“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 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. The gospel is the power (dynamis) of God—not merely a message but an effective force that transforms those who believe. Salvation (sōtēria) encompasses rescue from sin's dominion, reconciliation to God, and eschatological deliverance. The order—Jew first, then Gentile—reflects both historical priority and covenantal continuity, acknowledging Israel's prior place while affirming the gospel's universal reach.
Church Fathers on Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” "What do you say, O, Paul? When it were fitting to say, that I boast, and am proud, and luxuriate in it; you say not this, but what is less than this, that you are “not ashamed,” which is not what we usually say of things very glorious. What then is this which he says, and why does he thus speak? While yet he exults over it more than over heaven. At least, in writing to the Galatians, he said, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Publish a reflection on this verse
No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!