“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 from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17) It is God Almighty’s power to give man immortality. What’s to be ashamed of?
And all that is required on our part is to believe God’s gospel of His Son. His testament reveals much about His character, His motive and His power. The reason apostle Paul preached the gospel was “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;” (Romans 1:5-6) Hmm. “Obedience of Faith.”
Now I don’t know what that means to you, but some hear the gospel and pick one thought over the other. Where is Einstein when I need him? Faith = obedience. Obedience is the known factor revealed in the gospel. They match beautifully. One is measured by the other. You cannot have one without the other. Well, you can, but you will be miserable. Call it dissonance, conviction or chastising, there is stress when your beliefs don’t match your behaviors.
That is when some folks separate faith from obedience. Sadly they are deceiving and cheating themselves in their attempt to find comfort without change. We are saved to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. Here and now is where it starts for those who “live by faith.”
Strong? Sure, it is the power of God.
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;” (Romans 8:29)
His Family Table 