Confidence in the Gospel

Text:   Romans 1.15 – “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are in Rome also.”

Introduction:        I want to begin this morning by telling you my purpose for preaching what I am going to preach to you. I, like Paul, am eager to preach to you the Gospel. I am eager to do it because I want to encourage you in it. Now notice I did not say I want to admonish you, but encourage you. I want to encourage you to “Not be ashamed of the Gospel.” It is my desire, I believe by what the Lord has given me, to not be ashamed of the Gospel, but to be Confident in the Gospel. So I want to ask you to turn in your Bibles to Romans 1 and I will read verse 15-17 and then we’ll comment on them as the Word of God is open to us.

Notice how Paul begins, “As much as is in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you…” He has determined to not simply come to see them, but he says, “to preach the Gospel” to them. Notice he says, “I am ready.” This is the same word Jesus uses in Matthew 26.41 in the Garden of Gesthemene, when He comes back and finds the disciples asleep and He says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing (πρόθυμον), but the flesh is weak. Paul is ready, willing, eager, the word means passionately so, with every fiber of his being. This is more than making travelling preparations. He has set himself to do it. He has prepared his mind, his heart to do one thing and that is to preach the Gospel!

So, the question is, Why all the eagerness? Why all the passion about preaching the Gospel, Paul?  Because the Gospel is the most life-transforming truth ever put into men’s hands. And this is why I am purposed to encourage you this morning in the Preaching of the Gospel. The main concern of this church ought to be intent upon one thing and that is the preaching of the Gospel, for by it and only by it is the Divine Design of Salvation unto men.

Charles Spurgeon, the English Baptist preacher said this:

“Where the Gospel is fully and powerfully preached, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, our churches do not only hold their own, but win converts; but when that which constitutes their strength is gone – we mean when the Gospel is concealed, and the life of prayer is slighted – the whole thing becomes a mere form and fiction. For this thing our heart is sore grieved.”

Let me get back to our question to Paul, Why are you so passionate about the preaching of the Gospel, Paul ? Which leads me to ask this question of us: Are you ashamed of the Gospel or do you have Confidence in the Gospel?

The apostle gives us two essential reasons why we should be confident in the Gospel and determined to preach the Gospel and he expresses them in two key terms: Power and Righteousness. Paul answers our question: “You want to know why I am so eager to preach the Gospel to you it is because I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and for two reasons: Power and Righteousness.

I.                   The Power

Notice he says, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. He uses a negative statement to express a positive assertion.  I am not ashamed. What he is saying is that he is confident even glorying in the Gospel. What gives Paul the confidence in this Gospel? “δύναμις γὰρ θεοῦ ἐστιν” “For it is the power of God unto salvation. He is crystal clear. For it is the Power of God unto salvation. The key word is Power.

A.                  Here is our main problem when it comes to confidence in the Gospel and Paul addresses it immediately. He is not shy to bring it out. The reason he says he is not ashamed is that it is the Power of God unto salvation. δύναμις is the Greek word translated Power. Paul speaks in the most powerful of terms for we may ask: What do you mean Paul, power? Well, what does he mean? Can he mean that the Gospel is something that stirs up the good in men? You have probably heard that “there is a little good in everyone.” “The Gospel should be preached in such a way so as to tap into that good.” But listen what Paul says later in Romans 3.10 –“As it is written (now he is appealing not to an opinion of men, not Paul’s opinion or some great Greek philosopher, but God. Any time you find “It is written” this is a direct quote of God) As it is written, There is none righteous, (well, maybe there are some), no, not one…” Romans 3.10-12 The Gospel, he says, is not an encouragement to self-help. In the book of Jeremiah, God says to the children of Israel, “If you say in your heart, ‘Why have these things come upon me?’ For the greatness of your iniquity your skirts have been uncovered, your heels made bare. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.” It is not within us to turn from evil and to do good. The power is not within us. So what does he mean by Power?

B.                  Well, and this is so simple, he defines it for us. Look at what he says, “For it is the power OF GOD!” Inherent in the Gospel is the power of the omnipotent God! But before we go on let’s be clear of what Paul means by this phrase “the Power of God.”

1.                   Notice, he did not say “the Gospel is ABOUT the power of God.” He is not merely describing it or saying something about it.

2.                   Nor, is God telling us what we have to do because if it were that, then the power required would be of us and not of God.

