In 1:16 Paul says that the gospel is the power of God. The reason the gospel is so powerful is that the righteousness of God is revealed in it. Many expositions of Romans do not give an adequate definition of the righteousness of God. It is correct to say that the righteousness of God is simply Christ. However, such a definition is too doctrinal.
The gospel of God is powerful to save people because it reveals the righteousness of God. Many Christians think that the power of the gospel is the Holy Spirit or the love of God. Others say that the power of the gospel is the grace of God. But in Romans Paul does not say that the power of the gospel is the Holy Spirit or the love of God or the grace of God. He says that it is the righteousness of God. Nothing is more solid and trustworthy than righteousness. Love, on the contrary, is changeable and may fluctuate. The same is true of grace. For example, if I like you, I may give you a large gift of money. But if I do not like you, I may not feel like giving you anything. Likewise, the giving of the Holy Spirit is at least somewhat related to our obedience and therefore is not unconditional. But with righteousness there is no room, no margin, for change. When we act according to righteousness, we do certain things, not out of love, but because we are bound by righteousness to do them. Consider the example of paying rent. A person who rents a house makes his monthly rental payment not because he loves his landlord, but because he is obligated to fulfill the righteous requirement of the rental agreement. No matter how he feels toward his landlord personally, he must pay the rent. In this sense, paying rent is a matter of righteousness.
One day I saw that I was saved not only by the love of God and by the grace of God, but by the righteousness of God. I could confidently say to the Lord, “Lord, whether You are happy with me or not, You are bound by Your righteousness to save me. Even if You do not love me, You must still save me because You are righteous. Your love is eternal, but the basis of my salvation is not Your love. It is Your righteousness.” Hallelujah, this is the power of the gospel!
Sometimes in preaching the gospel we face certain objections from thoughtful people. After listening to the gospel concerning the love of God, some have said to us, “Yes, God is love, but I’m not lovable. You say that God’s love is unconditional, but how do I know that His love for me will not change, especially if I do something sinful?” Before we were enlightened regarding the righteousness of God, we had difficulty answering questions such as these. But now we can boldly proclaim the righteousness of God as the very power of God in the gospel. Because God is righteous, He is bound to forgive us if we come to Him through Christ, no matter how He may feel about it.
If we would serve God in the proper way, we need to serve Him in the gospel. To do this, we firstly need to know what the gospel is, and then we need to experience all that the gospel includes. We also need to learn how to minister the gospel to others, that is, how to function as priests in ministering the gospel of God. Serving God is not simply a matter of gathering together to sing, to pray, and to rejoice. Likewise, it is not just to win souls or to help the saints in certain ways. To serve God is to function as a priest in the gospel. This means that whenever we contact anyone, whether a believer or an unbeliever, we need to know his need as far as the gospel is concerned. For example, if a person is not clear about salvation, we must help him to be clear and even joyful in God’s salvation. We need to serve him with the gospel. Others may be clear about salvation, but not about other aspects of the gospel. Thus, we must minister something to meet their needs. The crucial point of the service in the church life is to minister Christ to others in the gospel. For this, we all must learn the elements and the details of the gospel, and we need to experience the full content of the gospel. Along with this, we must develop the proper technique and skill to minister Christ in the gospel according to what we have experienced.
The book of Romans is a full revelation of the gospel. My burden in this message is to point out that the central point of the gospel is that God is transforming sinners in the flesh into the designated sons of God in the spirit. If we would serve God in the gospel, we all need to make this same matter our goal. Why do we preach the gospel? We preach the gospel not simply that people may be saved or be forgiven of their sins or become spiritual, but that they may become sons of God. This is our aim.
The book of Romans, of course, does not stop with chapter eight, that is, with the matter of the many sons being conformed to the image of Christ. In chapter twelve Paul speaks of the Body. The Body of Christ cannot be built up with people in the flesh; it can be built only with the glorious sons of God. This is the reason that the building up of the Body of Christ is not mentioned before chapter twelve. In order for the Body to be produced, people in the flesh must become conformed to the image of the Son of God. By the righteousness of God revealed in the gospel, God is transforming sinners in the flesh into sons of God in the spirit for the building up of the Body of Christ. This is the goal of the gospel.