Romans (1) - I am not ashamed

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.” Apparently Paulus takes into account that we can be ashamed of the gospel! Who was never ashamed for the gospel? Who has never doubted to pray for your food, in McDonalds with a Big Mac before you? Or with your box with with sandwiches in front of you in the canteen at work or school? Who of the teenagers who sit in church on Sunday kept silent and never told others where they are on Sunday morning and what they did?Directly at the beginning of this letter to the Romans, about the gospel Paul points out that shame is a major cause why spreading the gospel is blocked. (read: Rm.1:1-17, ref. Ps.119:46)

First cause of shame: ignorance
Causes of shame can be: what would ‘they’ say about it, afraid of identification with a certain image of Christians, rejection, kicked out of the group or even made ridiculous. Although at first sight it is maybe not so apparent, but all these causes can be categorized under “ignorance”. Just because Paul begins his letter with this problem of shame and subsequently uses the rest of the letter to explain the gospel! He doesn’t spread the gospel among unbelievers… but believers! He meant that when believers understand well what the gospel implies, that a spiritual energy, frankness and motivation is released in us to spread the gospel. (ref. Rm.1:11-15)

Second cause of shame: negligence
A second cause I would like to name “negligence”. Did you ever have a great opportunity to testify about your faith, but didn’t do it? Later on we know of course exactly what we had to say on that crucial moment. But why didn’t we speak? Yes, of course we didn’t see the opportunity coming. But according to Paul we must be prepared for such unexpected moments which God wants to give us. Not negligence, but ‘always prepared to justify ourselves by the hope which is in us to everybody who asks for it. Use every opportunity effectively by knowing how to give everybody a right answer, ‘convenient and inconvenient’. The latter comes close to what Lord Jesus said: “Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.”
(ref. 1Pt.3:15, Co.4:5-6, Ef.5:15, Lk.14:23)

Four weapons against shame
Paul doesn’t speak with arrogance that he is not ashamed, as if he never had problems with shame and fear. He also had to arm himself against it. The first verses of the Romans letter give four practical weapons to conquer shame for the gospel.
(ref. Act.20, Act. 18:9-11, 1Co.2:1-5)

1. The power of the gospel
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.” When we want to see the power of God in the gospel, then watch your own life. We aren’t ashamed of God’s power in our lives, aren’t we?
(ref. Rm.1:16, compare 2Tm.1:7-8, 1Co.2:1-5)

2. The necessity of the gospel
Also here our own life is the inspiration. We accepted the gospel, because we felt a need to do that! Well, for all people there is the same need to hear the gospel. Therefore God even designates people like Paul. Paul states it as follows: “”For necessity is laid on me: yea, woe is to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
(ref. Rm.1:1-6, 1Co.9:16)

3. The love of the gospel
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” Paul states that the love of God is spread out in our hearts, so also Gods love for the lost people. People will get lost without the gospel! Gods love forces us to save them for the eternity, because He want that all people will be saved and have everlasting life.
(ref. Jn.3:16, Rm.5:5, 1Tm.2:4, 2Pt.3:9, 2Co5:20, Ez.18:23-24, Ez.19:31-32)

4. The Person of the gospel
Paul says that the gospel of God is “about His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord”. At the end of his life he writes: “…for I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that he is able to guard My deposit unto that Day”. This is the main weapon of the gospel: do we know on Who we have put our confidence?!
(ref. Rm.1:1-7, 2Tm.1:11-12a, compare 1Co.2:2)


Don’t be meager with it
The biggest evangelist in the Old Testament calls upon us to go and break out to the left and to the right. That is only possible when we spread the gospel without shame: “Do not fear; for you shall not be ashamed, nor shall you blush, for you shall not be put to shame; for you shall forget the shame of your youth, and shall not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For you Maker is your husband; Jehovah of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel: the God of the whole earth shall He be called”
(ref. Isa.54:2-5)

(ref: translation of ED3703, lecture summaries EBG "Het Baken" 2003)