Dynamis

The Greek word dynamis means "power," "strength," or "inherent ability"—the capacity to accomplish something, whether natural or supernatural. In the Gospels, Jesus's miracles are called dynameis (mighty works): healing the sick, casting out demons, calming storms. These weren't violations of nature but demonstrations of power over nature, glimpses of divine dynamis breaking into the created order. When people touched Jesus's garment, dynamis flowed from him (Luke 8:46)—power so tangible it could be felt transferring.

The resurrection operates by dynamis. Paul prays believers would know "the immeasurable greatness of his power (dynameōs) toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead" (Ephesians 1:19-20). The same dynamis that conquered death now works in believers. Resurrection isn't a past miracle but active power reshaping present reality.

The gospel itself is dynamis: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power (dynamis) of God for salvation to everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). This isn't persuasive rhetoric but effective force—the message carries the capacity to accomplish what it announces. "The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power (dynamis) of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). Proclamation and power are inseparable.

Jesus promised the Spirit as dynamis: "you will receive power (dynamin) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). Pentecost wasn't merely inspiration but empowerment—dynamis to testify, to endure, to transform cities. The early church's explosive growth wasn't organizational skill but Spirit-power manifesting through ordinary people.

Yet Paul discovered power's paradox: when Christ told him "my power (dynamis) is made perfect in weakness," Paul concluded, "when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Divine dynamis flows most freely through acknowledged inadequacy. God's power doesn't need human strength—it prefers human weakness as the clearest demonstration of its source.

Here's the explosive connection: our English word "dynamite" comes directly from dynamis. Alfred Nobel coined it in 1867 for his new explosive invention, deliberately choosing Greek dynamis to convey unprecedented power. When Paul called the gospel "the dynamis of God," he was describing something with explosive, world-altering force—not in destroying but in creating, not in killing but in giving life. The early church understood what we've domesticated: the gospel isn't mild moral teaching but unleashed divine power that topples empires, raises the dead, and remakes human hearts from the inside out.