Live happily and eternally through faith in the gospel! (Romans 1:1–17)

[Stephan Choe]

October 7, 2026

Key Verses 16–17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—first for the Jew, but also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written: ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”

If all the wars in the world were to end today and peace were to prevail globally, that would be good news for everyone.

The Gospel is even better news—or rather, the very best news—for all people, because it grants everyone a happy and eternal life.

The core of this Gospel is that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead to grant us forgiveness and eternal life.

Through the Epistle to the Romans, we seek to gain a deep understanding of this Gospel so that we may lead a happy, eternal life.

  Greeting (1–7)   At the beginning of his letter, Paul greets the recipients: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart to proclaim the gospel of God” (1). He describes himself as a “servant” of Christ who was called to be an “apostle” (the word “apostle” literally means “messenger”). For he acts as a servant of Christ and follows His will as His messenger. As a servant of Christ, Paul’s goal is to proclaim the gospel.   The gospel is good news that grants people forgiveness, eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven. It fulfills God’s promises of the Old Testament. The central figure of the gospel is Jesus Christ. He was born as a descendant of David and Abraham. However, He was not begotten by Joseph through biological means but rather by the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus was begotten of God through the Holy Spirit, He is referred to as the Son of God (2–4) or as God incarnate (John 1:14).  

In verse 5, Paul speaks of his task:

“Through him we have received grace and the apostolic office to call people from all the Gentile nations—including you, who are called by Jesus Christ—to the obedience of faith” (5).

What grace had he received? In reality, he had been a persecutor of Christ. Yet Christ appeared to him, forgave his guilt, and made him a child of God. This was a wonderful grace of God. Christ forgave his declared enemy all his guilt and made him His child and friend. Furthermore, Christ called him to be a messenger of the Gospel to all nations, for Christ desires to save all people and make them children of God and His friends. Out of gratitude and joy, Paul accepted this grace and the commission to proclaim the Gospel everywhere, so that people might be saved from sin, become children of God, receive eternal life, and live a happy life pleasing to God.

We, too, have received the Gospel through the grace of God and have become children of God. We can now share the Gospel with others, even if we are not great servants of God like Paul. We can spread the Good News out of gratitude and joy.

Prayer of Thanksgiving (8–15)

In verse 8, Paul says, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being spoken of throughout the whole world.”

Vor allem dankt er dafür, dass Menschen in aller Welt durch das Evangelium von der Sünde und der Macht des Todes befreit werden und Kinder Gottes werden. Sein Leben ist somit von Dankbarkeit geprägt.

Above all, he gives thanks that people throughout the world are being freed from sin and the power of death through the Gospel and are becoming children of God. His life is thus characterized by gratitude.

Paul explains that he wishes to come to Rome and proclaim the Gospel because he is under debt to all people—the educated and the uneducated alike (13–15).

Why does he owe this debt? He was once an unbeliever and a persecutor of Christians. God had destined him for condemnation. Yet Jesus Christ forgave him, saved him, and accepted him as a child of God. In light of the grace God bestowed upon him, Paul recognizes that he is indebted to Christ—and to all people. Therefore, he wishes to share the grace he has received with as many people as possible.

Before coming to faith in the Gospel, I would sometimes succumb to nihilism at the thought that I would one day have to die. When I came to faith in the Gospel during my first year of university in Korea, I was filled with joy over God’s salvation and love; the campus seemed like paradise to me. Overflowing with this joy, I began inviting students to Bible studies and to faith in the Gospel. On January 1, 1978, I arrived in Germany as a doctoral student to share the Gospel with students and others alongside my wife. After completing my doctorate, I dedicated myself full-time to proclaiming the Gospel—both through Sunday sermons and personal Bible studies. Later, I handed over the preaching ministry to my successor, a German, and now spread the Gospel through sermons published online.

Gospel and Faith (16–17)

Paul wishes to make the Gospel known to all people of the world. He explains his reasoning as follows:

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel; for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first for the Jew and likewise for the Greek” (17).

The Greek word "sózein" (σώζω)—or "sotería" (σωτηρία)—which is rendered in the German Luther Bible as "selig machen", can be translated as either "to save" or "to make blessed."

God saves us from sin and condemnation through the Gospel and grants us salvation as children of God. Thus, the Gospel is the only power of God that can save us from condemnation and bestow upon us an eternal, blessed life.

People face a multitude of problems—such as those concerning education, work, marriage, hunger, disease, and war. Yet, humanity’s greatest problem is death. Enlightened people claim that death is merely the dissolution of the human body. Despite this view, people are reluctant to speak about death, as it is often associated with somber thoughts. However, death is not simply the dissolution of the body; it is the transition to divine judgment. Following this judgment, one either attains eternal bliss with God or suffers damnation in hell. We need God’s help to escape damnation and instead enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The Gospel is God’s sure path to salvation. If we confess our sins and believe in the Gospel, God forgives all our sins, lovingly accepts us as His children, grants us eternal life, and welcomes us into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a wonderful offer from God.

That is why Jesus says in John 5:24:

“Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.”

How can we receive forgiveness and eternal life and become children of God?

Verses 16–17 provide the answer, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes—to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that comes from faith and leads to faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”

In summary: Faith in the Gospel (16)—or "living by faith" (17)—is the blessed, eternal path of life.

In this postmodern world, there are countless different schools of thought.

Many say, "There is nothing after death—neither resurrection nor divine judgment. Let us enjoy life to the fullest!"

Others say, "We must obey all religious commandments in order to stand before God and enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

However, the Bible states that the resurrection and the Kingdom of Heaven are realities and that through faith in Jesus Christ, we can obtain forgiveness of sins, rise again, and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

We cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven simply by strictly following religious rules or moral rules. Why? Because no human being is capable of perfectly keeping God’s laws or moral commandments.

Take, for example, the tenth of the Ten Commandments: "You shall not covet." Are there people who have never felt covetousness?

Of course, the Bible does not say that we should live lawlessly or immorally.

The Bible teaches us to believe in the Gospel and to live out of gratitude for our salvation. The Gospel proclaims God's grace so that we may receive forgiveness of sins, become children of God, inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, and lead a happy life. To this end, Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead for our resurrection. We are saved not by our good deeds, but by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

John Wesley, der Gründer der methodistischen Kirche, hat z. B. diese Gnade entdeckt. Wesley versuchte zunächst, durch strenges Einhalten der christlichen Lebensregeln und soziale Wohltätigkeiten von Gott anerkannt zu werden, aber er fand keinen Seelenfrieden.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, discovered this grace, for example. Initially, Wesley sought to gain God’s favor through the strict observance of Christian rules of conduct and through acts of charity, yet he found no inner peace.

On May 24, 1738, he attended a small gathering in London. There, someone read from Martin Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. Wesley recorded this experience in his journal:

“About a quarter before nine, while he [i.e., Martin Luther] was describing the change that God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins—even mine—and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

When we gratefully accept God’s gift—the Gospel—we are saved from sin and God’s judgment, become children of God, and attain the Kingdom of Heaven after our physical death. Our salvation is solely a work of God’s grace. Therefore, we should be grateful and share the Gospel with others.   Today, the world's population comprises around 8.3 billion people of widely diverse ethnic, educational, and social backgrounds. Yet, all people are in need of the Gospel. They are already our brothers and sisters—or are yet to become so. We are called to love both the believers and those who have yet to come to faith with all our hearts, and to share God’s grace with them. This is the will of God, wh