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| PentecostalTheology.com
I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation for everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1:16-17 NIV)
Approximately 2,500 years ago, in the dark centuries of the rule of the evil kings of Israel, when God was forgotten and idols were being exalted on the hills of Palestine, an Old testament prophet by the name of Habakkuk, shut in the watchmen tower in the middle of the night cried loud with his voice: “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Five centuries later a man by the name of Paul from Tarsus was traveling on the road for Damascus while a figure of light appeared in front of him asking, “Paul why are you persecuting me?” This is vision changed his life forever; it turned him from a persecutor to a persuader for the Gospel of righteousness from God. He became a preacher of the salvation by grace and defender of the living by faith. Later on, Paul will write in his letter to the church in Rome, “the righteous shall live by faith.”
The direct readers that Paul is writing to are Christians from Rome, the capital of the empire. These people are surrounded by the luxury of the ancient Roman style of life and the wisdom gathered for centuries in this cultural center of the world; therefore, Paul addresses them with the attitude that they have something bettor than the rich, but spiritually poor. Then he aspires to strengthen their faith and deeper their spiritual understanding of the basic doctrines of Christian faith, as known to the Church of the first century, and their centralization focused on the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As an overall purpose of the whole epistle, the apostle intended to explain the life by faith to the church in Rome. As a start of this objective, chapter one is designed to combine:
[1] salutation to the readers, a characteristic of the Greek and Roman style of epistle writing (Rom. 1:1);
[2] introduction, which prepares the readers for the central exposition (Rom. 1:2-6);
[3] address (Rom. 1:7)
[4] personal notes (Rom. 1:8-15)
[5] introduction to the central topic of the epistle.
It is also interested how chapter one is intends to be a combination between the receiving church attributes and the Gospel’s truths. This is best viewed in ch. 1 and ch. 16 of the Epistles to the Romans. It is also a characteristic of all of the Pauline written, canonical works.
Verses 16 and 17 of the first chapter of the Book of Romans are accepted by most of the commentators as the key verses of the whole epistle (Barth 35, Metzger 209 NT). Paul illustrates significant representation of the era the Romans live in. In the middle of the Roman luxury and sinful life style a group of people, the church, have committed their lives to serve the only God. Paul expresses his pride of the Gospel of Christ, commanding the Roman Church to do so.
Verse 16 starts the beginning of Paul’s extended explanation of the Gospel. Even though the Gospel was held in contempt by those who did no believe, and those who preached it could face humiliation and suffering, Paul was eager and not ashamed of the Gospel; neither was he intimidated by the power of Rome, nor by the intellect of the Greek. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles.” (1 Cor. 1:23)
“not ashamed” – After being arrested and beaten on many occasions for preaching the Gospel; after establishing number of churches building their inner structure, and then being rejected from some of the members; after being persecuted by the enemies, and often not respected by the “brothers;” at his last journey and close to the last steps of his faith, in the night of his apostolic career, Paul is writing that after all that has happened I’m still not ashamed of the Gospel.
“gospel” Repetition of the word gospel occurs in ch. 1 in the NIV translation of the New Testament. Obviously Paul wants to stress that the Gospel is the way God represents His sovereign plan for salvation of the human kind.
“for it is” This is a cause and effect statement. The reason why Paul is not ashamed is stated next.
“power” Gr. dunamis: ability, might (Vine 478). It is interpreted as the ability of one to do something. In this case, the ability of God to save.
Just like a strong, muscular man is not ashamed of his muscles and strength, Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel – the power for salvation. The Roman world may want us to be ashamed but we are not going to be intimidated by them, because we have the power of God for the salvation.
“salvation” Gr. soteria: deliverance, keeping from harm (Stamps 314). Paul is talking the power of God to transform our lives and makes us new creatures, forgiving our sins and cleansing us from our inequities. God still has the power to save and be a Savior.
“Jews and Gentiles” A Comparison represent the ancient world. God is not only Savior for the Jews, but for the Gentiles also. He is a Savior of the whole world. This is the repetition of the idea of “everyone.” The Jews had a right to accept the salvation first because Messiah, their hope for eternity, was born in their land and started His Earthly ministry in Israel.
“righteousness of God” “The righteousness of God originates in the divine nature” (Metzger 209NT). Erikson also states that, “This [the righteousness of God] is where, the holiness of God applied to his relationships to other beings.” (Erikson 286) Therefore, the righteousness of God is not only an attribute of his divinity, but is also an attribute that God shares with man that are willing to accept it, in order that He may communicate with them. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus Christ, the full righteousness of God, fulfilled the mission of mediator between God and man; thus, we have the righteousness of God, implanted in our hearts and lives trough the sacrifice of Christ, and we can freely have relationship with the our Creator, not being afraid that we will die in His presence because of our sins and moral corruption.
“the righteous” Paul is writing about the saints in Rome, as well as anyone willing to accept the righteousness of God and allows it to work in the heart and life.
“live by faith” the Bible is clear that no one can please God without faith (Heb. 6:11). Here Paul talks not about a momentarily faith, but about a faith that abides in our lives daily and its essential part of our relationship with God. It even seem s like this reflect on our faithfulness to God. In other words, there is no faithfulness to God without faith in God. Thus, the Romans are warned about the legalistic style of life that may seems like easy replacement of the live of faith, but doesn’t contain even small part of it.
In the dark, medieval ages, a man by the name of Martin Luther found a verse in the book of Romans thta changed his life for ever. The simple understanding that every an and woman can live good and according to the standard of God by faith only. This belief exploded in a phenomenal spiritual movement that unbounded the chains of the Catholic tradition and started the Protestant movement.
Understanding of this portion of scripture and accepting it as a standard and rule for life can change the lives of thousands of good, church men and women who are bounded by the legalistic impression and law requirements. At the end of the twentieth century, when we are crossing in a new spiritual, social, economical and academic era, accepting the life by faith can equip us for the upcoming harvest of God, and make us people not ashamed by the Gospel, but living according its central truth, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And going back to the original text in the book of the prophet Habakkuk, we can not miss that the righteous life of faith comes only after the prophet stands in the watchman tower till he hears from the Lord. In the same way, today, we can enjoy live in faith only if we commit ourselves to standing in the prayer towers till we hear a word from God to revive us and return us to the position where the church of God is supposed to abide.
Barker, Kenneth. The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
Barth, Karl. The Epistle to the Romans. Tr. Edwyn C. Hoskyns. New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.
Erikson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1985.
Metzger, Bruce M. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford University press, 1977.
Stamps, Donald. The Full Life Study Bible. Grand rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990
Vine, W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1961.
Chris Crisco
The profound exploration of the Gospel’s power presented in the article offers a compelling synthesis of historical and theological perspectives. The author aptly connects the ancient prophetic declaration from Habakkuk to Paul’s emphatic proclamation of faith in Romans, emphasizing the timeless relevance of ‘the righteous shall live by faith.’ This theme resonates deeply within contemporary Christian thought, as it underscores a fundamental aspect of our spiritual existence—faith as both a personal journey and communal identity. The transition from a persecutor to a preacher encapsulated in Paul’s narrative serves not only as an illustration of individual transformation but also as a broader testament to the transformative power inherent in embracing the Gospel. The reference to Martin Luther’s rediscovery of this doctrine during the Reformation highlights how pivotal this understanding has been in shaping not just personal faith, but also ecclesiastical structures and movements throughout history. It invites us to ponder our own standing ‘in the watchman tower’—a metaphor for spiritual vigilance and openness to divine revelation—urging us towards an active engagement with God through prayer and faithfulness. Furthermore, this exposition aptly critiques legalistic tendencies that may overshadow the essence of living by faith, reminding believers that true righteousness is not rooted in mere adherence to law but is an active relationship grounded in grace. Thus, as we navigate modern complexities, this article challenges us to renew our commitment to living authentically by faith, empowered by the unwavering truth of Christ’s salvation that transcends cultural and temporal barriers.