GLORY TO THE GOD OF THE GOSPEL 
Romans 16:25‑27
The scene took place in the city of Corinth some time during the year 57 or 58 A.D. The companion of Paul, Tertius, had just written his own salutation and a greeting from some other friends in Corinth to the believers in Rome. With a heart overflowing with joy, the faithful penman laid the pen aside. The letter to Rome was finished and ready for Phoebe to carry it to these Christian friends. But wait! Paul himself picks up the pen, waits a moment, and then with large letters, he begins to add the closing paragraph. What will be the last word? How should you close a letter that has outlined so carefully the truths of the great Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Paul knew just the appropriate word. It is always the appropriate word when you are considering the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed if you understand the Gospel in your heart, it is the only word. "Glory!" That is the word. "Glory be to God!" "Glory" is an ascription of praise and honor to God. The Greek word has come into our language in the word doxology. What we have before us then is an inspired doxology, an ascription of praise to the God of the Gospel. Man cannot even praise the name of God apart from Jesus Christ. Man has no access to God, or even any right to speak the name of God apart from Jesus Christ. It is all through Him. Also this praise is to be rendered forever and ever. There must never be a time when redeemed man is not prepared to say before the God of the Gospel, "Glory be to thy great and holy name.''

As the Apostle personally pens the doxology to close the letter, two great truths about our God are in his heart. Both of these are clearly manifested in His Gospel. As we , too, come to the close of the Roman letter after these many months, such a word of glory ought to be readily on our lips. If we do not have such a word of glory on our lips, one could wonder if we have comprehended the declaration of this greatest of letters.

GLORY BE TO THE GOD OF THE GOSPEL FOR HIS POWER TO CONFIRM THE GOSPEL
"Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my Gospel." This is the beginning of the ascription of praise to the God of the Gospel. The first feature is the ability of God. "Is of power" translates the Greek participles which calls attention to the continuing ability of our God. Our God is able to do whatever is required. In this case He is able to "establish" you. Two dimensions can be seen in this act of God. It may mean that God is the one who has the power to establish us before Him. This would be a reference to His power to justify which is featured in this letter. Surely God alone has the power to accomplish this. Or it could refer to God being about to make you strong in the struggles against sin, temptations, and the trial of false teachings in the world. In this case it would indicate that God alone is able to keep us from falling. Both of these are true, and we are on good ground to see both of them taught in this verse. The greatest demonstration of God's power in the personal life has always been in salvation. So many are caught up in declaring that God is able to heal, that God is able to make you rich, that God is able to do this or that, but the Biblical doxologies concern what God is able to do for man spiritually and eternally.

But all of this is "according to my gospel." By this Paul seems to mean that God is able to establish just as he has proclaimed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God is able to confirm in the experience of man everything that the Apostle has set forth in His Gospel preaching. "My Gospel" means "the Good News as I preached it." Paul does not mean to indicate that he has come up with a message, or that the message belongs to him some way. Rather he only wants to indicate that it is his Gospel as opposed to that which was being declared by some of the false teachers. His Gospel is the one outlined in this letter. To indicate that it was not his creation, he continues to explain what he means by the Gospel.

"My Gospel" is the same as the "preaching of Jesus Christ." From the Greek this can be understood two ways. It can refer to actual preaching of Jesus Christ Himself, Paul then would be saying that my Gospel corresponds to what Jesus Christ Himself authoritatively declared ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ and our God is able to confirm this in our experience‑‑‑blessed be His name. Or the expression may mean that Jesus Christ is the content of the proclamation. This would seem to be the better understanding to me. The Gospel is a Person. When you declare the Gospel of God, you are setting forth Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. He is the whole message. He is the divine provision for man's sinful plight.

Yet another dimension of this Gospel is set forth in this doxology. It is "according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." That is quite a statement! First, it declares the Gospel to be a divine mystery. It was something that can be known only when God is pleased to reveal it. Though it was suggested by the prophets of the Old Testament in their writings, it became known only when Jesus Christ came to earth in the incarnation, died upon the Cross, and was raised from the dead. Then what the prophets had written became clear and understandable. All of this was for the nations that they might obey God in faith. This helps us understand something of the part God plays in the Gospel. It is now made known by the commandment of the eternal God.

But now let’s go back to the beginning. God is to be glorified because He is able to confirm in you everything that is set forth in this Gospel message. The Gospel is not an empty promise; it is not a vain hope. Behind the Gospel of Jesus Christ stands the ability of the eternal God who is able to make real to you all that He has promised. If the Gospel promises the forgiveness of sin, God is able. If the Gospel promises eternal life, God is able. If the Gospel promises victory over sin, God is able. If the Gospel promises complete salvation, God is able. If the Gospel promises a new life, God is able. God is able to confirm everything that the Gospel of Jesus Christ sets forth in promise.

GLORY BE TO THE GOD OF THE GOSPEL FOR HIS WISDOM TO CONCEIVE THE GOSPEL
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen." All wisdom is found in God. He is wisdom. His wisdom has been revealed in so many ways. His wisdom is revealed in the creation of the world. Again we have seen the wisdom of man revealed in the engineering feat of sending men out into space and bringing them back, but compare that with the engineering feat involved in the planning, and construction of the whole created order. Compare one of man's creations with the design and wisdom embodied in the creation of the human body. The wisdom of God is manifested in the creation.

The giving of the law was a revelation of the wisdom of God. In the holy law given to Moses God revealed just how perfectly he knew the needs and problems of man. God was right on target at every point. It has never been necessary for God to amend even one of the great moral principles embodied in the Mosaic law. They were an expression of His wisdom.

But the greatest manifestation of the divine wisdom awaited the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to work out a plan of redemption for the world. From beginning to end it was and is a manifestation of the wisdom of the only wise God. Only God had the wisdom necessary to plan and carry out the great program of redemption.

If you do not understand the Gospel, do not feel bad about it. This is just another indication that you are man and not God. God alone is wise. God alone is able to conceive such a matchless and effective plan of redemption.

When the Gospel of Jesus Christ is heard and believed, it brings a doxology to the lips of man. It will cause a man to acknowledge the power of God, and deny his own power. He will be quick to confess, "God has done for me what I could never do for myself." It will also prompt the man to confess and acknowledge the wisdom of God. Redeemed man is more willing to acknowledge that only an eternally wise God could ever have conceived such a plan of redemption. The Gospel of Jesus Christ exalts God and saves man.

Will you not join the Apostle in His great ascription of praise to God? It would be appropriate for you to exclaim with a whole heart, "Glory be to God through Jesus Christ forever. Amen".