This verse-by-verse Bible teaching from Paul's letter to the Romans cuts to the heart of why believers struggle with evangelism and provides the biblical foundation for bold gospel sharing.
Are you living like you owe a debt that can never be fully repaid?
Most of us are pretty good at remembering our physical debts - the mortgage, car payment, credit cards. We get those past-due notices and suddenly feel that sense of urgency to pay what we owe. But there's a spiritual debt that every believer carries, one that Paul the Apostle understood with crystal clarity.
In this Romans 1:14-16 expository sermon, we'll examine Paul's three powerful declarations that should revolutionize how we think about our Christian witness:
The Debt Every Christian Owes
"I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the Barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise." - Romans 1:14 (KJV)
Wait - how can Paul be a debtor if his sins have already been paid for? How can someone whose sin debt has been completely accounted for still owe anything?
Here's the truth that'll shake you awake: Paul became a debtor the moment he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Think about it - Saul of Tarsus was breathing out threatenings and slaughter, persecuting the church, causing the deaths of many believers. He was in 150% rebellion against God. Yet Jesus paid it all. Not just some of it, not a down payment requiring Paul to work off the rest - Jesus paid the entire debt.
Because of this overwhelming grace, Paul was overwhelmed with gratitude and compassion. He realized that everyone he encountered had the same unpayable debt he once had, and they deserved to hear about the One who could pay it in full.
Why Modern Christians Struggle with This Debt
"So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also." - Romans 1:15 (KJV)
Here's what stings: We're ready for lunch at 12 o'clock. We're ready for dinner at 5 o'clock. We're ready for that family vacation, ready for the ball game, ready for amusement and entertainment. We'll justify spending thousands on ourselves, but when it comes to being ready to preach the Gospel?
Suddenly we're not ready anymore.
Paul faced every excuse we use today:
Weak bodily presence - "For his letters say they are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." (2 Corinthians 10:10 KJV)
Physical afflictions - He had a thorn in the flesh
Hostile audience - He was walking into Rome, where they crucified Christ
Cultural barriers - A devoted Jew sent to the Gentiles
Yet Paul was ready. What's your excuse?
The Power That Changes Everything
"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." - Romans 1:16 (KJV)
This world is caught in a power struggle between Satan and God. Satan is called "the god of this world" who "hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" (2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV). Every medium - TV, Hollywood, music, entertainment, government - can be used to blind people's minds.
But we have something infinitely more powerful.
The Gospel isn't just good advice or moral philosophy. It's not personal development or higher education. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. When you subject yourself to this power instead of the power of this world's system, lives are transformed for eternity.
Before you trusted Christ, you weren't ashamed to sin. You weren't ashamed of the tap room, the cigarettes, the drugs, the fornication, the filth, the world's music. You were God's enemy, yet you boldly lived in rebellion.
Then you get saved and suddenly you cower in the closet, ashamed of your Savior?
Paying Your Spiritual Debt
Here's the practical reality: Nobody in your town should pass from this life into eternity without hearing about Jesus Christ from someone. Not because we're doing God a favor, but because we owe them this debt.
You don't have to be a perfect speaker. You don't need seminary training. You're not called to save anyone - you're called to pay your debt by telling them about the One who can.
Start simple:
Give your testimony (if you can't, maybe you were never truly saved)
Go to 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 and have them read the Gospel
Leave a Gospel tract
Tell them "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures"
Paul owed this debt to Greeks and Barbarians, wise and unwise. Culture doesn't matter. Education level doesn't matter. Everyone needs the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Gospel stands alone in its power. There's nothing in this world that even runs a close second. Don't try to find another way, because if you do, the Gospel ceases to have power.
The Bottom Line
Paul understood three crucial truths:
I am a debtor - We owe this world the Gospel
I am ready - No more excuses
I am not ashamed - The Gospel is God's power, not our weakness
Christ wasn't ashamed when He bled out on Calvary for you. Don't you be ashamed of Him now.
The power isn't in your eloquence, your appearance, or your circumstances. The power is in the Gospel itself - the fact that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
🎧 📖 Want the full impact of this life-changing message? This blog post only scratches the surface of this powerful expository preaching. Listen to the complete sermon for the full verse-by-verse Bible teaching that will challenge and equip you to live as a debtor, ready and unashamed. Listen to the full message here and experience the convicting power of God's Word through faithful exposition of Scripture.