Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

What’s the power of god unto salvation?

Today we think that the “power of God unto salvation” is achieved through popularity in the culture. We believe that what God really needs is for us to be powerful and popular so that He can use our name to get the gospel out.

That’s why we often get excited when we find out that some popular or powerful person has become a Christian. Because now they can use their name and platform to preach the gospel.

But God already has a name that is above every name the name at which every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that he is Lord (Phillipians 2:9-11).

So if God already has the name that’s above every name what makes you think he needs yours? Or any celebrities name for that matter.

God is not in the business of borrowing people’s names.

As Romans 1:16 clearly states, it is the Gospel of Christ.

That being said we need to address another pertinent issue that is common in modern evangelism and that is the wrong use of personal testimony.

Let me start by a disclaimer that your testimony and story of how you became a Christian is very important. We need to be able to articulate to others how and why we became believers.

While personal testimonies can open doors to meaningful conversations, they should ultimately serve as bridges to the gospel message, not as replacements for it. A testimony’s role is to point to Christ, not to our own spiritual achievements.

Personal testimony without the cross (Christ crucified) is not the full gospel

We tend to use the terms evangelism and witnessing interchangeably, but they are not synonymous. Witnessing is simply sharing what God has done in our lives—our personal story of faith—while evangelism is proclaiming the gospel message itself: the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners. Personal testimonies can open doors and build connections, but evangelism centers on the message of Christ, which is the true power of God unto salvation.

When Paul spoke of the gospel being the power of God for salvation he was simply saying that he preached the gospel of Christ and people were saved because of it.

Paul was not saying that you have to somehow muster up your own personal experience to be as powerful as mine, because that’s what’s going to tip the scales and convince a non-believer.

The thinking that it is your own personal experience that will save someone is in effect saying that your story is the power of God to save and not the gospel of Christ.

In addition, there are a few pitfalls with personal testimonies that all believers should be careful to avoid, whether intentionally or unintentionally:

• Some testimonies serve only to build up a person’s narcissistic ego.

Here is a bad example of a testimony – “My life used to be a mess. I used to do X, Y, Z. I mean you just won’t believe what stuff I did. But then I heard that Jesus died on the cross and it changed my life. Now I thank God that I am not like those old friends of mine. I have a good life. I have a purpose every day. I volunteer. I send money. I have done so much. The good news is that you can have all of this too.”This isn’t a testimony that is centered around Christ but around the person and how fortunate they are in life. Some Christians “under the banner of personal testimony” use this as an opportunity to show-off to people how profoundly spiritual they are.

• The issue with relying solely on your testimony as the gospel message is that humans are fallible.

As compelling as you might think your testimony of a life changed is, one day you’re liable to fall when things don’t work out as they should, and your testimony will be ruined. Which is why we have to point people to Christ, for He never fails, and because only He can keep the standard of truth.

• Another problem is that people are often pressured into thinking they need to have a compelling story to tip the scales and save someone, which results in them lying.

The way some develope over time is quite funny and it often comes with added spices.

• • Someone gets into one fight in school, and after 20 years, when he gets saved and says, “I’ve fought every day of my life and was bullied.”
  • Someone takes one sip of a beer when they are a teenager and all of a sudden after 20 years they testify that they used to get drunk everyday.
  • Someone who as a child was looked upon once by their parents with disapproval and 20 years later they say I was an abandoned child with trauma.

• What’s more troubling than lying about your testimony is that there are Christians in church who listen to these inflated testimonies and say “ I don’t think I can share the gospel because I don’t have a powerful story to tell.”

However, the truth is that all Christians have a powerful testimony. If someone asks, “What’s your testimony?” you can say…

All I have is God wrapped Himself in flesh.
Died on a cross.
Nailed my sin thereto.
Was placed in the grave and rose again on the third day.
Ascended to the right hand of the Father.
And He is there making intercession for me until such a time that my salvation is made complete and he takes me home.
That’s the testimony of every believer. That is the gospel. That is the power of God onto salvation.

Don’t ever fall into the trap of saying “I don’t have a testimony.”

Much of the insight in this section is inspired by the teachings of Dr. Voddie Baucham, particularly from his sermon The Supremacy of Christ and Truth in a Postmodern World. In this message, Dr. Baucham challenges us to focus on the gospel itself as the true power of salvation, rather than relying solely on personal experiences.

In a culture that often celebrates personal stories and achievements, it’s easy to feel that our testimony must be compelling or dramatic to be effective. However, God doesn’t rely on our achievements or experiences—He uses the simple, powerful message of Christ crucified to reach hearts. As we share the gospel, let’s remember that the gospel message alone is the “power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16) and place our confidence in Christ’s work, not our own stories.

No Transformation

Another problem with preaching a different gospel in evangelism is that there is no power in it to save a soul.

If I were to ask you what brings you to church and what is it that keeps you comming back every week;

• If you say “someone did something for me and that’s why I am here,” you are not here because of the gospel.
• If you say “I got healed that’s why I came to church,” you are not here because of the gospel.
• If you say “God changed my husband’s addiction problem and my family is doing fine and wealthy,” you are not here because of the gospel.
• If you say, “the pastor helped me once and so I am obliged to be here,” you are not here because of the gospel.
• If you say, “I needed a job and to make sure I live a blessed life,” you are not here because of the gospel.
• If you say, “I am scared if I don’t come God will punish me and I will have problems,” you are not here because of the gospel.

If these are your reasons that are built on human desires and spiritual pride. Then it might be an indicator that you have not understood the power of God onto Salvation and this is probably why there is no transformation or change in your life

The ONLY answer to the question as to what brings you and what keeps you in church is:

Because God has saved me and rescued a sinner who was once in complete rebellion against Him. I am here because I have no other place to be, where my soul is delighted and my spirit craves for the meat of the word of God. I have to be here and I need to be here because His spirit leads me here.

If this is the reason you are following Him with a humble, poor in spirit attitude, completely submissive and dependent upon God then then have the fully understood power of God for salvation.

I must add a disclaimer that not all the things stated above are bad reasons for why you may have come to church. We all come for different reasons but the reason why we stay and keep coming should be Christ alone.