I thank my God.

He thanks God for persons who have become obedient believers.

Why?

Why not thank them? Why deflect the gratitude to God for something so

profoundly inner and real and free and powerful like faith.

And the answer is, it's a gift of God.

Let's pause and think about what Paul does here.

He doesn't thank the Romans for their faith.

He thanks God for them.

And that raises an important question here, doesn't it? Why would you thank God for something that believers have done?

I'm Dan Kruver.

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper opens Romans 1, verse 8 to 15, to help us see

why faith itself is a gift worth thanking God for.

This message was originally delivered at Bethlehem Baptist Church on May 31, 1998.

Now, if you took Romans 1-5, which I think you should do, and say, Paul, what is your mission statement?

I think Paul would say, I exist by the grace of God.

You can see that in verse 5.

Grace came to me.

Grace.

I exist by the grace of God to bring about the obedience of faith among the nations.

That's not the ultimate goal.

That's the penultimate goal.

...