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Romans 1:16-17, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

These verses are the theme of the Book of Romans, but I’m not going off into that long discussion right now. Just some comment on verse 16 for the moment.

The Gospel is the power of God for salvation, the most important thing in the existence of humanity.

[Note: If you are an astute exegete you will be wondering what the antecedent to the adjective “most important” is. Is it the Gospel, the power of God or salvation?]

God does not throw His hat in the ring with the Gospel. The Gospel neither requires men to engage in the conflict of philosophies nor does it require them to hold themselves aloof from these controversies. The gospel is not a truth among other truths.

Anxiety concerning the victory of the Gospel is meaningless because the Gospel is the power of God to overcome sin and condemnation in the lives of men.

There would be a reason for apprehension and shame about the Gospel if there were a chance that it was faulty or could fail. The gospel is impenetrable, as Paul shows in this letter, therefore there is no need of fear or shame when it is proclaimed. Paul knew this.

This is why it does not need to be sold. It is not a truth competing with other truths in the marketplace.

The Gospel has what men’s vain ideas do not have – the power of God.

No divinity that dwells in idols or temples made with hands, or is served by the hand of man – no divinity that needs anything like human propaganda – could ever have the power of God in it.

Men have become the masters of their souls, this sin is their guilt. By appealing to their false authority we confirm their sin as supposed judges of the Gospel.

At any rate, men must set aside their self idolatry and submit to the Gospel which judges them and their world from the outside. The gospel is an onlooker in this world, condemning and offering blessings on those whom it judges from the outside. It does not negotiate nor discuss its position, power or promises.

The Gospel demands, it does not ask, to be taken on faith.

The believer is the man who puts his trust in God, in God Himself, and in God alone. The believer abandons self. No gospel that appeals to the self could demand this kind of abandonment or allegiance.

And all are to abandon their worldly identity, Jew or Greek, and are to let the Gospel become their identity.