TRUE POWER
Romans 1:13–25
Near the end of his third missionary journey, the Apostle Paul wrote this letter around A.D. 57 to the church in Rome. Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, was a Pharisee.
In his zeal for God, he persecuted the followers of Jesus, even holding the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death. Then one day on the road to Damascus, he encountered the Lord Jesus Christ, and his life was dramatically changed.
From that point on he took his Roman name, Paul, to emphasize the radical change that had occurred. This one who had been a zealous persecutor of the Church became a passionate proclaimer of the gospel.
Paul composed this letter from Corinth to a church he had never visited. Jewish and non-Jewish believers were part of the Roman church, and there was tension between the two groups. The Jewish believers thought the Gentile believers needed to adopt Jewish traditions and law, including circumcision.
Gospel Power (13–17)
Paul expresses his faithful prayers for this group of believers and his earnest desire to come to Rome to “impart … some spiritual gift.” He wants to give them a solid foundation of doctrine.
The gospel was Paul’s driving message. “Gospel” means “good news.” He identifies the gospel as the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew and also to the Greek.”
It is the gospel that transforms a sinner into a saint. It is the gospel that makes us into new creations.
The gospel reveals the righteousness of God that is appropriated by faith. It’s not about works but rather about trusting in the redeeming, completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Divine Revelation (18–20)
Not only is the righteousness of God revealed by the gospel, but also the wrath of God is revealed against sin and sinful man.
Those who refuse to recognize the truth of God will suffer the wrath of God. Wrath is best defined as God’s righteous anger and holy response to sin based on His own absolute purity.
Sinful man cannot claim ignorance since creation itself declares the glory of God. The vastness of the night skies and the incredible variety and beauty of the flowers, trees and waters are all preaching a sermon. This is known as natural revelation. Special revelation is found in the Word of God and the person of Jesus.
Worthless Thinking (21–25)
Although it’s hard for us as Christ-followers to understand, fallen man resists the evidence right in front of them and rejects the glory of God.
Because people refused to submit to God’s sovereignty or to be thankful, God turned them over to their own devices, which resulted in a depraved mind. From that perspective, everything is warped and upside down. They began to worship the creature rather than the Creator.
They thought they were wise but were really fools. What was true in A.D. 57 is true in 2026. Modern man, in his hubris, thinks himself too sophisticated for faith in God. As a consequence, many will follow any cult or “ism” as long as it isn’t Jesus Christ.
By Don Fugate
Senior pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, California
