Romans 1:1-7
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
I begin pretty much every day of my life reading from two sources: a daily newspaper and the Bible. I tend to read the newspaper first, starting with the sports section as my brain wakes up to the slow drip of caffeine, then I move on to the front section and the political, economic and serious news of the day.
On any given day the newspaper is filled with a good bit of bad news, even if I manage to ignore the Cubs box score. Today’s paper, for example, contained headlines like:
“Gov. Quinn headed to Charlotte: But faces tumult back home in Illinois”
“Yemen: 14 civilians killed”
“Elgin teen dies in early-morning crash”
“Freight train cars derail in Chicago”
Now there were other headlines as well – even some that were on the positive side – but the news is typically oriented toward bad news.
Then I read from the Bible.
And while the Bible certainly has it’s share of bad news (huge swaths of the Old Testament), the main thrust of the Biblical story is God’s good news: the gospel.
Paul begins his letter to the Romans, perhaps the most comprehensive presentation of the gospel in the Bible, this way:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God…
So what is the “gospel of God” and why is it such good news?
The word translated “gospel” is the ancient Greek word “euongelion” – which is a combination of the words “good” and “message.” This word is where we get the English words “evangelism” and “evangelical.”
The euongelion, the good message, is that God has provided salvation for the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
So, then, why is this good news also revolutionary?
Perhaps a good place to begin is the life of the Apostle Paul himself. Here’s how Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is described in the Book of Acts before experiencing the gospel:
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples…if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them prisoners to Jerusalem… (Acts 9:1-2)
Then he meets the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, who appears to him in a blinding light from heaven, confronts his persecution of believers, and calls him to become Paul, the Apostle to the gentiles. Here’s how Paul himself describes the transformation:
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:7-8
Saul, a man filled with hatred and even violence toward followers of Christ, became Paul, not only a follower of Christ himself, but a man filled with love even for his enemies.
The gospel is revolutionary because it has the power to radically transform a man from the inside out; to produce change so dramatic that it is often compared to being “born again.”
What Paul encountered in Christ was a love greater than anything he had ever experienced before; a grace greater than his own arrogance and hatred; a hope beyond the legalism of his religion. What he experienced was the gospel and he spent the rest of his life articulating that gospel for the world.
Have you experienced the “gospel revolution” in your own heart and life? As we embark on our “gospel journey” this year at FBCG, and as we study Paul’s letter to the Romans this fall, ask God to fill your heart and mind with a new appreciation for – and experience of – his good news!
Pastor Brian Coffey
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