There Is Good News That All Need

“The good news . . . is, in fact, God’s power for salvation.”​—ROM. 1:16.

1, 2. Why do you preach the “good news of the kingdom,” and what aspects of it do you stress?

‘I AM happy to share the good news each day.’ Likely that sentiment has crossed your mind or lips. As a devoted Witness of Jehovah, you know how important it is to preach “this good news of the kingdom.” You may be able to recite from memory Jesus’ prophecy about our doing that.​—Matt. 24:14.

² In preaching the “good news of the kingdom,” you are continuing what Jesus started. (Read Luke 4:43.) Doubtless, one point that you stress is that God will soon intervene in human affairs. With the “great tribulation,” he will end false religion and clear the earth of wickedness. (Matt. 24:21) You probably also highlight that God’s Kingdom will reestablish Paradise on earth so that peace and happiness can flourish. In fact, the “good news of the kingdom” is part of “the good news [declared] beforehand to Abraham, namely: ‘By means of you all the nations will be blessed.’”​—Gal. 3:8.

3. Why can we say that the apostle Paul emphasized good news in the book of Romans?

³ Could it be, though, that we might give little attention to a key aspect of the good news that people need? In the letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul used the word “kingdom” only once, but he used the expression “good news” 12 times. (Read Romans 14:17.) What aspect of the good news did Paul refer to so often in that book? Why is that particular good news vital? And why should we keep it in mind as we preach “the good news of God” to people in our territory?​—Mark 1:14; Rom. 15:16; 1 Thess. 2:2.

What Those in Rome Needed

4. During his first imprisonment in Rome, about what did Paul preach?

⁴ It is instructive to note the topics that Paul addressed when he was first imprisoned in Rome. We read that when a number of Jews visited him, he bore ‘thorough witness concerning (1) the kingdom of God and used persuasion with them concerning (2) Jesus.’ The result? “Some began to believe the things said; others would not believe.” Thereafter, Paul ‘would kindly receive all those who came in to him, preaching (1) the kingdom of God to them and teaching the things concerning (2) the Lord Jesus Christ.’ (Acts 28:17, 23-31) Clearly, Paul gave attention to God’s Kingdom. But what else did he stress? Something that is central to the Kingdom​—Jesus’ role in God’s purpose.

5. What real need did Paul address in the book of Romans?

⁵ All people need to know about Jesus and put faith in him. In the book of Romans, Paul addressed this need. Early on, he wrote of “God, to whom I render sacred service with my spirit in connection with the good news about his Son.” He added: “I am not ashamed of the good news; it is, in fact, God’s power for salvation to everyone having faith.” Later he referred to the time “when God through Christ Jesus judges the secret things of mankind, according to the good news I declare.” And he related: “From Jerusalem and in a circuit as far as Illyricum I have thoroughly preached the good news about the Christ.”a (Rom. 1:9, 16; 2:16; 15:19) Why, do you think, did Paul stress Jesus Christ to the Romans?

6, 7. What can we say about the start and makeup of the Roman congregation?

⁶ We do not know how the Roman congregation started. Did Jews or proselytes who were present at Pentecost 33 C.E. return to Rome as Christians? (Acts 2:10) Or did Christian merchants and travelers spread the truth in Rome? Whatever the case, by the time Paul wrote the book, about 56 C.E., the congregation was long established. (Rom. 1:8) What type of people made up that congregation?

⁷ Some had a Jewish background. Paul greeted Andronicus and Junias as “my relatives,” likely meaning relatives who were fellow Jews. Tentmaker Aquila, in Rome with his wife, Priscilla, was also Jewish. (Rom. 4:1; 9:3, 4; 16:3, 7; Acts 18:2) But many brothers and sisters to whom Paul sent greetings were likely Gentiles. Some may have been “of the household of Caesar,” perhaps meaning Caesar’s slaves and minor officials.​—Phil. 4:22; Rom. 1:6; 11:13.

8. Those in Rome faced what predicament?

⁸ Every Christian in Rome faced a predicament that also confronts each one of us. Paul put it this way: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) Clearly, all to whom Paul wrote needed to recognize that they were sinners and had to put faith in God’s means to meet that need.

Recognizing the Problem of Sin

9. Paul called attention to what possible result of the good news?

⁹ Early in the letter to the Romans, Paul pointed to the wonderful result that could come from the good news he kept mentioning: “I am not ashamed of the good news; it is, in fact, God’s power for salvation to everyone having faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Yes, salvation was possible. However, faith was necessary, in line with a profound truth quoted from Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous one​—by means of faith he will live.” (Rom. 1:16, 17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38) But how does that good news, which can lead to salvation, relate to the fact that “all have sinned”?

