Hope for Home, Liberia: Romans Devotional #6: Overview of the Gospel, Part 2

The Map of our Salvation

"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, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 16-17).

When was the last time you used a map or GPS device? This year, I brought a Garmin GPS unit with me to Liberia. I mounted it on my dirt bike and use it while traveling to remote towns and villages. One of the greatest thrills of my life is traveling down remote roads that do not exist on GPS while taking the Gospel where few people have gone. As I travel, I watch the GPS blaze new roads on my monitor. Fun!

The job of a map is to direct people from their known location to an unfamiliar but desired destinations. In Romans 1:17, God gave us the most important map we will ever read. It is the map of our salvation.

While teaching this verse to Liberians, I ask them to draw a map to salvation. How do we get from where we are to Heaven? Where does salvation's journey start and where does it end? Their answers reveal their faith. Most Liberians are confused when it comes to salvation. Their answers are a mixture of tribal beliefs and religious activities.

What about you? Can you draw a map to salvation? If I asked you to explain where you believe salvation starts, the steps you need to take during salvation's journey, and where salvation's road ends, what would you say?

Read Romans 1:16-17 again and see if you notice the map God gave us for our salvation.

"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, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).

God's map is very simple. Our journey starts and ends at faith, nothing more, nothing less. When our lives are over we will realize that every step we took regarding salvation was a step of faith. We are saved by faith, not by any of our good works. Look at the picture above. As our study continues, this picture will take on more meaning. We are saved from faith to faith.

The Wrath of God

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth" (Romans 1:18).

To understand this verse, we must first understand the fearful wrath of God. I remember sitting in my living room, March 21, 2003 watching my television as the United States began it's Shock and Awe campaign against Saddam Husain. The goal of Shock and Awe was to have such an overwhelming demonstration of force that our enemies would loose perspective of the battlefield and surrender in fear. During Shock and Awe, our military struck secret targets that our enemy thought we knew nothing about. The message to our enemy was clear, you cannot run, you cannot hide, surrender or die. Leading up to the day bombs started dropping on Bagdad, the United States built up the full strength of it's military forces on Iraq's borders. At exactly 12:15 p.m. the United States unleashed its wrath against Saddam's regime. The word wrath implies the use of one's full power, full knowledge, and full ability in judgment against someone or something.

Now, let's think about God wrath. Try to imagine God's unlimited power and His unfathomable wisdom being used to their full extent in pouring out judgment on someone or something. This is a fearful thought. Consider the fear that is produced by the sound of a single lightening bolt when it strikes and shakes the ground. A lightening bold is microscopic compared to a full demonstration of God's wrath. I shutter thinking about it.

Read Romans 1:18 again and see if you can identify who or what God's wrath is against. Is God's wrath, in this verse, against unrepentant sinners or is it against sin?

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth" (Romans 1:18).

A careful reading of Romans 1:18 reveals that God's wrath, in this verse, is against sin and not against the sinner. This is good news for us! What an awesome way to introduce the book of Romans. The image we get from this verse is of God at full-fledged war against sin, not the sinner. The message of salvation is clear, God wants to destroy sin and save the sinner. It is not until Romans 2:5 that we read about God's dreadful wrath against unrepentant sinners.

You may ask, when did God pour out His wrath against sin? God's wrath was poured out as the full wisdom, power, and ability of God hung on the cross. Jesus died and won the war against our sins by raising from the dead. We will talk more about this later.

Prayer to Pray:

Father, You are good and your love endures forever. Thank You for Your desire to destroy sin and save me. I hate the sins that I struggle with. Teach me how to walk in holiness. I submit to you. My faith is in You alone. Do whatever it takes to produce righteousness in me.

Review:
Overview of the Gospel: