Are You Ashamed of the Gospel?
Let me ask you a direct question that might make you squirm a little: When was the last time you boldly shared the Gospel with someone? I mean really shared it - not just invited them to church or talked about sports and fishing, but actually told them about Jesus Christ dying for their sins?
If you're like many Christians today, you might find yourself retreating, cowering back, winding back from sharing the most powerful message in the world. But here's what's fascinating - before we came to Christ, we weren't ashamed to go sin. Nobody forced us to do it. We voluntarily signed up for that hot mess. So why do we get saved and suddenly become timid about the very thing that transformed our lives?
This is exactly what Romans 1:16 addresses, and understanding what this verse really means will transform how you view sharing your faith.
Understanding Paul's Bold Declaration in Romans 1:16
In Romans 1:16, the Apostle Paul makes one of the most powerful declarations in all of Scripture: "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."
But what does this verse really mean? And why is it so crucial for Christians today to understand it?
When we examine this passage closely, we discover what I call the "four fors" of Romans 1:16-18 - four powerful statements that explain exactly why Christians should never be ashamed of the Gospel. These aren't just nice theological points - they're game-changing truths that should revolutionize how we view and share our faith.
The First For: Paul's Unashamed Stance (Romans 1:16a)
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ"
Paul's desire as an unashamed advocate of the Gospel is crystal clear. He's not ashamed in any way of the glory behind the Gospel. This isn't about taking Dale Carnegie courses on "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - that's not where the power is. Sure, if you've got some manner problems and can't get along with others, maybe a weekend trip might help, but that's not where the power of salvation lies.
We tend to shy away from Gospel conversations. "Hey, let's talk about sports! Let's talk about vacation! Let's talk about fishing!" Look, all those things are fun and great for investing time with family and friends, but come on folks - we've got something that's actually powerful: the Gospel. Don't be ashamed of it, and don't think for a minute that your personal persuasion or wisdom is going to do the real work.
The Second For: God's All-Sufficient Power (Romans 1:16b)
"For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Here's Paul's all-sufficient reasoning for his boldness. The good news must go out to everyone - and that means everyone. Children, adults, your neighbors, your coworkers. If you've trusted Christ, if you've come to know Him as your Savior, don't be ashamed to tell somebody else about it. That's where the true power is.
Paul's reasoning is clear - it's a no-nonsense, unashamed stance. The power isn't in our intellect or wisdom. As 1 Corinthians 1:18 tells us: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."
Think about it - all these little "g" gods died and stayed dead. Muhammad didn't raise himself. Harry Krishna didn't raise himself. None of these false gods raised themselves. But our God did! That's some real power right there.
The Third For: God's Righteousness Revealed (Romans 1:17)
"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
This third "for" represents the results born out of the power of God. The nature of the Gospel is the only thing that changes the nature of man - it's the only thing that has the power to do that.
You know what people are looking for today? Respectable Christianity. Beautiful cathedrals, multi-million dollar church buildings (they don't even like to say "church" anymore - it's "campus" because we need to get church out, we need to get Christ out).
But here's the thing - we shouldn't be putting the cart before the horse. Too many times people look for respectable Christianity and they don't look for Christ. We don't want our basis to be just trying to uplift man and ending up with a man-centered gospel. We're looking for a God-centered gospel.
When you understand that it's "the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith," aren't you glad it's not the judgment of God that's revealed? On one hand you've got judgment - you're condemned. But by faith, when you trust the Lord Jesus Christ, you get His righteousness. You don't get His judgment. That's beautiful truth - He's our substitute, He's our Advocate.
The Fourth For: God's Wrath Against Sin (Romans 1:18)
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness."
This final "for" reveals the state of mankind - mankind is guilty and mankind needs the Gospel. You look around our sin-soaked world where God has been kicked out, and you see dead people walking everywhere. It's literally dead man walking all over. When you look in their eyes, it's dead - it gives you a corpse-like chill.
But that's not what we have here as believers. We've got true saints of God, folks that want to live by faith, folks that have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and hunger for the truth of God. We know we're pilgrims passing through - this isn't our home.
The Gospel vs. "Respectable Christianity"
Here's what I want you to understand: We're not against fellowship, activities, or even bounce houses (though they make me dizzy these days!). But when these things come at the expense of telling someone about the living Savior, that's when I have a problem.
The issue isn't doing activities - it's doing all these things to shadow Jesus Christ while thinking, "Well, we'll slip Him in if we have time." That's not the way it should be. We shouldn't be doing things to avoid talking about Christ - we should be doing them to bring Christ in as more of a light.
Our nature leads us to discussing subjects other than the Gospel, and when we do this, we short-circuit the current that could run through us into someone else. Everyone's into off-grid living now, but I don't want to go off-grid for Jesus Christ! I want to be fully connected and on-grid for Christ so that current doesn't get cut off and someone else misses hearing about the Gospel.
It's Not About Your Wisdom - It's About God's Power
Remember what 1 Corinthians 1:21 says: "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
God doesn't care about your intellect or your wisdom - He's chosen the foolishness of preaching. God's not excited because you've arrived on the scene, or your favorite preacher has arrived. It's not about charisma - there's no power in that. There's power in the Gospel, and that's what we proclaim.
The Truth About Salvation
Here's something crucial: We're not talking about the power of God for reformation or just cleaning up your life. People clean up their lives all the time without Christ. We're talking about the power of God unto salvation - meaning you are regenerated.
As Matthew 10:28 reminds us: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Your body's going to die - somebody might run you over, old age might get you, sickness might get you. But fear this: God Almighty has the power to cast somebody into hell, and nobody else does. So stop being afraid of temporary things when eternal souls are at stake.
Are You Telling Someone About Jesus?
Let me ask you again: Are you telling somebody about Jesus Christ, Savior of the world? It's "to everyone that believeth" - not everyone that was baptized, not everyone that did enough good works, but everyone that believeth.
And remember Romans 3:22: "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference." It doesn't matter if you're Baptist, Catholic, Protestant - have you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, or are you trusting in your church membership? There's a big difference.
Don't Let Fear Stop You
The philosophers of the world don't want the Gospel. The religious crowd doesn't want it either. But we want it! We want the Gospel message to flow through our lives.
As 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Man's part is to respond by faith, and we are joined to the righteousness of God. We don't have our own righteousness - it would be filthy if we tried to hold it up to God. It's a by-faith righteousness.
Why These Four Fors Matter Today
These four "fors" in Romans 1:16-18 aren't just ancient history - they're living truths that should transform how we approach evangelism today:
We shouldn't be ashamed because the Gospel is glorious
We can be confident because it's God's power, not ours
We can have hope because God's righteousness is revealed through faith
We must be urgent because God's wrath is real and people need salvation
The world around us is full of people who desperately need what we have. They're not looking for respectable Christianity - they need the real thing. They need Jesus Christ, who died for their sins and rose again the third day.
So why not get your eyes off your future mansion and try to get some more people to come to the mansion party you're going to have in heaven? If you tell them about Jesus Christ, that's exactly what you'll be doing.
🎧✨ Want to dive deeper into this powerful exposition of Romans? I encourage you to listen to the complete message for the full impact of this expository preaching. There's nothing quite like hearing verse-by-verse Bible teaching that unpacks God's Word with clarity and conviction. This sermon will challenge and encourage you in ways that go beyond what any blog post can capture.
[Listen to the full message here] and let God's Word transform your heart and boldify your witness!