Saved by Faith

KEY VERSE: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” —Romans 1:16

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Romans 1:1, 3-17

IN PAUL’S OPENING salutation, he indicated that this letter was written to Christians, not to the unbelieving world. Since the Roman church, which he had never visited, was made up of both Jews and Gentiles, he identified himself as a servant or ‘slave’ of Jesus Christ; one “set apart for the Gospel of God.” His letter was addressed to the “called of Jesus Christ: to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints.” (vs. 6) They were ‘called’ as ambassadors for Christ, who, like their Master, were commissioned to preach the Gospel of the kingdom. Paul referred to them as “saints” (vs. 7), because they were consecrated believers, separated for the service of God.

Paul had a long-felt desire to visit his brethren in Rome, and to preach the Gospel there. While they had accepted Christ and had become disciples, Jewish ideas and prejudices were still a great influence in their thinking. He told them, “I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, … that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.” (vss. 11-13) In verse 15, he wrote, “As much as in me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are in Rome also.” The Lord intended that he should do so when, as a prisoner in Jerusalem, “the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.”—Acts 23:11

The theme of Paul’s letter is that in the Gospel was the very power of God for the salvation of those who believed, both Jew and Gentile. Writing to the Corinthians, he reiterated this point, saying, “Unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (I Cor. 1:18) Paul said on another occasion, “The Scripture, having forseen that God would justify the nations by faith, previously announced the glad tidings [the Gospel] to Abraham that, In thee shall all the nations be blessed.” (Gal. 3:8, Wilson’s Emphatic Diaglott) The angels announced a similar message at the time of Jesus’ birth, which they expressed as “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” It will require the full thousand years of the Millennial Age to bless all the families of the earth with the joyful knowledge of divine grace in Christ. Christ “died for every man” and “he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”—II Cor. 5:15; I John 2:2

Another feature of the Gospel concerns the ‘seed of Abraham’ that is to perform the great work of blessing all the families of the earth. This ‘seed’ is to consist of Jesus, the Head, and the church, his body, ‘whose names are written in heaven’. (Gal. 3:26-29) This Gospel Age intervenes between the First Advent of Jesus and the time when the blessing of earths’ billions begins. God is now selecting the ‘little flock’, trying and proving them, fitting them for the heavenly kingdom. The Apostle Peter declared, God has given “unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these we might become partakers of the divine nature.”—II Pet. 1:4

This is the true Gospel we find set forth in the Scriptures by Paul himself, and of which he was not ashamed. This Gospel shows the character of our Creator in a most wonderful light—his wisdom to discern the end from the beginning; his power, able to do that which he pleases; his justice, squaring every feature of the plan from first to last, according to the most absolute features of righteousness; his love, whose lengths and breadths and heights and depths we have not yet been able to explore; a love which sympathizes with his creatures in their fallen estate; a love which provided a Savior; a love which prompted that Savior to give his life as our ransom price; a love which still pursues its original purpose of blessing all the families of earth through Jesus and the ‘elect’ glorified house of sons.

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