Yes — God demonstrates His power in salvation by rescuing helpless sinners from Satan’s slave market, pictured in Israel’s Red Sea deliverance and supremely in Christ’s resurrection.
Les Feldick says the human condition is like Israel trapped at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind and no way out — without hope. The gospel is called the power of God unto salvation, and Christ’s resurrection is the epitome of that saving power. No human works can accomplish it because salvation requires the sovereign power of Almighty God.
Romans 1:16 — This verse directly answers the question by calling the gospel 'the power of God unto salvation' to everyone who believes.
Romans 1:4 — It shows Christ was declared the Son of God with power through the resurrection — the resurrection power Les ties to salvation.
Romans 1:16 states plainly that the gospel is 'the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.' Romans 1:4 connects that power to Christ, who was 'declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.' First Corinthians 1:18 says the preaching of the cross is 'the power of God' to those who are saved, and 1 Corinthians 1:24 calls Christ both 'the power of God and the wisdom of God.' In Exodus 14, Israel is trapped at the Red Sea, and Moses tells the people to 'stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.' Scripture therefore ties God’s power directly to His saving acts — delivering Israel and raising Christ from the dead.
Les Feldick repeatedly makes one point: salvation is an act of God’s sovereign power, not human effort. He uses Israel’s Red Sea experience as the defining picture — Israel had come out of slavery, yet was stuck on the shore with the Egyptian army behind and impossibilities on every side, and God told them to stand still. That is exactly where the human individual finds himself: without hope and in the slave market of Satan. Israel could not build a pontoon bridge or requisition ships; God had to exercise His power, and the same is true for the sinner. The climax of that power is Christ’s resurrection, which Les calls the epitome of the power of our salvation. It is the power of the resurrection that makes salvation possible; otherwise we are yet dead in our sins. Les even says it took greater amounts of God’s power to save this old sinner than it did to create the universe. Salvation must be an exercise of the sovereign power of Almighty God because all man has is physical strength, and only God can save the spiritual. God does not force anyone because He gave us free will; He will do everything He can, but we must want to come out of the slave market. The gospel itself is 'the power of God unto salvation' — not joining the church, getting baptized, taking communion, tithing, or doing good works. Believing means totally entrusting our eternal destiny to the Word of God and to the power of the gospel.
Les says Israel was up against the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army behind and impossibilities to the right and left, and God told them to stand still. He applies it directly: 'That’s exactly where the human individual finds themselves. We’re without hope. We’ve been in the slave market of Satan.' Israel could not build a bridge or get ships across the water; God had to bring about their redemption by exercising His power, and our salvation works the same way.
Les says the power of our salvation is epitomized, or brought to its crescendo, at the resurrection. It is the power of the resurrection of Christ that makes our salvation possible; otherwise, the Scripture says, we are yet dead in our sins. He also connects this to the same power that opened the Red Sea — God exercises His power in resurrecting Christ from the dead and in bringing us out of our deadness in sin and slavery to it.
No. Les teaches that salvation has to be an exercise of the sovereign power of an Almighty God. That is why man cannot work for his salvation — all man has is physical strength, and only God can bring about the salvation of the spiritual. He adds that the very power of God has to become instrumental in our salvation, which is why we can’t merit it.
Les points to Romans 1:16 and says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. He stresses that it doesn’t say the gospel joins the Church, gets baptized, takes communion, tithes, or does good works. Those things have nothing to do with our salvation. Believing, for Les, means totally entrusting our eternal destiny to the Word of God and to the power of the gospel.
Trapped at the Red Sea – No Human Hope
Les describes the human condition as Israel at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind and no escape — without hope and in Satan’s slave market.
God’s Power in Resurrection and Redemption
The same power that opened the Red Sea is the power God exercises in resurrecting Christ and bringing believers out of their deadness in sin.
The Resurrection as the Crescendo of Saving Power
For the believer, the power of salvation is epitomized at the resurrection; it is Christ’s resurrection power that makes salvation possible.
Salvation Requires Sovereign Power, Not Human Strength
Salvation must be an exercise of God’s sovereign power because all man has is physical strength; only God can save the spiritual.
Satan’s Slave Market and the Free Will Limit
As Adam’s descendants we were slaves of sin, and God cannot force salvation — we have to want to be brought out of Satan’s slave market.
Saving a Sinner Took More Power Than Creating the Universe
God’s power in salvation is so great that it took more power to save this old sinner than to create the universe, released by believing the Gospel.
Nothing We Can Do – Only God’s Power
Like Israel doomed at the Red Sea, every person is separated from God and in bondage to sin until the power of God alone intervenes.
The Gospel Is the Power of God – Not Works
The gospel is the power of God unto salvation; salvation is not by joining the church, baptism, communion, tithing, or good works, but by entrusting our eternal destiny to God.
Romans 1:16: 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.
This is the key verse for the question: the gospel itself is God's power for salvation.
Romans 1:4: And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
This verse shows Christ's resurrection as the demonstration of divine power, which Les calls the epitome of saving power.
1 Corinthians 1:18: For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Les quotes this to show the cross is God's power to those who are saved.
1 Corinthians 1:24: But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Christ himself is identified as the power of God, which Les applies to the believer's dependence on that power.
Exodus 14:13: And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
This is the Red Sea picture Les uses to show that God, not human effort, performs the salvation.
No. Les says God gave human beings a mind, a will, and emotions, and because of that free will He cannot force us out of Satan’s slave market. He will do everything He can, but the person has to want to come out.
No. Les says Romans 1:16 does not say the gospel joins the Church, gets baptized, takes communion, tithes, or does good works. None of those things have anything to do with our salvation — only the power of God saves.
Les says the power of our salvation is epitomized at the resurrection — it is the power of Christ’s resurrection that makes salvation possible. Without it, we would still be dead in our sins.
Watch the Teaching: Why Paul Is THE Apostle to the Gentiles — Romans 1 Explained