This episode begins our series through the Book of Romans, one of the most powerful books in the Bible.

We talk about the Gospel and what it truly is. It is the power of God to save, change, and restore lives.

This message is for anyone who believes, no matter where they have been or what they are facing.

As we begin this journey through Romans, we look at how the Gospel speaks to real life and why it still matters today.

The content shared on Living the Selah Life is for spiritual encouragement, personal reflection and informational purposes only.

It is not intended to diagnose, treat or replace medical, psychological or professional advice of any kind.

Please consult a licensed health care provider or qualified professional for any physical, mental or emotional health concerns.

The views expressed are those of the host, Kimberly Lockanore, and are based on personal experience and Biblical insight, not clinical or professional training.

Welcome back to Living the Selah Life, a podcast that invites you to slow down, to breathe and to reconnect with the presence of God.

I am your host, Kim, and this space is for anyone longing to become more familiar with his presence.

Each episode is an intentional pause, a moment to reflect, realign and remember that God meets us when we create space for Him.

So take a breath.

You are right on time.

Let's live the Selah Life together.

We've just completed our series on the Beatitudes, where we explored what it means to be blessed, and today we're beginning a new series taking us into the Book of Romans, one of my favorite books of the Bible, Paul's theological masterpiece and the most systematic presentation of the Gospel in scripture.

Over the next I won't even tell you how many, but it's quite a few episodes, we'll walk through this profound letter together.

We're starting with Romans 1, chapter 1 17, where Paul declares the theme for the entire letter the power of the gospel.

Not just information about salvation, but the unleashing of God's power to rescue, transform and restore humanity.

This week's main teaching is called the Power of the Gospel.

An Introduction to Romans Romans is unlike Paul's other letters.

Most were written to address specific problems in particular churches.

Romans was written to a church Paul had never visited, introducing himself and laying out the fullness of the gospel message.

Paul was In Corinth about 57 A.D. planning to travel to Rome and then Spain to preach the gospel in new territories.

He sent this letter ahead with Phoebe, who was a deacon from Cenchrea, to prepare the Roman Christians for his visit.

Rome was the capital of the most powerful empire on earth at the time.

The church there included both Jewish and Gentile believers.

Paul wanted them to understand that the gospel transcends ethnic and cultural boundaries, that it's the power of God for salvation.

To everyone who believes the Book of Romans is not just about how to get saved.

It is the full scope of what God has done through Jesus Christ, how he dealt with human sin, makes people right with himself, transforms lives through the Holy Spirit, remains faithful to His Promises and changes how we live every single day.

This letter has shaped Christian theology more than probably any other book in the Bible.

Augustine's conversion came through reading Romans.

Luther's understanding of justification by faith that sparked the Reformation came from Romans.

Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed.

Air quotes While listening to Luther's preface to Romans.

This letter transforms lives because it unveils the power of the Gospel.

Let's talk about Paul's credentials, which is Romans, chapter 1, verses 1 through 7.

Paul begins.

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the Gospel of God.

Notice how he identifies himself.

He doesn't lead with impressive credentials, which he could have.

He leads with his relationship to Jesus Christ.

Bondservant, a willing slave who has given up all rights to serve his Master.

Called his apostleship divinely ordained, not self appointed, separated, set apart for a specific purpose.

The Gospel of God and this gospel isn't new.

Paul emphasizes that God promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures.

The Gospel has roots in the Old Testament, fulfilling everything God had been pointing toward throughout Israel's history.

God did not suddenly change his plan.

When Jesus came, he was accomplishing what he had promised all along.

The gospel centers on a person, Jesus Christ, born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead.

Fully human, born of David's lineage, fulfilling the promise of a Messiah from David's line, fully divine, declared to be the Son of God with power through his resurrection.

The resurrection proves his identity, validates his claims and and demonstrates his power over death.

Through Jesus, Paul received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name.

The gospel isn't just for Jews, it's for all nations.

