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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith (Rom. 1:16, 17).
A little church in a mining town of Bolivia was being dedicated. It was constructed of such material as the people had on hand. The floor and some of the furniture were made of shipping boxes for explosives used in the mines. When the preacher stepped behind the pulpit, he saw the words explosivos peligrosos ("dangerous explosives").
The gospel is "the power of God unto salvation." The apostle Paul here uses the word for "power," from which our word "dynamite" is derived. The true gospel is the mighty power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, and the apostle was not ashamed of it, because he experienced its power in his own life and saw its transforming action in others.
The pagan world, with all its culture and degradation, could not resist the gospel. Hatred, persecution, ridicule, argument--nothing could destroy it. The gospel alone could meet the need of the sinful human heart. It was built on humanity's weakness and God's power. It was, and is, the answer to earth's great problem--how to find righteousness. "For herein is the righteousness of God revealed..., The just shall live by faith." To be just is to be righteous, and this is no human attainment. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5).
Righteousness is always and only and forever by faith (Rom. 10:10). It is imputed to us (Rom. 4:22). It is imparted to us (Phil. 3:9). It is the righteousness demanded by the law of God, but not given by it. It bears the fruit of obedience (Rom. 8:3, 4; cf. James 2:17, 18). You will never be ashamed of the gospel of Christ if you accept it as God's power for your life.
MEDITATION PRAYER: "For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12).
A little church in a mining town of Bolivia was being dedicated. It was constructed of such material as the people had on hand. The floor and some of the furniture were made of shipping boxes for explosives used in the mines. When the preacher stepped behind the pulpit, he saw the words explosivos peligrosos ("dangerous explosives").
The gospel is "the power of God unto salvation." The apostle Paul here uses the word for "power," from which our word "dynamite" is derived. The true gospel is the mighty power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, and the apostle was not ashamed of it, because he experienced its power in his own life and saw its transforming action in others.
The pagan world, with all its culture and degradation, could not resist the gospel. Hatred, persecution, ridicule, argument--nothing could destroy it. The gospel alone could meet the need of the sinful human heart. It was built on humanity's weakness and God's power. It was, and is, the answer to earth's great problem--how to find righteousness. "For herein is the righteousness of God revealed..., The just shall live by faith." To be just is to be righteous, and this is no human attainment. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5).
Righteousness is always and only and forever by faith (Rom. 10:10). It is imputed to us (Rom. 4:22). It is imparted to us (Phil. 3:9). It is the righteousness demanded by the law of God, but not given by it. It bears the fruit of obedience (Rom. 8:3, 4; cf. James 2:17, 18). You will never be ashamed of the gospel of Christ if you accept it as God's power for your life.
MEDITATION PRAYER: "For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12).
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