10, 11. Why is the concept mentioned at Romans 3:23 not strange for some people but is for others?

¹⁰ Before a person can develop lifesaving faith, he must acknowledge that he is a sinner. The idea of being such would not be strange for those who grow up believing in God and having some familiarity with the Bible. (Read Ecclesiastes 7:20.) Whether they agree or have doubts, at least they have an idea of what Paul meant when he said: “All have sinned.” (Rom. 3:23) Yet, in carrying out our ministry, we may meet many who do not understand that statement.

¹¹ In some lands, the average person is not raised thinking that he (or she) was born a sinner, that he inherited sin. Granted, he probably realizes that he makes mistakes, has undesirable traits, and may have done some bad things. And he observes that others are in a similar situation. Still, given his background, he does not really understand why he and others are like that. In fact, in some languages, if you say that a person is a sinner, others may think that you are saying that he is a criminal or at least a person who broke some rules. Obviously, a person growing up in such an environment may not readily think of himself as a sinner in the sense that Paul meant.

12. Why do many not believe that all are sinners?

¹² Even in lands of Christendom, many do not believe in the concept of being sinners. Why not? Even if they go to church on occasion, they consider the Bible account of Adam and Eve to be merely a fable or a myth. Others grow up in an anti-God climate. They doubt that God exists and therefore do not understand that a Supreme Being set moral standards for humans and that failure to uphold those standards amounts to sin. In a sense, they are like those in the first century whom Paul described as having “no hope” and being “without God in the world.”​—Eph. 2:12.

13, 14. (a) What is one reason why those who do not believe in God and in sin are inexcusable? (b) To what has disbelief led many?

¹³ In the letter to the Romans, Paul presented two reasons why such a background cannot be an excuse​—not then, not today. The first reason is that creation itself bears witness to the existence of a Creator. (Read Romans 1:19, 20.) This accords with an observation Paul made when writing from Rome to the Hebrews: “Every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God.” (Heb. 3:4) That line of reasoning points to there being a Creator who constructed, or brought into existence, the entire universe.

¹⁴ So Paul was on solid ground in writing to the Romans that any​—including the ancient Israelites—​who gave their devotion to lifeless images “are inexcusable.” The same can be said for those who gave in to immoral sexual practices contrary to the natural use of the male and female bodies. (Rom. 1:22-27) Referring to such reasoning, Paul rightly concluded that “Jews as well as Greeks are all under sin.”​—Rom. 3:9.

A ‘Witness Bearer’

15. Who have the faculty of conscience, with what effect?

¹⁵ The book of Romans identifies another reason why people should recognize that they are sinners and need a way out of that predicament. Regarding the code of laws that God gave to ancient Israel, Paul wrote: “All those who sinned under law will be judged by law.” (Rom. 2:12) Continuing his reasoning, he points out that people of nations or ethnic groups unacquainted with that divine code often “do by nature the things of the law.” Why do such ones commonly forbid incest, murder, and stealing? Paul identified the reason: They have a conscience.​—Read Romans 2:14, 15.

16. Why does having a conscience not necessarily mean avoiding sin?

¹⁶ Nonetheless, you have likely seen that having a conscience that functions like an inner witness bearer does not mean that a person will follow its guidance. The case of ancient Israel shows that. Though the Israelites had both a God-given conscience and specific laws from God against stealing and adultery, they often violated both their conscience and Jehovah’s Law. (Rom. 2:21-23) They were doubly culpable and thus certainly were sinners, falling short of God’s standards and will. This seriously marred their relationship with their Maker.​—Lev. 19:11; 20:10; Rom. 3:20.

17. We find what encouragement in the book of Romans?

¹⁷ What we have considered from the book of Romans might seem to paint a grim picture of the human situation before the Almighty, including ours. However, Paul did not leave matters there. Quoting David’s words at Psalm 32:1, 2, the apostle wrote: “Happy are those whose lawless deeds have been pardoned and whose sins have been covered; happy is the man whose sin Jehovah will by no means take into account.” (Rom. 4:7, 8) Yes, God has arranged a legally proper means for pardoning sins.

Good News Centered on Jesus

18, 19. (a) On what aspect of the good news did Paul focus in Romans? (b) To get Kingdom blessings, we must recognize what?

