Bible Study Romans Part 32-Power Of God

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel” sounds bold until you slow down and hear Paul’s reason: the Gospel is the Power of God unto Salvation. We sit with Romans 1:16-17 and follow the implications all the way down. If the Gospel is God’s Power, then Salvation is not a teamwork project between God and your effort. It’s God acting, God revealing righteousness, and God doing what no rule, ritual, or self-improvement plan can ever pull off.

That takes us straight into the tension many of us feel when we hear words like Reformed Theology or Protestant Reformation. Underneath the labels is a single, unavoidable question: who is responsible for saving you? We talk through why “good news” can’t mean a lifetime of spiritual homework where one mistake brings you back to fear. We also look at how Scripture describes God’s ongoing work in believers, not just changing what we do but changing what we want, because God works in us “both to will and to do.”

From there, we connect Paul’s logic to assurance. Romans 8:28-30 reads like a chain God forges Himself: predestined, called, justified, glorified. If God is the one holding every link, then Salvation cannot fail, cannot be revoked by a stronger power, and cannot collapse under your weakness. We close with a blunt contrast between the Gospel and every other “salvation” humans try to build, and why Jesus insists there is only one door.

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Transcript

Welcome And Why Scripture Matters

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Welcome to the program Study in the Chapel. God's Word is supreme at Chapel Ministries. We consider it absolutely essential to a proper relationship with God. We study it, we love it, we rely on it every minute of every day. The following program is an edited recording of the regular Bible studies we hold, and we decided to share these with you in the hope that you too will be able to find inspiration, encouragement, and ultimately salvation through discovering Christ in Scripture. Our intention is to travel all the way through the Bible. It will be a challenging journey, but one that will undoubtedly bring you to a decision. Through this study, you will be faced with either believing or rejecting what God has said to us. It is our intention to provide you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision about God and his word. We strongly encourage you to listen intently and diligently, because though at the moment you may not realize it, these things are truly a matter of life and death. In fact, these are matters of eternal life and eternal death. Never treat what God has said lightly. There's truly nothing more important to you. Now join us as we seek God's will through his inspired word.

Reading Romans 1:16-17

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Whenever we are in God's word and we're talking about Paul, we're going to be referencing the gospel a lot. And as you probably have already figured out by now in our many lessons in his letter to the Romans, Paul is very interested in letting us all know about what the gospel actually is. We will continue to talk about that today. So let's start by me reading Romans 1. We are up to the 16th verse. It's difficult to say because we we kind of go all over the place, but today we're going to be talking about the 16th and 17th verse of the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans. I'm going to read a little bit. I read out of the King James. Please follow along in your own Bible. Make sure you always bring a Bible when you sit down to these Bible studies. But if you forgot or you don't have a Bible, we do put the verses up on the screen. Romans 1:16 out of the King James. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Verse 17, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith.