3.                   And it is not just a statement of what God has done about our salvation. If it had been about what God had done, then salvation would be merely a possibility for you.

C.                  NO! not a description, not within us and not just a possibility of salvation. He says the Gospel itself IS the power of God. The apostle is saying this is how God prepared, made and produced and is working out this salvation in us. This is very much different; God is not simply offering salvation, hoping that men will accept it. It is God’s power working in us, producing salvation in us or simply stated – It is God in us. Paul expresses it this way in his prayer in Ephesians 1.19-20 – He prays “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” And then later in chapter 2 – “We are His workmanship…” He means that salvation is God’s mighty work in us through and by the means of the Gospel preached. 1 Corinthians 1.21 says, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Peter reiterates this tremendous truth in 2 Peter 1.3 LISTEN to THIS, this is powerful: “According as his divine power hath given us ALL things that pertain unto life and godliness!” What does the Christian lack? What does the Christian lack if God according to His divine power has given us ALL THINGS that pertain to life and godliness? Wow! If we could just get a hold of this! You may ask ALL THINGS? Yes, ALL THINGS. Listen to our Lord respond to the temptation of the Devil in Matthew 4.4, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Do you suppose the Lord really meant that? Do you suppose man lives, truly lives by the every word that comes out of the mouth of God? I’ll leave you to think about that.

D.                  Before we go on to verse 17, let me bring to your attention the last phrase by asking this question: Who is this Gospel for? Well initially we can say everyone. That is inclusive. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone. But at the same time it is exclusive “to everyone who believes.” There are those who are unaffected. They will not believe. Folks, I said before this is the most life-transforming truth ever put into the hands of men. If we really understand and respond to these truths, time and eternity is totally changed.

II.                The Righteousness

So, Paul says I am ready to preach the Gospel to you, first because “it is the Power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.” The second reason is in verse 17, “For therein is the Righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith…” Why is it the power of God unto salvation? Because in it is the righteousness of God revealed.

A.                  What exactly does he mean by revealed? Not simply something disclosed to human understanding, but revealed in action and operation, the righteousness of God is manifested with saving effect. The point is that this is not just some religion. It is actively and dynamically brought to bear upon man’s sinful situation. Remember I told you it is a life-transforming truth. God does not just make salvation possible, He makes it sure! It is not something just laid out there and God says, Salvation, who wants some. No the power is that it is redemptively active in the sphere of the human condition of sin and ruin.  He actually transforms the man.

B.                  Now this is the key aspect of what Paul is saying. It is a life-transforming truth. This is not just forgiveness of sin, although it is that. This is not just being saved from hell, although it is that. This is a total transformation of a sinful man into a righteous man. The righteousness of God is revealed; not our righteousness, but God’s righteousness.

C.                  What does it mean that the righteousness of God is revealed? Well, he doesn’t mean that it is just disclosed to the minds of men or that it is spoken in human history. He means that it is revealed in the action and operation of regeneration. I told you it was life-transforming. Here is mankind who is totally bent to sin. There is none righteous, no not one and God comes along and actively transforms a sinner to a saint. That culminates in no condemnation and no guilt. He says this in Romans 8.1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

D.                  Notice what happened here. God doesn’t lower His standard. He doesn’t say, Okay, I know you don’t have it in you, so I will lower the standard of righteousness. Just do the best you can. Many people think this way. “You know, God is just going to look at the good things I’ve done and accept me that way.” God never lowered His standard. His demand has always been perfection, absolute perfect holiness. He sent His Son. Listen to Paul in Romans 8 again: “For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us!” Isn’t that tremendous? You and I didn’t have it in us, so God put it in us by Jesus Christ!

E.                  He ends this tremendous statement by concluding with – the Word of God – Look what he says, “As it is written, The Just (or the Righteous), shall live by faith.” What does that mean? Paul illustrates it with Abraham’s life, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness.” That is Abraham lived trusting God, living in trust of God. That is what it is to believe, to have faith, to live by faith. It is trusting and leaning on God for everything in our lives.

I will end with the words from Augustus Toplady’s hymn Rock of Ages:

“Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no languor know, These for sin could not atone – Thou must save, and Thou alone…”  Maybe you have had your confidence somewhere else or in someone else or even yourself. Cling to God. Trust Him. He alone must save you. Trust Him now.