Home / All verses / Romans 1:16
Romans 1:16
The Power of the Gospel
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.
The trainer needs JavaScript. Read it aloud, cover it with your hand, and say it.
Why it is worth knowing
- The gospel is not merely a message: it is the power of God in action
- Paul’s lack of shame implies that cultural pressure to be ashamed was real
- “For everyone who believes”: the gospel crosses all ethnic and social barriers
- Salvation is the specific work the gospel accomplishes in those who believe
Where it sits: Romans 1:14-17
I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish. So as much as is in me, I am eager to preach the Good News to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the Good News of Christ, because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first, and also for the Greek. For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
Hear the passage it sits in, sung word for word, on BibleDo's Romans page.
Background
Romans 1:16 is often called the “theme verse” of the entire letter. Paul had planned to visit Rome for years and was writing ahead of his visit. The word “power” (Greek: dunamis) speaks of God’s effective, saving strength. Paul frames his eagerness to preach the gospel not as salesmanship but as obligation and delight. The phrase “for the Jew first, and also for the Greek” reflects the historical priority of the covenant people while affirming the universality of the offer.