Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
The gospel of Jesus Christ is, by far, the most relevant; the most accurate; and the most tried, tested, and proven plan ever executed. It works every time it has been tried. It produces life-changing results. It removes the guilt of sin that tramples upon mankind. Upon receiving it, a man can stand and say, "That filthy, ungodly wretch is who I was; but now, I am a new creature!"
Paul begins the above verse by proclaiming, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." I will note here the definition of the word, "gospel." I will let the Bible define it for us. Note the following:
Luke 4:18 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor..."
In this verse, Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament, namely
Isaiah 61:1 - "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek..."
In Luke 4:18, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew text, Isaiah 61:1, shows that Christ would be anointed to preach the gospel, or "good tidings," to the poor. The gospel is "good tidings." The word, "tidings" means literally, "news." Luke 2:10 refers to the gospel as "good tidings of great joy." Luke 8:1, Acts 13:32, and Romans 10:15 refer to "glad tidings." The word, "glad" literally means, "happy or joyful." The gospel is good news! It is the clear, concise answer that God Almighty has provided in Jesus Christ for man's problem of sin and separation from God. It is medicine to the sick, administered by the Great Physician Himself. It is the remedy for the downcast. It is hope for those who have fallen into deep, incurable despair. It is the act of the Saviour taking our lives, equivalent to LESS THAN the two fishes and five loaves given to Jesus, and distributing our lives in a far greater dimension than we ever thought possible. It is life given to the dead, to those who were dead in trespasses and sins. It is the work of God in us. Understanding the definition of the gospel, all I can say is, "No wonder we call it the Gospel!"
Paul's wording in our text is, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." And really, WHY WOULD HE BE? It is the absolute only hope for this world. It will work for any man who obeys it by believing it. The only person who can be disqualified from receiving the gospel is the man who is not a sinner, for Jesus said in Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17, and Luke 5:32, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." If you are a sinner, plagued with "big sins" or "little sins," you are a perfect candidate for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a gift from the Father, wrapped by Joseph of Arimathaea, with your name on it!
Paul states, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION." The gospel is power. I gave you the definition of the gospel; but now I give you the demonstration of the gospel. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, defined the gospel as good news, but upon the old, rugged cross, He demonstrated the gospel. Notice the following:
I Corinthians 15:1 - "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;"
Here, Paul begins to declare the gospel. In the verses following, he declares the gospel, the good news.
I Corinthians 15:3, 4 - "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
Yes, the gospel is glad tidings of great joy. It is good news for fallen man. Christ did not merely declare the gospel; He demonstrated it to us!
Romans 5:8 - "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
What a gospel! Jesus took up a cross and died for those of us who deserved it the least, along with the rest! The scriptures call on us to "obey the gospel" in II Thessalonians 1:8 and I Peter 4:17. But how do you "obey the gospel?" If the gospel is defined as good news and was demonstrated by Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, how do we "obey the gospel?" There's only one way to obey the gospel. We find the answer in Mark 1:15, spoken by Jesus Christ Himself. "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." There must be a repentance from our trusting of any works other than Christ's; and we must solely believe, trust, rest, rely, and depend on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! This is the only way to obey the gospel - The gospel must be believed!
No wonder we call it the Gospel!
The gospel of Jesus Christ is, by far, the most relevant; the most accurate; and the most tried, tested, and proven plan ever executed. It works every time it has been tried. It produces life-changing results. It removes the guilt of sin that tramples upon mankind. Upon receiving it, a man can stand and say, "That filthy, ungodly wretch is who I was; but now, I am a new creature!"
Paul begins the above verse by proclaiming, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." I will note here the definition of the word, "gospel." I will let the Bible define it for us. Note the following:
Luke 4:18 - "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor..."
In this verse, Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament, namely
Isaiah 61:1 - "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek..."
In Luke 4:18, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew text, Isaiah 61:1, shows that Christ would be anointed to preach the gospel, or "good tidings," to the poor. The gospel is "good tidings." The word, "tidings" means literally, "news." Luke 2:10 refers to the gospel as "good tidings of great joy." Luke 8:1, Acts 13:32, and Romans 10:15 refer to "glad tidings." The word, "glad" literally means, "happy or joyful." The gospel is good news! It is the clear, concise answer that God Almighty has provided in Jesus Christ for man's problem of sin and separation from God. It is medicine to the sick, administered by the Great Physician Himself. It is the remedy for the downcast. It is hope for those who have fallen into deep, incurable despair. It is the act of the Saviour taking our lives, equivalent to LESS THAN the two fishes and five loaves given to Jesus, and distributing our lives in a far greater dimension than we ever thought possible. It is life given to the dead, to those who were dead in trespasses and sins. It is the work of God in us. Understanding the definition of the gospel, all I can say is, "No wonder we call it the Gospel!"
Paul's wording in our text is, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." And really, WHY WOULD HE BE? It is the absolute only hope for this world. It will work for any man who obeys it by believing it. The only person who can be disqualified from receiving the gospel is the man who is not a sinner, for Jesus said in Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17, and Luke 5:32, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." If you are a sinner, plagued with "big sins" or "little sins," you are a perfect candidate for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a gift from the Father, wrapped by Joseph of Arimathaea, with your name on it!
Paul states, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION." The gospel is power. I gave you the definition of the gospel; but now I give you the demonstration of the gospel. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, defined the gospel as good news, but upon the old, rugged cross, He demonstrated the gospel. Notice the following:
I Corinthians 15:1 - "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;"
Here, Paul begins to declare the gospel. In the verses following, he declares the gospel, the good news.
I Corinthians 15:3, 4 - "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
Yes, the gospel is glad tidings of great joy. It is good news for fallen man. Christ did not merely declare the gospel; He demonstrated it to us!
Romans 5:8 - "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
What a gospel! Jesus took up a cross and died for those of us who deserved it the least, along with the rest! The scriptures call on us to "obey the gospel" in II Thessalonians 1:8 and I Peter 4:17. But how do you "obey the gospel?" If the gospel is defined as good news and was demonstrated by Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, how do we "obey the gospel?" There's only one way to obey the gospel. We find the answer in Mark 1:15, spoken by Jesus Christ Himself. "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." There must be a repentance from our trusting of any works other than Christ's; and we must solely believe, trust, rest, rely, and depend on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! This is the only way to obey the gospel - The gospel must be believed!
No wonder we call it the Gospel!
