“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. – Romans 1:16 (ESV)
D. L. Moody once compared the Gospel to a lion with the chief task of the preacher to simply open the door of the cage and get out of the way. I sometimes wonder if I have that kind of confidence in the power of the Gospel.
Now, don’t get me wrong; I do have confidence in the Gospel in my life. God has changed my life. Jesus Christ came, lived, died, and rose from the grave so that all of my sin and brokenness was permanently overcome through His love and sacrifice. I stand forgiven, accepted, regenerated, and adopted through the work of Christ. This is the gospel, and my life has been forever changed by the reality of this good news.
Having said that, I wonder if I have the kind of confidence in the power of God that is on display here in Romans 1:16?
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. – Romans 1:16 (ESV)
The Confidence in the Power of God.
The Gospel is the power of God himself. Our God created all things out of nothing. Our God spoke all things into existence. Our God is eternal and sovereign over all things. He is omnipotent and omniscient. He is power.
The laws of physics bend to His will and all of nature listens and submits to the command of His voice. Time itself is unable to contain Him, as He holds all things together in His hands. He is power.
As we attempt to comprehend that kind of power, the power of God, our human and finite understanding simply and consistently falls short. The reality of the unfathomable power of God should amaze us in this text.
Paul reminds us here that the good news of Jesus Christ is the very power of God. The same power on display in the creation of the world is on display in the proclamation of His Gospel. The gospel is the power of God.
The Confidence in the Message.
Also, notice that Paul’s confidence did not rest his ability to communicate. Paul’s confidence did not rest in his ability to persuade. Rather, Paul’s confidence rested in the power of God in the message of the Gospel.
Think about the implications of this! Since the power of God is the gospel, then it does not need to be dressed up. It needs nothing added to it or taken away from it. The gospel messenger needs no other trick. The message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins, redemption, and atonement needs no additional additive. It can stand on its own. It is strong. It is power. It is the power of God himself.
It is sufficient. It is efficient. It is the power of God for salvation. As a result, it is enough. In this way, D. L. Moody was absolutely correct! The gospel is a lion, and the gospel preacher needs but to open the door to the cage.
The Result: The Confident Messenger
So what about the gospel messenger? As we begin to understand the power of God in His Gospel, we begin to grow in our confidence as His messengers. Paul says, “I am not ashamed.” He understands the power of God through the gospel, therefore he is courageous and unwilling to back away. Paul’s courage is linked directly to his belief in the power of God.
Paul is looking at a world who was hostile to Christ. Paul was ministering to a people who were skeptical. Yet, Paul was able to look at his world with unbroken confidence in the Gospel. Again, Paul’s confidence is linked directly to his belief in the power of God.
Our confidence in the power of God, our confidence in the message of the Gospel, will give us confidence as Gospel messengers. Where there is a lack of confidence in the Gospel messenger’s life, most often it originated in the messenger’s lack of confidence in the Gospel message. As a result, the greatest way that we can grow in our confidence as Gospel messengers is to come to Christ and to respond to the Gospel daily. As we see our confidence strengthened in the power of God through the Gospel, we are able to share the Gospel with more confidence and boldness.
We are able to say, along with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”