"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (Romans 1:16)

There is power in the gospel. In fact, the gospel contains the essences of God’s strength, force, and ability. Paul exclaims that the gospel is the full power of God— an incredible statement. The word used for power is dynamis from which we get the English word for dynamite, an explosive and self-contained power.

Throughout the New Testament, this very same word dynamis is used everywhere Jesus performed miracles. Amazingly, the same word is used when talking about Jesus’s resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:4; Eph 1:19-20). It was dynamis power that raised Jesus and seated Him in heaven. In this epic moment, we are talking about an incredible amount of power from God.

Incredibly, this power is available for the salvation of everyone who believes. At the moment of believing, this invitation in Christ—perhaps the greatest miracle of all—takes place. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead by this power, we, too, are released from the control of darkness and immediately raised to belong to the kingdom of Heaven as God’s beloved children.

"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 at Rome" (Romans 1:14-15)

As a Pharisee, I’m sure Paul felt obligated to give instructions on how to live. In fact, the Pharisees of his day were known for heaping lots of extras onto the Jewish Law. So much so, the people stood no chance of keeping the Law. Even Jesus commented on their behavior by saying, “You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down” (Mark 7:13a).

This is why I find it so amazing that after only one encounter with Jesus, Paul exclaims, “I am obligated—to people—to everyone—to preach Jesus! What a complete turnaround! Instead of insisting on rules and making the people miserable, Paul wanted everyone to know the person of Jesus Christ.

The gospel of Jesus changed Paul from someone who had every reason to be confident in his righteous actions to someone who discounted it all for the sake of Christ. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote,