Please take your copy of God's Word and join me in Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 1.
!
I want to begin by reiterating what I stated the previous two times we looked at this text.
We must be careful to get these verses rightly understood.
Martin Lloyd-Jones, in his preaching of these verses, said,
I suppose that, in a sense, there are no two verses of greater importance in the whole of Scripture than the two verses which we are now considering.
You have heard me say, if we misunderstand these verses, then we will find ourselves misunderstanding the gospel itself.
If we don't get these verses right, our evangelism will go awry and we will lose our ability to be effective witnesses to our great salvation.
We will either get the message itself wrong or we will get the methodology of preaching that message wrong and likely both.
So, we have some careful work to do this morning and I pray we will rightly understand all that's held for us in the final phrases of these two verses.
Before I read them, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's Word to us.
It was written for His glory and for our good.
And so, we do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.
Paul writes, Romans chapter 1, verse 16 and 17.
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.
For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith.
As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith.
And we have carefully considered the phrase, for I am not ashamed of the gospel.
We've given you reasons why Paul wasn't and why we ought not be ashamed of the gospel.
Right there in the text is very reasoning, the phrase we considered last Lord's Day.
For it is the power of God for salvation.
And we thought about what it meant to be saved.
Saved from and saved to.
And how it is that the gospel is powerful.
This morning we will take the rest of verse 16 and all of 17 phrase by phrase.
We've broken that down into four pieces together.
The first of which is to everyone who believes.
So, Paul says, I am not ashamed of the gospel.
For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
Paul does not state that the gospel will save everyone.
To understand the text that way would be the error of universalism.
He qualifies who will be saved.
Everyone who believes.
Or you could say to everyone who has faith.
We spoke last week much of the power of God that is this gospel.
It is a power that sets out to accomplish a purpose.
And necessarily accomplishes the purpose that it intends.
We will explore this much further in our study of Romans.
But please get here on the front end.
The necessity of belief does not detract from the power of God for salvation.
Let me repeat that to you.
The necessity of belief does not detract from the power of God for salvation.
Faith or belief is the avenue by which God saves.
But it is not the power for salvation.
Beloved, if you fail to understand this glorious truth.
Then you will always be confused about the gospel.
You will either think that you added something to the equation of your salvation and find yourself proud.
Or you will think that you now need to add something to your salvation and will find yourself defeated.
Let's hear some more of Paul's theology in Ephesians chapter 2 beginning in verse 8 and following where he writes,
By grace you have been saved through faith.
So there's the avenue, right?
The power of God.
Grace.
Saved through faith.
The avenue.
And then he clarifies, verse 8,
And this is not your own doing.
It is the gift of God.
This faith through which we're saved is a gift granted to us by God.
Verse 9,
Not a result of works so that no one may boast.
So that no one might find themselves proud.
Verse 10,
For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
And so we also have no need to feel defeated because we are made by God in Christ to work.
We don't work that we might be made like Christ,
but we are in Christ and so we work.
In order to be saved, we must believe.
But this necessary belief is granted to us by a merciful God.
Then, having believed, he works graciously in us to cause us to walk in his ways.
I hope that these grand truths will take to new heights in your mind this morning
and then will settle deep in your heart
that you may know the comfort and joy of being saved by the power of God,
which is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If these truths aren't doing this edifying work for you,
then I hope that you will hang in with us as we continue to study this inspired text in the coming months.
Paul is going to unpack this at length for our benefit.
Now, we would cut this phrase short if I wasn't careful to say
that you cannot believe in just anything that you would like.
You can't make a Christ or a gospel of your own choosing and find yourself saved.
Paul here is being specific.
The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
It's not a gospel, not some good news, not a version of good news,
but the good news, the gospel.
And so out of concern that anybody would be unclear,
what is the gospel?
What must we believe to be true in order that we might be saved?
We must believe that God created a world and you in it,
that he intends for you to be an image bearer,
but that that image bearing was destroyed by our federal head, by Adam.
He represented us.
So not only are we born into sin, but we willingly sin.
We, in our very nature, reject the lordship of our God.
Our God is holy and he can have nothing to do with sin.
He cannot become friends with sin.
And so the proper, just response of God for sin is that sin would be punished,
that his enemies would be vanquished one day, fully and forever.
But because God is also merciful,
he sent his son to live the life that he demanded of us,
the righteousness found in the law,
to die the death that we deserve,
bearing God's wrath for our sin on the cross,
to rise again three days later,
defeating death fully and finally,
and that one day Christ will return and make all things new.
And this gospel, this good news,
requires a response on our behalf,
a turning from our sin and our believing that we can be saved.
This is the gospel that he is referring to.
We also don't do well to only think of this idea of believe as a mental assent to stated truths.
You this morning might go,
sure, sure, all those things.
Yep, you may have grown up in church and heard them again and again.
But it is the sort of belief that changes you.
This Greek word is packed full of meaning for us.
It's not merely some mental assent,
but it is a belief that changes the trajectory of your very life.
Now, those of you paying attention,
notice that I have a copy of Pilgrim's Progress with me this morning.
So, here we go.
If you're a guest this morning,
I joke that if you stick with us long enough,
I'll read the entirety of this book to you as I read excerpts from it.
This book was written by a Puritan by the name of John Bunyan,
and he does such a good job of putting into literary form,
allegorically,
the journey of the Christian.
In fact, the main character in the book is named Christian.
And at this point,
in this little bit that I want to read to you,
he's picked up a companion along the way named Faithful.
Faithful and Christian are walking along,
and they encounter another character by the name of Talkative.
And he knows the things to say.
In fact, much of the discourse that he has with Faithful
seems very positive, this Talkative.
He says some amazingly true things about God
and about the nature of man and about the nature of salvation.
But then Christian beckons him over and says to him,
this man doesn't believe anything that he says
because we know him back in our town to be a wicked man.
These things he says he believes have worked no real change in him.
And so Faithful desires to be parted with him.
He doesn't want to have just meaningless conversation anymore.
And so he asks Christian,
what shall we do to get rid of him?
Take my advice and do as I tell you,
and you will find that he will soon be sick of your company also,
unless God touches his heart and changes it, Christian suggested.
Faithful asked, what would you have me do?
Christian answered, go to him and enter into some serious discourse
about the power of religion, which he will affirm, I assure you.
Then ask him plainly whether this power is something
that is truly working itself out in his heart
and in his home and in his behavior.
So Faithful stepped back over to where Talkative was walking
and began to converse with him.
How are you doing? He asked.
Very well, thank you, Talkative replied.
I thought we should have a great deal of talk by now.
Faithful offered, if you would like, we will continue our conversation.
And when we last spoke,
you left it to me to pose a topic for discussion.
Here is my question.
How does the saving grace of God make itself known
when it is in the heart of man?
I see, Talkative stated.
You want to talk about the power of things.
Well, that is a very good question.
I will be happy to answer you.
I will make my answer brief and to the point.
First, where the grace of God is at work in the heart,
it causes there to be a great outcry against sin.
Secondly, Faithful interjected, wait a minute.
Let's consider your points one at a time.
I think you should have said,
it makes itself known by inclining the soul to abhor its sin.
Why, what is the difference between crying out against and abhorring sin?
Talkative inquired.
I hope the Christian in the room knows the answer to that already.
Faithful answered, there is a great deal of difference.
A man may cry out against sin out of principle,
but he cannot abhor it unless he has God's own antipathy against it.
For instance, I have seen many cry out against sin in the pulpit
who yet abide it well enough in their own heart, home, and manner of life.
Potiphar's wife cried out against Joseph with a loud voice
as if she had been very holy.
Yet she would have gladly, despite her cries to the contrary,
committed adultery with him.
Some cry out against sin as a mother cries out against her child
when she calls her a good-for-nothing and a naughty girl
and then smothers her with hugs and kisses.
I think you're trying to trip me up with details,
Talkative accused.
Faithful responded,
no, I am only trying to set things right.
But what is the second way in which a work of grace
makes itself known in the heart of man?
Great knowledge of gospel mysteries, Talkative offered.
Hear this, my theology-loving brothers and sisters.
Don't stop loving theology,
but be sure you're loving the God of that theology.
Faithful countered,
this sign should have been first,
but first or last, it is also false.
For knowledge, even great knowledge,
may be obtained in the mysteries of the gospel
without a work of grace in the soul.
The truth is that a man can have an abundance of knowledge
and still be nothing,
and so consequently, no child of God.
When Christ asked,
Do you know all these things?
And the disciples answered,
Yes.
He added,
Blessed are you if you do them.
That's John 13, 17.
He did not pronounce a blessing for knowing,
but for doing.
For there is a knowledge that is not connected with doing.
He that knows his master's will and does not do it.
A man may know like an angel,
and yet not be a Christian.
Therefore, the point you make is not true.
Indeed, to know is something that pleases talkers and boasters,
but to do is that which pleases God.
Not that the heart can be good without knowledge,
for without knowledge the heart is empty.
But there are two kinds of knowledge.
The first alone in its bare speculation of things,
and the second is accompanied by the grace of faith and love,
which causes a man to do the will of God from the heart.
The first kind of knowledge will serve the talker,
but a true Christian will not be content
until his knowledge results in sincere works that please God.
Give me understanding,
and I shall keep thy law.
Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
But Psalm 119 and verse 34.
Talkative protested,
You are trying to trap me again.
This is not edifying.
Well then,
tell me another way in which the saving grace of God
makes itself known when it is in the heart of man,
faithful challenged.
And Talkative responds,
Not I,
for I see we shall not agree.
So, I hope,
one,
and less importantly,
that you want to read the poem's progress.
It'll be good for your soul.
Secondly,
much more importantly,
that you see that it's altogether possible
to say that you believe something to be true,
to hold it in your mind
and have it not affect change
in your heart.
Those who love God
will find themselves in increasing measure
loving him in his ways more
and hating the world
in that way more.
There should be an evidencing of this belief.
So,
the gospel that Paul is not ashamed of
is the power of God for salvation
to everyone who believes.
Have you believed
the gospel of Jesus Christ?
If you have not,
throw yourself
on God's mercy
this morning.
The next phrase we see
is the power of God for salvation
to everyone who believes
to the Jew first
and also
to the Greek.
Here we see
a most wonderful declaration.
The gospel is offered
to everyone.
Not just to the person of Jewish descent,
but also for all other
nationalities.
Lloyd-Jones again,
he says this,
why is this a gospel
for everyone?
The answer is
because it is God's power.
If it were not God's power,
it would not be for
anyone.
This statement
to the Jew first
and also to the Greek
is a statement of
chronology
and not
preference.
Paul is not saying
that the Jewish people
have greater importance
or more image-bearing
worth.
historically,
salvation came
first
to the Jews.
Now you can think about this
as it concerns
Jesus' ministry.
He was careful
in who he came
and preached the gospel
to.
An evidence of this
is in Matthew chapter 10
verse 5 and 6
where he sends out
the apostles
instructing them,
go nowhere among
the Gentiles
and enter no town
of the Samaritans
but go rather
to the lost sheep
of the house
of Israel.
He was concerned
chronologically
but not in
importance.
In keeping with this point,
when Jesus appears
to the disciples
at Acts 1,
what does he tell them
there?
You will receive
power.
This is the verse 8.
when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you
and you will be
my witnesses in,
think chronology,
Jerusalem,
in all Judea
and Samaria
and to the end
of the earth.
this gospel
is the power
of God
for salvation
for these
Roman believers
whether Jewish
or not
and most scholars
agree that this
was a mixed audience.
Paul is going
to develop this
truth further
for us
throughout his letter
with particular
intention to its
implications
in chapter 11
so I'll let you
hold your breath
on all that this
means until
chapter 11
but this morning
simply and
profoundly hear
this
this gospel
is the power
of God
for salvation
for you
regardless of
how you might
perceive yourself
however far
you might be
from his grace
however far
you think
you may be
from salvation
God is powerful
to reach you
and bring you
to himself
to the Jew
first
and also
to the Greek
this includes
an offer
to all people
to repent
and believe
he goes on
in his logical
progression
he keeps
adding these
fours
beginning of
verse 17
for in it
the righteousness
of God
is revealed
Paul tells us
that something
is revealed
which means
to make
plain
or make
clear
or make
known
we do
not have
Christianity
without
revelation
we will
not stumble
across
saving truth
without a
loving God
making it
known
to us
we believe
that the
scripture
is the
revelation
of God
to us
Paul says
that the
powerful gospel
makes
something
known
it makes
known
the
righteousness
of God
let's begin
understanding
this phrase
by defining
the word
righteousness
let's just
start there
righteousness
is the
quality
of being
morally
perfect
and don't
miss this
morally
perfect
without
fault
having both
obeyed
everything
and not
disobeyed
everything
morally
perfect
Paul says
the gospel
