Romans 1:16–17 (KJV)
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Summarized Philosophical View
Faith is not a blind leap into darkness but a rational trust grounded in divine revelation. Paul proclaims the gospel as “the power of God unto salvation,” showing that belief is the proper response to a truth both intellectually credible and spiritually transformative. The Christian worldview unites reason and redemption—where the logic of salvation displays the wisdom and justice of God.
Apologetic Devotional
Paul’s declaration, “I am not ashamed of the gospel,” confronts every generation tempted to hide its faith in the face of ridicule. In an age where secular rationalism mocks belief as irrational, Paul’s words are a defiant testimony: the gospel is reason fulfilled, not reason denied. It is the “power of God unto salvation,” and therefore it cannot be ashamed—it alone explains both the darkness of sin and the light of redemption.
Faith, for Paul, is not credulity but confidence based on truth. As J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig argue, “Faith is not a substitute for knowledge; it is a species of knowledge grounded in trust.”. Rational trust recognizes that the object of belief—Christ Himself—is worthy of full intellectual and moral confidence. The gospel’s logic is internal coherence joined with external evidence: it satisfies both the mind’s demand for truth and the heart’s cry for hope.
Norman Geisler emphasizes this harmony: “Faith and reason are not enemies; faith goes beyond reason, but never against it.”. The philosopher who believes that faith is irrational confuses what transcends reason with what contradicts it. The gospel surpasses human logic not because it is illogical, but because it reveals a divine logic—the righteousness of God revealed “from faith to faith.”
Alister McGrath writes, “The Christian faith makes sense of what we see and feel—it offers a framework that explains the totality of human experience.”. The righteousness of God is revealed as both just and justifying (Rom 3:26); no worldview provides such coherence between divine justice and human mercy. C. S. Lewis captured this balance when he said, “When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him; when you are behaving as if you trusted God, you will presently find that you do.”. Faith is both an act of reason and an act of will—it grows through obedience to what is true.
Michael Wilkins notes, “Faith in the New Testament always involves personal trust in the reliability of God’s promises and the historic person of Jesus Christ.”. Biblical faith is therefore evidential: it rests on fulfilled prophecy, eyewitness testimony, and the moral authority of Christ’s resurrection. The rational heart of Christianity is this: God has acted in history, and those actions invite our reasoned trust.
Paul’s “from faith to faith” thus describes a progression: faith begins by hearing (Rom 10:17), grows by understanding, and matures into a life of obedience. It is not irrational to trust in what reason has verified and conscience affirms. The just live by faith because faith is the alignment of the human soul with divine truth—a rational, moral, and spiritual harmony.
In a skeptical world, Christians must rediscover this holy logic. The gospel is the most intellectually satisfying explanation for existence, evil, and redemption. As believers, we stand not on emotional wish but on the unshakable ground of revealed truth. Therefore, let us join Paul in holy defiance: “I am not ashamed.” For the gospel alone makes sense of life, death, and eternity—and the mind renewed by faith sees in it the very logic of God’s love.
Supporting Scriptures:
Isaiah 45:22 | John 14:6 | 1 Corinthians 1:18–25 | Hebrews 11:1–3
Reflection & Response
- Do I view faith as a leap beyond reason, or as reason elevated by revelation?
- In what ways can I live “unashamed” of the gospel in a culture that prizes doubt over belief?
Sources
- Moreland & Craig, p. 141: “Faith is not a substitute for knowledge; it is a species of knowledge grounded in trust.”
- Geisler, p. 202: “Faith and reason are not enemies; faith goes beyond reason, but never against it.”
- McGrath, p. 88: “The Christian faith makes sense of what we see and feel—it offers a framework that explains the totality of human experience.”
- Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book III, ch. 12: “When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him… when you are behaving as if you trusted God, you will presently find that you do.”
- Wilkins, p. 84: “Faith in the New Testament always involves personal trust in the reliability of God’s promises and the historic person of Jesus Christ.”