Romans Part 2

The Meat of the Gospel

“To understand the key to this book is to comprehend the full implication of the Gospel. The Gospel is so profound it passes beyond the comprehension of the wise and so simple it can be received by a child. In it the power of God is released to save the sinner and produce righteousness in the unrighteous. The basis upon which this is received is faith upon the part of the sinner. Only God could devise a way that would exclude none and make available to all men His salvation.” Dr. Carroll Thompson

Romans 1:16–17 NASB95

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. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

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.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

And in this text Paul start off by saying. I am Not. The writer is saying with this statement

If I am not, you should not be.

Should not be Ashamed

The word ashamed here means to feel shame for something.

Points to being ashamed for doing something wrong.

What should we never be ashamed for?

We live in a culture that tries to make us feel ashamed for believing in the Gospel.

Ashamed or embarrass Paul who in the name of God went around killing Christian persecuting the church makes a very bold statement. Even with the entire thing that I have done all the wrong I have wrong I am not ashamed/scared or embarrass to tell you have God can and change my. Paul didn’t stop telling us about his salvation experience.

Paul was not ashamed.

Of what?

There are 4 key words in these 2 scripture.

The first one is

Gospel

What is the Gospel?

The good news of Christ.

The Gospel is the power of God for Salvation

The word for Gospel here is yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on meaning Good news, or an announcement to Good.

Let’s look at

1 Corinthians 15:1–4 NASB95

1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,

by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

3 things about the Gospel here.

1. Christ came to the word (the Expression of Love)

2. Christ Died for the Sinner (for our sin)

3. Christ rose from the Dead (for our Deliverance)

The Gospel is 3 Things

1. Life for the Dying

2. Forgiveness for the guilty

3. Righteousness for the unrighteous

See we have made the Gospel so mythical that it has lost all of it practicality.

See we have made it so fiction and that it has lost it truth.

Many people see the Bible as a fairy tale. They put the story of David and Goliath right up there with the fictional story of Beauty and the Beast.

They read it without the revelation so what they read is just words.

But the bible to me is more than stores. It more than a man in a whale. When I read the bible I see myself in the pages. I don’t just see see myself as Jonah trip in a situation and when I called upon Jesus he delivered me from death.

The Gospel is not just words, it is Power.

It not just Logos its Ramah (that which is or has been uttered by the living voice)

That leads me to the next key word.

Power

The Greek work for Power here is Dunamis. It means strength, ability, power for performing miracles. Power of God unto salvation.

I preach because I know that the Gospel has power I know that the gospel has change my life and I am not ashamed tell you.

The Gospel saves. But how will people hear the Gospel without a preacher.

Paul say in

1 Corinthians 9:16 NASB95

16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

Why?

Because the Gospel of Jesus has Power.

The power is within the Gospel to bring forth Salvation. That power is the power of God.

It is the power of God

The Gospel, by nature, has this inherent power.

This power in the Gospel lead to Salvation.

The Next key word is

Salvation

So what is Salvation?

Now the word Salvation comes from the Greek Word Soteria. This means Freedom from Jail or prison.

The word means Deliverance.

3 things that Salvation means

1. Deliverance/Salvation from Hell

Deliverance/Salvation from Hell

Thank God we get to spend eternity with our God

2. Deliverance/Salvation from the Control of Sin

Romans 6:18 NASB95

18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Roman 6: 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the slaves of righteousness.

3. Deliverance/Salvation from our Enemy

Luke 1:71 NASB95

71 Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us;

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us.

And the last thing

4. Deliverance/Salvation from Sickness

Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health (your Salvation): for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

We should be sharing the Goodnews to others. That you can be saved, you can be delivered.

This is the Meat of the Gospel.

Salvation is not a set of rules to follow, but a gift we are to accept.

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.

Belief points to

Faith

pisteuō

pist-yoo'-o

pisteuō, to have faith in.

to have faith in.

The next key is Faith.

What is faith?

Faith is the positive response of man to the Gospel.

“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times.” Martin Luther

The question is not, “Can a man Believe?” the question is, “What does man Believe?”

The question is not, “Can a man Believe?” the question is, “What does man Believe?”

Man is a creature of Faith

Made in the image of God

Man has the ability to believe

I always say God meets man at the level of his faith.

3 Things faith does

1. Faith bridges gap that separates man from God

2. Faith reaches out to the promises of God in the Gospel

3. Faith always acknowledges its need.

God meets man at the Point of his need and takes him from Faith to Faith.

Amen

As ones faith grows one become more mature in his beliefs.

It is God desire to bring man from one level of faith to a higher level of faith.

Faith brings a person into God’s righteousness. It is the basis for one’s relationship with God.

Notice verse 17

THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

The believer’s life began by faith and by faith is how he shall live.

This life comes only from a relationship with God

By faith one enters into this relationship.

The last keys word is

Righteousness

The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel.

What is righteousness?

Righteousness is the condition of being conformed to the likeness of God.

Let’s look at

Ephesians 4:24 NASB95

24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Righteousness puts the sinner into right relationship with God.

Understand this it is Righteousness that make available God’s righteousness to an unrighteous person.

it is the righteousness of God, that is made available to the sinner. This righteousness is only comes through the Gospel by faith.

The goal of man’s life is to be found in Him, not having his own righteousness.

The righteousness of God goes from faith to faith.

1. Faith precede righteousness. This righteousness come out of faith.

2. This righteousness leads into faith. Faith to faith

3. Faith is not righteousness it is the medium through which righteousness is received.

I must say faith into salvation does not stop until it produces the righteousness of God in ones life.

Faith is more than an one time experience. IT IS LIFE. And It is by faith that a righteous man lives

It is by faith that a righteous man lives

Righteousness is imputed when one first believe. (God see you as righteous)

Righteousness is imparted as one lives by faith. (now one must do works of Righteousness.