What Most Clearly Reveals the Power of God?

I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God. (Romans 1:16)

When we consider the power of God, we may think of a variety of things.

We may think of the ferocious winds during this past week that tangled trees in utility wires, peeled weak walls off buildings and fueled white caps on Lake Michigan.

We may think of the majestic Rocky mountains with their craggy grandeur thrust up in the middle of our nation.

We may think of our sun, shining down upon us day after day from a distance of roughly 93 million miles, creating adequate warmth for us here on earth even though it rages at 9,941 degrees Fahrenheit. [1]

We may think of God’s power when we consider that our solar system represents one of at least 200 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, which is merely one of roughly 80 billion galaxies that we know of in the observable universe. [2]

The magnitude and creativity of God’s power is immense and difficult to comprehend. But when Paul talks about God’s power, he says that the Gospel is the power of God.

So, the question I am left to consider is how does the Gospel reveal the power of God?

We read earlier in Romans 1 that it is the Gospel of “God’s Son” (1:9), that is, “Jesus Christ our Lord” (1:4). In 1 Corinthians, Paul says that the Gospel seems like foolishness but to us being saved it is actually the power of God (1 Cor 1:8). He goes on to say:

²¹For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²²Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God. (1 Cor 1:21-24)

You see, for all the wonders of God’s immense power and creativity that we see in the natural world, the greatest display of His power, the greatest unveiling of His creative wonders is found in Jesus Christ. Paul writes about God’s power being revealed in Jesus:

⁶Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,

This is how we most clearly see the power of God in the world: the good news of a crucified Savior. The Gospel is the power of God.