The gospel is the power of God

The teaching of the apostle Paul in telling us that the gospel is the power of God unfolds a high gamut of spiritual seasons when we understand the life, suffering, and transformation of the apostle. Many people today read Paul as if he wrote from the comfort of an office, surrounded by peace and stability, but the truth is the opposite. For the most part, the apostle wrote from a prison cell, wounded, persecuted, chained, and deprived of comforts. Yet, under all these difficulties, Paul never ceased to believe—firmly and passionately—that the gospel is the power of God. And through this article, we invite you to believe the same, not in a superficial or emotional way, but in the deep and profound way Paul meant it.

Do you remember who Paul was before becoming an apostle? Paul was called Saul, and he was the greatest persecutor of the church in his time. He carried many brothers and sisters to death, he terrorized the early believers, and he did all of this believing that he was serving God. On top of that, he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, instructed at the feet of Gamaliel—one of the greatest teachers of the law. In other words, Paul was a highly educated man, a strict observer of the law, an intellectual, and someone who carried great authority and reputation in Judaism. If anyone had earthly credentials, prestige, influence, or academic excellence, it was Saul of Tarsus.

However, all of this—fame, titles, reputation, knowledge—Paul had to leave behind. He considered it all as nothing compared to the glory of knowing Christ. The same man who once persecuted the church became its greatest defender. And now this transformed man, who had lost everything for Christ, was saying with power and conviction:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-17

Do you think it was easy in Paul’s time to say, “The just shall live by faith”? Absolutely not. Paul lived in a world full of persecution, rejection, philosophical debates, and religious opposition. The message of the gospel confronted both Jews and Gentiles. It challenged the pride of the religious elite and exposed the emptiness of pagan culture. But the apostle did not care what could happen to him. His life had already been surrendered entirely to the One who called him. He valued little what he might lose, because he knew the treasure of what he had gained.

Paul recognized very well that the power was not in his lexicon, in his eloquence, or in his intellectual ability. His power did not come from his academic background, nor from his Jewish heritage, nor from the admiration of men. He knew that true power was found only in the Gospel: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That message—the message of redemption, forgiveness, transformation, and eternal life—is what has shaken nations, changed hearts, restored families, healed the broken, and turned sinners into saints for more than two thousand years.

Do you believe that same power is still found in the gospel today? Many people have underestimated the gospel. Some think it is only a historical message, others think it is outdated, and others believe that people need something more “modern.” But the gospel does not age, it does not lose effect, and it does not weaken. It remains the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. It is the only message capable of saving the human soul.

Dear brothers, let us walk in the conviction that Paul had. Let us not be ashamed of the gospel. Let us preach Christ with our lives, with our words, and with our actions. Let us stand firm, knowing that we carry the most powerful message in the universe. And above all, let us live by faith, just as the Scriptures say. The world needs that gospel now more than ever. Let us go forward and never be ashamed of Him.