Does Romans 1:16 say salvation is for everyone who works or everyone who believes?
Romans 1:16 teaches salvation is for everyone who believes, not for everyone who works. The text explicitly rejects “everyone that worketh” and affirms “everyone that believeth.” Paul’s admonition consistently points to the one who believes. This matches Paul's repeated pattern in Scripture, where salvation is directed to him that believeth rather than to human works.
Les explains that Romans 1:16 says it no differently than umpteen other Scripture verses. He asks, “To whom?” Then he contrasts the false idea—“To everyone that worketh?”—with the correction: “No, to everyone that believeth.” He adds that when you follow these Scripture references through, it is always Paul’s admonition to him that believeth. Thus the verse directs salvation to the one who believes, not to the one who works.
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.
More Questions
Who receives salvation according to Romans 1:16?
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, so salvation through the gospel is for everyone who believes, not just for a particular group.
What does Romans 1:16 mean when it says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes?
In Romans 1:16, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes because that person has what God is looking for—faith.
How does Romans 1:16 describe the gospel in relation to salvation?
In Romans 1:16 the gospel is the power of God unto salvation; it is the generating power that brings life to a spiritually dead person, just as outside electrical power revives a dead car battery.