The Gospel brings the salvation of God
Romans 1:8-17
Key verse: 1:6
Good morning. Last week Apostle Paul said he was a bondage slave of Christ Jesus. He was thankful that Jesus saved him from his sins. So he volunteered to serve Jesus as his master. He also said we received the grace of God and apostleship through Jesus. God not only saved us from our sins but also gave us a new life direction: live for the gospel Jesus. Today, in verses 8 through 17, Paul explained the gospel is the power of God because it brings the salvation to everyone who believes. Last year 2.5 M died because there was no vaccine for the coronavirus. Similarly, many people died and are dying because they do not know about the gospel. Through this passage, may God bless us to know the salvation of God in the gospel and use us to share the good news to dying people.
- I planned many times to come to you
Look at verse 8-10. Paul thanked God because the faith of Roman Christians was being reported all over the world. At this time, AD 57, Paul or Peter did not come to Rome yet. We do not know how the Christianity community began or what kind of faith they had. But historically, in the book of Acts2, at Pentecost, when the Apostles began to speak in tongue and Peter baptized 3,000 people, there were some people from Rome. Also in Acts 9, when Steven was murdered, the persecution began that many people had to scatter to all over the world. Probably some might move to Rome. For their faith, Rome did not have freedom of religion. Many Christians were martyred not to disown their faith. They even lived in the Catacombs, underground graveyard to keep their faith. When Paul heard about their faith, he was so thankful and he prayed for them constantly. He told them he had been praying for them not because he wanted to boast his prayer for them but because he wanted them to know they were not alone. Including Paul, many others have prayed for them. I heard when my family moved to Delaware in the middle of COVID 19 last year, many UBF coworkers heard our faith and then they began to pray for us. Our Delaware UBF is not alone. Beginning from Washington UBF, many coworkers remember us and pray for our faith.
Look at verse 11 – 13. Paul longed to see Roman believers because he wanted to share some spiritual gift with them. Some spiritual gift is probably faith. Faith is a gift of God and it makes believers strong. Paul also wanted to be mutually encouraged each other. Paul had many stories about how God worked through him among the Gentiles. When he could come to Rome, he wanted to share the works of God and mutually encouraged each other. Especially in verse 13, Paul planned many times (?) to come to Rome.
Why did he plan to go to Rome so many times? Is it for sightseeing the capitol city of Rome Empire? No, he wanted to have a harvest among the Gentiles. In Acts, Paul planted many churches in ,,,, yet, he wanted to go to Rome to preach the gospel. Acts 19:21 says “”After I have been Jerusalem,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” Paul had a world mission vision. At that time, Rome was the center of the world. Millions of people came to Rome for their job and children education. Students also came to Rome to study. Paul saw a vision that when he would preach the gospel at Rome, Rome could be a power station of the gospel for the whole world. Through the Rome, he could send people to preach the gospel to all over the world.
Actually Paul’s vision was Jesus’ vision. As we learned in Mark 16, Jesus said “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15,16) Even though Jesus did his ministry in country area, Galilee, he had a vision that the gospel might be preached to all over the world. He called his disciples and trained them and sent them out to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.
We live in a small state of DE. But Jesus has a vision to preach the gospel to US and all over the world through us. Geff said, Delaware students, 50% are coming to school for study, another 50% for party. UD used to #1 party school. Even though many are coming to DE for party, when they accept Jesus, they can grow as disciples of Jesus. And then we can send them to preach the gospel to 50 states in the US and whole nations.
In verse 13 again, Paul said he tried to go to Rome many times. But somehow, he was prevented until that time. It is strange that preaching the gospel at Rome was God’s will, yet he was prevented to go to Rome? It was God’s will for him to go to Rome but not God’s timing yet. Paul went to Rome later. In the meantime, God had another big plan for Paul: let Paul write the book of Romans. Paul did not just sit down and wait for God’s timing. He did what he could do for believers in Rome: the book of Romans. God shut one door but opened the other door for him. In our life, we plan to do something, especially when we think that is the will of God, we really wish make it happen. But when things are not going well as our schedule, what should we do? In this context, it teaches us two things; one is that God’s timing is not coming yet, we need to wait for it patiently. Another one is to do what we can do for God while we wait for his timing. Because of coronavirus, we have been limited a lot. On UD campus, without student ID, you cannot enter buildings. Yet, on campus you can pray. On campus, as Joshua and Israel circled around the Jericho, you can walk and pray to God.