Who Is Responsible For Salvation

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These two verses encapsulate the argument of Reformed Christianity. Now I'm sure that I'm sensing a few eye rolls out there. This is not a popular topic among some Christians. Even those who belong to or who go to or have gone to churches in the Reformed tradition don't like this type of conversation. Even just the word reformed can elicit unpleasant reactions in many. Talk about this in some places, and menacing images of John Kelvin and John Knox will circle the subconscious of several in the crowd. Thoughts of stovepipe hat wearing Puritans were start making their intimidating presence known. Listen to me, I grew up Catholic. A sizable number of our mini-congregation here grew up Catholic, and talking about reformed theology is akin to opening up some dark book of secrets. But I gotta tell you, it's really hard to brush this stuff off. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. At the heart of the Reformation, the Protestant Reformation, is the question of who's responsible for our salvation. In Martin Luther's day, the church said it was. The church said it was the one responsible for our salvation. Now, granted, they never claimed that they had any inherent power to be so, but they did say that the power was granted to them by Jesus himself. And the leaders who oppose them deny such a thing. They say that there's scant evidence that what the church says is true. They say the church misinterpreted the words of our Lord. In fact, in this argument, the Protestants inevitably end up right here in Romans 1:16 and 17. Now, I hope it'll ease your mind to know that I don't plan on debating the Protestant view versus the Catholic view of salvation here. I'm just going to teach what God's word says. But it's sure going to sound like the Protestant Reformed view of things. Anyhow, let's read it again. Romans 1:16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. The tenor of this verse, the background inference of this verse is God. He is doing something and he is possessing something. Now, the primary theme of these two verses is salvation. At the forefront here is salvation. It's what we're talking about. But the conversation has as its backdrop God's actions and God's possession. The gospel is the power of God, and the righteousness spoken of belongs to him. And that righteousness is being revealed. Well, since the righteousness is his, who do you think is the one doing the revealing? It's God, of course. There's only one conclusion one can come to here, and that is that salvation is of God and from God. The gospel is God's way of salvation, and that's why it's the gospel. That's why this is good news, because it is the gift of salvation from someone who can actually save. You know, the more you study God's word, the more you have to see the gospel for what it actually is. Listen, the gospel's mentioned a whole lot in the New Testament. And if you pay attention to each and every occurrence of it, you will come to the true definition of it. Now, listen, I have, I honestly have no idea how someone who believes they can save themselves would define this word. If I believed I could save myself and I was trying to convince you that you could save yourself, I'd better stop using this word gospel because there's nothing good about news that I have to toil, that we have to toil for the rest of our lives in order to go to heaven. Something that dictates that I must act in a certain way, do certain things, say certain things, and then the slightest deviation from all of that means death is anything but good news. When has a set of rules that ever came across like that, when did that ever be considered good news? The actual good news is that this is the power of God unto salvation, and therein is a righteousness of God. That's truly good news because he is solely responsible for the outcome. Romans 1:16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Now

The Gospel As God’s Power

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let's make sure we are clear as to what Paul is saying. What does Paul mean when he says that the gospel is the power of God? Now let's spend some time here because it's crucial to our understanding of who is responsible for our salvation. First of all, this isn't Paul saying, you know, hear ye, hear ye, have a listen to the gospel as it tells you about the power of God. That's not how this reads at all. This is not what Paul means. Some people who want to take the supernatural out of the Bible might disagree. There may be a few critics who don't want to admit that that brilliant scholar Paul would spread such mystical nonsense, that he would somehow advocate for an aspect of the story that's beyond the human realm of possibilities. Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but what Paul is saying is nothing short of human brain busting incredible. The gospel isn't about the power of God, it is the power of God. The good news, I don't understand it, but this is what Paul is saying, and I believe it. The good news is the actual power of God. It is a manifestation of God's ability and, well, glory. When the Bible speaks of God's glory, it's often referring to his powers and abilities. When we glorify God, we're letting the world know about these things. We are acting in ways or declaring with our lives and our words things that highlight who God is and what he's capable of. When you, a former sinner, show up at church and join the choir and help out at Sunday school where you witness as to how the sacrifice of Jesus has transformed you into a new creature, you are showing forth the power of God present in the gospel. You are the result of God's power. And let me say it will show if it's genuine. Let me say that again. It will show if the power of God is truly in you. That's another thing you can't help. You cannot stop, nor enhance for that matter, the power of God that is in you, the power of God over you. Listen, you can't go around bragging about how new of a new creature you are, because frankly, if you really are a new creature, you are so humbled and so befuddled by the changes in you, you can't even muster the boastful words. When you are truly the result of the power of God, the power of you completely disappears. It becomes less than relevant. So though it is unexplainable, the gospel is not simply saying something about the power of God, it is the power of God. To see salvation as anything other than the gospel, listen to me, it shifts the power away from God. And that's why knowing that part of Paul's intended audience were the Jews at Rome, is important. You see, to them, to the Jews, salvation wasn't resting in the power of God. The power belonged to the law on the one end and themselves observing the law on the other. God, under the Hebrew system, or at least how it was promulgated by their leadership, under the man-made portion of the Jewish religion, God's power didn't come into play in salvation. The law and human discipline did all the heavy lifting, and God just sat back watching it all from a comfy cloud. That was, and by the way, is the Jewish concept of salvation. And Paul wanted to get the record straight. He was there to preach to them the gospel, which itself is the power of God unto salvation. And let me say it again.

God Working In Us To Change Us

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Now, most of you that know me, that have followed this ministry for the past 15 years or so, know that I've always said that God's word doesn't deserve the criticism it receives. Those that don't like this book say that the claims, the things it claims are so fantastical that it should be regarded as nothing but fable. In other words, the Bible isn't reliable because it says so many things that are impossible. And you know me, my counter-argument has always been that if you just take a closer look at what the Bible actually says, then its claims are not as difficult to accept as they would appear on the surface. Yeah, well, that's not so easy to say here. The gospel being the actual power of God unto salvation is not at all easily resolved in our human intellects. It's still true, of course, but this is just one of those things we have to take on faith because there's no way to resolve it in our minds. You see, this must mean that God Himself, the power of God Himself, is in us working this salvation out. That's hard to fathom. The gospel is God's power working in us to save us. And mapping that out on a chalkboard or coming up with some clever illustration to shed light on it seems exceptionally difficult to me. And yet the Bible says it everywhere. In Ephesians 2.10, we're told that we are God's workmanship, meaning that He is fashioning us, shaping us, making us something He can use. It's a picture of an intimate interaction, the likes of which are very difficult to articulate. Philippians 1, verse 6 tells us, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Staying in the letter to the Philippians this time, chapter 2, verse 13. It proclaims that God is working in us to not only get us to want to do what makes him happy, but God also gives us the ability to do so from the inside. Let me read it exactly to you, Philippians 2, 13. For it is God which worketh in you both to will, meaning to want to, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. As Martin, Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones puts it, we work out what God works in. But don't ask me how, because there's no way I can explain it, even if I understood it. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel and no wonder, because it is the actual power of God working in us and through us unto salvation. His power is our salvation. There's listen to me, when you think about it, there's no greater demonstration of the extent of the grip of sin on mankind and mankind's environment than the fact that it takes the actual power of God to fix. Not the power of angels, not enough. Certainly not the power of the church falls miserably short. And not the power of whatever I think I've got laughably inadequate. Sin is so strong inside of me that God had to go in and pry it out himself with this gospel, which is his own power. He is solely responsible for the outcome.

Predestination And Assurance Of Salvation

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Again, this is the heart of the Protestant message. Salvation is all of God, and there's no other message in the Bible. To hold on to a works-based salvation, meaning do this and don't do that, holding on to that type of salvation, to preach and teach and practice salvation, that means any salvation that I can earn myself by good deeds, is to completely ignore such statements as the following. We're cheating ahead a little bit in this letter to the Romans chapter 8, verses 28 through 30. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he did for foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conform to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Did your name come up at all in any of that? Did mine? Did the Pope's? Did Franklin Graham's? And we know that all things work together for good for them, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified. From predestination all the way through glorification, it is all of the power of God. Unless you don't believe this, unless you reject God's actual word, you cannot see it any other way than all of this is of God. If you were predestinated, then God did that. If you were called, then God did that, and you won't be able to resist it, by the way. And if you were justified, God did that. If you were glorified, God did that. You know, this is wonderful, John, but why are we doing this? Well, because Paul is doing this. All right, then why is Paul doing this? Why is he going to so much trouble to tell us these things? Well, it goes back to what we We said last time. Paul is anxious to communicate the certainty of salvation. Remember, we called that assurance. Some call it the final perseverance of the saints. Paul is teaching those Romans, since this is all of God, then it cannot fail and it cannot be undone. If there's something everyone understands is that God is powerful. I mean, if you believe in God at all, you know he's more powerful than we are. And if you believe he is more powerful than we are, then you should be thankful that he's in charge of your destiny, that that's the way he set it up. If me and Pee Wee Herman and Rock Johnson were on our way to the bingo parlor and we watched a rollover accident, who do you think I'd ask to help me free the people trapped inside? I would want the most powerful person available to get done what had to be done. Paul brings up the power of God unto salvation so that if you truly understand it, you cannot deny, you cannot doubt that you have been saved. And no one, listen to me, no one is powerful enough to take it from you. Not even you. Let me say it again. You've been predestinated by God, called by God, justified by God, and you will be glorified by God. There is nothing more assured in your entire eternal existence. Can you now see why Paul's not ashamed of the gospel? I mean, if there's anything to be ashamed of, let me be careful with what I'm about to say. But if there's anything to be ashamed of, it's hanging on to your performance under the law, right? Listen to how Paul puts it. Once again, we'll cheat ahead to chapter 8, this time verse 1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Listen, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Walking after the flesh in this case means following the law for salvation's sake. How do you know? Verse 2, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Paul calls the law the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God is sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemn sin in the flesh.

Why Works And Knowledge Cannot Save

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John, I'm not Jewish. I've never been Jewish, so I've never attempted to follow the law. Fine. Whatever you tried to do is just as weak, if not weaker. At least the Jews revered something that came straight from God Himself. It's somewhat forgivable for them to make the mistake they made, but what about the rest of us? Where did our law come from? The church, society, social science, ourselves? It's all rubbish. It's all weak and absolutely powerless. In the mid-18th century, and for about a hundred years after that, mankind thought knowing things would save us. All we needed to do was educate everyone, and we'd all make the right choices. Knowing was supposed to save us, knowing was supposed to be our salvation. Knowledge is power. You've heard that before, haven't you? And what's that gotten us since then? Two world wars, countless attempts at genocide, nuclear weapons, one half the planet dying by the millions from diseases related to malnutrition, and the other half dying by the millions from diseases related to obesity. Knowing has no power, and doing doesn't have much either. Listen, friend, if you're seeking assurance in knowledge, you're ignoring human history because the ones who've had the most and the best learning have always been the cruelest and the most dishonorable. Knowing right from wrong, knowing the implications of poor choosing, knowing that what you might do could be harmful to others does not stop us from doing so. Knowing never saved anyone. And listen, not only is the law too weak through the flesh to save us, not only is every other method of salvation too weak to save us. I don't think you're going to like what I'm about to say, but every attempt at salvation other than the gospel is not only weak because it lacks the power of God, but it's also sinful. Oh, wait, hang on a second. Are you gonna say God's condemning me because I'm trying to save myself? Well, let me quote our Savior, John 10, 1. Verily, verily I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up any other way, the same as a thief and a robber. Skipping down to verse 7 to bring my point home. Jesus brings this to personal revelation, personal to Jesus. Then said Jesus unto them, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. A thief is someone who sneaks in to take what's yours, and a robber is someone who takes it by violence. Either way, you're a criminal if you seek your salvation through any door that is not Christ. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God unto salvation. If it is God's power, how can it fail? Listen, if it relied on me, it's wobbly at best. If it's reliant on anything or anyone earthly, it's subject to change, corruption, and failure. But this is the power of God. And even if every power on earth combined to fight against God's salvation, you know what would happen? It would fail. You see, all of that is created. And the created can never add up to more than the creator. Viewed from the other side, it's even more incredible. Listen to this.

No One Is Too Weak To Be Saved

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Since this is God's power, then no one can be disqualified from its application. If the power of man can enter in, if the power of man can't enter into its effectiveness, then neither can the lack of power of man. This means that salvation can save anyone. Since the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, then it doesn't matter what you think of yourself. It doesn't matter what you think of others, their stature, your stature, your status. None of it is found anywhere in verse 16. This is the power of God, and that's it. Since it's the power of God, it doesn't matter if you're a murderer or only an occasional tax dodger. Your sins don't come into play. Your sins are not powerful than more, they're not more powerful than the power of God. And therefore, your sins cannot stop your salvation. And your power to sin will shrink in the face of God's power to save. When God saves you, your sinning will come to an end. It's not going to be easy, but it will happen. But you must want it to. And you must rely on God to reduce your power of sinning, just like you do for salvation. I never know when it's enough, when I should stop. Perhaps though this is a good place for that. More of the same next time. See you then.

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Closing And Ministry Information

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