📖 Romans 1:16–17 (NIV) [16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. [17] For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith. 🟩 Verse 16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…” - Paul boldly declares his loyalty to the gospel. In a world that mocked, persecuted, and rejected the message of Christ, Paul says “I am not ashamed.” - The Gospel (Greek: euangelion) means "good news"—the good news that Jesus has conquered sin, death, and condemnation for us. - Why not ashamed? Because it is the power of God—not human wisdom, not religious effort, but divine power that brings salvation. To whom? Everyone who believes a universal offer. - First to the Jew: Because the Jews were the first to receive the promises of God (Romans 3:1–2). - Then to the Gentile: The gospel is not limited by ethnicity, nation, or culture—it includes all. 🟩 Verse 17 – “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed…” Here, Paul moves to the core of the gospel: righteousness. - This righteousness is not earned it is revealed and received by faith.It is “by faith from first to last” (Greek: ek pisteōs eis pistin)—faith at the beginning, middle, and end. - The quotation, “The righteous will live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4), shows this truth has always been God’s way. Faith is not a new method; it's the eternal principle of divine relationship.