M. Jacob and M. Esther wanted to stay in Kuwait to serve Middle East campus ministry. But because of the pandemic, they had to return to US. While they are eagerly waiting for their return to Kuwait, what have they been doing here? They are busier than before: doing 12 1:1 Bible studies, lectures, praying for Wash UBF and Del UBF. Like Paul, while they are waiting for God’s time, they do what they can do for God’s kingdom.
2. The righteous will live by faith
Look at verse 14-15. Let’s read verse 14 and 15. “ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.” Here “obligated” means “bound to someone legally or morally”. In KJV, it is said “debtor”. Paul said he was obligate to Greeks, non-Greeks, the wise and the foolish, meaning all kinds of people. Obligated to what? Indebted to what? The gospel. Who was Paul? In the past, Paul suffered because of his sins. He was doomed to God’s punishment. But Jesus appeared, saved him and forgave him from his sins. Jesus even gave him a new life direction: to share the gospel among the Gentiles. While he was so happy, when he looked around his family members, his friends, they did not know about the joy, the freedom, the peace, the meaning of life Paul now enjoyed, but they were still under darkness and dying in their sins. Paul felt sorry for them and wanted to share the good news that they could also taste the same God’s forgiveness. That is why he was so eager to preach the gospel.
In a sense, Jesus was also obligated to us. God did not turn away from us. We turned our back against him. We were the objects of God’s wrath. We did not even ask him to come to save us. But Jesus wanted us to taste the same fellowship with God as he enjoyed the relationship with his father God. He had compassion on us: he felt sorry for us that we were cut our from God, living under darkness. That is why Jesus came to this world and preached the gospel to us.
The first two years in our life in America, Ruth and I did not have medical insurance. One day Ruth went to emergency. We stayed just one day but the medical bill was $10,000. I did not know what to do. Then, M. Esther shared the good news: when I explain my situation to hospitals, they will consider my case. So I wrote them letters to either cancel or reduce my bills. In the end, they reduced 80% of my metical bill. What if she did not tell us we could write a letter? In the same way, we know the gospel. Today, there must be someone who needs the gospel so desperately. Should not we share the good news to them?
Look at verse 16. Can read verse 16? “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God to save sinners. At that time, how did people consider the gospel? ! Corinthians 1:18 says “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” People regarded the crucifixion of Jesus as a failure. They thought the message of the cross is foolish. So when Paul said if you believe Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, you will be saved, people ridiculed him. This happens today too. When you go out and say “Jesus died on the cross for your sins. If you repent your sins and accept him as your Savior, you will be saved”, how many could say “Amen”? They might consider you out of mind. However, Paul was so firm. He said he was not ashamed of the gospel. Because he himself experienced the power of God in his own life. As the Pharisees, he thought he was righteous. He thought Christianity would harm his country. So he persecuted believers. But the cross of Jesus opened his spiritual eyes to see him as a sinner before God. He confessed his sins and accepted Jesus as his Lord. As we learned last week, he even said he was a proud servant of Christ Jesus. What a powerful life story? When he simply believed the gospel, God demonstrated his power in Paul’s heart. Not only in his own life, but also he saw how God worked so powerfully in others’ life when they believed the message of the cross in Corinth, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Philippi, and Jerusalem.
We ourselves are witness that the gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to us. I was a thirsty man like a Samaritan woman in the Bible. I was also a very selfish man. But when I was told that Jesus was a living water, in my heart it gave me a desire to drink such a water. When I accepted him, Jesus became my living water and quenched my thirst. God also changed me to spend my time and my money to serve people for the kingdom of God. I did not pay anything for my sins. All I did was to repent my sins and accepted Jesus.
St. Augustine was saved through the gospel too. As you know, he was slaves to lust. He could not control his lust, in his 10s he already had his son. He was also very intelligent man. Even if he mother prayed for him long years, he seemed to be never changed. He was very proud of his knowledge and position. Then, when he read Romans 13:13- 14 “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh”. When he read this verse, he was convicted in his heart. He repented his sins and accepted Jesus as his Savior. After his conversion, he became a new person. God changed him from a man of lust to a man of best Christianity theology in history.
