16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,1 as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”2
Section Overview
It may seem strange to isolate so tiny a passage as a major division of Romans on its own. But many commentators regard these two verses as the theme to the entire epistle. We can survey their major elements to observe why they are so crucial.
First is reference to “the gospel.” Romans 1:1 already indicated that “the gospel of God” is why Paul was set apart as an apostle. The gospel is Paul’s reason not only for writing but for living, as far as his service to Christ Jesus is concerned. Because these two verses explain that gospel in such pithy form, they deserve to be highlighted.
Second is the universality of these verses. They claim to apply to everyone, everywhere, for “Jew” and “Greek” in Paul’s terminology covers the gamut of all human beings. In an age of social fragmentation and individual identity uncertainty (so that some people are not even sure of their gender), an apostolic word that applies equally to all persons, and in that sense integrates and unites them, is momentous in importance.
Third is the positive force of these verses. They refer to a divine act (“salvation”) that rescues willing people from a dire plight that, Paul will shortly argue, is pervasive and lethal (Rom. 1:18–3:20). If all persons are infected with a mortal malaise, then nothing could be more welcome than word of a cure.
These two verses advance the proposition that there is an exclusive, Christ-centered saving word that administers God’s fix for the world in this age and the next. No wonder they are singled out for concentrated attention.
Section Outline
II. Central Theme of the Letter: The Gospel (1:16–17)
Response
The heavy freight that these two verses carry can be seen only in the extended explanation of human sin, God’s justifying work in Christ, Abrahamic faith, and other matters lying ahead as Romans unfolds. But already at this point two towering truths bear attention:
(1) There is a gospel, “good news,” that everyone on this earth needs to hear and believe in order to be saved. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). This accentuates the importance of true understanding of what the gospel is (and is not). Romans as a whole serves to confirm and extend that understanding, which is why it is such a central book of the Bible. It also underscores the importance of gospel proclamation in all places and times (10:14–15).
(2) The gospel saves because it reveals God’s righteousness. Salvation is God’s act, not something people can do by or for themselves. The verses immediately following (1:18–3:20) will unmask and debunk human pretensions to know or please God by our natural understanding or acts of obedience or religious status. Romans 1:16–17 exclaims at the outset, “Stop!” Human decision is necessary for salvation, but it is not sufficient. Any and all human attempts to establish righteousness before God are flawed. They are dwarfed and disqualified by the “righteousness of God” revealed in Christ and him alone.