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