Greetings CrossTrain family! How wonderful it is to soak in Romans 8 for a while as a church! As we continue in our family verse memorization and our own family studies, let’s regularly meditate on the truth that Jesus has done for us what the law could not do because of our sinful flesh. He has clothed us with Christ’s righteousness and adopted us as His own children. We are no longer condemned, but we are seen as spotless!! Praise God! Last week in family ministry we learned that this salvation comes by turning to God in repentance and faith. Both of these, repentance and faith, are gifts from God. This week’s verse will teach us how God delivers this gift to bring us to life and why the gospel is so important.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16
Why this verse? The gospel is the power of God to salvation. It is the greatest miracle for us to see. A stone-cold dead heart is made into a living heart of flesh. God’s spirit softens the heart of those he chooses, sends spirit-filled believers with the word, and His sheep hear his voice through the call of the gospel. This is what brings us to repentance (as we learned about last week), belief, and life! The bible gives us no other way for people to come to salvation than the proclamation of the gospel to those whom the Holy Spirit is stirring. It is the power of salvation to EVERYONE who believes. Not some, but everyone. This is why Paul says later in Romans “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’.”.
Questions Romans 1:16 can answer:
Why is the gospel important?
What does God use to bring people to salvation?
How do we see God’s power today?
May this encourage us, church! Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and he has given us orders to make disciples. We are to first do this by spreading the Gospel. We are not called to do anything in our own power, to do signs and wonders, or argue people into the kingdom. Our power will fail, the resurrection is the only sign we are to point to, and although the word of God is precondition for all truth, no one has ever been intellectually argued into the kingdom. We are to spread the gospel. Period. This means proclaiming to people the death, burial, and resurrection of the God-man Jesus for the sins of all who would believe. And the mind-blowing miracle we see is that wretched, god-hating, evil-loving stone-cold-dead sinners coming to eternal life and become heirs with Jesus, adopted as sons of the living God!
I pray that these messages are used to help us all engage in conversations with our children, our spouse, friends, and family to teach the Gospel and to better know and love God. Thank you for your faithfulness! And remember, church, God saves sinners. So go give them the gospel. Until next time, may God richly bless you by the grace and mercy won by Jesus Christ!
In Christ,
Adam and Audra Griffin
Family Ministries