“THE GOSPEL—THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION”
Text: Romans 1:1–32
Key Verse: Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth…” — Romans 1:16
Introduction
Romans Chapter 1 gives us a clear picture of who Jesus Christ is, what
the Gospel is, why humanity needs salvation, and what happens when people
reject God.
Paul begins not with human achievement, religion, morality, or
philosophy, but with Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
Romans 1 teaches us three great truths:
- The Gospel is God's power for
salvation.
- God has revealed Himself to
humanity.
- When people continually reject
God, sin takes control of their lives.
The chapter therefore contains both a glorious message of salvation
and a serious warning about rejecting God.
1. WE ARE CALLED TO BELONG TO JESUS
CHRIST
Romans 1:1
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto
the gospel of God.”
Notice Paul's description of himself:
“A servant of Jesus Christ.”
Paul was a highly educated man. He had status, religious knowledge and
authority. Yet when he encountered Christ, his greatest identity became:
“I belong to Jesus.”
Christianity is not merely about attending church.
It is not merely about being baptized.
It is not merely about knowing Bible verses.
It is about belonging to Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:6
“Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ.”
God has called us to Christ, through Christ, and for Christ.
Question for us:
Do I merely know about Jesus, or do I belong to Jesus?
There is a difference between knowing about Christ and personally knowing
Christ.
2. THE GOSPEL IS THE GOOD NEWS OF
JESUS CHRIST
Romans 1:3–4 says that the Gospel concerns God's Son, Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is not primarily:
- “Try harder.”
- “Become a better person.”
- “Do more religious activities.”
- “Make yourself acceptable to
God.”
The Gospel is the good news of what God has done through Jesus Christ.
Jesus came into this world.
He lived a sinless life.
He died for our sins.
He was buried.
He rose again.
And He offers forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who believes.
1 Corinthians 15:3–4
“Christ died for our sins…
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day…”
That is the Gospel.
3. PAUL WAS NOT ASHAMED OF THE
GOSPEL
Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ…”
What a powerful statement!
Paul lived in a world that did not honor Jesus.
The Roman Empire was powerful.
Greek philosophy was influential.
Roman culture was dominant.
Yet Paul said:
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel.”
Why?
Because he knew what the Gospel could accomplish.
The Gospel can transform:
- sinners into saints,
- enemies into children of God,
- slaves of sin into servants of
righteousness,
- hopeless people into people with
eternal hope.
4. THE GOSPEL IS THE POWER OF GOD
Romans 1:16 continues:
“…for it is the power of God unto salvation…”
Paul does not say the Gospel contains God's power.
He says it is the power of God unto salvation.
Human education cannot save us.
Money cannot save us.
Religion cannot save us.
Good works cannot save us.
Philosophy cannot save us.
Only Jesus Christ saves.
Acts 4:12
“Neither is there salvation in any other…”
Salvation is not ultimately a human achievement.
Salvation is God's work.
And the Gospel tells us how God has accomplished that salvation through
Jesus Christ.
5. SALVATION IS FOR EVERYONE WHO
BELIEVES
Romans 1:16 says:
“…to every one that believeth…”
This is wonderful news.
The Gospel is not limited to:
- educated people,
- wealthy people,
- religious people,
- successful people,
- one nation,
- one social class.
It is “to every one that believeth.”
You may have failed.
You may have sinned.
You may have wandered far from God.
You may think you are unworthy.
But the Gospel says:
Believe in Jesus Christ.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The invitation is “whosoever.”
6. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IS
REVEALED BY FAITH
Romans 1:17
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith…”
This is one of the foundational truths of the Gospel.
We cannot make ourselves righteous enough to stand before God.
Our righteousness is insufficient.
Isaiah 64:6
“All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…”
The Gospel reveals God's righteousness.
We are justified before God through faith in Christ.
Romans 5:1
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Gospel therefore gives us something we cannot manufacture ourselves:
peace with God.
7. “THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH”
Romans 1:17 concludes:
“The just shall live by faith.”
Faith is not merely something we exercise when we first become
Christians.
Faith is the way the Christian lives.
We trust God:
- when we understand,
- when we don't understand,
- when doors open,
- when doors close,
- when we have abundance,
- when we experience difficulties.
Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.”
Christianity is a life of trusting God.
8. THE WRATH OF GOD IS REVEALED
AGAINST SIN
Romans 1 now changes direction.
Romans 1:18
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men…”
We love to talk about God's love.
And rightly so.
But Romans 1 reminds us that God is also holy and righteous.
God's love does not mean that He ignores sin.
God hates sin because sin destroys what He created.
Sin separates humanity from God.
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death…”
The Gospel is good news precisely because there is a serious problem from
which we need to be saved.
9. GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF THROUGH
CREATION
Romans 1:19–20
Paul says that what may be known of God is manifest and that God's
invisible attributes are understood through the things He has made.
Look at creation.
The universe has order.
The human body has extraordinary complexity.
Nature demonstrates design.
Creation points beyond itself to the Creator.
Psalm 19:1
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork.”
