does not bring power. It is power.”

Church, hear me—this is what our city needs. Brampton doesn’t need another consumer church, another religious club. Brampton needs a community so transformed by the gospel that people say, “There must be something supernatural about that family.”

The Gospel Demands Bold Faith (vv. 16–17)

Now we come to Paul’s thesis for the whole book. Verse 16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

This is stunning. In Rome, to say “Jesus is Lord” was treason, because the empire said “Caesar is Lord.” To stand for Christ could mean ridicule, social ostracism, even death. And Paul says, “I am not ashamed.” Why? Because he knows this gospel reveals the righteousness of God.

Verse 17: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” That’s Habakkuk 2:4. God’s people were facing judgment and exile, and Habakkuk was told, “The righteous will live by faith.” Not by sight. Not by strength. By faith. And Paul is saying that has always been the way—salvation is by faith, not works.

Illustration: In the 1740s, George Whitefield was invited to preach at a London fair. Imagine the scene—gambling booths, drunken crowds, prize fights. As he preached Christ, people threw insults, eggs, even stones. Yet Whitefield stood firm and cried, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.” And in that chaos, people were converted. That’s gospel boldness.

Now bring that home. In Brampton, we may not face stones, but we will face ridicule. You might face mockery at work. You might face tension in your family. You might face pressure at school. The temptation is to shrink back, to privatize your faith. But Paul is calling us to be a people who stand unashamed.

Martin Luther said of this verse: “Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”

Conclusion

So let’s put this all together. Paul writes to Rome because Rome was the center of the empire. Power, culture, ideas, and influence radiated out from that city to the whole known world. And Paul says: the real power is not Caesar, not politics, not armies, not culture—the real power is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s what saves. That’s what unites Jews and Gentiles. That’s what builds the church.

Now fast forward almost two thousand years to Brampton. No, Brampton isn’t Rome. But think about it—Brampton is one of the fastest-growing, youngest, and most diverse cities in Canada. Over 70% of our neighbors are visible minorities. More than 200 languages and cultural backgrounds live side by side. It’s a city of ambition, education, and hustle. People come here for opportunity. They chase identity in career, money, status, and culture.

So what can possibly unite a city like that? What can form a real family out of such diversity? What can bring transformation that lasts? The answer is the same today as it was in Paul’s day: the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

Here’s what this means for us at Church of the City:

Our deepest identity is not found in our culture, career, or background—it is found in Christ.

Our true power does not come from clever programs, strategies, or influence—it comes from the gospel.

Our boldness must not shrink back in shame but declare with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”

Imagine this with me: a church family in Brampton where Jamaicans and Punjabis, Italians and Gujaratis, Caribbean and South Asian, young professionals and retirees, new immigrants and Canadian-born, all come together as one family of missionary disciples. Imagine a church where people say, “I don’t understand how these people love each other, but I know it has something to do with Jesus.”

That is what Paul longed to see in Rome, and that is what we are longing to see here in Brampton.

The gospel is not advice about how to live. It is not just inspiration for a better week. It is good news about what God has already done in Christ—His life, death, and resurrection for us. And that news changes everything.

So let’s stand with Paul. Let’s stand with the church in Rome. Let’s stand unashamed in Brampton—because this gospel is still the power of God to save.

Illustration to Close: In 1903, when the Wright brothers took their first flight, it lasted only 12 seconds. People probably thought, “What’s the big deal?” But that short flight changed the course of history. In the same way, the gospel might look unimpressive to the world. A crucified carpenter? A small church in Brampton? But this is God’s power to change eternity, families, and cities.

Church of the City, this is our call. To be a family of missionary disciples, not ashamed of the gospel, relying not on our strength but on God’s power to save. Because the gospel is not advice about what we must do. It is good news about what God has already done in Jesus Christ. And that changes everything.

Discussion

Identity: Paul calls himself a servant of Christ, set apart for the gospel. How does the gospel reshape our sense of who we are beyond culture, career, or background, and what would it look like for our church in Brampton to live out that new identity together as family?

Power: Paul says the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Where do you see our culture (and even the church) tempted to rely on other forms of power—money, influence, politics, education—instead of the gospel? How can our community lean more fully on the gospel’s power to transform lives?

Boldness: Paul declares, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” What are the areas in your life where you feel pressure to hide or downplay your faith? How can we, as a young church in Brampton, encourage one another to live unashamed of Jesus in our neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces?