For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
—Romans 1:16
IN PAUL’S EARLY years, he was caught up in a religious system where man sought to be justified before God by keeping the law. But the law was never intended to make man righteous before God. The law was intended to show man what a sinner he was, and to make the whole world guilty before God. So when Paul came to know the truth—when he encountered Jesus Christ and found salvation based on His righteousness and not the righteousness of man—Paul happily threw away the false notions of good works, and became eager to share this good news with others.
THE GOSPEL SETS MEN FREE.
"It is the power of God to salvation." What a joy it is to see lives transformed by this good news. It shines light in the darkness and breaks the bondage of sin.
This power, the good news of salvation, is not for the Jews exclusively, but is for everyone who believes. It is for the whole world.
Oh, what a glorious message of hope and salvation we have received! May we not keep this news to ourselves; may we never be ashamed of the truth we have received. May we, like Paul, be ready to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the needy world in which we live.
Father, we thank You for this glorious gospel whereby we have been cleansed from our sins. We pray for those who do not yet know this wonderful good news of Your love and Your offer of forgiveness.
In Jesus' name, Amen.