All of us likely have a few self-help or motivational books on our shelves. Not that these are necessarily “bad,” but most point the reader to “self” as the primary author and agent of change. Not so with the Gospel. In our opening verses to the book Romans (1:1-7) we will see clearly that the Bible’s paramount message, that of the Gospel declaring the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, is God’s idea, God’s plan, and God’s work.