reveals
the
righteousness
of
God
now
certainly
our
God
is
righteous
he is
without
fault
he is
morally
perfect
we often
use the
word
holy
to describe
this
attribute
think of
revelation
4 8
this picture
that John
has of
heaven
of four
living
creatures
with six
wings
and full
of eyes
around
and within
day and
night
they never
cease to
say
you think
of what
they say
holy
which is
a compounding
thing in
Greek
saying
perfectly
holy
without
any fault
he is
holy
upon
holy
upon
holy
is the
Lord
God
almighty
who was
and is
to come
but
is it
God's
holiness
that Paul
is here
referring to
a certain
Augustinian
monk
by the name
of Martin
Luther
thought
so
to his
great
detriment
look out
I've got a
second book
this morning
I keep
saying I
need a
larger
pulpit
I need a
preaching
desk
this is
really key
right
we are
Protestants
for good
reasons
right
we believe
in
sola
scriptura
we believe
what it
teaches
us to
be
true
we had
better
get
this
right
this
is
the
text
that
launched
the
Protestant
Reformation
I'm going to
step over
a little bit
of history
I'm reading
Lloyd-Jones
quoting
Luther
and I
hope
that
it'll
be
clear
when
he's
speaking
and
when
Luther
is
speaking
if
not
you're
welcome
to
borrow
my
book
listen
carefully
it is
just
at this
point
we're
talking
about
right
now
that
the
experience
of
Luther
is
such
great
value
to
us
because
Luther
while
he
was
yet
a
Roman
Catholic
decided
to
give
a
series
of
lectures
on
the
epistle
to
the
Romans
he
came
up
against
this
verse
and
because
of
his
misinterpretation
of the
meaning
of
the
righteousness
of
God
he
passed
through
an
agony
of
soul
listen
to his
own
words
I
labor
diligently
and
anxiously
as
to
know
how
to
understand
Paul's
word
in
Romans
117
where
he
says
the
righteousness
of
God
is
revealed
in
the
gospel
I
sought
long
and
knocked
anxiously
for
the
expression
the
righteousness
of
God
blocked
the
way
you
see
he
thought
it
was
just
a
description
of
God's
character
and
of
God's
being
and
as
he
stood
before
this
revelation
of
God
who
is
light
and
in
whom
there
is
no
darkness
at
all
a
God
who
was
so
just
that
he
cannot
even
look
upon
sin
as
he
saw
this
righteousness
of
God
he
just
felt
it
was
impossible
he
says
that
this
expression
the
righteousness
of
God
blocked
the
way
to
salvation
for
him
and
he
went
further
and
said
as
often
as
I
read
that
declaration
I
wished
always
that
God
had
not
made
the
gospel
known
you
see
he
thought
that
it
meant
that
in
the
Old
Ten
Commandments
and
the
moral
law
yes
but
he
thought
it
was
an
imperfect
revelation
of
it
and
that
it's
only
in
Christ
you
get
a
full
revelation
and
one
which
is
infinitely
greater
he
thought
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
was
condemning
to
him
as
it
revealed
God's
righteousness
he
misunderstood
the
text
and
he
found
it
to
be
a
block
for
him
to
believe
the
gospel
he
wished
the
gospel
had
been
never
preached
praise
be
to
God
that
he
unveiled
the
full
meaning
of
this
text
to
Luther
before
we
get
to
the
last
part
of
verse
17
look
with
me
at
another
verse
where
Paul
employs
this
phrase
the
righteousness
of
God
this
is
Romans
chapter
3
and
verse
21
if
you'd
like
to
turn
there
briefly
here
we
see
right at
the
beginning
of verse
21
but
now
the
righteousness
of
God
there
it
is
again
the
righteousness
of
God
has
been
manifested
or
revealed
apart
from the
law
although
the
law
and the
prophets
bear witness
God
to
God
to
God
to
us
to
us
to
!
to
us
by
Christ
has
been
revealed
Luther
came to
understand
the
doctrine
of
double
imputation
which
he called
the
great
exchange
our
sin
given
to
Christ
and
his
righteousness
given
imputed
to
us
Paul
speaks of
this in
2nd
Corinthians
chapter 5
verse
21
where he
says
for our
sake
God
made
Christ
to be
sin
gave
our
sin
to
Jesus
who
knew
no
sin
he
was
perfect
without
fault
he
was
holy
so
that
in
Christ
we
might
become
the
righteousness
of
God
right
his
law
keeping
given
to
us
we've
got to
get this
right
if we're
going to
understand
this
verse
again
from
Lloyd
Jones
speaking
of
Luther
he
called
that
abstract
conception
of the
righteousness
of
God
and
he
could
not
get
past
it
God's
holiness
but
then
he
suddenly
saw
this
phrase
the
just
shall
live
by
faith
oh
he
said
there
is
such
a
thing
after
all
then
as
a
just
person
a
righteous
person
there
is
the
abstract
righteousness
here
is
the
concrete
righteousness
he
then
said
what
is
this
and
suddenly
he
saw
it
he
saw
that
this
is
the
whole
difference
between
the
law
and
faith
he
had
been
trying
to
work
a
righteousness
according
to
the
law
but
there
is
an
absolute
stumbling
block
to
that
this
righteousness
of
God
but
now
he
begins
to
see
how
are
these
people
righteous
Ah!
