Sermon outlines · Romans 1:16-17
Reformation Day sermon outline
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In Romans 1:17, “faith” translates a Greek word: πίστις. In Antioquia’s study mode, one tap shows what it means and where else it appears in the Bible — the kind of detail that gives a sermon depth. Try it in the preview.
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Romans 1:17
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
✦ Understand this verseπίστις
pístis · Greek · G4102
- In this verse
- faith
- What it means
- faith, trust, faithfulness
- How the King James translates it
- faith223
Appears in 228 verses · See them all in the app
Sermon outline
Sermon title
The just shall live by faith
Main idea
The Reformation reminds the church of what Paul was already proclaiming: the gospel is God’s power to save, and God’s righteousness is received by faith, not earned by works.
Text
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.
Romans 1:16-17 · Read the chapter →
Introduction
On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther put forward his Ninety-five Theses in Wittenberg, and the debate that followed led many back to the Scriptures. For Luther himself, a phrase from Romans 1:17 proved decisive: the just shall live by faith. Remembering the Reformation is not about celebrating a date or a man, but about returning to the gospel Paul proclaimed.
1. A gospel to be unashamed of
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.
Romans 1:16 · Read the chapter →
Paul writes to Rome, the capital of the empire, and says he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. A message about a crucified Messiah looked like weakness, yet he calls it the power of God unto salvation. The church’s strength is not in prestige, but in the gospel it proclaims.
Application: Think about where you have kept quiet about Jesus out of embarrassment, and ask God for courage.
2. Justified freely by his grace
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:23-24 · Read the chapter →
Later in the letter, Paul shows why everyone needs this power: all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. And those who believe are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. No one is beyond the reach of the gospel, and no one deserves it.
Application: Thank God for salvation as a gift, without trying to pay for it with religious effort.
3. The just shall live by faith
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:17 · Read the chapter →
In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, and Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4: the just shall live by faith. The righteousness God requires is the same righteousness he gives to those who trust in Christ. Faith is not only the way in: it is the way of life of those who have been justified.
Application: Read the letter to the Romans over the coming weeks, one chapter a day.
Conclusion
In Romans 5:1, Paul draws the conclusion: being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That is what the Reformation sought to put back at the centre of the church: Scripture, grace, faith and Christ. To remember the Reformation is to believe this gospel again and to proclaim it without shame.