¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

Theme verse of the book of Romans, of Paul’s message, of the gospel—this is it. He was under obligation to preach it (vs. 15); he was not ashamed of it (a classical Jewish understatement, meaning he embraced his obligation enthusiastically). The gospel is the power of God to change lives. Paul uses the Greek word “dunamis” to convey the effectual influence in making real change actually happen in a person’s life. Before faith, spiritual deadness separated us from God; we were lost in our sin. But now, through faith, we have been given new life (Romans 6:4), having been brought into communion with God. We have been, to use the apostle’s terminology, “saved.”

The word “saved” seems to have fallen into disuse in some Christian circles today as being an overly simplistic view of spirituality. The apostle did not, however, shy away from the word or the concept as a defining way to categorize people: either saved or lost. It describes well the experience and spiritual reality that is true of all genuine believers. “Once I was lost; now I am saved.”

Paul’s imperative drove him to preach the gospel, to see people saved. The message went out in an orderly fashion, to the Jews first (as God’s people of priority), and then to the non-Jews (here Paul uses “Greek” to indicate non-Jews in general). He simply introduces this Jew/Gentile theme here, and then elaborates on it further in chapters 9-11. But the message is the same regardless of the target group. And that message is all about God’s righteousness.

The gospel reveals God’s righteousness, what He expects. And the corollary of this, as it turns out, is how we can obtain God’s level of righteousness. In this concise, summary statement lies the kernel that sprouts and blossoms in the next 10 chapters of this letter. God’s righteousness is connected to our faith, from the first to the last. There is no hint here about our worthiness, our efforts, or our merit. This is the crux with which the reformer Martin Luther wrestled. How can a man be justified before a perfectly holy and just God? This is the answer: by faith. First stated by the OT prophet Habakkuk, quoted by Paul twice (here and in Galatians 3:11), and included in the book of Hebrews (10:38): “The righteous man shall live by faith.” This salvation is within the reach of everyone, not just the religious elite or the super pious. Praise God, because all have sinned. But through faith God offers His righteousness as a gift.

Lord, what a wonderful capsule of the gospel. Thank You for saving me!