Power!

Power!

I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation [from His wrath and punishment] to everyone who believes [in Christ as Savior], to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ROMANS 1:16 AMP

There is a need for a personal experience of God's power as explained in the gospel. It is not the display of himan power - selfish and self-propagating, but the power that speaks to God's ability to secure man's present and future. Who else could this be true about more than the one writing this letter to the Roman church - Paul: a murderer, yet after a personal experience of God, a drastic change of direction, purpose and pursuit. I cannot just claim his ending; I must walk in the paths he walked, and take the decision he took to follow Christ.

You may ask: "What good has the gospel done?" Well, salvation is the most viable point of the gospel, where a mortal man learns that there is nothing in him that could merit God's grace, but God in his infinite wisdom, has made a way of escape from the consequences of sin, and sealed eternal life. All man needs to do is to believe the gospel and take full advantage of the offer made. Nothing else works; connections, privilege, money or class will not cut it. When you have experienced it, you cannot keep quiet. When you have truly seen the benefits, you do not want to lose it.

It is not about a call to good works or moral uprightness but a call to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. The offer is for all: the order is not all there is to it. God's will is for the Jews to be saved, but He has extended the grace to all of us too. You won't claim place of birth as the reason why you didn't take advantage of the grace made available by God. Eternal life is the prize; absolute faith in and dependence on God is the price. The alternative is not worth thinking about. His time of favour is here.