Paul's calling bringing Gentiles to faith, to obedience that flows from faith.

Paul addresses his readers as beloved of God and called to be saints.

Loved by God not because of anything they've done, but because God set his love on them and saints not because they're perfect, but because they've been set apart.

Made holy through Christ he greets them Grace and peace from our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace first, God's unmerited favor.

Kindness towards those who deserve judgment and peace follows reconciliation with God.

Rest for troubled souls and wholeness where there was brokenness.

Romans chapter 1, verses 8 through 15 expresses Paul's desire to visit Rome.

And you can go back and read all of this in its entirety.

The book is so rich and so full of just everything that every Christian should know.

Because Romans cracks open works based doctrines on its face.

And I desire for everyone that has ever known anything about Christ to read it and allow God to free you from the works based doctrines that are taught in so many places that if you do this, you get this.

If you do this, you get this and you're earning his love.

And just all these things because it is just not true.

Paul expresses his longing to visit the Roman church.

Their faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

And the church in Rome, at the center of the empire, has become known for their commitment to Christ.

Paul prays for them constantly, asking God to open a way for him to visit.

That I may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established.

Notice his humility.

He does not say, I am coming to fix all of your problems.

He wants to impart spiritual gifts to strengthen their faith and to build them up and help them to stand firm.

Then he adds, that is that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me.

Paul expects to receive as much as he gives when believers gather.

When faith meets faith, everyone is strengthened.

He declares himself a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.

He owes the gospel to everyone.

He has received so much grace, mercy, salvation, a calling that he's under obligation to share it with anyone who will listen.

Moving on to Romans 1 and 16.

Not ashamed of the Gospel.

Then comes the hinge verse, the statement that launches Paul into the main theme of his entire letter.

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

For the Jew first, and also for the Greek.

Why would Paul need to say this, that he's not ashamed of the gospel?

Well, in the Roman world, the gospel was foolishness.

The idea that God would become a human was absurd to Greek philosophers.

The notion that the Messiah would die on a cross was scandalous to Jews.

And the claim that a crucified carpenter from Nazareth was Lord challenged Caesar's authority.

The Gospel wasn't sophisticated or impressive by human standards.

To look at it on its face, it centered on weakness, suffering and death.

It called people to surrender, to trust in someone else rather than themselves, to admit their sin.

And in a culture that valued power, status and self sufficiency, the Gospel looked utterly weak.

Paul declares he is not ashamed, not embarrassed by the Gospel's simplicity.

He's not apologetic about its skinless center.

A crucified Savior not hesitant to proclaim it boldly, regardless of how the world responds.

And why?

Why do you think that is?

Because it is the power of God to salvation.

The gospel is not just information or a moral teaching.

It is powerful, explosive power.

The unleashing of divine energy to accomplish what nothing else can can accomplish.

The power is to salvation, literally into salvation.

The Gospel doesn't just point towards salvation, it produces salvation, it creates it.

When the gospel is proclaimed and believed, salvation happens.

Lives are rescued and people are delivered from sin's power.

Eternal destinies are changed.

This salvation is for everyone who believes, not the morally superior or religiously accomplished.

Not for those who've earned it, my goodness.

Not for those who've earned it.

For everyone who believes, who trusts, who relies on, who puts their weight down on Jesus Christ.

For the Jew first, and also the Greek, the gospel came to the Jews first.

God's chosen people, recipients of his promise, the ones through whom the Messiah came.

The gospel goes to the Greeks, representing all Gentiles.

Also.

It transcends ethnic boundaries.

It is for everyone.

Romans, chapter 1, verses 17.

Righteousness of God revealed, Paul continues.

For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.

As it is written, the just shall live by faith.

The Gospel reveals the righteousness of God.

This phrase carries multiple meanings that are essential.

First, God's own righteousness, his perfect justice, absolute holiness, complete moral perfection.

The Gospel reveals a God who is perfectly just, who cannot overlook sin and who must deal with evil.

And second, the righteousness God provides.

Because we have zero righteousness of our own, because all of our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

God provides righteousness, righteousness.

He makes a way for unrighteous people to be declared righteous.

The Gospel reveals that God doesn't just demand righteousness, he provides it.

And third, God's faithfulness to his covenant promises.

God is righteous in keeping his word.

He promised to bless all nations through Abraham's seed, to send a redeemer to deal with sin and restore relationship with humanity.

The Gospel reveals that God keeps His promises.

The righteousness is revealed from faith to faith.

The righteousness revealed in the gospel comes from faith, from beginning to end.

It starts with faith and continues through faith.

We're saved by faith.

We live by faith.

We persevere by faith.

And Paul supports this with Habakkuk, chapter 2, verses 4.

The just shall live by faith.

The righteous those may right with God shall live by faith.

This is how we come to God and how we continue with God.

Faith is the means by which we receive and the means by which we walk out our salvation.

This verse became foundational for Martin Luther.

He struggled trying to earn God's acceptance through works, religious performance, self punishment.

When he grasped that the just shall live by faith, when he understood that righteousness comes through faith alone, it revolutionized his life and sparked the Reformation.

So what is the gospel?

Paul says he is not ashamed of the Gospel, that it's God's power to salvation.

The word gospel means good news.

It's the announcement of something that has happened, something that changes everything.

Literally, the Gospel is the good news that God has dealt with the problem of human sin through Jesus Christ.

Humanity rebelled against God.

We sinned.

We fell extremely short of his glory.

We became separated from him, subject to death, unable to fix our own broken condition.

God did not leave us in that state.

He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who lived the perfect life that we couldn't live, who died the death we deserved to die, who bore the punishment for our sin, who satisfied God's justice and conquered death through resurrection.

That's a lot, huh?

The Gospel announces that through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven, declared righteous, reconciled to God, given eternal life and transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Let me tell you what the Gospel is not.

It is not.

If you do not get right with God, you are going to hell.

That is not the gospel that Jesus preached.

Whether that's the truth is one thing, but that is not the gospel.

When the Gospel is preached in the way and the Spirit that Christ preached it, there is a supernatural power on the gospel message.

And let me say what that message again.

The Gospel announces that through faith in Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven, declared righteous, reconciled to God, given eternal life and transformed by the Holy Spirit.

That is the gospel.

And this is not something that we can accomplish.

This is something that God has done.

The Gospel is announcement, not instruction.

It's Christ died for your sins, not here's how to save yourself.

The Gospel is objective reality.

It happened.

Jesus lived.

He died and rose.

Whether we believe it or not, your faith doesn't make it true, it makes it yours.

Faith is the hand that receives what God offers.

The Gospel is also powerful.

It doesn't just inform you, it transforms you.

When you believe the Gospel, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in you.

You're regenerated, made new, given a new heart, a new spirit.

The Gospel has power to change the hardest heart, to break the strongest of addictions, to heal the deepest wounds, and to restore the most broken life.

Paul says the Gospel is the power of God to salvation.

It is powerful because it addresses the real problem.

The real problem isn't ignorance that needs education or weakness that needs motivation or disadvantage, that needs opportunity.

The real problem is sin that requires redemption.

The gospel deals with sin at its root.

It provides forgiveness, breaks sin's power, and ultimately will remove sin's presence completely.

It's powerful because it changes hearts, not just behavior.

Religion tries to modify behavior through rules and external pressures.

The gospel transforms from the inside out.

It gives you a new nature.

It plants new desires, it creates new motivations.

It produces change that lasts because it's rooted in who you are, not just what you do.

It's powerful because it's backed up by resurrection.

Jesus didn't just teach the truth and die as a martyr.

He conquered death.

He rose.

His resurrection proves his claim, validates his sacrifice, and demonstrates his power.

If Jesus can defeat death, he can surely handle what you're facing.

