Romans 1:16-17
To propagate the gospel correctly, you must share the whole message: repent, believe, & receive.
Introduction
Dandelions are beautiful yellow flowers that can be annoying for anyone trying to keep a green and lush lawn because they are sure to spread their seed. They are part of the sunflower family, and just one small flower can propagate over an entire field. All it takes is one dandelion plant, and eventually, many more will grow. As the season changes, dandelions become what many call a puffball. Almost every person remembers blowing on one of these puffballs as a child and watching the seeds float through the air, landing all over, reproducing itself. However, even if a child doesn’t do it, the power of the wind will blow the seed to reproduce itself. We call this the dandelion effect—one dandelion seed to another.
In Romans 1:16-17 Paul is speaking of the gospel, revealed. He speaks about how he feels about the gospel message and its power to spread. He calls it faith to faith. To propagate the gospel correctly, you must share the whole gospel message, which includes repenting, believing, and receiving.
Not Ashamed
• Paul starts these scriptures by stating he is not ashamed of the gospel. There have been so many debates on why he makes this statement.
• Paul suffered a lot of persecution for telling people the truth about Jesus. He had suffered greatly.
• Paul definitely dealt with tension from both sides. On the one hand, Paul had Jews who felt he was minimizing the law by a message of grace, and on the other hand, he had Gentiles angry that he expected them to give up their gods and called sin out for what it was.
• When Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” he boldly declared he would speak the whole truth regardless of how he was treated. He knows that the gospel (the good news of Jesus Christ) has power. We do not give it power. We only stop hindering the power of the gospel when we present it effectively.
• Paul had seen God powerfully change those who responded to the whole gospel, and he was unwilling to trade that transformational growth for a powerless religion.
• So, what is the gospel that Paul believed in? What was he not ashamed of? Acts 17:22-33 shows us an example of what Paul preached.
o God is the creator of heaven and earth and the source of life (vs.23-25).
o The true God is not far from us (vs. 27-28).
o The true God is above all invented gods (vs. 30).
o He offers forgiveness of our sins (vs. 30).
o He calls everyone to repent (vs. 30).
o Judgment is coming (vs. 31).
o A resurrected man (Jesus) will be our judge (vs. 31) for those who believe He has already paid the price.
Revealed
• The gospel reveals the righteousness of God. This revelation of God’s righteousness comes to those with faith. It is a fulfillment of Habakkuk 2:4: The just (the justified ones) will live by faith.
• The gospel’s power of salvation comes to everyone who believes.
• Paul was confident about these things because the righteousness of God was revealed to him:
o The scripture foretold of Jesus’ death & resurrection (Ac. 13:26-39).
o God confirmed the gospel he preached through signs and wonder (Mk. 16:15-20).
o The gospel brought the Holy Spirit to dwell in people (Gal.3:1-5).
o The Holy Spirit dwelt in him and was the source of power to minister.
• The essential elements of the gospel is what Paul preached. For a person to be saved, they must repent, believe, and receive.
• What does God’s saving power do for us?
o Forgives our sin (Ro. 8:1, 33-34).
o Cleanses our conscience (Heb 9:14; 10:2, 22)
o Frees us from slavery to sin (Ro. 8:2-4)
o Transforms us to be like Jesus (Ro 8:28-29)
o Resurrects our bodies (Ro 8:10-11; Php 3:8-14)
Faith to Faith
• Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 in verse 17.
• Habakkuk was a prophet, and God spoke these words to comfort him. It could be said that Habakkuk was embarrassed or ashamed of God’s inaction and decisions.
• Now, Paul quotes this ancient text to the Christians in Rome. Rome is the most powerful city in the world. The Christians had been and will be persecuted in Rome. They cannot fix the situation, but Paul reminds them that just as God told Habakkuk, they must trust God and live by faith. They should not be ashamed but, instead, allow the revealed righteousness of God to be spread through the power of the gospel, faith to faith.
• The Roman church, like us, needed to know they were powerless to change Rome, but the gospel gives you the power of God to change lives.
• Today, believers can feel powerless to affect the cultural trends that bring constant pressure to bear. What the church needs today is what Habakkuk and troubled believers in Rome needed to hear- a revelation of good news from God! The gospel is that revelation. The righteous will live by faith regardless of the circumstances.
• We need to share this good news with others, faith to faith.
• The elements of the gospel
1. Repent: We must recognize our sins. We must surrender control. We must decide to obey His word. We must stop worshipping all other gods (Ac 3:19, Mt 3:8).
2. Believe: We must do what the word says about God and Jesus (Ac 17:24-31; Php 2:5-11; Ro 8:34; Ac 17:31).
3. Receive: We must receive the Holy Spirit. (Eph 3:14; John14:15-21).
Conclusion
The Dandelion Effect happens when a person is not ashamed of the gospel and allows the revealed righteousness of God to take their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. It starts with receiving this faith and then sharing the good news with others. Like the wind blowing a dandelion, so shall be the good news of God. To propagate the gospel correctly, we must share the whole message: repent, believe, and receive. How will God choose to propagate you into others’ lives this week to share the simple three steps of the gospel: repent, believe, and receive?
Discussion Questions
- Have you ever felt the pressure to “water down the gospel to keep people from being offended?
- What is the hardest part of the gospel message to speak about to others? Why do you think that is?
- Have you experienced God’s saving power? How has your life changed since you chose to repent, believe, and receive?