Creation is continually declaring:
There is a Creator.
But humanity often refuses to worship the Creator.
10. THE GREAT PROBLEM: HUMANITY
EXCHANGED GOD FOR IDOLS
Romans 1:21
“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither
were thankful…”
This is the beginning of spiritual decline.
Notice two things:
They did not glorify God.
They were not thankful.
Ingratitude can become a doorway to spiritual darkness.
When people stop thanking God, they often begin taking God's blessings
while rejecting God Himself.
Romans 1:23 says:
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image…”
Humanity exchanged the Creator for created things.
Instead of worshipping God, people began worshipping idols.
11. WHEN PEOPLE REJECT GOD, THEIR
THINKING BECOMES DARKENED
Romans 1:21
“…their foolish heart was darkened.”
Sin does not merely affect our behavior.
Sin affects our thinking.
It affects:
- our desires,
- our values,
- our decisions,
- our understanding,
- our conscience.
This is why we cannot simply tell humanity:
“Try to become better.”
Humanity needs transformation from the inside.
We need a new heart.
We need the Holy Spirit.
We need Christ.
12. “GOD GAVE THEM OVER”
Three times in Romans 1 we encounter the sobering expression:
“God gave them over.”
Romans 1:24
Romans 1:26
Romans 1:28
This does not mean God suddenly stopped being loving.
Rather, Paul describes God's judgment in which He allows rebellious
humanity to pursue the sinful desires it has chosen.
There is a frightening progression:
Reject God → suppress truth → exchange God for idols → embrace sin →
experience the consequences of sin.
Sin promises freedom.
But ultimately sin produces slavery.
Jesus said:
John 8:34
“Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”
13. SIN DISTORTS GOD'S GOOD DESIGN
Romans 1:24–32 describes various forms of human rebellion and moral
corruption.
Paul's point is not that one particular sin is the only problem.
The deeper problem is:
Humanity has rejected the Creator.
Romans 1:25 says:
“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator…”
That is the fundamental issue.
The creature replaces the Creator.
Whenever something becomes more important to us than God, it becomes an
idol.
It could be:
- money,
- success,
- relationships,
- possessions,
- reputation,
- pleasure,
- power,
- career,
- even religion.
Anything can become an idol when it takes God's rightful place.
14. ROMANS 1 IS NOT ONLY ABOUT
“THEM”—IT IS ABOUT US
This is extremely important.
We must not read Romans 1 and say:
“Look at how sinful those people are.”
Romans 1 is preparing us for Romans 2 and Romans 3.
Paul eventually declares:
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
All means all.
The Gospel is not:
“Bad people need Jesus.”
The Gospel is:
“All people need Jesus.”
Religious people need Jesus.
Moral people need Jesus.
Unbelievers need Jesus.
Churchgoers need Jesus.
Pastors need Jesus.
Everyone needs Jesus.
15. THE ANSWER TO ROMANS 1 IS JESUS
CHRIST
Romans 1 reveals the terrible condition of humanity.
But the Gospel reveals God's wonderful solution.
We are sinners.
Christ is the Savior.
We are guilty.
Christ provides forgiveness.
We are spiritually dead.
Christ gives life.
We are separated from God.
Christ reconciles us to God.
We are slaves of sin.
Christ gives freedom.
We are without hope.
Christ gives eternal hope.
Romans 5:8
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.”
That is the heart of the Gospel.
16. A PERSONAL QUESTION: WHAT WILL
YOU DO WITH THE GOSPEL?
Romans 1 demands a response.
There are only two fundamental directions:
Reject God and continue in rebellion.
Or:
Turn to Christ and believe the Gospel.
Jesus does not merely ask us to admire Him.
He calls us to follow Him.
Romans 10:9
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.”
CONCLUSION
Romans Chapter 1 begins with:
Paul—a servant of Jesus Christ.
It moves to:
The Gospel—the power of God unto salvation.
Then it exposes:
Humanity's rejection of God.
And finally it points us toward the desperate need for:
Jesus Christ—the Savior.
Therefore, the message of Romans 1 is:
Do not be ashamed of the Gospel.
Because the Gospel is not merely a religious message.
It is God's power to save.
It saves the guilty.
It saves the broken.
It saves the lost.
It saves the hopeless.
It saves the sinner who turns to Christ in faith.
🔥 FINAL APPEAL
My dear friend, perhaps you have been running from God.
Perhaps you know about God, but you have never surrendered your life to
Christ.
Perhaps you have allowed sin to control your life.
Perhaps you once walked with God but have gone far away.
Today, God is calling you back.
Do not reject His voice.
Do not exchange God's truth for a lie.
Do not allow temporary pleasures to cost you eternal life.
Jesus Christ died for your sins.
Jesus Christ rose again.
Jesus Christ is alive.
Jesus Christ is able to forgive you.
Jesus Christ is able to transform you.
Jesus Christ is able to save you.
And Romans 1:16 gives us the answer:
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
Believe the Gospel.
Receive Christ.
Follow Christ.
Live by faith.
And never be ashamed of Jesus.
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