The gospel is critical to every aspect of the Christian life, not only because it is the message about Christ but also because it is the power of God. When Paul called Timothy God’s coworker in the gospel
(1 Thessalonians 3:2), he was in effect stating that God was at work in the ministry of the gospel. This view is reflected in Romans 1:16, where Paul writes, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.
Peter O’Brien puts this very strongly when he says, It is not that the gospel simply speaks about divine power; it is God’s power leading to deliverance on the last day.
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1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone,