Romans 1:15-16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
The gospel contains the very power of God because it is centered on Jesus Christ, the Lord and Son of God. The results of this power is salvation for all who believe. Faith is the key that unlocks the power of this message. Without faith, the gospel is only wishful thinking. Faith engages a person in this story. Faith in Jesus will be a key topic throughout Romans. One of the contentious topics of the letter is the relationship of Jews and Gentiles. Paul will take this topic up in chs. 9-11. The idea of first to the Jews may be in time or location and not necessarily priority. Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved. Paul went first to the Jews as God’s chosen people who were to be the instrument of getting this message out to the rest of the world. This message of good news describes how we can be right with God by having our sins forgiven and our hearts cleansed from the stain and control of sin. The only way for this to be done is through faith in Jesus. The result will be a changed lifestyle. A righteous heart leads to righteous living. If there is no righteous living, then one must ask if the heart has been cleansed from sin. This new life is marked by dependence upon God for all things. As this dependency grows, so does faith. As faith grows, so does the dependency.
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