Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ (Romans 16:25a).
The final three verses in Paul’s epistle to the Romans are a “doxology,” which is a hymn of praise to God. However, through these words, Paul also very clearly summarises the message of his entire letter.
The Greek word translated as “able” here is based on the root word for “power.” It could be translated as “Now to him who has the power to establish you…” God has the power to establish us in the Gospel. The word translated as “establish” here means to fix our minds on, and make us stable in the Gospel. It is therefore right that in this way, the apostle Paul ends his epistle in the way he started, and with what has been his entire theme, by affirming that the Gospel,
…is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes… (Rom. 1:16.)
God has the power to establish us in the Gospel.
The apostle Paul also uses the same word for “establish” in 1 Thess. 3:13, where it is translated as “strengthen” in the NIV:
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
How can we stand blameless and holy in the presence of God? Only as we remain fixed on the Gospel. Let nothing else distract us in our lives.
Spiritual Application
How stable and grounded are you in the Gospel? What do you do every day to fix your mind on it? How do you guard yourself from a focus on yourself and your own works?
Article supplied with thanks to Dr Eliezer Gonzalez.
About the Author: Dr Eli Gonzalez is the Senior Pastor of Good News Unlimited and the presenter of the Unlimited radio spots, and The Big Question. Sign up to his free online course called Becoming a Follower of Jesus to learn about Jesus and His message.
Feature image: Picture by Joel Muniz, Unsplash