Month: May 2025

Nitroglycerin, the precursor to dynamite, is extremely sensitive to shock, heat, and pressure, making it dangerous to work with. Thanks to Alfred Nobel, a more stable and solid form of nitroglycerin was developed by combining it with diatomaceous earth. In this form, it could be shaped into rods for safe transport and use. Nobel called his powerful new material dynamite.

From Dynamite to Dynamis

The word dynamite comes from the Greek word dynamis, meaning power. Scripture uses dynamis to describe God’s creative and redeeming power.

Paul captures this when he writes:

“I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile” (Romans 1:16, NLT).

The gospel is not merely advice, encouragement, or philosophy—it is God’s power unleashed.

Nobel also invented blasting caps, small devices that released dynamite’s explosive force. In the same way, the gospel contains God’s power within it, but preaching is the “blasting cap” that releases it.

Paul put it this way:

“When I first came to you… I decided to forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came in weakness—timid and trembling… I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1–5).

We don’t give the gospel its power. We simply proclaim it, and God does the work.

The Scope of Gospel Power

God’s power is far greater than we often realize. Too often we reduce the gospel’s power to justification—our sins forgiven. But the gospel accomplishes so much more.

Paul highlights this in Ephesians and Colossians, where he contrasts our old condition (“you once were…”) with our new reality (“but now you are…”). The gospel not only gives us a new identity but also begins an ongoing transformation—what theologians call sanctification.

Power in Action

Here are just a few ways the gospel’s power is at work in us:

• Transferred from Darkness to Light (Col. 1:13)
  • New citizenship (Col. 2:19)
  • New destiny—life in God’s kingdom (John 3:2)
• Adopted into God’s Family (John 1:12)
  • Reborn by the Spirit (John 3:3)
  • A new inheritance (1 Peter 1:4–5; Rom. 8:17)
  • A new name written in the Book of Life (Rev. 21:27; Phil. 4:3; Luke 10:20)
• Indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16)
  • Sealed by the Spirit (Eph. 1:13)
  • Guided into truth with the mind of Christ (John 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:16)
• Freed from Sin’s Rule (Rom. 6:6–7, 17, 22)
  • The old self crucified
  • Chains of slavery broken
• Reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:19)
  • Our unpayable debt canceled, nailed to the cross
  • Declared righteous in Christ

Like the birth of a child, new birth in Christ is a miracle. A life that did not exist before now exists.

Secure in Christ

This raises the question: Can we lose this new life? Could it be revoked, stolen, or returned like a borrowed book?

Think about what that would mean. Our sins would need to be recollected, our debt rewritten, our name erased from the Book of Life, our citizenship revoked, our adoption undone, and our new birth terminated.

Scripture assures us this will never happen (Phil. 1:6; John 10:28–29; Rom. 8:29–30). Once God has unleashed the gospel’s power in us, it cannot be undone.

For those who seem to walk away from the faith, only two possibilities remain: either they never truly were God’s child, or they still are, despite their struggle. Our confidence rests not in ourselves but in the gospel’s power to both create and sustain.

As CeCe Winans sings in her 2024 song:

“It’s too late to stop this miracle. It’s too late.”

Conclusion: Living in Gospel Power

The same power that spoke creation into existence now gives us new birth and sustains us as children of God.

The gospel is not just something we believe—it is something we experience. It is power. It is life. And it is unshakable.

For Discussion

1. Paul describes the gospel as dynamis (power). How does this change the way you think about the gospel message?
2. Which aspect of “Power in Action” stood out most to you (citizenship, adoption, freedom, reconciliation)? Why?
3. Why is it important to see the gospel as more than forgiveness of sins?
4. How does the security of the gospel encourage you when you face doubts about your salvation?

Although the word Trinity never appears in Scripture, the biblical story points to it again and again. From the very beginning, the first name for God in Genesis 1:1 is Elohim—a plural noun used in a singular sense when referring to Israel’s God. Some scholars suggest this plurality reflects God’s abundance in attributes and sovereignty. Others see in it an early hint of His triune nature.

