DAY #227: Romans 1:16-32

The Greek word for power (dunamis) is the source for our words dynamite and dynamic. Dynamite was not invented by Nobel until 1867, so it is obvious that Paul did not have that specific picture in mind. Instead, the inventor of the explosive took its name from the Greek. But the parallel is instructive. The Good News, as the power of God, can be like spiritual dynamite.

Under certain circumstances it has a devastating, even destructive effect, demolishing world views and traditions—paving the way for new construction. Placed inside a stone-hard heart that is resistant to God, it can shatter the barrier. God’s power in the gospel is not only explosive; it also overcomes evil.

The only way to receive salvation is to believe in Christ. This offer is open to all people. The gospel is powerful because the power of God resides in it by nature. The Good News is the inherent power of God that gives salvation to all who accept it. Salvation can only happen when a person believes.

The message of the Good News tells us how we, sinners as we are, can be made right in God’s sight. It tells how God, who is righteous, can vindicate sinful people. It is accomplished from start to finish by faith. Faith—unconditional trust—is the appointed way of receiving God’s righteousness. Faith in what? Faith in the fact that Jesus Christ took our sins upon himself, taking the punishment we deserved, and, in exchange, making us righteous before God. By trusting in Christ, our relationship with God is made right both for now and for eternity.

To nail his point, Paul quoted from Habakkuk 2:4, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Righteousness by faith was not a new idea; it is found in the writings of the prophets, with which the Jewish believers would be familiar. This expression means that Christians will live because of God’s faithfulness and because of their response of faith in God; as a result, they will have eternal life and experience fullness in life.

As God’s righteousness was revealed, so was his wrath. The flip side of God’s righteousness is his wrath against evil. Certain aspects of human character elicit God’s wrath. It is the response of his holiness to all wickedness and rebellion.

Why is God angry with sin? Because sinful, wicked people have pushed the truth away from themselves, substituting the truth about him with a fantasy of their own imagination. God cannot tolerate sin because his nature is morally perfect. He cannot ignore or condone such willful rebellion. He wants to remove the sin and restore the sinner, but the sinner must not distort or reject the truth. But God shows his anger from heaven against those who persist in sinning.

Sin has a penalty, and the punishment is in keeping with the offense. The exact consequences of sin are not predictable, but they are inevitable. These people cannot call themselves helpless victims; a sinful choice was made, and it carries its penalty. Unfortunately, the due penalty also has a way of spilling over into other lives. The connectedness of everything in creation makes it almost impossible to confine sinful penalties. Often a truly painful consequence is seeing how a sin we unleashed affects others.

When people choose to reject God, he allows them to do so. Their minds become depraved, and they lose the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Their evil minds lead them to do things that should never be done, indicating acts not just offensive to God, but also offensive by human standards. God does not usually stop us from making choices against his will. He lets us declare our supposed independence from him, even though he knows that in time we will become slaves to our own rebellious choices—we will lose our freedom not to sin. Does life without God look like freedom to you? Look more closely. There is no worse slavery than slavery to sin.

The cause for the appalling condition of our world—the horrible perversions and the rampant evil—lies in people’s rebellion against God. Although knowledge of God is accessible, people turn their backs on it, close their minds to it, and go their own way, worshiping whatever they choose.

SO WHAT? (what will i do with what i have read today?)

Oh Lord, in this day where sin is minimized and often dismissed, remind us that Jesus died for our sins. It is sin that separates us from God. It is sin that causes broken relationships. It is sin that hurts and divides and causes us to live in shame and regret.

But the Good News is POWERFUL. By it, we can overcome sin and our own destructive habits. Lord, give me power today to break free from the unhealthy habits that can grip my life. Give me power today to say NO to sin and YES to You, Lord. Give me power today to do what is right and not what is easy.

Give me a new heart today, Oh Lord, to reach out to people who have been enslaved to sin - most of them not even knowing it.

Lord, give me a heart to live out Luke 4:18 (NLT) - “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free..."