03/06/S – To God be the Glory

NT: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation about Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept silent for long ages but now revealed and made known through the prophetic Scriptures, according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles — to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ — to him be the glory forever! Amen.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭16:24-27‬ ‭CSB)

These last few verses of the book of Romans were Paul’s summarizing statement and benediction to the church of Rome. It is worth digging deeper into these words, for as we dig deeper, we will understand Paul’s purpose for writing this letter to the Roman church and ultimately for us read and apply to our lives. The “Him” that Paul refers to is God. Paul said that God is able to strengthen us. The word ‘able’ is the Greek word dynamai, from which we get the word dynamite. God is able through His dynamic power. The word ‘strengthen’ is the Greek word sterizo. It means to make stable, place firmly and establish. So God has the dynamic power to stabilize us and firmly establish us. How does God do that? He does it through the gospel – the good news – that Paul proclaimed about Jesus Christ. This gospel was once hidden in mystery for ages, but has now been fully revealed and manifested to us through the fulfillment of the prophetic scriptures of old according to God’s command.

What is this gospel message? The gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus Christ. Jesus lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died – in our place. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, proving He is the Son of God and offering the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins to anyone who repents and believes in Him. Paul said in the beginning of Romans that the gospel was the power of God for salvation to all who believe. God is powerfully able to save us and establish us. He is also willing – so willing that He gave His only Son over to a humiliating death in order to accomplish His desire for us.

Why did God do all this? Because He loves us and He desires all of us to free to advance in our faithful obedience to His word of life, His ways that lead to life, and His will that brings forth life in us. The word translated here as ‘gentiles’ is the Greek word ethnos – where we get the word ethnicity from. God desires for all people, from every tribe, language, race and ethnicity to be saved from sin unto following Him in faithful obedience to abundant and everlasting life.

God alone did all of this. It was God alone Who was wise enough to accomplish all of this through His Son Jesus Christ. None of this was done because of our worthiness, nor based on anything we have done to earn such gracious and merciful treatment. God accomplished it all through His power and His love for us – so it is unto Him, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, that we give all glory forever. Amen.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are both lovingly willing and powerfully able to save, strengthen and firmly establish me in You. I thank You that You did not require me to earn salvation and freedom from sin and death – but You gave it to me freely as I believed the good news of who Jesus Christ is and what He accomplished for not only me, but the entire world. Lord, because of Your unbelievable goodness and mercy to me, I offer my life to You – to walk according to Your power in me to faithfully obey Your word, will, and ways – to be a living revelation and manifestation of Your gospel message to those around me – and to give all glory to You forever. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.