It's powerful because it reconciles us to God.

The gospel doesn't just improve your life.

It restores relationship with your creator.

It brings you into fellowship with the God of all things.

It makes you his child.

It gives you access to his presence, his power and his resources.

It's powerful because it's for everyone who believes.

You don't have to be good enough or smart enough or strong enough or accomplished enough.

You.

You just have to believe.

And any other gospel you hear that's different from that is not the gospel.

The gospel levels all human distinctions.

The Jew and the Greek, the slave and the free, male and female, educated and uneducated, all come to God the same way, through faith in Jesus Christ.

Living in the light of the gospel.

What does that look like?

How should this truth change your life?

First, don't be ashamed of the gospel.

The world may mock it.

No, the world will mock it.

Sophisticated people will dismiss it, and you may even have friends that think you're foolish for believing it.

Don't apologize for the gospel.

It's God's power to salvation.

Second, trust the gospel's power.

You don't have to supplement the gospel with human wisdom to make it more appealing.

And you don't have to dress it up to make it more acceptable.

You don't have to soften its hard edges to make it more palatable.

The gospel is powerful as is.

Trust me when I tell you there is a supernatural power when you speak the gospel message.

Remember that I said the gospel message.

If you don't accept Jesus or you're going to hell, it's not the gospel.

The gospel message.

The gospel is powerful as is Proclaim it, trust it and watch the Holy Spirit work through it.

Third, live by faith from beginning to end.

Don't think that you graduated from faith to something else.

Don't begin to trust your own wisdom or your own strength, your own goodness, your own good shiny righteous works.

Keep believing, keep trusting and keep relying on God's promises.

The just shall live by faith.

And fourth, share the Gospel.

It is for the Jew first and also the Greek.

It is for your religious neighbor and your atheist co worker.

It's for the moral and the immoral.

It's for everyone who believes.

Don't assume anyone is beyond the Gospel's reach.

Proclaim it boldly if you believe it and trust God to save.

Lastly, marvel at God's righteousness revealed in the gospel.

God didn't compromise his justice to show mercy and he didn't overlook sin to offer forgiveness.

He satisfied his justice and extended mercy through the cross.

The Gospel reveals a God who is both perfectly just and gracefully merciful.

Worship him for this.

Amen.

We will move on to this week's Paul's Prompts.

And remember, Paul's prompts are never to condemn.

I'm going to say that every week because we don't do that here.

We simply notice where we are so that we can know where we need to be.

Paul's Prompt Number one Are you ashamed of the gospel?

Where do you hesitate to share it because you're worried about what people will think?

Do you truly believe the Gospel is the power of God to salvation?

Or are you trusting in your own effort, your own goodness or your own religious performance?

Are you living by faith from beginning to end?

Or have you graduated from faith to self reliance?

Who in your life needs to hear the gospel?

And is there anyone that you avoid sharing it with because you've written them off as too far gone?

How does understanding the Gospel's power change the way you pray, the way you share your faith and the way you approach life?

Always remember that the Gospel is not just about how you got saved.

It's the power of God that continues to transform you.

The good news you return to daily, the foundation for everything in Christian life.

We will move on to this week's Selah moment and prayer.

This is our opportunity to let the power of the Gospel sink deep into our hearts.

You can begin by positioning yourself to receive.

Sit comfortably and take several slow, deep breaths.

Picture the Gospel not as information but as power.

God's explosive, transforming power unleashed to save you.

This power is available to you right now.

Bring to mind areas where you need the Gospel's power, maybe where you are trying to save yourself or where you are relying on your own righteousness.

Ask God to show you where you've been ashamed of the Gospel, where you've softened it, hidden it, apologized for it, and confess that to him.

Receive his grace to proclaim the Gospel boldly.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp the power of the gospel Gospel.

Ask him to make it real to you that this message changes everything.

That is God's power to save, that it transforms lives.

Ask him to fill you with confidence in the Gospel message.

