1256. The Power of God

The Power of God

"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" (Rom_1:16).

We pass along to consider the second statement about the power of God.

The whole world thinks of God as a God of power; but how few would go to the realm of the Gospel either in its conception, its preparation or its outworkings to get the supreme vision of the power of God.

God manifested power in the creation of the Heavenly spheres, but all of them were the work of His fingers (see Psa_8:3); the Gospel is the work of His heart. Let us follow this power of God in the things which have to do with salvation and eternal life.

1. Salvation is the power of God. Rom_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.

Salvation is a word freighted with meaning. Who can weigh out its blessings?

Salvation from–who can give any conception of the depths of sin, of the terrors of sin's hell, of the eternity of sin's sufferings? From all of these salvation delivers us.

Salvation for–who can discover the exceeding blessedness of the present walk with Christ, of the present service for Christ, of the glorious fellowship with the Holy Spirit? All of these things are ours when we are saved.

Salvation unto–who can foretell the glories of the rapture, the marriage, the thousand-year reign, the residence in the New Jerusalem and the exceeding riches of grace in the ages to come? All of this awaits the saved.

Surely salvation is the power of God.

2. The message of the Cross is the power of God. 1Co_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.

Sometimes we think, perhaps, that we should preach deep sermons, full of scientific research. Paul was afraid of this. He said he would not preach "with wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect" (1Co_1:17).

He did preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He was before the people with weakness and fear and trembling, yet with the demonstration of the Spirit; for he sought to give room for the power of God.

Preaching the Gospel may look foolish to the world, but it, and it alone, is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe.

3. Christ is the power of God, 1Co_1:24 : "But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."

Of course, the mighty power of God is all summed up in Christ. Paul prayed that we might know the power that God "wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand." But the Spirit did not say merely power. The Spirit said "The exceeding greatness of His power * * according to the working of His mighty power" (Eph_1:19-20),

Here, then, is the greatest vision of God's power. Christ in His incarnation, in His earth life, in His death, in His resurrection, in His ascension, in His seat at the Father's right hand, in His return, in His all in all, is the mighty power of God. "He liveth by the power of God" (2Co_13:4).

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR