Audio Teaching • Romans 1:16–17 (KJV)
You do not have to hide the good news, and you do not have to earn God’s approval. Trust is the whole thing.
The full teaching, spoken. MP3, 27 minutes 41 seconds.
For 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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:16–17 (KJV)
Part 1 of a verse-by-verse walk through Romans. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. This message works through the two verses in three points, with a plain-English look at the Greek behind them. The full message outline and a printable study sheet are on the Audio page.
Follow Along • Study Notes
Message Outline & Study Notes
The full teaching outline for this message on Romans 1:16–17: three points and a plain-English Greek word study. Read it here, or take the printable study sheet with you.
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Big idea: You don’t have to hide the good news, and you don’t have to earn God’s approval. Trust is the whole thing.
“For 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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Romans 1:16–17 • KJV
I. Good News Isn’t Something to Hide (v. 16a)
“I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”
- Ashamed (epaischynomai): the face-gets-hot, look-at-the-floor feeling. Paul refuses to feel it about this message.
- Gospel (euangelion): “good news”: a victory herald’s shout. God won; Jesus beat sin and death.
The point: Nobody hides good news. This message about Jesus is not a secret to keep; it’s news to share.
II. This Message Actually Rescues (v. 16b)
“It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth”
- Power (dynamis): actual force (root of “dynamite”). The good news doesn’t just describe a rescue; it is the rescue.
- Salvation (sōtēria): being pulled out of danger; hauled out of deep water.
- Believeth (pisteuō): not “agree it’s true” but trust, lean your full weight on it. Faith is the sitting down.
- Every one (pas): everybody, no exceptions. Nobody is outside the door.
The rope: God has thrown the rope; the drowning man is saved when he grabs it. You don’t clean up first; you just grab it.
III. Made Right as a Gift: by Trust, Start to Finish (v. 17)
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith … The just shall live by faith”
- Righteousness (dikaiosynē): being right with God; the verdict “not guilty.” The theme of Romans.
- Of God: this right-ness comes from God. It’s his to give, not yours to build.
- Revealed (apokalyptō): uncovered, the curtain pulled back (root of “apocalypse”).
- Faith (pistis): “from faith to faith”: trust starts it, continues it, ends it. Trust all the way down.
- Live (zaō): truly alive, now and forever (quoting Habakkuk 2:4).
Do vs. done: Every religion says do. The good news says done. He did it; you trust him; you receive it. You cannot pay for a gift, so put the money away and take the gift.
The whole message in three sentences: It’s good news, so don’t hide it. It actually rescues, so grab the rope. It’s a gift, so stop trying to earn it. Trust got you in, trust keeps you going, trust carries you home.
What This Teaching Covers
"For 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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).
Paul names a temptation in order to refuse it. Shame over the gospel assumes the message is weak and needs help. It is not, and it does not.
Paul does not say the gospel contains power or points to power. He says it is the power of God unto salvation. Not advice, not a method, not a moral improvement plan. The power that saves is in the message itself, which is why it can be preached plainly and left to do its own work.
The promise has a condition and it is believing, not ancestry, not ceremony, not performance. To the Jew first, and also to the Greek shuts the door on the idea that the gospel belongs to one people and is loaned to others.
A righteousness that is revealed is one a person receives rather than manufactures. From faith to faith describes a life that begins and continues the same way, by trusting Jesus Christ.
Paul reaches back to Habakkuk 2:4, which shows this is not a new arrangement invented in the New Testament. It is how God has always justified sinners.
Common Questions
What does Romans 1:16 call the gospel?
"The power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Not advice, not a method, but the power of God itself.
Why would anyone be ashamed of the gospel?
Paul names the temptation in order to refuse it. You do not have to hide the good news, because the message carries the power of God in it.
Does a believer have to earn God's approval?
No. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Trust in Jesus Christ is the whole of it.
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