SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:16
¶ Porque no me avergenzo del Evangelio del Cristo, porque es potencia de Dios para dar salud a todo aquel que cree; al judío primeramente y tambin al griego.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 1:16
Verse 16. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ] This text is best illustrated by Isa. xxviii. 16; xlix. 23, quoted by the apostle, chap. x. 11: For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him, shall not be ashamed; i.e. they shall neither be confounded, nor disappointed of their hope. The Jews, by not believing on Jesus Christ, by not receiving him as the promised Messiah, but trusting in others, have been disappointed, ashamed, and confounded, from that time to the present day. Their expectation is cut off; and, while rejecting Christ, and expecting another Messiah, they have continued under the displeasure of God, and are ashamed of their confidence. On the other hand, those who have believed on Christ have, in and through him, all the blessings of which the prophets spoke; every promise of God being yea and amen through him. Paul, as a Jew, believed on Christ Jesus; and in believing he had life through his name; through him he enjoyed an abundance of grace; so that, being filled with that happiness which an indwelling Christ produces, he could cheerfully say, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. And why? Because he felt it to be the power of God to the salvation of his believing soul. This appears to be the true sense of this passage, and this interpretation acquires additional strength from the consideration that St. Paul is here most evidently addressing himself to the Jews. It is the power of God unto salvation] dunamiv gar qeou estin: The almighty power of God accompanies this preaching to the souls of them that believe; and the consequence is, they are saved; and what but the power of God can save a fallen, sinful soul? To the Jew first] Not only the Jews have the first offer of this Gospel, but they have the greatest need of it; being so deeply fallen, and having sinned against such glorious privileges, they are much more culpable than the Gentiles, who never had the light of a Divine revelation.
And also to the Greek] Though the salvation of God has hitherto been apparently confined to the Jewish people, yet it shall be so no longer, for the Gospel of Christ is sent to the Gentiles as well as the Jews; God having put no difference between them; and Jesus Christ having tasted death for EVERY man.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ , etc..] The reason why he was so ready and willing to preach it, even where he ran the greatest risk of his character and life, was, because it was the Gospel of Christ he preached, and he was not ashamed of it. This supposes that some were, though the apostle was not, ashamed of the Gospel; as all such are who hide and conceal it, who have abilities to preach it, and do not: or who preach, but not the Gospel; or who preach the Gospel only in part, who own that in private, they will not preach in public, and use ambiguous words, of doubtful signification, to cover themselves; who blend the Gospel with their own inventions, seek to please men, and live upon popular applause, regard their own interest, and not Christ's, and cannot bear the reproach of his Gospel. It expresses, that the apostle was not ashamed of it; that is, to preach it, which he did fully and faithfully, plainly and consistently, openly and publicly, and boldly, in the face of all opposition: and it designs more than is expressed, as that he had the utmost value for it, and esteemed it his highest honour that he was employed in preaching it: his reasons for this were, because it was the Gospel of Christ; which Christ himself preached, which he had learnt by revelation from him, and of which he was the sum and substance: and because it is the power of God ; not essentially, but declaratively; as the power of God is seen in making men ministers of it, in the doctrines held forth in it, in the manner in which it was spread in the world, in the opposition it met with, in the continuance and increase of it notwithstanding the power and cunning of men, and in the shortness of time, in which so much good was done by it in the several parts of the world: it is the power of God organically or instrumentally; as it is a means made use of by God in quickening dead sinners, enlightening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears, softening hard hearts, and making of enemies friends; to which add, the manner in which all this is done, suddenly, secretly, effectually, and by love, and not force: the extent of this power is, unto salvation ; the Gospel is a declaration and revelation of salvation by Christ, and is a means of directing and encouraging souls to lay hold upon it. The persons to whom it is so, are in general, everyone that believeth : this does not suppose that faith gives the Gospel its virtue and efficacy; but is only descriptive of the persons to whom the Gospel, attended with the power and grace of God, is eventually efficacious: and particularly it was so, to the Jew first ; who as they had formerly the advantage of the Gentiles, much every way, through the peculiar privileges which were conferred on them; so the Gospel was first preached to them by Christ and his disciples; and even when it was ordered to be carried into the Gentile world, it was to begin with them, and became effectual for the salvation of many of them: and also to the Greek ; to the Gentile; for after the Jews had rejected it, as many being called by it as Jehovah thought fit, at that time, it was preached to the Gentiles with great success; which was the mystery hid from ages and generations past, but now made manifest.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 16, 17 - In these verses the apostle opens the design of the whole epistle, in which he brings forward a charge of sinfulness against all flesh declares the only method of deliverance from condemnation, by faith in the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ; and then builds upon it purit of heart, grateful obedience, and earnest desires to improve in all those Christian graces and tempers, which nothing but a lively faith in Christ can bring forth. God is a just and holy God, and we are guilt sinners. It is necessary that we have a righteousness to appear before him: there is such a righteousness brought in by the Messiah and made known in the gospel; a gracious method of acceptance notwithstanding the guilt of our sins. It is the righteousness of Christ, who is God, coming from a satisfaction of infinite value. Fait is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of Christian life. It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state and then works kept us in it; but it is all along from faith to faith it is faith pressing forward, and gaining the victory over unbelief.
Greek Textus Receptus
ου 3756 PRT-N γαρ 1063 CONJ επαισχυνομαι 1870 5736 V-PNI-1S το 3588 T-ASN ευαγγελιον 2098 N-ASN του 3588 T-GSM χριστου 5547 N-GSM δυναμις 1411 N-NSF γαρ 1063 CONJ θεου 2316 N-GSM εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S εις 1519 PREP σωτηριαν 4991 N-ASF παντι 3956 A-DSM τω 3588 T-DSM πιστευοντι 4100 5723 V-PAP-DSM ιουδαιω 2453 A-DSM τε 5037 PRT πρωτον 4412 ADV και 2532 CONJ ελληνι 1672 N-DSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
16. For (gar). Marking the transition from the introduction to the treatise. "I am ready to preach at Rome, for, though I might seem to be deterred by the contempt in which the Gospel is held, and by the prospect of my own humiliation as its preacher, I am not ashamed of it." The transition occupies vers. 16, 17.The Gospel. Omit of Christ.
Power (dunamiv). Not merely a powerful means in God's hands, but in itself a divine energy.
First. Not principally, nor in preference to the Greek; but first in point of time. Compare John iv. 22; Rom. iii. 1; ix. 1; Matt. xv. 24.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:16 {It is the power of God} (dunamis qeou estin). this Paul knew by much experience. He had seen the dynamite of God at work. {To the Jew first, and also to the Greek} (ioudaiwi te prwton kai helleni). Jesus had taught this (#Joh 4:22; 10:16; Lu 24:47; Ac 1:8). The Jew is first in privilege and in penalty (#Ro 2:9f.). It is not certain that prwton is genuine, but it is in #2:9f.