What do you think of the gospel? Are you not ashamed of the gospel? Or are you ashamed of the gospel? Honestly sharing the gospel seems to be stupid in this 21 century. We live in Bitcoins, Tesla electric car, Google’s autonomous driving car. In this technology age, when you talk about sin, the cross of Jesus, it seems out of date. However, there is one thing unchanged throughout human history: sins. Sin was a main issue in 2,000 years ago, today it is the main issue, 100 years later when people might travel to Mars or Venus, the sin problem will still remain the root problem of all people. Only the gospel can solve the sin problem. Only the gospel can save people from their sins. Only when the gospel is preached, God will bring his salvation to anyone who believes it.
Past week I visited campus three times to share the gospel. But no one said “yes”. I was confused. Today’s bible verse says “the gospel is the power of God who brings salvation to everyone who believes”. Then, when I shared the gospel, why everyone says “no”? Do you know what I learned from this? I was reminded that in Jesus’ time, the Pharisees said no. Paul also faced many objections too. I am not the only one going through this. As long as I do not give up, God will bless me to experience the power of God.
Look at verse 17. Can we read verse 17? “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”. Paul said in verse 16, if anyone believes the gospel, they could be saved by the power of God. Is it really true? I can be saved only if I believe Jesus? Is it really I do not need to do anything other than believing Jesus? in society, if people sin, they go to jail to pay for their sins. When we sin against God, we should pay for our sins. However, verse 16 and 17 says if anyone believes the gospel, they will be freely saved from their sins. Because the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. What is the righteousness of God? The righteous which God demands: 100% totally observe the law. No sin at all. Who can meet such God’s high standard? No one. However, thank God for our gospel Jesus. He fulfilled the law 100%. He was sinless. He paid for our sins on the cross in place of us. He met the righteousness of God. God provided us the way of salvation through Jesus. Now, when we believe him, we are saved from our sins. God says to us “you are righteous before me”. that is why verse 17 says – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.
Do you remember the Passover in Exodus? How were the people saved from the angel of death? God planned to destroy every first born son in Egypt. At the same time, he provided the salvation: everyone who believes God’s words, paint the blood on the doorpost, their first born son will be saved. When people painted the blood by faith, the angel saw the blood and jumped over the next house. The first born son was saved by faith. Similarly, we are saved by faith in God. Thank God for providing Jesus to save us! Thank God for asking us only one thing: faith.
Lastly, Paul said in verse 17, again “the righteous will live by faith”. Here the righteous is about people who are saved by faith. After being saved, how should they live? That is why Paul said “the righteous will live by faith”. Paul quoted this verse from Habakkuk in the OT. In times of the prophet Habakkuk, people did not pay attention to God’s words. The wicked were prosperous. There were injustice everywhere. Nevertheless, God was silent. So he complained God, “how long, how long are you silent?”. Then, God answered him “I am preparing for something, but it take time but it will certainly come”. Historically, Babylon, the merciless country, later attacked Israel that God destroyed the wicked and injustice. So Habakkuk says in ch 2:4 “the righteous shall will live by his faith”. Also he says “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (3:17,18) Why did Paul mention to Roman believers “the righteous will live by faith?”. Because they lived in the same situations as Habakkuk lived. Roman believers were persecuted because of only one reason: they believe Jesus. Injustice, wickedness were more prosperous. Mostly God seemed to be silent. In such a difficult time, Paul encouraged them to live by faith in God, not by sight: rejoice in the Lord, be joyful in God their savior.
Verse 17 is very famous because of Martin Luther. He was an ordained priest and Catholic University professor. But he was not sure about his salvation. He thought in order to be saved, he needed to earn the righteousness of God by his own good deeds and suppressing sins in his heart. So every time he confessed his sins and helped people a lot. Even he beat his body. But the more he tried, the more he was occupied with a fear that God might punish him. Actually, when he was young, he travelled with his friend on a rainy day. But all of sudden, his friends was stuck by the lightening and died. He interpreted it as God’s punishment. Then, one day while he was reading the book of Romans, verse 17 caught his eyes: in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, the righteous will live by faith. In his book, he said “I kept thinking about the righteousness of God. How could I meet God’s righteousness? Then God helped me to see that the righteousness of God is the righteousness which God made through Jesus. the righteousness is now available to anyone, if anyone accepts it by faith, the person would be reconciled to a holy and righteous God. I am saved not by my righteousness but by the righteousness of Jesus. When I discovered that, I was born again of the Holy Spirit.”