¹⁸ You might well respond, “That is really good news!” Indeed it is, which brings us back to the aspect of the good news that Paul highlighted in the book of Romans. As mentioned, Paul wrote: “I am not ashamed of the good news; it is, in fact, God’s power for salvation.”​—Rom. 1:15, 16.

¹⁹ That good news centered on Jesus’ role in the outworking of God’s purpose. Paul could look forward to “the day when God through Christ Jesus judges the secret things of mankind, according to the good news.” (Rom. 2:16) In stating that, he was not minimizing “the kingdom of the Christ and of God” or what God will do by means of the Kingdom. (Eph. 5:5) But he showed that for us to live and enjoy the blessings to prevail under God’s Kingdom, we must recognize (1) our situation as sinners in God’s sight and (2) why we need to exercise faith in Jesus Christ to have our sins forgiven. When a person comes to understand and accept those parts of God’s purpose and sees the future that this opens to him, he can rightly exclaim, “Yes, that truly is good news!”

20, 21. In our ministry, why should we bear in mind the good news that is stressed in the book of Romans, and with what potential result?

²⁰ We should definitely bear in mind this aspect of the good news as we carry out our Christian ministry. With reference to Jesus, Paul quoted Isaiah’s words: “None that rests his faith on him will be disappointed.” (Rom. 10:11; Isa. 28:16) The basic message about Jesus may not be strange to those who are acquainted with what the Bible says about sin. For others, though, this message will be quite new, something not known or generally believed in their culture. As such ones come to believe in God and trust in the Scriptures, we will need to explain Jesus’ role. The following article will consider how Romans chapter 5 develops this aspect of the good news. You will probably find that study to be useful in your ministry.

²¹ How rewarding it is to help honesthearted ones to understand the good news mentioned repeatedly in the book of Romans, the good news that “is, in fact, God’s power for salvation to everyone having faith.” (Rom. 1:16) Beyond our being thus rewarded, we will see others agree with the sentiment that Paul quoted at Romans 10:15: “How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”​—Isa. 52:7.

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God Recommends His Love to Us

“Undeserved kindness [will] rule as king through righteousness with everlasting life in view.”​—ROM. 5:21.

1, 2. What two gifts might be considered, and which is the greater?

“THE Romans’ greatest . . . bequest to those who succeeded them [was] their law and their sense that life should be lived according to law.” (Dr. David J. Williams of the University of Melbourne, Australia) However valid that might be, there is a bequest or gift of far greater value. This gift is a divine means to have an approved and righteous standing with God and the prospect of salvation and everlasting life.

² In a sense, there were legal aspects to how God made this gift available. In Romans chapter 5, the apostle Paul did not present these aspects as a dry, legalistic treatise. Rather, he began with this thrilling assurance: “We have been declared righteous as a result of faith, [so] let us enjoy peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Those who receive God’s gift are moved to love him in return. Paul was one. He wrote: “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy spirit.”​—Rom. 5:1, 5.

3. What questions logically arise?

³ Why, though, was this loving gift necessary? How could God offer it in a just, equitable way? And what are individuals called upon to do to qualify for it? Let us find the satisfying answers and see how they underscore God’s love.

God’s Love Versus Sin

4, 5. (a) In what great way did Jehovah express his love? (b) Knowledge of what background enables us to understand Romans 5:12?

⁴ In an act of great love, Jehovah sent his only-begotten Son to help humans. Paul expressed it this way: “God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) Think of one fact there mentioned: “We were yet sinners.” All need to know how that came to be so.

⁵ Paul outlined the matter, starting with this point: “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” (Rom. 5:12) We are in a position to understand this because God had a record made of how human life began. Jehovah created two humans, Adam and Eve. The Creator is perfect, and so were those first humans, our ancestors. God gave them but one limiting directive and informed them that disobeying that law would bring a death sentence. (Gen. 2:17) However, they chose to act ruinously, violating God’s reasonable directive, thus rejecting him as Lawgiver and Sovereign.​—Deut. 32:4, 5.

6. (a) Why did Adam’s descendants die both before God gave the Mosaic Law and thereafter? (b) What can be illustrated with a disease like hemophilia?

