However, this sensational word perfectly described what Jesus did for us therefore, it became a common word among New Testament believers. This is because it really meant more than just “good news.” It was more like “nearly-too-good-to-be-true news.” It was a superlative that was so fantastic that it was seldom used. In my research, one commentator said there were only two times in all of Greek literature where this word was used. The Greek word from which the English word “Gospel” was translated literally means, “a good message, or good news.” It was in use before the writing of the New Testament, but it was very obscure. In Paul’s day, it was a radical way of referring to the grace of God as the means of obtaining right standing with Him. Paul put forth this radical statement in Romans 1:16: “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.” That doesn’t sound as radical to us as it did to the people in Paul’s day because the term gospel has become a religious cliché to us. Sure enough, those scriptures have changed my life as much as any in all the Word of God. I read them through dozens, maybe hundreds of times, and gradually, I began to get it. I concentrated on those scriptures for years. When I was just beginning to seek the Lord back in the late 60s, I remember the Lord telling me that if I could get a revelation of the first eight chapters of Romans, it would change my life. I don’t think anyone can claim a true revelation of grace if they don’t have a good understanding of the book of Romans. He constantly wrote of God’s grace in all his epistles, but the letter to the Romans is special. In my estimation, the book of Romans is Paul’s masterpiece on the subject of grace. I believe that this is the number one need in the church today. That’s what transformed my life, and I know I have been specifically called to bring a revelation of God’s grace to this generation. If you’ve been a partner with us for very long, you have no doubt been impacted by the grace of God.
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