Let us pray.

Father, thank you.

Thank you for the gospel.

Thank you that you did not leave us in our sin.

Thank you that you made a way for unrighteous people to be declared righteous.

Thank you for sending Jesus to live the life we couldn't live and die the death we deserve to die.

Thank you that the Gospel is power.

Your power to save it is not.

Not good advice or moral teaching.

It is the unleashing of divine power to rescue, transform and restore.

Forgive us for being ashamed of the Gospel message.

Forgive us for apologizing for it, softening it, hiding it.

Forgive us for trusting in our own wisdom more than your divine power.

Forgive us for being confused, concerned about what people think more than about proclaiming your truth.

Lord, help us believe the Gospel.

Is your power to salvation not partially powerful, not potentially powerful, Fully, completely, explosively powerful?

Help us trust this power.

Help us rely on rely on this power.

Help us proclaim this power.

Fill us with boldness to share the Gospel.

Give us courage to speak about Jesus even when people mock or reject us.

Help us care more about souls than our reputation and make us willing to be fools for Christ.

Help us live by faith from beginning and to end.

Lord.

Keep us from trusting in our own righteousness.

Keep us from relying on our own strength.

Keep us from thinking that we've graduated from faith to something else.

The just shall live by faith.

Help us live this way daily.

Thank you that the Gospel is for everyone who believes.

Thank you that it transcends all human boundaries.

Thank you that it is available to anyone who trusts in Jesus.

Help us proclaim it to everyone, to those who seem close and to those who seem far, to the religious and the irreligious, to the moral and the immoral.

Open our eyes to see the magnitude of what you've done.

Help.

Help us marvel at your righteousness revealed in the Gospel.

You satisfied your justice and extended your mercy through the cross.

You're both perfectly just and graciously merciful and we worship you for this.

Thank you that in the Gospel you reveal who you are.

Holy, righteous, faithful to your promises.

Thank you that you also reveal the righteousness you provide, making a way for sinners to be declared righteous through faith in Christ.

Make us people who return to the Gospel daily.

Not just how we got saved, but the power that continues to transform.

It's not just the entry point to Christianity, it is the foundation for every Help us preach the Gospel to ourselves every day.

Use us to spread the gospel.

Put people in our path who need to hear it, give us opportunities to share it.

Give us wisdom to speak truth in love and give us faith to trust that your power works through the message.

Thank you that we don't have to save anyone.

Thank you that the power is in the Gospel.

Thank you that we get to proclaim it and trust you to work through it.

Free us from the burden of results and make us faithful in our proclamation.

Help us never be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.

It is the power of God to salvation for every who believes.

I want to take a moment for anyone listening who feels a tug on their heart.

If you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior or if you're ready to come back to him, this moment is for you.

The Bible says that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved.

Salvation is not about being perfect, it's about trusting Jesus with your life.

There's nothing magical about the words.

It's about your heart.

Say this after me, Jesus.

I believe you are the Son of God.

I believe you died for my sins and rose again.

I I admit that I need you.

I ask you to forgive me, to make me new and to be the Lord of my life.

Today I choose to follow you in Jesus name and it is so let's lean into our Selah moment.

Sa.

Sam.

That is it.

My friends.

Thank you for listening to Living the Selah Life.

If this moment stirred something in your spirit, please do share it with someone who needs to be reminded to pause and listen.

You can connect with me on Instagram.

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I don't man that page.

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Until next time.

Remember that God is speaking.

He wants to guide you and direct you and give you his wisdom for your life.

Create space to listen.

Don't be ashamed of the Gospel.

It's the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.

May you go from this place resting, carrying the awareness that his presence is always near.

May you be rooted in the unshakable word of God, the Logos that ground you and the rhema that guides you.

May you keep rising into the life he designed for you.

You into purpose, into peace, into the fullness of his calling.

May your life become a living Selah.

An intentional pause that reveals his presence in Jesus name.

And it is so Selah.