⁶ It was only after Adam had become a sinner that he fathered children, passing on sin and its effects to all of them. Of course, they had not violated the divine law as Adam had, so they were not charged with the same sin; nor had any law code yet been given. (Gen. 2:17) Still, Adam’s descendants inherited sin. Thus, sin and death ruled down to the time when God gave the Israelites a law code, which clearly showed that they were sinners. (Read Romans 5:13, 14.) The effect of inherited sin might be illustrated with certain inherited diseases or defects, such as Mediterranean anemia or hemophilia. You may have read that Alexis, son of Russian Czar Nicholas II and Alexandra, inherited the bleeding disorder hemophilia. Granted, even in such a family, some children do not suffer from those diseases, but they still may be carriers. Not so with sin. The defect of sin from Adam was inevitable. All are subject to it. It is always fatal. And it is passed on to all children. Could that predicament ever be overcome?

What God Provided Through Jesus Christ

7, 8. How did the course of two perfect men lead to different results?

⁷ Lovingly, Jehovah made a provision for humans to overcome inherited sinfulness. Paul explained that this was possible by means of another man, a later perfect man​—in effect, a second Adam. (1 Cor. 15:45) But the course of each of the two perfect men has led to very different results. How so?​—Read Romans 5:15, 16.

⁸ “It is not with the gift as it was with the trespass,” Paul wrote. Adam was guilty of that trespass, and he justly received an adverse sentence​—he died. Yet, he was not the only one to die. We read: “By [that] one man’s trespass many died.” The just sentence on Adam demanded the same for all his imperfect progeny, including us. Still, we can take comfort in knowing that the perfect man, Jesus, could produce an opposite result. What is the result? We see the answer in Paul’s mention of “a declaring of [men of all kinds] righteous for life.”​—Rom. 5:18.

9. God was doing what in declaring men righteous, as mentioned at Romans 5:16, 18?

⁹ What is the sense of the Greek words underlying the expressions “declaration of righteousness” and “declaring of them righteous”? One Bible translator wrote of the concept: “It is a legal metaphor that makes a quasi-legal point. It speaks of a change in a person’s status in relation to God, not of an inner change in the person . . . The metaphor pictures God as the judge who has reached a decision in favor of the accused, who had been brought before God’s court, so to speak, on a charge of unrighteousness. But God acquits the accused.”

10. What did Jesus do that provided the basis for humans to be declared righteous?

¹⁰ On what basis could the righteous “Judge of all the earth” acquit an unrighteous person? (Gen. 18:25) Laying the groundwork, God lovingly sent his only-begotten Son to earth. Jesus did his Father’s will perfectly, despite temptations, extreme ridicule, and abuse. He kept his integrity even to the extent of dying on a torture stake. (Heb. 2:10) In sacrificing his perfect human life, Jesus offered a ransom that might release, or redeem, Adam’s offspring from sin and death.​—Matt. 20:28; Rom. 5:6-8.

11. The ransom is based on what correspondence?

¹¹ Elsewhere, Paul termed this “a corresponding ransom.” (1 Tim. 2:6) What was the correspondence? Adam brought imperfection and death to billions, his descendants. It is true that Jesus, as a perfect man, could have been the source of billions of perfect descendants.a Hence, it was understood that a combination of Jesus’ life plus that of all his potential perfect descendants formed a sacrifice equivalent to that of Adam and his imperfect descendants. However, the Bible does not say that any potential offspring of Jesus formed part of the ransom. Romans 5:15-19 makes the point that the death of just “one man” provided the release. Yes, Jesus’ perfect life corresponded to Adam’s. The focus is, and should be, on Jesus Christ alone. It became possible for men of all sorts to receive the free gift and life because of Jesus’ “one act of justification,” his course of obedience and integrity even to death. (2 Cor. 5:14, 15; 1 Pet. 3:18) How did that result come about?

Acquittal Based on the Ransom

12, 13. Why do those who are declared righteous need God’s mercy and love?

¹² Jehovah God accepted the ransom sacrifice that his Son offered. (Heb. 9:24; 10:10, 12) Still, Jesus’ disciples on earth, including his faithful apostles, remained imperfect. Though they strove to avoid doing wrong, they did not always succeed. Why? Because they had inherited sin. (Rom. 7:18-20) But God could and did do something about that. He accepted the “corresponding ransom” and was willing to apply it in behalf of his human servants.

¹³ It is not that God owed it to the apostles and others to apply the ransom because they had performed certain good works. Instead, God applied the ransom in their behalf out of his mercy and great love. He chose to acquit the apostles and others of the judgment against them, viewing them as absolved of inherited guilt. Paul made that plain: “By this undeserved kindness, indeed, you have been saved through faith; and this not owing to you, it is God’s gift.”​—Eph. 2:8.

14, 15. What reward was placed before those whom God declared righteous, but what did they still need to do?

¹⁴ Think what a gift it is for the Almighty to forgive the sin a person inherited as well as the wrongs he committed! You could not count how many sins individuals committed before becoming Christians; yet, on the basis of the ransom, God can forgive those sins. Paul wrote: “The gift resulted from many trespasses in a declaration of righteousness.” (Rom. 5:16) The apostles and others receiving this loving gift (being declared righteous) would have to continue to worship the true God in faith. With what future reward? “Those who receive the abundance of the undeserved kindness and of the free gift of righteousness [will] rule as kings in life through the one person, Jesus Christ.” Indeed, the gift of righteousness works in the opposite direction. The gift has life as its outcome.​—Rom. 5:17; read Luke 22:28-30.

¹⁵ Those receiving that gift, being declared righteous, become God’s spiritual sons. As joint heirs with Christ, they have the prospect of being resurrected to heaven as actual spirit sons to “rule as kings” with Jesus Christ.​—Read Romans 8:15-17, 23.

God’s Love Manifest to Others

16. How might ones with an earthly hope receive a gift?

¹⁶ Not all who exercise faith and serve God as loyal Christians expect to “rule as kings” with Christ in heaven. Many have a Bible-based hope similar to that of God’s pre-Christian servants. They hope to live forever on a paradise earth. Can they even now receive a loving gift from God and be viewed as righteous with earthly life in view? Based on what Paul wrote to the Romans, the reassuring answer is yes!

17, 18. (a) In view of Abraham’s faith, how did God consider him? (b) How was it that Jehovah could view Abraham as righteous?

¹⁷ Paul discussed a prime example, Abraham, a man of faith who lived before Jehovah provided a law code to Israel and long before Christ opened the way to heavenly life. (Heb. 10:19, 20) We read: “It was not through law that Abraham or his seed had the promise that he should be heir of a world, but it was through the righteousness by faith.” (Rom. 4:13; Jas. 2:23, 24) So God counted faithful Abraham as righteous.​—Read Romans 4:20-22.

¹⁸ That cannot mean that Abraham was sinless while serving Jehovah over the decades. No, he was not righteous in that sense. (Rom. 3:10, 23) However, in his limitless wisdom, Jehovah took into account Abraham’s exceptional faith and his works resulting therefrom. In particular, Abraham exercised faith in the promised “seed” to come in his line. That Seed proved to be the Messiah, or Christ. (Gen. 15:6; 22:15-18) Accordingly, on the basis of “the ransom paid by Christ Jesus,” the divine Judge is able to forgive sins that occurred in the past. Thus, Abraham and other men of faith in pre-Christian times are in line for a resurrection.​—Read Romans 3:24, 25; Ps. 32:1, 2.

Enjoy a Righteous Standing Now

19. Why should God’s view of Abraham be heartening to many today?

¹⁹ The fact that the God of love counted Abraham as righteous should be heartening for true Christians today. Jehovah did not declare him righteous in the sense that he does those whom he anoints with spirit to be “joint heirs with Christ.” The limited number of that group are “called to be holy ones” and are accepted as “God’s sons.” (Rom. 1:7; 8:14, 17, 33) In contrast, Abraham came to be “Jehovah’s friend”​—and that before the ransom sacrifice was offered. (Jas. 2:23; Isa. 41:8) What, then, about true Christians who hope to live in the restored earthly Paradise?

20. God expects what of those whom he today views as righteous, as he did Abraham?

²⁰ These have not received “the free gift of righteousness” with heavenly life in view “through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24; 5:15, 17) Nevertheless, they exercise deep faith in God and his provisions, and they manifest their faith by good works. One such work is that of “preaching the kingdom of God . . . and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 28:31) Thus, Jehovah can view these as righteous in the sense that he did Abraham. The gift such ones receive​—friendship with God—​differs from “the free gift” the anointed receive. Yet, it certainly is a gift that they accept with deep gratitude.

21. What benefits are available because of Jehovah’s love and justice?

²¹ If you hope to enjoy everlasting life on earth, you should realize that this opportunity has not come to you because of a capricious act by a human ruler. Rather, it reflects the wise purpose of the Universal Sovereign. Jehovah has taken progressive steps to accomplish his purpose. These steps have been in line with true justice. More than that, they have reflected God’s great love. Well could Paul say: “God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”​—Rom. 5:8.

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