The Gospel…It is the Power of God…
“Power.” What does it mean in today’s world I asked myself while flying over the United States at 42,000 feet and 650 miles per hour? As I paged through the USA Today newspaper, my attention was drawn to a recent earthquake on the West Coast registering 4.2 on the Richter Scale. I recalled that in the 1930’s Charles Richter developed a scale to measure the power of a shift in the earth’s crust. Then there was the hurricane in the Caribbean – classified as a “Category 2” – an attempt by meteorologists to classify the power of nature. Next, over to the financial section where one corporation purchased another for $3.5 billion and there was an article hailing the power of the latest teraflop supercomputer. Not finished yet. On to the headlines in the sports page where last evening’s star baseball pitcher was clocked at rates over 98 miles per hour. Wow! – that’s Power!
Or is it?
Have you ever considered what the Bible has to say? God’s Word tells us that there is a “Power” that comes from heaven and is present in our world today. It is the Gospel – God’s way of salvation for man. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16: “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.”
The gospel of Christ is not about nature’s power, the world’s business feats or the achievements of the sports world. It is about Life – Eternal Life for the sinner! The gospel of Christ is the Power of GOD! It causes repentance in the soul of the sinner that has sinned against God; unfolds the truth of salvation through the work of the Lord Jesus at Calvary, and transforms the believer into a new creature – justified in the sight of God (Romans 5:1).
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” Is the power of the gospel real? Absolutely! Paul was saved on the Damascus Road (Acts 9); the writer – while listening to the gospel being preached. How about you? Are you fit for heaven? What about your sin and the need for forgiveness of sins? Can you, like the apostle Paul, attest to the power of God in your life? The Bible is very clear that there must be a moment when an individual repents from sin and, through faith, rests on the finished work of Christ on the cross. Forgiveness of sins, eternal life, peace with God and the assurance of heaven are only through Christ’s death.
The pilot came over the intercom and announced our descent into Philadelphia. My journey was coming to an end. I noticed the last section of the USA Today – entitled “Life”. It contained the world’s entertainment news. I paused, looked around the airplane, and wondered how many men and women have lost sight of that coming day when their mortal bodies will give way to death and their soul will leave for eternity. What about you dear reader? Your journey may be nearing its end and where will your soul spend eternity? In Heaven – with the saved, or Hell – with those that have rejected the gospel. The Lord Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for sin so that the power of the gospel should impart eternal life to the soul that trusts in God’s Word. To reject God’s gospel, is to be found among “them that perish,” reserved for eternal judgment when they will meet God at the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).
Salvation is available today! God’s day of grace continues, and eternal life is available to you. John writes in his Gospel (John 1:12) – “But as many as received Him (Christ), to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” The soul that trusts the Savior is born from God; a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17) – saved by the power of God. To quote the words of an old preacher…”The power of the gospel brings me to the cross, and the precious blood of Christ cleanses my every sin!” Yes, it’s true! The power of the blood of Christ has provided redemption for the sinner (1 Peter 1:18-19). Trust the Savior today; rest on the finished work of Christ and be able to say “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation.”