This plurality becomes more explicit in the creation of humanity:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26).

Scripture identifies both the Spirit and the Son as present at creation. “The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). Colossians 1:15–16 declares that Christ is the creator of all things. Together, Father, Son, and Spirit are the Elohim of creation—the singular plural God.

The Spirit in the Old Testament

The Spirit of God appears throughout the Old Testament as a powerful influence in people’s lives, though often temporarily. Saul received the Spirit when he became king, but the Spirit departed when he disobeyed (1 Samuel 16:14). David received the Spirit when Samuel anointed him as king. Again and again, the Spirit’s presence was real but fleeting, preparing the way for something greater to come.

The Trinity in the Gospel

The New Testament makes explicit what the Old Testament hinted: the gospel itself is Trinitarian. Each Person of the Godhead is uniquely involved:

The Father

• Author (Ephesians 3:8–9)
• Architect (Romans 1:1–2)

The Son

• Messenger (John 1:4, 17–18)
• Message (Romans 1:3, 9; Galatians 1:16)

The Holy Spirit

• Power (Romans 1:4; Acts 1:8)
• Proof (Romans 8:9, 14, 16)

The Spirit in the Life of Christ

God the Spirit is revealed throughout the ministry of God the Son. The Spirit was:

• The agent of Christ’s conception (Luke 1:35).
• Present at His baptism with the Father (Matthew 3:16).
• The One who led Him into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1).
• The power behind His teaching, ministry, and healing (Luke 4:14, 18; Acts 10:38).
• A central theme in His teaching, especially in the upper room (John 14, 16).
• The power behind His resurrection (Romans 1:4; 8:11; 1 Peter 3:18).

If the Spirit empowered Christ’s ministry, it should not surprise us that He empowers the gospel’s advance today.

The Spirit: Power and Proof of the Gospel

Power

• Convicts the heart (John 14:26).
• Brings about new birth (John 3:1–8).
• Drives the expansion of the gospel (Acts 1:8).
• Empowers the proclamation of Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:5; Romans 1:16).

Proof
As the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the nations (Acts 1:8), the Spirit confirmed its authenticity:

• Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2).
• Samaritans (Acts 8:14–17).
• Gentiles like Cornelius (Acts 10; 15:7–8).

At first, this proof came dramatically—through tongues and signs. But ultimately, Paul emphasizes that the true evidence of the gospel’s power is transformed lives (1 Thessalonians 1:5–10). The Thessalonians’ faith was visible in their perseverance under persecution, their imitation of Christ’s ways, their repentance from idols, and their eager anticipation of Christ’s return.

Evidence of the Spirit Today

That raises a vital question: What evidence marks authentic conversion now? Scripture points us to:

• Spirit-led living: sensitivity to His voice through the Word (Romans 8:14).
• Fruit of the Spirit: Christlike character (Galatians 5:22–23).
• Allegiance: loyalty to God’s kingdom authority (Colossians 1:13).
• Alignment: obedience to God’s will (1 John 2:3).
• Witness of the Spirit: the inner assurance of belonging to Christ (Romans 8:16).

The Gospel Reveals the Trinity

Each Person of the Trinity is essential to the gospel. This is why the Apostles’ Creed so strongly emphasized the triune God—it confirmed that the gospel reveals the Trinity, and the Trinity reveals the gospel. To know the gospel is to know the Father who planned it, the Son who embodied it, and the Spirit who empowers and proves it.

For Discussion

1. In what ways did the Spirit’s work in the Old Testament differ from His role in the New Testament?

2.  The article highlights the Spirit as both the power and the proof of the gospel. What biblical examples illustrate these roles?

3.  How does the Spirit’s work of fruit (Galatians 5:22–23) differ from His work of gifts (Acts 2, 8, 10)? Which should we look to as lasting evidence of the gospel’s power?

4.  What evidences of authentic conversion (Spirit-led living, fruit, allegiance, alignment, inner witness) do you find most encouraging—or most challenging—in your own walk with Christ?

5.  How might understanding the Trinity more fully change the way you share the gospel with others?