Commentary - Romans 1:16-17

Bird's-eye view

In these two verses, the Apostle Paul distills the entire Christian faith down to its explosive core. This is the thesis statement for the entire book of Romans, and arguably for all of his theology. Having expressed his earnest desire to come to Rome, he now declares the central reason: he is a man with a message, and this message is not a matter for polite philosophical discussion but is the very power of God Himself unleashed in the world. The gospel is not an advisory note, but a creative and saving power. Paul’s declaration of being "not ashamed" is a direct challenge to the honor/shame culture of the Greco-Roman world, which would have viewed a crucified messiah as the ultimate foolishness and disgrace. Paul counters that this apparent foolishness is, in fact, the dynamic power of God for salvation. This salvation is offered universally, "to everyone who believes," yet with a historical priority, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Verse 17 then explains how this gospel contains such power. It is because in the gospel, the very righteousness of God is revealed. This is not just God's attribute of being righteous, but His action of making sinners righteous. This righteousness is apprehended "from faith to faith," meaning it is by faith from beginning to end. To anchor this radical claim, Paul reaches back into the Old Testament, quoting Habakkuk 2:4, "The righteous will live by faith." This grounds the gospel in the ancient promises of God and sets the stage for Paul's masterful argument that justification before God has always been, and only ever can be, by faith alone.

Outline

Context In Romans

Romans 1:16-17 serves as the hinge and the thematic center of Paul’s introduction. After his opening greeting (1:1-7) and his personal expressions of thanksgiving and desire to visit the Roman church (1:8-15), Paul pivots to the substance of his message. These two verses are the grand proposition that the rest of the epistle will unpack. The subsequent section (1:18-3:20) will demonstrate why this salvation is so desperately needed, by proving the universal sinfulness of both Gentiles and Jews. Then, from 3:21 onwards, Paul will elaborate on how this "righteousness from God" is manifested in the person and work of Jesus Christ and received by faith. Everything in Romans flows out of this foundational statement. It is the acorn from which the mighty oak of this epistle grows.

Key Issues

The Magna Carta of the Human Soul

It is no exaggeration to say that these two verses have altered the course of human history. When Martin Luther finally understood what Paul meant by the "righteousness of God" here, it was as though the gates of paradise had swung open for him, and the Protestant Reformation was subsequently lit like a fuse. This is because Paul is not simply offering good advice or a new moral code. He is announcing a divine intervention, an act of God that fundamentally changes everything. The gospel is not a human achievement, a new technique for self-improvement that we might be embarrassed about if it doesn't work. It is the raw power of God, the same power that spoke the universe into existence, now directed toward the salvation of sinners. To be ashamed of this would be like being ashamed of a hurricane or a supernova. It is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the thing. This is not our little religious project; this is God's mighty work of new creation.

Verse by Verse Commentary

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel...

Paul begins with a bold, personal declaration. In the sophisticated, power-hungry world of Rome, the gospel was a message custom-made for ridicule. Its founder was a crucified criminal from a backwater province. Its core tenets flew in the face of pagan religion, Roman civic pride, and Greek philosophy. It was a message about a Jewish Messiah, foolishness to Gentiles and a stumbling block to Jews. To proclaim this message was to invite scorn, persecution, and shame. But Paul, anticipating this, plants his flag. He is not ashamed. Why? Because shame is a weapon that only works if you grant its premise. The world tries to make Christians feel ashamed for believing in what it considers foolishness. Paul’s response is to say that he knows something they don't. He knows that this "foolish" message carries the very power of God. The world may mock the story, but it cannot withstand the power behind the story.

...for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Here is the reason for his lack of shame. The gospel is not a set of ideas; it is dunamis, the dynamic, miracle-working power of God. It is not just a story about power; it is power. And what is the object of this power? Salvation. This is a comprehensive word. It means deliverance from the penalty of sin (justification), the power of sin (sanctification), and ultimately the presence of sin (glorification). This power is not restricted by ethnicity or social standing; it is for "everyone who believes." Faith is the only instrument of reception. It is not for everyone who works, or earns, or deserves, but for everyone who simply trusts. And yet, there is a divine order to its proclamation: "to the Jew first and also to the Greek." This is not a statement of favoritism in salvation itself, but of historical priority. The promises were made to Israel, the Messiah came from Israel, and so the gospel went out from Jerusalem. But it was never intended to stop there; it was always destined for the ends of the earth, for the Greek, which is Paul's shorthand for the entire Gentile world.

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith...

This verse explains the mechanics of the power mentioned in verse 16. The gospel is powerful because it is the vehicle through which God’s righteousness is revealed. This is the heart of the matter. The "righteousness of God" here is not primarily about God's intrinsic character of being righteous, though it includes that. Rather, it is a righteousness from God, a righteous status that God gives freely to sinful men. It is a legal declaration, a forensic reality. Before the gospel, we stand before God in our own righteousness, which is no righteousness at all, but a filthy rag. In the gospel, God reveals a perfect righteousness, the righteousness of Christ Himself, which is imputed to us. How is this righteousness accessed? "From faith to faith." This phrase has been interpreted in various ways, but the most straightforward meaning is that the entire process, from start to finish, is by faith. It begins with faith, it continues in faith, and it ends in faith. Faith is the sole instrument. There is no point at which our works or merits are mixed in as a contributing factor.

...as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS WILL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Paul is not inventing a new religion. He is unfolding the ancient plan of God. To prove his point, he quotes from the prophet Habakkuk (2:4). This is a masterstroke. He shows that this very principle, which seems so radical, has been embedded in the Scriptures all along. The man who is declared righteous by God will conduct his entire life on the basis of faith. This is not just about a one-time decision; it is about a continual existence. Life in Christ is a life of faith. The prophet Habakkuk was told to wait in faith for God to act in the face of overwhelming evil. Paul applies this to the Christian life. We are declared righteous by an initial act of faith, and we then live out that righteous status by a continuing, moment-by-moment trust in the God who justified us. The faith that justifies is not a dead faith; it is a living faith, and because it is alive, it perseveres. It is the source of our spiritual life.

Application

These verses challenge us at the point of our central temptation, which is to be embarrassed by the sheer, bloody, scandalous grace of the gospel. We live in a world that, like ancient Rome, worships power, sophistication, and self-reliance. The gospel tells us that we are powerless, foolish, and utterly dependent. We are tempted to domesticate the message, to make it more palatable, to file down the sharp edges. We try to add a little bit of our own works to the equation, just to make ourselves feel more respectable.

Paul's words are a bracing corrective. We are not to be ashamed, because we are the heralds of the only true power in the universe: the power of God to save sinners. We must never think of the gospel as our contribution to a religious conversation. It is a divine detonation. Our job is not to make it respectable, but to proclaim it clearly. When we do, the power is in the message, not in our presentation. It is God who saves.

Furthermore, we must live by the principle we proclaim. If the righteous live by faith, then our lives ought to be characterized by a rugged, joyful, and confident trust in the promises of God, even when circumstances look bleak. We are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone. It is a living, breathing, active trust that transforms every corner of our existence. We must therefore resolve to believe the gospel, proclaim the gospel, and live the gospel, all to the glory of the God who has revealed His righteousness to us in His Son.