Doctrine Matters by John Piper

Author:John Piper
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Religion
Publisher: John Piper
Published: 2006-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

In other words, the full experience of salvation, in Paul’s thinking, is still future. Romans 13:11: “Salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

So when Paul says in Romans 1:16 that “[the gospel] is the power of God unto salvation,” I take him to mean that the gospel is the only message in the world that powerfully can bring a person not just to conversion, but to everlasting safety and joy in the presence of a holy and glorious God.

3. Ongoing belief is the condition for this salvation.

The third reason I think “salvation” in Romans 1:16 is the final triumph of the gospel in bringing believers to eternal safety and joy in the presence of a holy and glorious God is that ongoing belief is the condition for this salvation.

Notice that verse 16 does not say, “The gospel … is the power of God to bring about faith and salvation.” It says, “The gospel is the power of God for [unto] salvation to everyone who is believing [present tense in Greek, signifying continuous action].”

In other words, Paul’s point here is not that the power of the gospel creates faith, but that, for those who have faith, the gospel brings about salvation. So the point is not that the gospel is the power for conversion to faith; the point is that the gospel is the power to bring about future salvation through a life of faith.

The tense of the verb “believe” here is crucial. It signifies ongoing action, not just the first act of faith when you were converted: “The gospel … is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who is believing”—those who go on believing. It’s the same as 1 Corinthians 15:1–2 where Paul says, “I preached to you [the gospel], which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are being saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.” Faith that does not persevere is a vain and empty faith—what James calls “dead faith” (James 2:17, 26).

So the point of Romans 1:16 is that you don’t have to be ashamed of the gospel, because it is the only truth in the world which, if you go on banking on it day after day, will triumph over every obstacle and bring you to eternal safety and joy in the presence of a holy and glorious God.

4. Paul says the gospel is for believers, not just unbelievers.

The last reason I think “salvation” in Romans 1:16 is the final triumph of the gospel in bringing believers to eternal safety and joy in the presence of a holy and glorious God is that the verse is given as the reason Paul wants to preach the gospel to believers (not just unbelievers).

We’ve seen this, but look again. In verse 15 Paul says, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” He is eager to preach the gospel to “you”—you believers—not just unbelievers.

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