it
is a
righteousness
by
faith
so
then
that
righteousness
of
God
does
not
mean
the
attribute
of
God
it
is
a
righteousness
that
God
gives
so
hear
that
it's
the
righteousness
that
comes
from
him
it's
a
righteousness
he
gives
and
he
gives
it
to
faith
Luther's
whole
life
was
revolutionized
he
saw
the
abstract
and
the
concrete
coming
together
and
this
is
how
he
puts
it
when
I
saw
the
difference
that
law
is
one
thing
and
gospel
another
I
broke
through
he
broke
through
the
barrier
that
was
holding
him
back
and
he
goes
on
as
I
had
formerly
hated
the
expression
the
righteousness
of
God
I
now
began
to
regard
it
as
my
dearest
and
most
comforting
word
so
that
this
expression
of
Paul's
became
to me
in
very
truth
a
gate
to
paradise
what
a
revelation
what
a
transformation
from
a
miserable
wretched
unhappy
monk
counting
his
beads
and
fasting
and
sweating
and
praying
and
yet
being
more
and
more
conscious
of
failure
to
the
herald
of
the
reformation
to
the
glorious
preacher
of
the
gospel
rejoicing
in
the
glorious
liberty
of
the
children
of
God
and
it
came
to
him
through
understanding
Romans
1
17
the
abstract
righteousness
the
concrete
righteousness
a
righteousness
that's
granted
to
us
by
Christ
in
the
power
of
the
gospel
to
see
this
and
see
it
clearly
to
get
the
gospel
right
the
final
phrase
the
rest
of
verse
17
from
faith
for
faith
as
it
is
written
the
righteous
shall
live
by
faith
now
I
love
and
appreciate
that
Paul
is
an
Old
Testament
preacher
let's
not
unhitch
our
faith
from
it
Paul
has
now
referenced
faith
four
times
in
verses
16
and
17
he
refers
to
everyone
who
believes
or
has
faith
in
verse
16
and
then
we
see
in
this
last
bit
of
phrase
again
from
faith
for
faith
as
it
is
written
the
righteous
shall
live
by
faith
which
is
a
citation
from
Habakkuk
2
4
recall
that
I
have
told
you
that
the
theme
of
this
letter
is
that
we
are
justified
by
grace
alone
through
faith
alone
in
Christ
alone
a
lot
of
ink
has
been
spilled
working
out
the
exact
meaning
of
the
phrase
from
faith
for
faith
and
I'm
going
to
spare
you
the
details
by
simply
telling
you
the
prominent
view
which
I
wholeheartedly
agree
with
if
you'd
love
to
read
about
it
I
encourage
you
to
do
so
with
your
muck
boots
on
another
fair
way
to
translate
this
phrase
would
be
by
faith
to
faith
so
the
righteousness
of
God
is
granted
by
faith
to
faith
and
this
phrase
parallels
believes
in
verse
16
and
adds
to
it
continuing
faith
John
MacArthur
says of
this
text
there
is
emphasis
here
on
the
continuity
of
faith
it
is
not
a
one
time
act
but
a
way
of
life
the
true
believer
made
righteous
will
live
in
faith
all
of
his
or
her
life
this
is
the
doctrine
of
the
perseverance
of
the
saints
we
believe
and
we
believe
and
we
believe
we
hang
on
to
the
precious
promises
that
are
ours
in
Christ
and
we
do
so
until
the
end
and
the
promise
that
accompanies
such
faith
is
life
we
are
granted
life
by
faith
in
the
gospel
and
we
continue
life
by
faith
in
the
gospel
there
is
a
lifetime
of
meditation
found
in
these
two
verses
we
have
spread
it
thin
over
three
weeks
to
hope
to
hope
you
will
in
eager
expectation
join
me
as we
continue
to
impact
them
in
our
study
of
Romans
I
will
conclude
with
a
final
reading
chapter
one
verse
16
and
17
when
Paul
says
let's
pray
together
as